7/9 Values

[James_N]

Hi all

It’s been a good few years since I found myself in a 940. I often reminisce about my first Volvo and arguably by best. A 740GLE estate that cost £100. I ran that for years until it met a hedge backwards. Totally my fault. I the upgraded to a 940 Celebration estate that cost me £900. Again I ran this for years until it just needed a few more jobs doing then I could afford a few years ago when I was renting. So I sold it to someone who then wrecked it

In between these two cars I had a few more Volvos. A 740 turbo for £500 and a few more saloons for £100-£200.

Recently I needed a cheap runaround and ended up snagging a good Peugeot 106 for £250 which has proved a good stead about from leaking like a sieve in this rain!

I did want to get myself back in a 740 but values seem to
Have rocketed. Long gone are the days of a 7 series for a few hundred quid. It seems a shame. Some prices are as much as £4000! Absolutely crazy money.

Compared to my little Peugeot, I do miss bigger cars like the 740! Why do they command so much nowadays. Apart from us enthusiasts, I wouldn’t think there is much demand for these?

[MiniNinjaRob]

900 values seem to be all over the place. I've been looking to sell mine for a while but have got no idea where to pitch it. A decent 700 should fetch a decent price anyway but I know they are more prone to hidden rust so can be a bit of a gamble for the uninitiated - that's why I went for a later 940.
Really don't want to sell mine but I might be forced to soon due to personal circumstances........ hoping to stay in a Volvo though...

[James_N]

Originally Posted by MiniNinjaRob

900 values seem to be all over the place. I've been looking to sell mine for a while but have got no idea where to pitch it. A decent 700 should fetch a decent price anyway but I know they are more prone to hidden rust so can be a bit of a gamble for the uninitiated - that's why I went for a later 940.
Really don't want to sell mine but I might be forced to soon due to personal circumstances........ hoping to stay in a Volvo though...

From your thread, your 940 looks fantastic.

Future owner will be very lucky

[haymitch]

To be honest, I think the main reason that good cars are (slowly) becoming more expensive is that old Volvo 700/900 series are getting rarer and many examples are run into the ground by people who just don't care. Also, it's still more profitable to break a car rather than sell it which must be taking a lot of perfectly repairable cars off the road and out of the hands of enthusiasts (not that I blame people for doing this). I bet there are loads still going to the scrappy as well with some owners just seeing them as a junk car.

When you have a look at how many cars are left by various models you can see that these cars are leaving the roads pretty quickly. If the numbers are to believed then there are around half the number of 940s around compared to 5 years ago (and the situation for 740s is even worse). I'm sure the numbers aren't 100% accurate but give a general idea of what is happening.

https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/family/volvo_940
https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/family/volvo_740
https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/family/volvo_240

[MiniNinjaRob]

There's only 15 left of my model, only made for a year or so and I think less than 100 made in total anyway!

https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicle/volvo_940_cd_auto

[Dippydog]

It can be a difficult subject and prices indeed can be all over the place.Last year[April/May I forget which] I bought a 960 saloon with good history all belts/tensioners replaced,serviced and M.o.T.'ed the previous October[invoice for over £1100 came with the car]for £695 with 122,000mls on it.The bumpers could do with a repaint but that's about it apart from a couple of minor niggles and it easily passed it's M.o.T. last October.But then I've seen 960's advertised for several thousand pounds.Bargains do still turn up if patient.

[360beast]

Originally Posted by MiniNinjaRob

There's only 15 left of my model, only made for a year or so and I think less than 100 made in total anyway!

https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicle/volvo_940_cd_auto

Mine is a CD auto LPT apparently 33 licensed and 13 SORN, that's a sad story if true. Don't think I will break anymore after seeing this!

[john.wigley]

Originally Posted by haymitch

To be honest, I think the main reason that good cars are (slowly) becoming more expensive is that old Volvo 700/900 series are getting rarer and many examples are run into the ground by people who just don't care. Also, it's still more profitable to break a car rather than sell it which must be taking a lot of perfectly repairable cars off the road and out of the hands of enthusiasts (not that I blame people for doing this). I bet there are loads still going to the scrappy as well with some owners just seeing them as a junk car.

Agreed, 'haymitch'. In our case, the decision was made by simple economics outweighing sentiment.

We ran our last 745, an '87 GLE for 18 years from 1998 to 2016. It was a great car, but when, at 29 years old, it failed it's MOT on extensive underside corrosion, it was time to make a difficult decision. Although it lived outside and was very much a working car, it wasn't that we didn't care about it, we did - very much.

We were quoted a minimum of £400 welding to get it through it's MOT, with the distinct possibility of yet more being required in future. Faced with that, we took the difficult decision to replace the car. The car lives on in a way, having been bought by a forum member for spares, and I am now driving an early V70 for which I only paid £550 3.5 years ago. As I say; simple economics.

I'd venture to suggest that there are still many that fall into this dilemma. If I'd had the welding skills and facilities to repair the car myself, the outcome may well have been quite different.

Regards, John.

[Bob Meadows]

This is a reflection of the classic car scene in general: ~ we can all remember the days when Morris Minors had been ten a penny- Ford Escorts were just the same and an everyday company car—look at the market now for theses—I’m certain you will be able to name many others.
These cars are now in that state of flux regarding values & being recognised as a worthwhile classic; in many respects the same cars are far better than some of the collectibles demanding high prices; keep the secret and buy the best you can when you can! Or they will become “I wish I had purchased that Volvo then” I have certainly noticed the attention that my 240 gets and this has increased some in two years.
Great Style- join in!
Regards Bob.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by 360beast

Mine is a CD auto LPT apparently 33 licensed and 13 SORN, that's a sad story if true. Don't think I will break anymore after seeing this!

There lies the case for you buying more than one car Luke. Break the basket cases with good mechanicals, repair the sound ones with blown engines/boxes or whatever with spares from the broken ones and sell them on to make a few quid, while selling other spares to help keep others cars on the road.

Best of all worlds then!