Seriously?

[Moomoo]

Originally Posted by Othen

Exactly, but we see it very often - and sometimes on these pages. the chap with the barn find in northern France that thought he could polish in a shine that would sell it for £15,000 in England comes to mind (he disappeared once he realised that was bunkum).

:-)

Non so blind eh!

[Burdekin]

Not a good time to be selling a old car. Soaring inflation/cost of living and fuel price etc, folk will be bunkering down especially with the uncertainty of winter coming. There was a bit of a boom in lockdown with folk looking for projects and high used car prices due to the new car shortage but that seems well and truly done for now. 60 and 70s cars have a good market due to the age of the buyers so 240s will have a bit of a boom as well you'd imagine when the guys who loved them back in their day are older and have more disposable income. It's like old Ford's, never great cars but a lot of guys love them and hence their high prices.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Burdekin

Not a good time to be selling a old car. Soaring inflation/cost of living and fuel price etc, folk will be bunkering down especially with the uncertainty of winter coming. There was a bit of a boom in lockdown with folk looking for projects and high used car prices due to the new car shortage but that seems well and truly done for now. 60 and 70s cars have a good market due to the age of the buyers so 240s will have a bit of a boom as well you'd imagine when the guys who loved them back in their day are older and have more disposable income. It's like old Ford's, never great cars but a lot of guys love them and hence their high prices.

Very astute.

We (not just our nation, but all the developed world) are getting a bit poorer at the mo, that is manifesting itself as inflation as currencies become less valuable compared with commodities (in particular fuel and food). As that happens less folk will be looking to spend their surplus income or savings in 30-40 year old motor cars that are thirsty and can be expensive to fix. The market for fairly old motor cars like the Bromsgrove one will diminish. I suspect Bromsgrove man has missed the boat and will soon find it difficult to achieve 2 grand for his 1986 car.

We may see the nostalgia factor raising 240 prices a bit; that was the reason I was attracted to the RB in the first place so that generation is already upon us. If the economic downturn is severe and a recovery is slow that may well negate the nostalgia factor. We'll see.

I'd say the majority of people interested in older Volvos are more or less like me (I have a 1963 Amazon and a 1983 240): we like the simplicity and robustness of older Volvos, we aren't in it to make money and we quite like it that Volvos are quite cheap (compared with Fords say). Indeed if money was no object we'd mostly drive E-types or Astons. I get a little bit irritated when folk dabble in the 240 market trying to make a quick buck, and have no sympathy when they realise the market just isn't like that.

:-)

[BicycleBoy]

Good time to buy a big thirsty car: The 164 & 960s that are selling are going for peanuts (£2.5k most a 164 has sold for this year, plenty of 960s under £2k).

But back to more mundane 4-cylinder cars:
L-reg 240 estate £2250
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255721026580

Unfortunately, it was one of the unloved ones...
https://cartaxcheck.co.uk/free-car-c...y/?vrm=L508GJO

What did we ever do before computerised MOT records? Spotting a bad 'un is almost comically easy now...

[Othen]

Originally Posted by BicycleBoy

Good time to buy a big thirsty car: The 164 & 960s that are selling are going for peanuts (£2.5k most a 164 has sold for this year, plenty of 960s under £2k).

But back to more mundane 4-cylinder cars:
L-reg 240 estate £2250
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255721026580

Unfortunately, it was one of the unloved ones...
https://cartaxcheck.co.uk/free-car-c...y/?vrm=L508GJO

What did we ever do before computerised MOT records? Spotting a bad 'un is almost comically easy now...

£2,000 for a 960 may seem like a good price to achieve this time next year :-)

That 1993 240 with 200,000 miles: why would it be worth as much as £2,250? It is just a 29 year old car that hasn't been very well looked after... nothing more. A quick look at 1993 cars on eBay shows a Volvo 850 GLT estate with 120,000 miles for £1,695, a Ford Mondeo for £800 and a Mazda MX6 V6 with 87,000 miles that will only make just over a grand. I'm struggling to see why a 240 that won't qualify for tax exemption for another 12 years would make more than a grand.

:-)

[360beast]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Wouldn't touch it with somebody elses bargepole!

That said, a drift-boy would like it probably............

That's Darren's from the group chat, it is a very well built and well specced car that I definitely would touch with a barge pole, I bought my saloon from him and a drift car with a blown diff. He is a genuine and honest guy who I have sold and bought parts from too and not once have I ever had hassle from him. That car is making around 300hp and is a serious bit of kit, if I had the money and space it would be on my driveway right now.

[BicycleBoy]

Originally Posted by Othen

I'm struggling to see why a 240 that won't qualify for tax exemption for another 12 years would make more than a grand.

Because it's a 240, and as every classic dealer and hack car journalist will parrot, the engines go for half a million miles without servicing and the bodywork is rustproof (except where it isn't).

(At least, that appears to have been the received wisdom of the car buying public, based on the attention to servicing and upkeep of most 240s).

Fortunately we're getting to the stage where the plasterer's wagons have dissappeared and the one-owner garage kept examples are being sold on, so the average quality of the 240s *on the market* now is far higher than it was ten years ago.

This does, unfortunately, give a false impression to vendors of sub-average cars that Volvo 240s in general are increasing in value: The average value of the fleet is increasing, but this is due to the progressive removal of the lower value examples.

So we get poor to mediocre cars looking for average money and better than average cars looking for concours money, none of which sell and perpetuate the false high values seen in the marketplace.

Haven't seen evidence of any non-historic 240 selling for more than £4k.

[BicycleBoy]

Originally Posted by 360beast

That car is making around 300hp and is a serious bit of kit, if I had the money and space it would be on my driveway right now.

It does sound like it goes faster sideways than in a straight line, and I sure it would be outrageous fun on your country estate, but I'd fear the conversation with the insurance broker could be a long one.

[360beast]

Originally Posted by BicycleBoy

It does sound like it goes faster sideways than in a straight line, and I sure it would be outrageous fun on your country estate, but I'd fear the conversation with the insurance broker could be a long one.

Darren has only used it once for drifting and the rest of the time it has been street driven, it goes very well in a straight line! The lumpy cam on it makes it sound like an old rally car at idle it is that lumpy.

[Bob 1967]

Popular in Germany and commanding higher prices, from around 5k euro and up.
https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-...6736-216-20961

https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-...67500-216-1195

https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-...63610-216-1572

https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-...92142-216-2818