Hi Everyone,
Dave was kind enough to show me the car on Saturday, and us having failed to come to an agreement on it, asked me to post my opinion on here to help other prospective buyers.
I best give you a bit of information about me so you know how much to trust my opinion! I have owned a 1971 Volvo 144 for about 4 months. The reason for me wanting to buy Dave's is that most importantly I don't have overdrive, and I thought it could be cheaper than restoring mine to that standard. So far I have swapped out a brake calliper, reconditioned another, replaced some parts on the brake servo and replaced the water pump. Prior to owning a volvo I did a nut and bolt restoration of a 1952 Land Rover where I learnt the majority of my limited skills.
Dave's car is in great shape. I saw it in the day time and tried to give it a thorough once over. In hindsight I wasn't as thorough as I wanted to be but I still think I had a pretty good look.
1. Rust
Only one major bit noticed - under the bonnet on the bulkhead - the trough to guide run off from the bonnet - rusted out under the rubber seal. More severe than on my 144, but it seemed limited to the trough itself - and everything around it seemed fine.
Tried to check as much under the car as possible, one of the front jacking points was rusty but that seemed to be it. Also one of the sills had been replaced I think (as it was grey not gold). Looked neat and tidy though.
2. Sunroof
Unfortunately while demonstrating the sunroof it started to make a crunching sound and refused to shut, however I took the opportunity to look in the gutters around it and there was no rust.
3. Engine
I didn't drive the car, but Dave took me for a drive. It is the injection model of the B20 and seemed to turn over nicely. The car was already warmed up when I arrived, so I don't know what its like on a cold start.
Things I definitely didn't check and know I should have checked:
Rust around windows
Condition of rubbers etc on windows
Engine things? (like the colour/smell of coolant - I heard that's something one should check!)
Condition of steering box
Steering linkages
Front wishbones and suspension assembly
Rear suspension assembly
Rust underneath Radiator mountings
Overall it was an impressive car, and I did my best to buy it! Unfortunately my budget did not match his expectations. Being new to the classic volvo scene I am not entirely confident on what anything is worth anyway!
There was no point me listing the things I liked about it, so this is just limited to the bad points I could find.
I hope this is helpful!
Reuben
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