Seriously?

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Moomoo

The fuel issue was , by modern standards,not good if I remember. Mine was a carbon copy, mid to high twenties , low thirties if well driven on a run.More like a 240 at that age than a 940 !

I’d buy it!👍

It will be interesting to see whether that motor car makes good money or not Andrew. There seems to be some considerable interest in it, but bidding is still under 2 grand (the auction ends today). We see plenty of people that think their late 80s 240s are worth £5,000 or more, so if it goes for significantly less than that it will be a bargain in comparison.

The 740 will be a better car than a similar aged 240, but still hard to live with as a daily driver due to the very high fuel consumption (by modern standards, 25MPG is poor compared with say, my similarly sized Skoda Estate that achieves double that). Other than that it is quite an attractive package. I think the first 740s in the UK were from 1984, so the pull of the historic vehicle premium may be starting to lift prices a little already. A 1984 motor car will qualify to be tax and MoT exempt in only 3 years time.

I'd agree with you about buying that 740 Andrew. It is a nice motor car. If it sells for not much over 2 grand I think it would be a lot for the money. It probably would not cost much to keep on the road (fuel aside) and should appreciate a bit (towards 200 values) as we approach 2027. I suppose there would be a couple of riders to that statement:

- a future government could withdraw the historic vehicle taxation exemption.

- if the price of gas reaches (say) £3/litre (so £13/gallon) then almost any motor car that only does 25MPG may not be practical to use, and so would have no real value.

That auction ends this eve; I'll keep an eye on it and report back tomorrow.

:-)

Alan

PS. The MoT history shows up a rather suspect past: not used for the last 7 years, and hardly any miles put on it since 2006. I wonder whether that dodgy speedometer drive the seller mentions is as a result of a bit of tampering.

I rather suspect the seller has hawked this motor car elsewhere previously as the description has been cut and pasted from somewhere else (there is nothing wrong with doing that per se of course).

The last issue of the V5 was 5 years ago (2017), that is a bit odd compared with the seller's story.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

It will be interesting to see whether that motor car makes good money or not Andrew. There seems to be some considerable interest in it, but bidding is still under 2 grand (the auction ends today).

I'd agree with you about buying that 740 Andrew. It is a nice motor car. If it sells for not much over 2 grand I think it would be a lot for the money. It probably would not cost much to keep on the road (fuel aside) and should appreciate a bit (towards 200 values) as we approach 2027. I suppose there would be a couple of riders to that statement:

- a future government could withdraw the historic vehicle taxation exemption.

- if the price of gas reaches (say) £3/litre (so £13/gallon) then almost any motor car that only does 25MPG may not be practical to use, and so would have no real value.

That auction ends this eve; I'll keep an eye on it and report back tomorrow.

:-)

Alan

PS. The MoT history shows up a rather suspect past: not used for the last 7 years, and hardly any miles put on it since 2006. I wonder whether that dodgy speedometer drive the seller mentions is as a result of a bit of tampering.

I rather suspect the seller has hawked this motor car elsewhere previously as the description has been cut and pasted from somewhere else (there is nothing wrong with doing that per se of course).

The last issue of the V5 was 5 years ago (2017), that is a bit odd compared with the seller's story.

As i viewed the listing, it was at £1850, just under 12 hours to go. If it matches other cars' bidding patterns, there will be either a slow and steady increase over the next few hours or no movement until the last hour or so and then i'd expect the price to hit £2200-2500 give or take a bit.

It's a rare colour (Blue-Green) and a 1986 (but 1987 Model Year) car so as you point out, one of the very early ones. Sadly it means it is likely to have that horrible Pierbug-Solex carb on it so fuel consumption could be higher than it needs to be.

The dodgy speedo drive is the result of some idiot resetting the tripmeter while the car is moving and sadly all too common. Sometimes the gears mentioned break by themselves and cause a gradual loss of mileage recording so the reduced mileage over the last couople of years before it stopped recording completely could be the result of this and it did in fact do more miles than recorded in those years.

It also appears to be on 14" wheels as many early 740s were, nothing wrong with that but 185/70/14 tyres aren't that easy (or cheap) to come by these days. Twenty years ago, fairly easy and cheap, i re-tyred my first 740 for ~£100 with Corsa brand (Pirelli made) 185/70/14 tyres because they were trying to sell the excess stock of that size. At the time, Ford not only owned Volvo but Kwik-Fit as well which is where i got the tyres from and also the entire exhaust system when it needed replacing - complete system fitted was £90 but the section it needed was in excess of £100 alone!

He also has a 1995 BMW for sale and there are certain similarities in the listings such as both cars have had a recent MoT test suggesting it might be someone trying to get into car trading or doing it "on the side" under the guise of a private seller.

As for the strange MoT history, it could be something totally innocent. When i bought my Jeep Cherokee 8 years ago, it showed as having no MoT History on the website, only the most recent test. Some months later the rest showed up online. Other cars i've known have had missing MoT History online but have been tested yearly and later shown up with full history of tests.
Either way, there's nothing horrendous showing in the history for this one, he says he's done the brakes etc that were listed in the history so hopefully a good car for someone.

[Moomoo]

Originally Posted by Othen

It will be interesting to see whether that motor car makes good money or not Andrew. There seems to be some considerable interest in it, but bidding is still under 2 grand (the auction ends today). We see plenty of people that think their late 80s 240s are worth £5,000 or more, so if it goes for significantly less than that it will be a bargain in comparison.

The 740 will be a better car than a similar aged 240, but still hard to live with as a daily driver due to the very high fuel consumption (by modern standards, 25MPG is poor compared with say, my similarly sized Skoda Estate that achieves double that). Other than that it is quite an attractive package. I think the first 740s in the UK were from 1984, so the pull of the historic vehicle premium may be starting to lift prices a little already. A 1984 motor car will qualify to be tax and MoT exempt in only 3 years time.

I'd agree with you about buying that 740 Andrew. It is a nice motor car. If it sells for not much over 2 grand I think it would be a lot for the money. It probably would not cost much to keep on the road (fuel aside) and should appreciate a bit (towards 200 values) as we approach 2027. I suppose there would be a couple of riders to that statement:

- a future government could withdraw the historic vehicle taxation exemption.

- if the price of gas reaches (say) £3/litre (so £13/gallon) then almost any motor car that only does 25MPG may not be practical to use, and so would have no real value.

That auction ends this eve; I'll keep an eye on it and report back tomorrow.

:-)

Alan

PS. The MoT history shows up a rather suspect past: not used for the last 7 years, and hardly any miles put on it since 2006. I wonder whether that dodgy speedometer drive the seller mentions is as a result of a bit of tampering.

I rather suspect the seller has hawked this motor car elsewhere previously as the description has been cut and pasted from somewhere else (there is nothing wrong with doing that per se of course).

The last issue of the V5 was 5 years ago (2017), that is a bit odd compared with the seller's story.

The old chap doesn’t stack up as a daily driver , I agree.

If it comes for £2500, say , it’s not a dear toy that shouldn’t lose money. It looks fairly solid and of course it will have a few issues. That’s all part of ownership of older cars.
As a hobby car that would be a pleasure to take for a waft, for a hundred mile run, £30 odd quid for fuel, not a fortune!
Taking into account that I cannot be certain about a car I don’t know, it looks as good a punt as any on offer at the moment. Always supposing it’s a car you would want in the first place!!!

As for the crystal ball aspect, who knows what legislation will change. I gave up playing, ‘what if’ , a while ago.🌂

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Moomoo

The old chap doesn’t stack up as a daily driver , I agree...


... As a hobby car that would be a pleasure to take for a waft, for a hundred mile run, £30 odd quid for fuel, not a fortune!
Taking into account that I cannot be certain about a car I don’t know, it looks as good a punt as any on offer at the moment. Always supposing it’s a car you would want in the first place!!!

You have hit the nail on its head there regarding values Andrew: it is all about supply and demand. That is easy to see for Amazons and 140s, they are all historic vehicles and there aren't many left, there will always be people keen to have these as hobby cars. When it comes to 240s some are historic vehicles and others not - and there are lots more remaining (than Amazons of 140s), hence there will be some used as hobby cars and some as workhorses. None of the 700s are old enough to be historic yet, so I think few owners will be able to afford the luxury of having one as a hobby car. I also wonder whether many would see the 700 as a good hobby car: if it was myself choosing a hobby car of non-historic vehicle age I'd almost certainly go for something more fun like a MX5.

I don't think the 700 series is unusual in being a bit unpopular (and therefore cheap); most models, with the exception of Fords, seem to suffer the same when they are in the 20-35 year age bracket. With 700s there are plenty remaining and a small market for them as hobby cars (so large supply and small demand = cheap). As workhorses they suffer from poor fuel consumption - 10,000 miles/year at 25 MPG costs about £3,200 in fuel alone.

So, that is why the 700 is a bit unloved at the mo. In 5 years time motor cars like this one start qualifying as historic vehicles, and therefore another new market of people looking for hobby cars opens up, things may well change.

:-)

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

None of the 700s are old enough to be historic yet, so I think few owners will be able to afford the luxury of having one as a hobby car. I also wonder whether many would see the 700 as a good hobby car: if it was myself choosing a hobby car of non-historic vehicle age I'd almost certainly go for something more fun like a MX5.

I don't think the 700 series is unusual in being a bit unpopular (and therefore cheap); most models, with the exception of Fords, seem to suffer the same when they are in the 20-35 year age bracket. With 700s there are plenty remaining and a small market for them as hobby cars (so large supply and small demand = cheap). As workhorses they suffer from poor fuel consumption - 10,000 miles/year at 25 MPG costs about £3,200 in fuel alone.

So, that is why the 700 is a bit unloved at the mo. In 5 years time motor cars like this one start qualifying as historic vehicles, and therefore another new market of people looking for hobby cars opens up, things may well change.

:-)

Recently on ebay there was a 1982 Volvo 760 V6 manual, unsual for two reasons. First there are very few left from the launch year and second, manual transmission was never offered on the 760 so we came to the conclusion it was a pre-production prototype model that had somehow escaped.
The 760 V6 was introduced in 1982 so stands a chance of being Historic within a year, the 740 2 years later so the earliest 740 will have to wait another 2 years to be within a year of being Historic.

Driver size, particularly height, could put people off an MX-5, especially if they are 6'+++. Yes it can be done but modifications to the seat base/frame are needed to move the seat back as far as possible. No such problem with a 7xx Volvo.

The "middle-aged" cars, even Fords become unpopular and prices plummet. Years ago you couldn't give a Mk5 Cortina away, now try finding one under a grand, even a rough one!

The good thing about the 745 is they hold almost as much as a Transit but are easier to drive, more comfortable and you can still take the wife and kids shopping or to the beach at the weekends - more economical than most Transits of a similar price bracket too!
As such, they remain a popular workhorse.

Some 740/760 models are rare now. The 740GLE is rare and the most desirable as it has the n/asp, fuel injected engine (best power and economy of the n/asp models) so is generally more reliable and has the best spec.
The 760 V6 was always a bit of a rarity, from the 1988 on facelift, there are very few 760 V6 models around now, total of 760 models remaining if memory serves is about 400 and that includes the D24TIC and 760 Turbo (B230ET) turbodiesel and turbopetrol models respectively. I think there are only about 100 V6 models left.
Sadly because of the B27 reputation, the popularity of the B280E was effected and consequently there weren't many bought new, despite the B280 being a much better engine without the reliability or longevity problems of the original PRV V6/B26/B27 engine.

The red block also had a revamp in ~1986 and was improved, however the preceding red block had a good reputation so the new engine was no different to the buying public and remained popular. It was however more economical, powerful and reliable than the earlier versions. Some may argue certain finer points on that but as a generalisation, it's true.

Either way, the earliest 7xx models aren't far off Historic status and fewer people would in fact be looking at a 7xx than an MX-5 if they wanted to spend their weekends going sideways round a track. If they wanted a practical, modern classic, the 740 fits the bill very well. Also the youngest MX-5 would be ~1989 vintage so no chance of being Historic for another 7 years, if the dreaded tinworm doesn't eat them to dust in that time.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Recently on ebay there was a 1982 Volvo 760 V6 manual, unsual for two reasons. First there are very few left from the launch year and second, manual transmission was never offered on the 760 so we came to the conclusion it was a pre-production prototype model that had somehow escaped.
The 760 V6 was introduced in 1982 so stands a chance of being Historic within a year, the 740 2 years later so the earliest 740 will have to wait another 2 years to be within a year of being Historic.

Driver size, particularly height, could put people off an MX-5, especially if they are 6'+++. Yes it can be done but modifications to the seat base/frame are needed to move the seat back as far as possible. No such problem with a 7xx Volvo.

The "middle-aged" cars, even Fords become unpopular and prices plummet. Years ago you couldn't give a Mk5 Cortina away, now try finding one under a grand, even a rough one!

The good thing about the 745 is they hold almost as much as a Transit but are easier to drive, more comfortable and you can still take the wife and kids shopping or to the beach at the weekends - more economical than most Transits of a similar price bracket too!
As such, they remain a popular workhorse.

Some 740/760 models are rare now. The 740GLE is rare and the most desirable as it has the n/asp, fuel injected engine (best power and economy of the n/asp models) so is generally more reliable and has the best spec.
The 760 V6 was always a bit of a rarity, from the 1988 on facelift, there are very few 760 V6 models around now, total of 760 models remaining if memory serves is about 400 and that includes the D24TIC and 760 Turbo (B230ET) turbodiesel and turbopetrol models respectively. I think there are only about 100 V6 models left.
Sadly because of the B27 reputation, the popularity of the B280E was effected and consequently there weren't many bought new, despite the B280 being a much better engine without the reliability or longevity problems of the original PRV V6/B26/B27 engine.

The red block also had a revamp in ~1986 and was improved, however the preceding red block had a good reputation so the new engine was no different to the buying public and remained popular. It was however more economical, powerful and reliable than the earlier versions. Some may argue certain finer points on that but as a generalisation, it's true.

Either way, the earliest 7xx models aren't far off Historic status and fewer people would in fact be looking at a 7xx than an MX-5 if they wanted to spend their weekends going sideways round a track. If they wanted a practical, modern classic, the 740 fits the bill very well. Also the youngest MX-5 would be ~1989 vintage so no chance of being Historic for another 7 years, if the dreaded tinworm doesn't eat them to dust in that time.

I must be wrong then Dave :-).

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

I must be wrong then Dave :-).

Don't know what you mean Alan, nothing i put contradicts anything you said, just added to.

It was mainly information for potential 7xx buyers who happened to be reading this thread.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Don't know what you mean Alan, nothing i put contradicts anything you said, just added to.

It was mainly information for potential 7xx buyers who happened to be reading this thread.

I think 740s are really cool cars, if I didn't already have the RB and GAM I might be looking for a 1984ish estate to fettle for a couple of years until it qualified as an historic vehicle (or on the other hand I might get another Mk1 Eunos like the one I ran for several years - I'm 6'2" and 15 st ).

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

I think 740s are really cool cars, if I didn't already have the RB and GAM I might be looking for a 1984ish estate to fettle for a couple of years until it qualified as an historic vehicle (or on the other hand I might get another Mk1 Eunos like the one I ran for several years - I'm 6'2" and 15 st ).

To be honest Alan, you'd be better getting a 1987-on (1988MY or newer) 740 if that was what took your fancy and waiting the extra couple of years for Historic status. Not only were the engines revamped in ~1986 but trim imrpovements and other things were improved also so worth getting a slightly later one.



My conclusion of being 6'+ being too tall to easily fit into an MX-5/Eunos is from a friend of mine who is 6'8"+ (scarily was still growing at the time! ) and had to fabricate his own seat mounting frame and still found it awkward to get in and out.
I'm 5'11" and i struggled to get in to the point i gave up before i was in. That said i'm nearer 18st and no longer as flexible/mobile as i once was!

[Moomoo]

I liked both my MX5s, both carefully chosen. The 13 reg was a low mileage delight. I checked the MOT history of my 07 plater, front to rear corrosion in the advisory section. It had been cleaned and waxed , well, in my ownership .

Water soluble. 🙈