I popped over this afternoon to have a good look at the car. This was pretty easy as I only live about 30 mins away
I also got to meet Diana and her husband who are lovely people.
The car itself is very much as described, it looks fantastic in white and is in very good condition overall. I was hugely impressed!
The bodywork is very straight with only 3 small areas that would require attention. There are marks on the top of both front wheel arches which have surface rusting. There is also a small bleb under the rear pillar window. None of these should cause any stress and a weekend (at most) would be enough to deal with the minor blemishes.
The car would benefit from a session with a clay bar and a good quality polish and then it really would
gleam! Oh, the rear bumper corner (O/S) looks like it would need reattaching properly, or a new clip fitting perhaps.
Everything appears to work on the car, the car has a brand new MOT as of today as well. I think that a tyre would benefit from replacement at some point (I think that was mentioned as an advisory, sorry if incorrect Diana).
The interior of the car is stunning! The headlining is lovely with no sagging or staining. No issues with the seat material. Everything was lovely and solid, no rattles or squeaks. In fact the only things that I could pick up was some slight discolouration on the heater knobs and a slight peeling patch on one of the minor instrument backgrounds (literally a teeny amount). The engine bay was dusty but this would respond very well to a bit of detailing if that was your thing. There is a slight weeping from the rocker cover gasket but no biggie.
The car drove very well indeed, no clunks or anything. There is a great clump of receipts and so on for the car.
Diana spoke about the cars history and how the car had been in the family from new. She has a wonderful emotional attachment for the car and selling it is actually quite difficult for her. I understand that totally.
Diana has another Volvo waiting in the wings (a 740 estate I believe). I have made her aware that both cars would be eligible for insurance under a classic car scheme as she does not do a huge mileage in the car. Hopefully that may save her a few pounds.
With a small amount of work this could be an absolutely stunning car and one that would not look out of place at shows up and down the country. I would have taken some pics but my memory card is looking at me from my computer desk. This is not the first time I have done that. Sigh.
So, if the car is so good then why do I not own it?
Diana is a hard negotiator!
Sadly my car piggy bank could not
quite stretch to the figure that Diana wanted.
The asking price is very fair indeed and the car is well worth the money.
So, if you have the asking price cash then go for it.
You will have a car to be proud of.
Diana, I did say that if you sorted the classic insurance, you could get to keep the 440 on a multi-car classic policy
All the very best.
Ken