Volvo P1800S/E Classic

M

Maniac

Elite
So I'm considering dabbling in a classic. One car that has caught my eye is the Volvo P1800S/E. The E appealing due to more power but the S appealing due to its more classic nature.

I still have the e89 sat hibernating under cover and I'm considering letting this go for the Volvo, knowing the volvo is much less likely to depreciate further compared to the e89.

There are few that are in good nick without costing more than the e89 so my aim would be to get one for a few grand less than the e89 is worth and use the remaining cash to maintain/restore any minor issues on the Volvo.

Anyone else looked into these cars? Know any thing about them? They're as popular as a classic mini presently but I'm hoping they'll catch more eyes and go up in time... as checks online show them creeping up already.

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I know nothing at all about them but a fantastic looking car for a weekend classic especially in the old white colour
Can i ask what sort of price ?
 
They are a stunning looking car Gary, & I agree with Andy - the old white colour is the choice.

I really do wish I was more mechanically minded, as I would have something like this myself :oops:

I think the lack of mechanical nous puts a lot of petrol heads off buying older classics. If you can do a lot of the work yourself, it's half the fun in buying one.

However if you are dyslexic with your hands (Like me) :oops: the costs become prohibitive :(
 
I came from 25 years of classic ownership to the Z4 because of a lack of time to fettle and a need to actually get home after a day out :oops:

That model is a really good choice, good to drive, solid and prices for good ones are really going up, they were surprisingly expensive when new. An classic Volvo lifer mate of mine nut-and-bolt rebuilds them, he'd say spend on the best you can afford as the cost of repair and restoration still far outstrips values at the moment.
 
Ive a huge amount of research to do to find the more desirable spec and engines etc. I'm trying to determine if the 60's models are more desirable than the last run early 70's ones. The pics above are for a 70s fuel injected model with a bit more power but that puts me off keeping it running as fuel injection is not so easy to maintain as the old carb stuff. You can get the one above circa 20K. The one I'm looking at also has a red interior but a gunmetal grey exterior which also looks lovely. Its in good nick and has the older carb engine. That's going at 10K. Much more affordable and likely easier to look after given the fuel injected element isn't an issue. The earlier models are known for bomb proof engines. If I'm going classic, I'm going in style and this car certainly has it. I've no issues other than a bad back keeping a car nice. I built cars as a kid with my dad in the garage, taking engines apart etc so I'm familiar with all that. The cold days sat in the shed re-grinding valve seats... ah...
 
Sounds a good plan Gary , not unlike DS with his Datsun purchase :wink:
I can see a trend starting but for me it would have to be a 964 albeit requiring a much bigger ££ investment rendering the idea a non starter :cry: they are upwards of £22k :o & that's French property money :oops:
 
I remember back in the 70's when I test drove a red P1800S - nice looking car and from memory drove well - if I recall correctly it was priced around £800 - in the end I bought a red MGBGT with chrome bumpers and wire wheels - loved that car.

Like others I've always loved classics - particularly sports cars - not many are particularly fast compared to modern cars but generally are easy to maintain with none of those god awful warning lights popping up - as an investment depends on what you buy but whatever you buy will always maintain it's value .

The negative side of owning a classic for me is my ocd - no matter how good the car may look on the outside because of it's age it will have evidence of the old tin worm hidden away somewhere - you have to accept this but paranoia sets in and you convince yourself that it's rusting away in all the places you can't access :(
 
We used to have a P1800 and I always loved it. Rust is obviously an issue. Replacement parts can be hard to come by and can be expensive. The engine was good but having not been converted to unleaded it was always a ticking time bomb. To sum it up, lovely looking car but can be expensive to keep on top of. As someone else has said. Get the best one you can afford as otherwise you'll end up ploughing even more money into it.
 
Do you have a garage?

If not, I wouldn't bother. Your E89 will cope quite happily under an outdoor cover, a 1960s/70s car is another matter - it might 'survive' but it won't stay in tip-top condition
 
PerryGunn said:
Do you have a garage?

If not, I wouldn't bother. Your E89 will cope quite happily under an outdoor cover, a 1960s/70s car is another matter - it might 'survive' but it won't stay in tip-top condition
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This. You will definitely need a garage to keep any kind of older car for your fettling and keeping it in good nick otherwise it will deteriorate if left to the elements.

Personally if looking to buy a classic I would try and go for one thats been completely restored or is nearly there regarding restoration as all the hard work and money has been spent on it. Old cars are not cheap to restore correctly which you never recoup in the selling price unless a rare or especially desirable mark.

I love the Volvo and its an iconic shape but wonder how it actually drives as it could end up being pretty dull once the novelty of an older car wears off. Personally I would go for something like a Lotus Elan S3 soft top for the added fun but these for a sorted car your looking at 30k :( Alternatively a Z3M appeals as a future classic as prices are going up now and the type of car BMW would never make again in this safety concious age.

Tim.
 
If I remember correctly I think the very early models had bodywork provided by Jensen and I seem to recall they were extremely prone to rust. Don't forget this was also Simon Templars weapon of choice from the TV series, The Saint. For those who don't know who Simon Templar is click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0uqj_oe7g
 
I know a thing or two about classics have owned and rebuilt several over the past 20 years.

First and most important is that they rust, rust and rust some more unless frequently looked after properly

second, they are inherently unreliable and so in my opinion unsuitable for modern daily driving

Third, they are slow, noisy and uncomfortable most of the time.

Fourth they are always uneconomical, 20-25mpg on the volvo and maintenance bills on top

Despite the above, I love old cars and the Volvo is a peach, overpriced at £21k by about £5k but all Percival cars are overpriced

Buy it as a toy, learn to look after it and enjoy it as a piece of automotive heritage
 
bluespit said:
Buy it as a toy, learn to look after it and enjoy it as a piece of automotive heritage
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This is entirely the intention. Get one as good as I can, look after it, use it for odd weekend jaunts and shows, have some fun. Hope it may rise in value as a second plus point. As nice as the e89 is, its losing value, something which, if I get the right classic, won't happen for a change.
 
Hi Maniac,

I can recommend them, not to drive, they're awful. Buy one because they're great to look at and wherever you take it, people will smile and wave.

Mine's a fuel injected E, once it's set up correctly it's good as gold. Getting to that point is tricky though, although lots of older mechanics are surprisingly knowledgable about old Bosch fuel injection.

Be prepared for lots of people to pass comment, the classic car community love to point out anything that's not original. Mine is in a non original colour with the wrong wheels, steering wheel, grille colour etc. The car in your pictures looks good to me, the best restorations (not mine!) have a seam below the leading edge of the door.

Luckily I have a double garage and I'm able to keep the Volvo and Z together undercover, I wouldn't consider keeping a Volvo outside, mine was rotten from the inside out when I bought it (£1500 on eBay- gulp). As others have said, buy the best you can but I must admit to having a fair bit of fun fixing up mine.

I'm definitely not an expert but you're welcome to poke around mine if you're around Cardiff, just don't complain about the colour. Or the wheels.

:)

Ed

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Gorgeous cars I looked into them but couldnt justify the expense.

Wheeler Dealers trading up have done one as well as wheeler dealers (season 1). Mike Brewer has apparently done several of these himself as he loves them and you can see why.

I recommend watching both shows..
 
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