Seriously?

[Othen]

Now this one really is mad:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Barn-Find-Rare-1980-Volvo-244DL-Auto-3-Owners-50000-miles/293886841173?hash=item446d055155:gMYAAOSwxF5f0SQ T

... £3,500 for a barn find, not been used for years, full of rust, non-runner - I think the seller must be smoking the wacky backy!

[Dippydog]

Given that the most I've ever spent buying a car is £1250[and it scared me silly to spend so much]I'm afraid that to my mind unless a car is so very desirable/uber rare/both then without an MoT it's worth what the scrap man would give for it.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Dippydog

Given that the most I've ever spent buying a car is £1250[and it scared me silly to spend so much]I'm afraid that to my mind unless a car is so very desirable/uber rare/both then without an MoT it's worth what the scrap man would give for it.

... a pretty good point :-)

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

Now this one really is mad:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Barn-Find-Rare-1980-Volvo-244DL-Auto-3-Owners-50000-miles/293886841173?hash=item446d055155:gMYAAOSwxF5f0SQ T

... £3,500 for a barn find, not been used for years, full of rust, non-runner - I think the seller must be smoking the wacky backy!

You have to admire his optimism Alan, trying to sell a Volvo in that colour at any price is an achievement!

Vauxhall and Ford did similar colours but they used metallic finishes, viz Hazel Brown and Chestnut Brown respectively, both of which were quite nice because they were metallic.

Some people might like the solid brown but they are likely to be few and far between them. Factor in the tinworm and he's just on a pure optimism trip!

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

You have to admire his optimism Alan, trying to sell a Volvo in that colour at any price is an achievement!

Vauxhall and Ford did similar colours but they used metallic finishes, viz Hazel Brown and Chestnut Brown respectively, both of which were quite nice because they were metallic.

Some people might like the solid brown but they are likely to be few and far between them. Factor in the tinworm and he's just on a pure optimism trip!

I'd agree with all that Dave. In particular the rust in the boot looks pretty advanced, so it probably doesn't stop there. It looks like it has had a shunt at the front (the bumper is dented where the number plate sits) and the dash is distorted under the glovebox. All in all a lot wrong for a £3,500 car.

I get a bit irritated that people ask silly prices just because things are a bit old. If that was a 1985 car (so 5 years from becoming an historic car) then it would be worth £800 (maybe), because it is 40, no longer needs a Mot (although I think it should have one before being driven) and will be tax free in April the chap thinks it is worth 4-5 times as much.

Ho hum.

[Laird Scooby]

There are a lot of things that don't ring true with the mileage on it, makes me wonder a lot if that 50k miles is genuine. Could just have had a hard (excessively) life in that 50k but even so!

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

There are a lot of things that don't ring true with the mileage on it, makes me wonder a lot if that 50k miles is genuine. Could just have had a hard (excessively) life in that 50k but even so!

I think you are right about that one also Dave, 50,000 miles would seem very little over 40 years, even if it has been off the road for 3 or 4 that would still be only just over 1,000 miles/year since new - that is more than a little bit fishy.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

I think you are right about that one also Dave, 50,000 miles would seem very little over 40 years, even if it has been off the road for 3 or 4 that would still be only just over 1,000 miles/year since new - that is more than a little bit fishy.

The MoT history does seem to bear out the low mileage, sometimes it went up to 4 years between tests, others only did 150 ish miles between tests a year apart :

DRN217W VOLVO 244

Check another vehicle
Colour Brown
Fuel type Petrol
Date registered 6 August 1980
MOT expired on 11 March 2017

Get an MOT reminderwhen the vehicle's MOT is near its time for renewal. (Opens in a new Window) by email or text.
If you think the MOT expiry date or any of the vehicle details are wrong, contact DVSA.

Check mileage recorded at test, MOT expiry date, defects and advisories, and view test certificate
The MOT test changed on 20 May 2018

Defects are now categorised according to their severity – dangerous, major, and minor. Find out more
Date tested 12 March 2016
Pass
Mileage 50,495 miles
MOT test number 2812 4142 7629
Test location
View test location
Expiry date 11 March 2017
Date tested 24 November 2014
Pass
Mileage 50,277 miles
MOT test number 6975 0822 4359
Test location
View test location
Expiry date 23 November 2015
Date tested 22 June 2010
Pass
Mileage 49,030 miles
MOT test number 3338 0347 0140
Test location
View test location
Expiry date 21 June 2011
Date tested 15 July 2009
Pass
Mileage 49,007 miles
MOT test number 4347 6669 9141
Test location
View test location
Expiry date 28 July 2010
Advisory notice item(s)

Nearside Front wheel bearing has slight play (2.5.A.3c)
Offside Front wheel bearing has slight play (2.5.A.3c)
Rear brake disc slightly pitted (3.5.1h)
Oil leak

What are advisories?
Date tested 29 July 2008
Pass
Mileage 46,652 miles
MOT test number 7621 7151 8295
Test location
View test location
Expiry date 28 July 2009
Date tested 31 October 2006
Pass
Mileage 46,449 miles
MOT test number 4914 5480 6335
Test location
View test location
Expiry date 30 October 2007

It's a shame the formatting doesn't copy&paste with the words but you can work out what everything is.
Given the excessively low mileage, i'd strongly suspect accelerated bore wear as well, mainly due to the fact it probably spent 70-80% of its life running on choke and probably never saw a motorway in anger to get the engine hot enough to burn off the deposits/acids in the oil. I dread to think what state the insides of the engine are in!

[Laird Scooby]

Just looking at the listing Alan, noticed the N/S headlamp wiper makes it look puzzled/inquisitive :


"You what?"

Also appears to have had driving lamps installed on the front bumper, presumably they became a casualty of the front-end shunt that put that nice dent in the bumper. That could have been one of those half-mast parking bollards though, you know the ones you can't see until you get out of the car.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Just looking at the listing Alan, noticed the N/S headlamp wiper makes it look puzzled/inquisitive :

"You what?"

Also appears to have had driving lamps installed on the front bumper, presumably they became a casualty of the front-end shunt that put that nice dent in the bumper. That could have been one of those half-mast parking bollards though, you know the ones you can't see until you get out of the car.

... now you have blown that photo up a bit, it is possible to see it took quite a thwack! We will probably never know, but there is a bit of history to this motor.

the MoT history is interesting - sometimes not tested for 3 years at a time, and tiny mileages between. Maybe it has been in a lock up for years, the owner has remembered he owned it every 3 or 4 years, got it MoT tested, drove it home then locked it up again... until the final time when he drove into a bollard, knocked off the driving lights and his passenger's head hit the dash just below the glove box... or perhaps: someone drove it around with the speedo cable disconnected and only bothered MoT testing (and taxing) it occasionally when the risk of getting caught was a bit high.

We'll never know :-)