164 at auction
 

Hi all

Having finally acquired a garage, about 5 months ago, I have since been looking for something to put in it. I'm interested in a few different cars, a 164 very prominently among them.

I intend to buy a solid car, which I can enjoy immediately and take to a few events; not a project.

I was wondering whether as people with far more experience with and expertise on these cars you might have any thoughts on the following 164, which is coming up for sale at auction on 27 April:

https://www.swva.co.uk/classic-car/volvo-164-auto-1972/

The photos and MoT history look promising to me, although in the latter the gap between 2007 and 2016 raises questions about what sort of recommissioning, if any, was carried out. Less than 1000 miles in over 10 years usually isn't the best way to keep thianngs in good shape...

I should say that the location of the car and of the auction is about as inconvenient for me as it possibly can be, as I live in sunny Lancaster... However, if the car is worth it then I can start thinking about possible ways forward.

I'll be very grateful for your thoughts.

I was checking this out too - looks very nice on the face of it, but given it's been resprayed I'd want to go and take a look at it ideally.

I've been 'collecting' Volvo 164 survivor info for nearly a decade now and haven't come across this one before now. Therefore I too would have to see it and look in all the vital areas for possible storage neglect, and the reason it missed all those MoTs.
I don't consider a good respray a bad thing as we all know paint fades, especially gold. I agree a close inspection might reveal original paint in places. Make sure the spray company replaced all those difficult-to-source bits afterwards - that I saw at a dealers a couple of years back was lacking some bits which the dealer was unaware of.
If in fact it is just emerging after a probate case, their valuation could be quite reasonable.

P

I would agree with the sentiments expressed by 'SteveP' and 'Triple-S' above. I have fond memories of my 'K' reg 144 and would have loved a 164. If you were to buy a 'modern' for similar money it will continue to depreciate, whereas this car may well prove to be a shrewd investment as well as something that you can drive and enjoy. It will no doubt require gentle recommissioning before returning to regular use, but if bought within estimate could be a very worthwhile buy indeed.

Regards, John.

Thanks very much all. A lot of food for thought to be sure. A thorough visual inspection sounds essential; I'll have to see if my schedule can accommodate a trip down south. Chances are it won't, and I must confess that the thought of buying a car without a test drive concerns me a little in any case... As a result, SteveP may well have one fewer competitor in bidding for this car :-)

I would be very wary of buying any car that has had a recent respray without photographic evidence of the work that was done and photos of the before and during process.

In the Rolls-Royce world I have seen many cases of people buying an immaculate looking car that has had recent paint work done and paying top price for it - only to find 18 months down the line the paint is bubbling and filler lifting, showing how bad the condition was before and the shoddy workmanship. The only remedy then is to cut out the corrosion and do the job properly.

What the owner then ends up with is a car in good condition and worth what he originally paid for it, but, with the added cost of a good body restoration on top. They then get disillusioned with R-R ownership and soon sell up and move on.

Thanks a lot ITSv40, that's a really helpful perspective. I do like the look of this car, but I think I'm moving more and more to the view that I should let this one go, and look for a safer, more solid option, even if that means waiting longer. That's not really a problem anyway: it has taken me years to find this garage, so I can now definitely wait a bit more to find the right car to put in it!

That is definitely the correct strategy. The right car will come along and when it does you will know. I was in the same position when I was looking for a C70. I knew the colour combo, engine/ gearbox combo and it needed to be low mileage and in the very best condition possible - price was secondary.

Having looked at over a dozen poor examples, that in the adverts matched my criteria, I was on the verge of giving up, then the car I bought came along and everything was right and at a lot less than I was prepared to pay - which was a bonus.

Don't give up, take your time and eventually you will find the right car. Good luck.

It looks as though it's up for sale now on eBay. Great colour combination but to me the paint down the sides of the car looks pretty flat https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1972-Volv...8AAOSwyupa9eyp

I agree. Given that photos always make paintwork look better than in real life that is quite dull and has not been cut back and mopped. Also the flange on the wheel arch looks like it has had the filler ladled on with a builders trowel.

Otherwise it does look correct, albeit the under bonnet detail lets it down.