245 GLT Estate for sale probably for parts

[Penwith]

I drove my dark metallic red / cream interior 1982 245 GLT Estate back to Cornwall from southern France about 9 years ago. Welding was required to sills & firewall for MOT, which meant I just parked it until more cash was available & got an 850. Other projects have delayed & delayed work and last year the car was vandalised (tailgate & some other glass smashed, stone thrown at what was a brand new windscreen). Recently some more light damage so I clearly need to sell it, as it will be destroyed before I can restore it. The early type bonnet has rusted to nothing, but doors and wings (replacements) are solid, leather of driver's seat in shreds but the others fine, as are doorcards; engine ran sweetly; original style alloy wheels, etc. Also first replacement (flush glass) tailgate, solid metal but whose glass was smashed in France, to go with it - this dark red; a silver replacement from Braydons currently on the car. Spare estate section side window ready to fit. I would have loved to keep it and restore it, but it's become an eyesore and neighbours will be happy to see it gone. Too much valuable stuff on it to let it be crushed.

[Bugjam1999]

Hmmm, worth putting up some photos but from your description it sounds like there isn’t much left of it.

10 years sitting in a seaside town won’t have done it any favours. You might find someone willing to take it away for free, before you have to pay someone to remove it. I expect your location will reduce the number of people interested.

Good luck- as above, worth putting up some photos.

Cheers

[Penwith]

Currently I'm away for work so can't provide up to date shots. But there was still a full set of solid doors and wings (replacing window glass is easy), an engine which must still be fine, interior basically great apart from driver's seat, a neat set of alloys, all the instruments, gearbox and overdrive that had been working fine - plenty of good stuff! Will be back in a couple of weeks and will provide photos then.

[Bugjam1999]

Well… 10 years laid up in a seaside location doesn’t tend to treat car panels well.

Valves to one of the cylinders in the engine will have been open all this time, so that cylinder may not have faired well, even if the engine was fine 10 years ago, especially as you say the bonnet has dissolved. See if you can turn the engine over with a socket on the bottom crank pulley bolt when you take photos- if it isn’t seized that’ll be something.

I appreciate parts of the car may be worth something, but given a lot of the car probably isn’t and given your (very nice!) but somewhat remote location you may struggle to find a buyer.

Curious what the photos look like, as are others no doubt.

Cheers

[Penwith]

Yes, location is the problem. A couple of the Volvo specialists said that if I'd been nearer they would have come and bought it at once as 200 series parts are hard to come by and they are rung up every day by people looking for them. The bonnet had already been damaged before it arrived in Cornwall, so its final destruction was more due to the effects of gales getting under an already slightly twisted and rusty structure and bending it until sections started breaking off and the rest bent out of shape, it's not pure corrosion damage. I broke off the deformed remains so as to be able to wrap the front in thick plastic sheet. The doors and wings were replacements, bought already rust-free and then painted again to match the car, so well protected against the elements. Thanks for the tip about the engine (as Volvos generally don't break down I've never learned much about the mechanical side of things).