Volvo 480 Celebration No.001. 27100miles
 

Hi, credit crunch and all that means I'm "thinking" of selling my 1995 480 Celebration limited edition No. 001 (of 480). I have owned her for three years she is in superb order, with a genuine 27,100 miles from new and all service and handbooks etc. Two owners (1 family) prior to me, in metalic dark grey, leather interior and all the celebration toys and extras. Just had a full service and new mot. Bound to be an investment and show ready. If anyone is interested send me an email and I'll forward photos. Sensible offers invited, viewing welcome, situated just off the A1 in N.Yks. any questions give me ring on 07966434355 cheers , David. Perhaps the most desirable 480 ever? david@casamimosa.co.uk

Re: Celebration
 

You wouldn't care to frighten me with a ballpark figure and some pictures?

p.m. me if you like

Cheers,

T

Hi, really not sure on price, as much as I can get I suppose, not much good with computers but if you let me have an email address I'll try to send a set of 23 pics I took this morning, cheers David

Unfortunately the image uploader doesn't seem to be working, however I've managed to upload them online to be viewed. Please click the below link.

http://s874.photobucket.com/albums/a...albumview=grid

Re: Your Celebration
 

The car looks very nice from (relatively small) photographs.

Is there any tin worm, swimming pool in rainy weather?

I wouldn't like to say a price, but would rather find out how much you think it is worth first. You must hav eseen what they are up for elsewhere, and what they are actually selling for. Not always the same thing, of course.

Please p.m. me if you want to talk about it

Cheers,

T

Hi, car is in as new condition, no rust, dents dings or even a stonechip, just turned down £3650, think she's worth a bit more at this early stage, cheers David

Re: your Celebration
 

Sorry, but quite frankly you are dreaming.

Got to agree with ^^^^^. Cars like this are rare and people will pay a bit more than normal, but it is only worth as much as some one is willing to pay.
Good luck with getting a better offer than the one you turned down, I would have snapped their hand off.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but £3650 is more than a bit hopeful. The car is worth £1000, £1250 tops, and for that you'd expect a full MoT, 6 months tax and a tankful of petrol.

This wil give you a good indication;

http://www.volvo-480-europe.org/club...ate&order=DESC

Mind you, it's amazing what folk think a car is worth. There are a couple of 1800ES for sale on carandclassic at over £15,000 apiece - more than three times their true value - but they've been there ages!

Cheers

Jack

Maybe is not me thats dreaming! Had two further bids, one from a Volvo main dealer so perhaps certain Volvo enthusiasts need to rethink values. If you don't want to buy it ,you don't have to offer , do you!.

You asked on here for views on the value of your car, and got some honest opinions. In the final analysis it doesn't actually matter what anyone other than the ultimate buyer thinks. As has been said, any car is worth precisely what someone is prepared to pay.

Based on the value in 'Practical Classics', and the 'for sale' prices in the 480 Club web pages, you'd expect your car to raise around the market value.

If you can persuade someone to part with £4k-ish for a car that's actually worth around a quarter of that then I say well done to you!

As well as buying your 480 I reckon that perhaps that Volvo dealer should offer you a job!

Good luck with the sale.

Cheers

Jack

lol! :lightbulb:

Perhaps it is the '001/480' on the dash that is inflating the value. The first of any series will always command a premium. I must admit, though, that if I was offered anywhere near that amount for mine (not a Celebration) then I would be politely grabbing it.

Does anyone else get a bit miffed when someone joins just to sell their pride and joy, thinking it might command a premium among the members of the forum because they are Volvo enthusiasts who know the value of various models.
Hope you get what you ask for javea1, can I suggest E-Bay with a no reserve auction?

Re: miffed
 

In a word: YES!

He's a dreamer.

Personally I think the 'bids' are mythical and he's just trying to up the ante. Only it won't wash because we all know what they are worth in the real world, number 001 or not!

The only way he's going to get a Volvo main dealer to offer that sort of money is with the scrappage scheme - which, on a C30 (I'm sure we've all seen the ads) is just about the amount he's talking of being offered.
n.b. I'm not suggesting for one moment that he should scrap it: I'm not in favour of that at all.

Quite apart from anything else, if you tried to convince either owners club (VOC/VEC) or a broker to put such an astronomical value on it for agreed value insurance purposes alone they would laugh you out of the place.

If he chances going to ebay or any place else in the real he's in for a very rude awakening.

Cheers,

T

Always find many so called enthusiasts such 'pillocks' when it comes to opinion of value. One sensible attitude and a bunch of no hope no money, whingers! Any item is worth what someone is prepared to pay, value guides are just that, a guide. This car is unique,and in my opinion, its value will rise substantially in future years. It featured in Volvo advertising in 1995 and looks likely to be sold to a major Volvo franchise for display and investment purposes. If I don't get the price I want I will choose not to sell it. I am not looking for the Volvo forum members to provide me any service or advice (and have been a member of the club since I acquired the car in 2006) so why the sniping comments! I am aware of two other 480's with low mileage sold in the past year for £3,995 and £3250 by dealers advertising on Ebay and on Autotrader. On this basis I , and others I have spoken to,(2 wishing to view this weekend) agree. Had the same whinging attitude from XR3 owners club members when I sold my 90' XR3i cabriolet with a mere 13,000 miles from new. "He's an idiot, only worth £1,000, must be joking, needs to look at the guides" etc, sold that car for £6,000 to a very serious collector from abroad.
So had my say, I'll either be proved right or will still have my toy to play with this summer, either way I win x "May all whingers big ends dry up and seize" (ALSO Cptn J. havent asked for any opinion of value , just advised that the car may be for sale!)

Re: Javea 1
 

You are ill-mannered and self opinionated, with a vastly inflated view of your vehicle's worth, and place in history.

We need your abuse like a hole in the head, and do not deserve to be treated in such a cavalier manner which is systematic of ill-breeding allied to a lack of decent education and low moral standing.

The people you choose to abuse in this fashion are not merely 'enthusiasts' but knowledgable owners who, by-and-large cherish their cars, care for the marque and have an interest in their correct maintenance/preservation, as opposed to someone who merely wants to make a killing because they think their car is "special".

On a closing note, I will say that if you don't want opinions, you came to the wrong shop brother!

Your last post has been reported.

good god and to think i had 3 of these and never got close to £1000 never mind dream land lol i agree it aint worth what you been offered though its a nice motor but and i say but as its no 1 out of 480 then a collector/dealer would deem it worth more to themselves only so you go for it get what you can and good luck

well said that man!

I've seen that car for sale on the forums before, less than 3 years ago too if my memory serves me correctly.

Ah, found it, but not on VOC: http://volvo480.dragons.org.uk/forum...ration&start=0

Looks a lovely car all the same, I'd be seriously sniffing if I had the readies.

Re: your Investigation
 

Thanks for this.

It is interesting to read on beyond the top of the page in the link to find that the car has suffered accident damage and has had a 'nose job'. I wonder if it was written off and subsequently rebuilt? Also interesting that it doesn't appear to have turned a wheel for over two years.

Anyhow, I would say that puts paid to his dreams of big bucks.

Cheers,

T

http://volvo480.dragons.org.uk/forum...hlight=#106018

wonder what service history is like since 2002

also reading that thread it sounds like it wasn't in particularly good condition considerering it was so 'rare'

http://volvo480.dragons.org.uk/forum...hlight=#106191

has it been 'restored' or 'tarted up'

Won't bother attempting to dignify this inane diatribe with a considered response. Just one observation, does anyone else think that the photobucket pics of the 480's engine bay, and the apparent wear and tear to the driver's seat are a little at odds with claims of ultra-low mileage and showroom condition?

Jack

I have also noticed that the car is missing its front spoiler (which as a Celeb it should have) and also that the "480" badge on the tailgate is in the wrong place for a Celeb - certainly based on mine and every other one I have seen. It should be well over to the right: the position of this one looks, to me anyway, like that for an ES or S with the model letters then removed.

Just a couple of further observations that mean that in my view too the car is nowhere near as "pristine" as it is supposed to be.

David

Come on guys, no need for all this ... don't you know that many 'celebrities' have a 'nose job' these days :) ( groan .... )

pmsl! :thumbs_up:

And the 'Celebration' plaque on the dash is not in the same position as no 191, photos of which are published on various other 480 web sites.

On this car the plaque is well to the right of the air vent, on no 191 it's directly under the air vent.

Any other 480 Celeb owners able to confirm the location of their dash badges?

Jack

Yep directly inder the air vent on mine too.

Tony

Re: javea1
 

Well Jack, I think he's done a runner since I replied and reported his last little diatribe.

Or quite possibly it's a combination of that, and the creeping suspicion I'm getting, that this was possibly a write off that's been restored from the dead; or at the very least suffered a broken nose, and probably acquired a nice little plaque along the way. Something else, is that in the forum from the other place (the last one listed here) if you go to the first page, it was June 2006, and he describes the car as grey/silver with leather, 26,000 miles. The car we have seen is dark blue. It also says amongst other things, that it has an oil leak - at 26,000 miles. Reading the whole thread is very instructive; also shows the mod there to be misty eyed (confirming it as genuine from the plaque alone - in the wrong place) when he should be alert.

Sadly the DVLA no longer list the number of previous keepers, so I cannot find out if the car was really sold back then in '06. One suspects from the writing back then, and what we have seen, it is the same person, same car, same mileage (from Dec '06), 2 years plus down the road, but in a different colour.

Also, as I mentioned to someone privately, I suspect that No.1 is in the Volvo museum. If anyone knows the museum or has the inventory, that would be useful.

n. b. Attached is a pic of the dash plaque of Celebration No. 127 (genuine)

Cheers,

T

Footnote
 

And finally.....

As claimed by the seller, 480 Celebration 001/480 (or to be more accurate, the plaque actually reads 1/480) does indeed feature in Volvo's sales brochure of the time.

Only problem is, the car used there isn't black, or blue, or grey....it's actually ......red.

Of course sales brochures are heavily re-touched and enhanced, and so probably not to be taken as conclusive evidence, but............

The pdf of the brochure is available on the VOC web site.

Jack

lol! good work holmes ;-)

Elementary my dear Watson!

Can't be certain of course, but when you read that so many cars offered for sale have a dubious 'history', you can't help but feel that when something looks almost too good to be true, then that's probably because it's too good to be true.

There was a time when a Ford Granada's value could be significantly enhanced simply by adding some nicked leather seats and a stick-on Ghia badge. (It happened to my in-laws).

Similarly, how many white 1800s are there out there that were 'genuinely used' in the filming of the TV show 'The Saint'?

I must make it clear that I'm not directly accusing the present owner and seller of this 480 of anything untoward at all, but the evidence does suggest that somewhere along the line, someone may well have attempted a little exercise in 'adding value' to this particular car.

With old Volvos, as with all old cars, it's very much a matter of buyer beware.

Cheers

Jack

Excellent work there boys......Inspector who?????

Too right. I'd particularly hate to be looking for a genuine MK1 Lotus Cortina, or any of the RS or Mexico MK1 Escorts ... I've even cast a rear badge for my Saab Carlsson and kept the original ( in case it gets nicked ) and it wasn't hugely difficult to do.

Re: Investigations
 

Congrats are in order to all concerned, I think - big drinks all round on Friday :)

Another interesting vignette about this 480 is the number plate. Has anyone got a pic from then, and know what it was? I'm curious as to why the number was changed as noon eevr mentioned it having a private plate.

Either way, I think we must assume, as the good Captain intimated, that this car has had a little 'added value' work, and started life as a humbe 480es. But, unless we get to know the chassis number and someone has access to the relevant factory record, we'll never know for sure.

The cars you mention here, Tony, have all got a place on my wanted list, but it really is very dodgy ground trying to sort the real from the dress-up jobs. Same is also true of any type of Mini Cooper (the proper ones, not the 'midi' BMW makes, 1600E M2 Cortinas, Mk 2 Mexicos, bronze Consul 3000 GTs which were 'used in the filming of The Sweeney', and many others, including a number of vintage Ferraris i.e original series 308GTBs with steel/ally bodies! (they were all fibreglass of course, and are highly sought).

What model Carlsson do you have, Tony: 900 or 9000?

Cheers,

T

Hi T,

The Carlsson is a 1990 ( 2.0 ) full pressure Turbo 9000. It once resided in Surrey, and is in original nick ... as I discovered lately ( two black fruits + 1 WH Smith receipt dated 1991 found under the front seats! ).

The to do list is pretty long: ABS sensors need replacing, brake lines ( braided ) need replacing, gearbox needs rebuild, and of course like most older saabs the rooflining is falling down. On paper it makes no sense, but believe me, the boost at 50+ is like nothing I've ever experienced ... outside of an aeroplane that is. Corny but true.

I bought it from a British gent in the locality, who brought it over in '04. It's been lightly rear - ended at one stage, but overall I'm happy with it. Honest chap I bought it from, but there had been a few owners over the years and I was petrified of weld lines on a car like this - sometimes it's done so well it's nigh on impossible to detect. I bought it pretty sharpish, so when I found out it was okay it was a HUGE relief!

I'd love an old mini myself. It does my head in when I think of all the 'Austin Seven Mini's that ended up sideways in ditches through the '80's, along with Type two VW vans. The coopers seem to be making upward of £10,000 for a really mint one! Like the Beetles, I'm a sucker for the original. If the tail lights are bigger than a matchbox, I'm not interested lol!

Regards,

Tony.

Oh, here's my red ( pink! ) Saab: http://images.google.ie/imgres?imgur...a%3DN%26um%3D1

What a load of waffle from a bunch of wallies. The car has now been sold to a Volvo dealership in Germany. They have confirmed ( via Volvo) that she is the true No 001, Vin no and chassis numbers correct, full history established and confirmed. Sale value in excess of £4,000. So much for all the clever comments and detective work by so called enthusiasts. More 'Inspector Clueso' than 'Sherlock Homes' To correct your inadequate research, No. 001 was in Storm Grey, No 002 Burgundy Red, No 003 in White satin.( According to volvo, but no doubt some twits will still prefer to argue.) Car No 002 was used in the brochure Part no. 4/95 9000 9826-0 as the red was considered more photogenic. (Again according to Volvo) The plaque 001 in the brochure is a mock up and not a photograph. The Storm grey car (No 001) was used in press advertising being better reproduced in black and white.(According again to Volvo Cars) Many thanks to Stella at Volvo for all her assistance over the past couple of weeks. Well chaps back to your pipe and caps, now time to find some other topic to occupy your lucid moments!

It looks like a valuable opportunity has been missed, just like a couple of years ago on the Volvo 480 europe club. See you back here ( or there ) around 2011?

And I was just about to offer £7000 cash too.
I miss out again.