Still looking for a 164...........
 

.............and still not found the right car!

Having looked at the two or three that have come up in recent weeks, plus wandered down the path that might even yet lead to a good 144 or 244, I'm still looking out for a 'perfect' 164.

That isn't 'perfect' as in concours, what I mean is perfect for me!

The ideal is a driveable car with an MoT, sound bodywork and mechanicals with not too much to do in the way of bodywork - I haven't the facility or ability to emulate John H in his superlative efforts!

Seized brakes, tired interior, engine in need of a service and fettle - all welcomed. Victims of particularly savage tin-worms sadly are beyond my limited means.

So if you've a much-loved but unused 164 hidden in your garage, and would like it to go to a good home for re-commissioning, lots of TLC, a genteel retirement and the occasional VOC outing then please let me know.

164 / E / TE, manual or auto, colour unimportant, all cars considered.

As for price, well, 'Practical Classics' have 164s at £300 for Condition 3, £800 for Condition 2, and £1750 for Condition 1. That august publication is my guide in this! I know that a concours example would fetch maybe up to double the Condition 1 price, but that's not what I'm after.

I'm based 'oop north' but am happy to travel to meet that special someone!

Having slightly more than 30-up - years and posts - I can be contacted via the forum PM service!

Cheers

Jack

1969, 2-owner, column-change auto with sky-blue leather.... nice!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1969-CLASSIC-V...item4cee9b8969

John

164 - Wow!
 

Spotted it this evening - thanks John!

Will try to find out where else the vendors have advertised!

Cheers

Jack

JUst send them a e-mail through ebay asking them what they want for it most of the time people put that on so they get offers through ebay and then can cancel the auction avoiding paypal fees for selling the car.
pete

E-Bay
 

Cheers Pete

And there was me thinking everyone on ebay played by the rules!

Jack

164
 

This car is apparently advertised in Classic Car magazine at £3250.

I know that any car is worth whatever anyone will pay, and maybe somebody will go to that sort of value - but I reckon that's a little bit ambitious - unless it's close to concours.

Cheers

Jack

WOW!! Thats twice the amount paid for the BKV-winning early white one a couple of years ago. I can't help thinking this is another dreamer who considers that any old car MUST be worth loads of money.

Classic cars are all about fashion: a friend sold a rough and badly crash-repaired non-legal rubber-bumper MGB for £2k a couple of years ago, yet the VOC registrar couldn't sell his immaculate low-mileage 164 for not much more than half this amount last year. For interest, Foggy, his car has the grill sash whereas this doesn't! And do I see headlamp reflector bubbling behind the glass?

Clean interior yes, but its still a gas-guzzling Volvo 164. Before you criticise me, I have two on the road and have others waiting their turn....

Paul

I agree with Paul.

The fact that this is being advertised at the posh end of the classic car magazine market (ie 'Classic Car' rather than 'Practical Classics') suggests that there could be an over-ambitious expectation of value.

For me as an aspiring 164-owner I have to admit that I hope that this sale doesn't raise the bar! The Practical Classics valuation would be between £800 and £1750 for this car, depending on how 'minor' the blemishes are. What doesn't look much to someone who doesn't know these cars can be deceptive. For example, a bit of rust bubbling on a wing top or spare wheel well, or round a windscreen well won't fail an MoT, but for a 140/160 or 240 this can foreshadow a big expense. And 164 front wings are no longer available.

Then again, even now there is a 10k-mile 240 on E-bay with bidding around the £2k mark. And this despite the fact that bits are clearly missing, and there are inconsistencies about that car's age and spec. (1982/3 looks on a 1986 reg).

Funny old world!

Jack

Yes Jack - I saw that 240 too. Ebay is certainly a funny old world, but from what I've heard, there are lots of "no-show" winning bidders nowadays. Its almost as if its a challenge, rather like yobs collecting ASBO's. I thought the 'bay management blacked such people, but perhaps not nowadays.

For interest last autumn I paid around scrap value for a 1-owner late '70s manual Volvo 244 from the estate of its deceased owner. This car always lived in a garage and was covered with a dust sheet when I saw it too: it has less than 20k miles on it and is original with a few stone chips etc. At the reckoning of the ebayers watching the silver one, is it worth 'loadamoney'? I am a realist, and I think not: it only has a 4-speed 'box, so not really into economic motorway cruising, it doesn't have power steering, is '70s enamel rather than the lacquered silver everybody associates with 240s nowadays, and frankly isn't a sought-after classic. If it had been tax-exempt, that would have made it far more sought-after....

However, as an occasional driver, its lovely. But I am an old git now, who no longer likes hurtling around the lanes making a noise....

Paul

The ebay ad had a phone number. I suggest a call to find out what the score is.

The provenance is very good, but the car is nowhere near concours - some of the details are really quite scruffy. As you say Jack, the crucial factor is the body. And you're also right that a "minor blemish" can easily be a few hundred pounds to put right properly.

Having said all that, this is a 41 year-old car with 2 owners and less than 100k miles; probably always garaged. If both owners have given it regular but sparing use (c2500 miles per annum) it might never have seen road salt and rarely been used in the wet. So it COULD have an exceptionally solid body.

If the phone responses sound encouraging, it is worth getting them to email some well-lit close up shots of all bodywork blemishes. That will be enough to show if the car is rusty. Incidentally, the scruffy details such as number plates, wipers and lights do have a positive aspect - it shows the car has not been titivated prior to sale.

You also need to know - in detail - of any bodywork done in the past. As I've found with mine, previous bodged repairs are harder to fix then original rust.

Is it worth £3k? Well, I very much doubt it but if someone pays up, then by definition it is.

Most likely, they won't get an offer close to that. If it's 99+% rust-free (admittedly, that's a big "if") and mechanically good, then in my opinion it would be worth thinking of an offer somewhere around £2k.

If you get some close up photos, I'm be happy to look at then and give you my views.

Cheers

John