Discussion
Laid up after a knee operation and watching the Saint on TV today reminded how much I like the Volvo P1800.
Question is - are they any good ?
I seem to recall from road tests that they were fairly ordinary dynamically but I imagine they would make a good daily driver given Volvo's reliability.
Anyone have any experience and can/do they need upgrading and so on ?
Question is - are they any good ?
I seem to recall from road tests that they were fairly ordinary dynamically but I imagine they would make a good daily driver given Volvo's reliability.
Anyone have any experience and can/do they need upgrading and so on ?
well after so many years any remaining model of classic car ought to be reasonable
I like the look of P1800s too, reliability IIRC was to do with the build quality of earlier cars that were made elsewhere, Volvo cars from 60-90s generally had a very good reputation too
as with all cars - a good one will be expensive and no doubt a 'cheap' one very, very expensive
and you've obvious forgotten or don't know about this - http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/26/man-with-2-6-mi...
I like the look of P1800s too, reliability IIRC was to do with the build quality of earlier cars that were made elsewhere, Volvo cars from 60-90s generally had a very good reputation too
as with all cars - a good one will be expensive and no doubt a 'cheap' one very, very expensive
and you've obvious forgotten or don't know about this - http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/26/man-with-2-6-mi...
A good friend is restoring a late P 1800 coupe at the moment and also has an estate P1800S that is next on the list.
They rot like hell And back again ) a bit like E9s ) the bodys just disolve, and parts availability ( partic panels isn't good ) . Repair sections are not good either .
Dynamically they are no sports car, but they are rugged and dependable , like All Volvos And with styling like that , partic in white with a red interior ( which is a wonderfull place to be ) you could forgive it anything .
They rot like hell And back again ) a bit like E9s ) the bodys just disolve, and parts availability ( partic panels isn't good ) . Repair sections are not good either .
Dynamically they are no sports car, but they are rugged and dependable , like All Volvos And with styling like that , partic in white with a red interior ( which is a wonderfull place to be ) you could forgive it anything .
Had a 1967 1800S as a daily driver for four years in the early to mid 90s and absolutely loved it, ordinary to drive yes, but when they look like that who cares really, every day was a joy to drive to work in it. 
Steering was quite heavy at low speeds which is probably one of the few negatives I can remember. Kept up well with modern traffic, had a sporty exhaust rasp and was reasonably economical. Apart from servicing at a local Swedish car centre and a Volvo main dealer, the only thing that went wrong in that time was the exhaust dropping off one day.
Lovely cars. JNC47F where are you now?
Steering was quite heavy at low speeds which is probably one of the few negatives I can remember. Kept up well with modern traffic, had a sporty exhaust rasp and was reasonably economical. Apart from servicing at a local Swedish car centre and a Volvo main dealer, the only thing that went wrong in that time was the exhaust dropping off one day.
Lovely cars. JNC47F where are you now?
vixen1700 said:
Had a 1967 1800S as a daily driver for four years in the early to mid 90s and absolutely loved it, ordinary to drive yes, but when they look like that who cares really, every day was a joy to drive to work in it.
Steering was quite heavy at low speeds which is probably one of the few negatives I can remember. Kept up well with modern traffic, had a sporty exhaust rasp and was reasonably economical. Apart from servicing at a local Swedish car centre and a Volvo main dealer, the only thing that went wrong in that time was the exhaust dropping off one day.
Lovely cars. JNC47F where are you now?
My first car was a white P1800S (DDD 635C) that I part-exchanged against my first E-Type. The dealer's eyes lit up when he saw the car because he owned a 635 CSi BMW - I suspect he was just as interested in the reg number Steering was quite heavy at low speeds which is probably one of the few negatives I can remember. Kept up well with modern traffic, had a sporty exhaust rasp and was reasonably economical. Apart from servicing at a local Swedish car centre and a Volvo main dealer, the only thing that went wrong in that time was the exhaust dropping off one day.
Lovely cars. JNC47F where are you now?
It was also my first restoration and I can vouch for the fact they are well put together (the Swedish ones that is - not sure about the Jensen-built ones), robust and parts are available although can be of questionable quality. Panels were substantial but not too cheap if you need to replace them. One of the most common rot areas is inside the front wheel arch at the top where they meet the front wings (as well as many other areas). You really need to get underneath and have a good poke around for rot.Perhaps not the fastest cars in the world but reliable and stylish - certainly different to the masses of Euroboxes on the road today. I'd certainly consider another.
Y2; every time you post that car I start drooling... so pack it in, 'cos I can't afford one! 
OP; you could do a lot worse - beautiful cars with bullet proof mechanicals. What more do you want?
You can upgrade them quite easily should you wish. Parts are not as easy to come by as say, for an MGB, but there are a few specialists out there. The Volvo Owners Club forum is also a very good technical resource.
Not driven one myself (yet!!) but as they're based on Amazon mechanicals, you'll find that they probably posses a surprising turn of speed.
OP; you could do a lot worse - beautiful cars with bullet proof mechanicals. What more do you want?
You can upgrade them quite easily should you wish. Parts are not as easy to come by as say, for an MGB, but there are a few specialists out there. The Volvo Owners Club forum is also a very good technical resource.
Not driven one myself (yet!!) but as they're based on Amazon mechanicals, you'll find that they probably posses a surprising turn of speed.
Classic Motorsports Magazine (USA) seem to like them!
http://classicmotorsports.net/project-cars/1966-vo...
http://classicmotorsports.net/project-cars/1966-vo...
Gassing Station | Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff