Quote:
Originally Posted by cassell
|
If 'Doocey's budget might stretch that far, I agree, 'cassell'.
It is, however, an early example of the marque while I was thinking that one from mid to late production might perhaps be better suited to 'Doocey's requirements. That is why I'd be more inclined towards the one in London referenced by Alan. As Alan said, if bought for around £2K it would represent a good buy, while presumably leaving a little in reserve to spend on repairs and replacements. Another consideration is the availability of spares, especially for the earlier cars.
As 'Burdekin' very rightly says, a good 144 can be very good. In 1991, I purchased, from a club member who was giving up driving, at the full asking price of £600 (!), a 1972 one owner, 59,000 mile car, similar to the one advertised, also in California white and with 5 new Michelin tyres fitted, It was an excellent driver, but after another three years was beginning to rust quite badly.
'Burdekin' is also correct that there is little between a late 1 series and an early 2 series car. We've had both, and the most significant differences were the engines (1986cc OHV vs 2127cc OHC) and the steering (the 2 gained R+P, which, even when unassisted, was much lighter than the 1 series cars).
This is all on account of Volvo's policy of continuous improvement - the cars tended to evolve and models to merge into one another. We've owned Volvos continuously since 1984 and this policy was evident in the RWD cars until at least the late 1990's. My current 2000 V70 is a very different 'kettle of fish'.
That is a long-winded way of saying why I think that a mid to late 2 or a 7 series car would best suit 'Doocey's needs. As Alan says, to many, they represent the sweet spot in Volvo development.
Regards, John.