1979 Volvo 264 GL For Sale

[basoom]

Dear all

I found this volvo for sale in Birmingham area. The seller is asking for an offer!!..
I am not expert and need you expert views? I know it is 6 cylinders and will spend more petrol

is this a good model to buy and enjoy ?
is it a reliable model?
what would be a reasonable offer?

http://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/...hp/carno/86530

regards

Ala

[foggyjames]

The early V6 engines can be trouble and have a bad reputation...but I've also seen one survive a boiling. Just bear in mind it's not a hardy as the 4 cylinder...
Other than that, it's all 240...so if it's not rusty, it'll be bombproof.

Reasonable offer? Tricky...the market is small. 240s are hardly selling like hotcakes, and 260s are more of a risk. It depends on exactly how good it is, but I think we're talking about three figures rather than four.

cheers

James

[john h]

Yeah, I agree with James. Value depends entirely on a thorough assement of the car's condition. A manual 264 is a rare beast these days, but that only makes it desirable if the condition is really good.

John

[Hinckley]

The V6 engine is a thirsty heavy old sluggish lump and does not have the best reputation, if memory serves it's a renault 25 engine and suffers from sludging of the cylinder heads leading to oil starvation and excesive camshaft/rocker wear which I would imagine are parts that are now getting difficult to source. Despite mine being well serviced it drank fuel and I had to fully rebuild my engine with new cams, rockers, timing chain, tensioners, slippers, oil pump, shells etc due to it sludging. As said the rest of the car is 240 and rust aside bulletproof.

Without seeing the car it's difficult to make a reasonable guess at an offer, a decent condition 240GLT would be more than a suitable alternative and just as exclusive.

Cheers,
Pip

[foggyjames]

A friend had a 262C (B27E), which survived all sorts of abuse (most impressively it suffered a snapped fanbelt...but he continued to drive it for a day not realising that the water pump was driven by that belt!). It lived to tell the tale, despite being boiled 2-3 times that day. That's my only direct experience of the early engines. Another friend had the (much improved) B280E in his 760, but those have a much better reputation anyway.

I think the problem with the B27s was that they were pretty weak and damage-prone compared with the B23...so people went about abusing them (not servicing regularly, etc) like they could get away with with B23s...and got a nasty shock when the engines complained.

cheers

James

[basoom]

Thanks guys for the useful info.
I have contacted the seller few weeks ago and was told he had it for 25 years and is in very good condition, However it doest have MOT or tax.
I think I am better off with a 240. I will wait until the right one comes.

Cheers


Ala

[capt jack]

Out of interest, how easy would it be to put say a B230 engine into a 264?

That gold one certainly looks tasty, and if the worst that could happen is that you had to source a 240 for it's engine, well you'd perhaps have the best of both worlds - a stunning and rare 264 with a bullet-proof engine!

Cheers

Jack

[john h]

Originally Posted by capt jack

Out of interest, how easy would it be to put say a B230 engine into a 264?

That gold one certainly looks tasty, and if the worst that could happen is that you had to source a 240 for it's engine, well you'd perhaps have the best of both worlds - a stunning and rare 264 with a bullet-proof engine!

Cheers

Jack

I think that would be a shame. Everyone says bad things about this V6 engine, but my brother-in-law has the Renault version of the same engine in his Alpine GTA and it is excellent. It's done over 100k and it is fast, super-torquey and gets thrashed mercilessly on trackdays and sprints, and it never misses a beat.

I suspect that the thirsty/sluggish rep for 260s comes from the old fashioned auto box that many of them had, not the engine. This one with a manual might be a very pleasant suprise to drive.

John

[foggyjames]

The swap would be pretty easy, especially if you had a complete donor car.

Having said that, I agree with John - I think a well looked-after PRV is not something to worry about. Worst case scenario: suck it and see. If the V6 goes ping, think about a B23/B230 swap then.

cheers

James

[Rich 264]

That looks really beautiful, and rare now. Defo a collectors play car not a daily hack.

My experience with the V6 is that it is not that hard to find parts if you are prepared to look for them, but they end up coming from specialists and cost a bloody fortune!

Secondly, no one wants to work on them, even seasoned mechanics and engine builders shudder when you mention the PRV.

But as I have said on here many times, I can't help but love 'em...