Quote:
Originally Posted by Doocey
Well, consider me convinced. I'll stick with what I know and look for a 240 or 740 then. Any idea on where I can find some good examples? All I can find on ebay are ones that seem to have driven to the moon and back, or have sills/arches riddled with rust.
I'd probably be broken down somewhere in Scotland cursing myself for buying a 60's car if you guys weren't so helpful, thank you!
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Whilst I do think that would be a sensible conclusion for your circumstances Doocey, why don't you take a trip up to Alloa this weekend to view the 144 and so make sure? You could probably get a train to Stirling and maybe the owner would meet you there - if it is the motor car for you then you will know soon enough.
Whilst a nice 240 or 740 would (we all think) suit you much better, that 144 might just be the one, who knows. As long as you go into this with your eyes open no one here will tell you that you are wrong - indeed the opposite - we would all like to have another enthusiastic historic Volvo owner amongst us.
Regardless of what Billy says, I think you might struggle to run that 144 as a daily driver in your circumstances. It will almost certainly need some bodywork repairs at some time, it will be slow, have very poor fuel consumption, poor brakes (all by modern standards), be unsophisticated and will probably let you down a few times. None of these things matter if one runs it as a second, third or fourth motor car - but they do if it will be a daily driver. On the plus side there would not be any depreciation with the 144 (as long as it is maintained in its current condition - that might be difficult if it was parked on the road), it will be tax and MoT exempt (as will be the earlier 244s though) and it looks like an absolutely charming motor car.
So: get yourself up to Alloa and have a look at that motor car, if you end up driving it back to Newcastle no one here will say you have made a mistake (indeed we will all be impressed). If you do then we'll expect to see you back in these pages regularly.
Good fortune,
Alan
PS. You asked about sourcing 240s, that one Andrew suggested in Enfield looks okay:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154838253...53.m1431.l2648
... it is a long way from Newcastle, but if you were to be in Potters Bar this week it would be well worth a look at. The motor car will only have a few days worth of MoT left at the end of the eBay auction, and certainly will need a new set of tyres (£250) to pass another test. A motor car like that could certainly be driven as a daily driver whilst giving you much of the classic car experience of the 144; if it sold for £2,000 it would be a good buy.