Advice on Buying 1978 Volvo 245 DL
 

Hi all,

Some of you have given great advice to me before, in my search for an early 244/245.

I recently saw an advertised orange-coloured 1978 245 DL, and today I travelled to go and see the car. The car was laid up in a heated garage since 1988, and was only taken out of hibernation (so far as I understand) last year. The current owner was very helpful, and has invested a lot of time and funds to get the car into good mechanical shape, which showed during the test drive. The car is also structurally sound as far as I can tell, with excellent sills, wheel arches.

But there are a few scruffy spots and patches of surface rust, including a rusty corner at the lower-right side of the tailgate, and another spot along the roof line where the tailgate hinge is (see picture). If I were to buy the car, I would want to get these rectified straight away. So I'm asking - as a rookie - if anyone knows an approximate price to get these cosmetic rust patches seen to? I'm not looking for a pristine car (I want to use it on a regular basis and for fun camping trips etc.), but I also don't want to leave rust spots unchecked. Should I walk away altogether?

There is also a significant tear to the driver's seat; this is less important, but does anyone know how much it would cost to re-cloth the seat?

The asking price is GBP 6450, which I think is probably a little too much for the car in this condition. So, based on advice and how much it would cost to repair, I could offer something slightly lower.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

'cosmetic rust patches"

Ain't no such thing. If it's gone through the paintwork (which it has over the window, it's rusted through. Tailgate might be salvageable, but if I was paying that much I'd expect the bodywork to be pristine or at least competently repaired.

So seller has spent time & money on it, however done no welding, no paint repairs, no upholstry repairs....

Think you can find better for your money.

(l could be talking tommyrot and £6k for a slightly rusty '78 245 is a bargain, but that's a not insignificant amount of bodywork visible on just one grainy photo for my liking).

Thats liable to be a window out job to sort properly, which may possibly mean a new welt/seal and trim as well when reassembled.

I would hesitate to name a price, other than to say it won't be a quick, easy or cheap job.

A different kettle of aquatic life, but I recently picked up a 240 estate with a years ticket, new belts, and no paintwork at all required for a third of that price.

At that money for that one bud , I see tears ahead. Most rust comes from below on undisturbed paint.
A bit of closer inspection on a car that hasn’t needed an MOT For a few years could cause a Biblical “ wailing and gnashing of teeth “!:eek:

At least what you see is what you get, 'Moomoo; no one has attempted to disguise it or cover it up. As it happens, I had a similar 'S' reg 245DL in rapid-fade red in period, when the cars changed hands for a few hundred pounds each.

The early 2-series cars - we had an 'N' reg 244DL as well - seemed either to use poorer steel than later ones - from personal experience, I would say post '80 V/W reg on - or had inferior rust-proofing from the factory. My 245 also rusted badly around the side marker lights, and the front wing tops on the 244 rusted right through at around 12 years old (no wing liners fitted on that model).

Regards, John.

Several posts above have warned you that if you can see rust coming through the paint then that will be the tip of the iceberg. Most estates rot in and around the tailgate, there are plenty of tales of woe about them in these pages, so do some reading before you buy anything.

This is an historic car so expect to pay a premium over later motor cars, the historic vehicle premium is probably something like 100% over a mid to late 1980s motor car, but nearly £7,000 sounds like too much to me, only a pristine 244 or 245 would justify that much.

Good fortune,

Alan

PS. Many sellers seem to claim that their wares were previously stored in heated or climate controlled garaged - I’d advise taking that part of the story with a pinch of salt.

You're worse than me! Come on, pics of the 240 then please...

It looks like the motor car has suddenly disappeared from eBay - did you buy it?

Alan

Hi everyone, thanks so much the for the useful advice! I decided not to proceed in this instance, because of the rust issue and potential for greater problems down the line. The seller said that the advert had been taken down by eBay because it mentioned other models (240, 244) in the title, not just 245. I guess it’s their policy to take down ads with titles that draw unnecessary attention, by referring to lots of individual models.

I might as well use this opportunity to say - please contact me if you know of a good condition early 244/245 with round headlights, or one that might become available in the not-so-distant future! Estate and automatic gearbox preferred, and the more 70s the colour, the better. I’m prepared to part with £6-7k for the right one 😊.

Thanks again, all.

I'm pretty sure this is the same motor car that the OP was referring to, advertised again on eBay:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/353989606...QAAOSwVApiSX2Z

... as far as I can remember everything is the same. It would appear to be a dealer (offering PX).

Didn't the OP say it was a bit rusty? If so the price is a bit high.

:-)

PS. I wonder what the 'New welding' item in the advertisement consisted of?