1981 244DL potentially for sale.

[Martin Cox]

A friend of mine may be looking to sell her late father’s 1981 244 DL. The car was last on the road about 12 years ago. It was used on high days and holidays but not if it was raining! So far as I know, the car has been kept in a dry garage for its entire life, but certainly for the last 30 years.

It was originally sold as a Lex Brooklands special edition car to my brother-in-law’s grandfather. When he gave up driving, he sold it to my friend’s dad.

The car is a Volvo 244 DL first registered August 1981 with registration No. UWR162X. A DVLA check shows the vehicle on SORN but for some unknown reason there are no details of any MoT history available. I don’t know why this should be.

It has the B21A engine and 4 speed manual gearbox and the odometer currently shows 42,788 miles which is genuine. The paint code is 146 which I’d call a sort of beige. It’s a basic model, so lacking in frills hence

no power steering,
manual windows,
no central locking
no electrically adjustable door mirrors
no heated seats
definitely no air conditioning!
no factory fitted radio.
no sunroof

The interior is brown with cloth seats.

The Lex Brooklands special edition differs from the bog-standard 244 DL by having alloy wheels (which were sods to keep clean) and a two tone paint job. The lower half is sprayed a sort of metallic bronze.

Space is tight in the garage and it’s a little difficult to get around the car but I can’t see evidence of any significant corrosion anywhere and I believe the body to be very sound. I'm told there may be some rusting around the rear arches but I couldn't get good enough access to tell for certain.

The car was in good running order when it was last used. Here is a list of what’s good and not so good.

No coolant in the engine. This appears to be as a result of the radiator having developed a leak. Whatever coolant was in it wasn’t genuine Volvo coolant. It’s never been run without any coolant.

It may have a viscous fan coupling, I can’t really see. If so, it’s now seized solid.

Battery. Long dead. Electrics almost certainly OK.

Engine. Turns over freely by hand with evidence of compression. Camshaft turns so timing belt intact. This is a non interference engine so even if the belt fails, the valves won’t hit the pistons. No evidence of any water in the oil. No obvious oil leaks of any significance

Fuel system. State unknown but probably OK. Carburettor will almost certainly need a new diaphragm. We’ve made no attempt to start it but I’ve no reason to believe it wouldn’t start.

Ignition. Basic coil and contact breaker points. Probably OK

Clutch. I think the clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder seals are probably shot. The pedal certainly feels odd. On a couple of occasions when I first encountered the car about 30 years ago, the clutch was prone to sticking and not releasing if the car had stood for a couple of months. It could usually be freed by the somewhat brutal method of starting it up in gear with your feet firmly on the brake and clutch!

Gearbox, propshaft and rear axle. No known issues and believed good.

Brakes not seized so the car will roll freely. The one disc I could see appeared reasonable. The handbrake has been left released so it hasn’t stuck but otherwise its condition is unknown. I haven’t tried the brake pedal but I should imagine the state of the seals in the calipers and master cylinder to be dire and as for 40 year old brake hoses: only fit for the rubbish bin in my opinion.

Exhaust; present but probably rough.

Suspension. Your guess is as good as mine! Any rubber is likely to be very tired but everything else is probably all right.

Steering. Not power assisted so there’s very little to go wrong or wear. I believe the rack is in good order.

Tyres appear good but far to old to be considered safe.

Interior appears good. There may be some issues with disintegrating elderly plastic; the glove compartment knob crumbled in my hands

I don’t think there are any bodged repairs that I know about

In order to get the car back on the road I think it would need at least the following.

Replacement battery and radiator.
New timing and fan belts, new carburettor diaphragm,
Overhaul of clutch hydraulics with possibly a replacement clutch.
Complete overhaul of brake hydraulics.
New tyres
A damn good clean!

There’s nothing I wouldn’t feel confident to do myself and the work would be well within the capabilities of a reasonably competent amateur mechanic. Although perhaps not the most desirable of models, it could be an easy route into 200 series ownership. It’s certainly a car I’d consider myself if I were in a position to do so.

I’ve included a few poor quality pictures; it’s dark in that garage and space is limited and today was not the day to push it outside. If there is any interest I’m sure we’d be able to take some better ones.

As to the value, I really have little idea what it’s worth; any guidance would be most welcome.

The car is in Doncaster and I’ve known it for most of its life.

I should welcome your thoughts.

Should anybody have any interest, please PM me and I’ll pass on my friend’s contact details.

Martin

[Othen]

Hi Martin,

To be clear: is this a motor car you are thinking or renovating yourself, or one you are advertising for sale as is on behalf of your friend?

The good bit is that the motor car would probably qualify as an historic vehicle now. It would have to be insured to change the taxation class, but would not necessarily need a MoT. Once registered as an historic vehicle its value would increase considerably.

The bad bits would be the cost of trailering it away, that might be something like £400 but would depend on distance. The condition of the clutch, suspension and any rust needing treatment would be unknowns; rectifying them might cost £50 for a reconditioning kit and some DOT4 up to a few thousand if it needs a new clutch and wheel arches.

The other recommissioning jobs would be easy enough to do oneself, and would cost something like a grand (using budget tyres) plus labour.

Once it was back on the road with all the issues sorted out, new tyres and so on and registered as an historic vehicle it might be worth £5,000. The collection, repairs and recommissioning might cost ££1,500 to £3,500, so one might conclude it is probably worth something like £1,000 to £3,000 in its present state. There will be plenty of folk advertising 'barn finds' at much higher prices, but I don't think they ever sell.

Alan

[Martin Cox]

It's really a testing of the waters on behalf of my friend and her current inclination is to sell it as is.

Much as I liked my 245 when I had one, this is not a car I'd be particularly interested in myself although it would be within my capabilities to deal with the mechanical side to get it back on the road.

I'm in Hull and the car is in Doncaster so it's not a question of a few gentle hours of spannering now and then as the the fancy takes me. I don't have the space at home for another car and she doesn't have the facilities where the car is.

Realistically I think she may be best trying to sell it as is but I don't have the experience to advise her on what a fair price to ask may be. Of course the old adage that it's only worth what somebody is actually prepared to pay for it is as true as ever. However your figures are useful food for thought.

Martin

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Martin Cox

It's really a testing of the waters on behalf of my friend and her current inclination is to sell it as is.

Much as I liked my 245 when I had one, this is not a car I'd be particularly interested in myself although it would be within my capabilities to deal with the mechanical side to get it back on the road.

I'm in Hull and the car is in Doncaster so it's not a question of a few gentle hours of spannering now and then as the the fancy takes me. I don't have the space at home for another car and she doesn't have the facilities where the car is.

Realistically I think she may be best trying to sell it as is but I don't have the experience to advise her on what a fair price to ask may be. Of course the old adage that it's only worth what somebody is actually prepared to pay for it is as true as ever. However your figures are useful food for thought.

Martin

Good morn Martin,

Ah, I understand.

That is a tricky one - if your friend paid someone else to do the work for her the costs would be much higher, if it was a garage charging (say) £75/hour the costs would probably be prohibitive.

I'd say the first thing to do would be to reduce the unknowns: so someone needs to get rid of all the paint tins, child's bikes and Xmas decorations stored around it and pull the motor car out for a proper reconnaissance. The rear wheel arches, sills and floor would be the most important, so it needs to be lifted onto ramps or axle stands. Whilst there someone needs to take some good photos. If the motor car is solid underneath and your friend can prove it then the price probably increases by a grand.

Whilst out of the garage it would be much easier to assess everything else. The clutch would be a concern, but difficult to test. The brakes would be a bit easier to work out, they might respond to just changing the fluid for a tenner, or they might need new discs, callipers, pads... and cost a grand. Armed with a good assessment of the motor car and lots of photos your friend could decide whether it is worth fixing or selling as it is. A project like this would be slightly 'all or nothing' though: if one started on the engine (say) it might cost £300 in parts (radiator, battery, cam belt, auxiliary belts, plugs, points, oil, filters and so on) before it was safe to attempt starting it.

Registering the motor car as an historic vehicle would indeed increase its value (maybe double), and your friend could probably do that by insuring it and falsifying the self-declaration form that it is roadworthy, but that would be rather immoral.

In the circumstances I'd say it would be best just to do a proper assessment of the vehicle and take lots of good photos (that might take a whole day of your time to do it properly) and then sell the motor car as a project with a note that it is old enough to qualify as an historic car once roadworthy. Without seeing the motor car I'd say it would probably achieve £1,500 to £2,000 like that (with the provisos about rust underneath). Most of the people interested in a project like this probably read this forum, so why not advertise it in this 'sales' section? If there are no takers after a month then give eBay a go.

It would be nice to see a motor car like this saved, but to be candid it wouldn't be worth a fortune even when finished, so tell your friend not to spend much on it unless she wants a 6 month long project on her hands.

Good fortune,

Alan

[Moomoo]

A good assessment of what’s what, would go a hell of a way to getting a true picture of the value.
It would also help target the market to the potential buyer, who’s looking for that type of project.

Alan is completely right!👍

[Steve and his 244]

Not sure if mentioned or not, but one correction I would make is that it does have a heated driver's seat. Thermostatically controlled rather than on a switch

[Martin Cox]

Thanks for all your comments to date; they're most helpful. Obviously it's the condition of the structural bodywork that will have the biggest effect on the price.

I'll see if we can get it out of the garage and do a better assessment as Othen suggests. it may not be for a while since shorter days and the weather are not in our favour. I don't think there's any great rush; the car has been sitting there for 12 years so a few more months are not going to matter.

However the values suggested are encouraging and I hadn't considered the likelihood of historic vehicle status.

I'd completely forgotten about the thermostatically operated heated seats and I now recall that's how it worked on my 245

Martin

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Martin Cox

Thanks for all your comments to date; they're most helpful. Obviously it's the condition of the structural bodywork that will have the biggest effect on the price.

I'll see if we can get it out of the garage and do a better assessment as Othen suggests. it may not be for a while since shorter days and the weather are not in our favour. I don't think there's any great rush; the car has been sitting there for 12 years so a few more months are not going to matter.

However the values suggested are encouraging and I hadn't considered the likelihood of historic vehicle status.

I'd completely forgotten about the thermostatically operated heated seats and I now recall that's how it worked on my 245

Martin

You might find it useful to have a look at this auction on eBay Martin:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175477622531

... it is fairly similar to your friend's motor car in that it has been laid up in a garage for quite a while and needs collecting plus a bit of work. It isn't of historic vehicle age yet though, so I'm thinking the seller might be a bit optimistic expecting an opening bid of £1,500 (a grand might have been more realistic). Historic registered vehicles generally make 50-100% more than younger ones, which is why I think your friend's motor car might sell for £1,500 to £2,000.

Alan

[Martin Cox]

Thanks Othen, I'll keep an eye on that one. My gut feeling is that my friend's one may be rather better although a lower spec and in my opinion, a less desirable colour.

Martin

[b296]

This rough example is already at £2k.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/275528705...Bk9SR4D08Z2MYQ