Talk me out of this - Volvo 122
Discussion
So I've just taken a new job in Australia, going to be out here for at least 2 years, think it's time to buy a car. Cars are not cheap Down Under, so I'd decided to limit myself to something cool and reasonably reliable but cheap; this means 80s German. Maybe a E30 325, a W123 Merc, or possibly an early Golf - I've added links to a couple of ads so casual readers can get an idea of the eye-watering prices in Australia.
The cars that I've looked at so far have either been a) 'Upgraded' with fibreglass and five billion watts of subwoofer b) shiny paint but rotten underneath or c) structurally sound, but mechanically knackered. Come to think of it, it's usually a combination.
Then I started to think laterally and chanced across this mangy old Volvo, and am feeling very tempted. I've got a soft spot for old Volvos having spent a large part of my childhood in the rear facing seats of a 240 estate.
On the plus side:
- It's got all the tasty upgrades (ceramic extractor mani, Koni shocks, quality springs, warm cam, twin Webbers)
- It's been set up for fast road/rally
- Most of the body is good
- The oily bits are good
- It's got an approved cage with removable cross-braces so the rear seats can be used occasionally
On the down side:
- It's been lying under a tarp for 6+ years, and has started to rot from condensation and where the tarp has allowed water to sit
- The bottom of the rear screen is rotten out, could be into the bulkhead
- Passenger door, and possibly A post also rotten (replacement door provided)
- Bonnet going along front edge (new one included)
- Front panel rotten (replacement provided)
- Chrome bumpers tired
Before somebody points it out, I know the wheels are terrible, but I can punt them on and put the cash towards some period steelies or minilites. I want to use the car for the occasional weekend jolly and a bit of gentle classic rallying. It may also, very occasionally, be used for commuting and visiting clients.
My biggest concern is the rot under the rear screen and in the A post. Can rust there be repaired cost-effectively, or is it a killer?
Does anybody have experience of rotten Volvos?
If so, care to share?
The cars that I've looked at so far have either been a) 'Upgraded' with fibreglass and five billion watts of subwoofer b) shiny paint but rotten underneath or c) structurally sound, but mechanically knackered. Come to think of it, it's usually a combination.
Then I started to think laterally and chanced across this mangy old Volvo, and am feeling very tempted. I've got a soft spot for old Volvos having spent a large part of my childhood in the rear facing seats of a 240 estate.
On the plus side:
- It's got all the tasty upgrades (ceramic extractor mani, Koni shocks, quality springs, warm cam, twin Webbers)
- It's been set up for fast road/rally
- Most of the body is good
- The oily bits are good
- It's got an approved cage with removable cross-braces so the rear seats can be used occasionally
On the down side:
- It's been lying under a tarp for 6+ years, and has started to rot from condensation and where the tarp has allowed water to sit
- The bottom of the rear screen is rotten out, could be into the bulkhead
- Passenger door, and possibly A post also rotten (replacement door provided)
- Bonnet going along front edge (new one included)
- Front panel rotten (replacement provided)
- Chrome bumpers tired
Before somebody points it out, I know the wheels are terrible, but I can punt them on and put the cash towards some period steelies or minilites. I want to use the car for the occasional weekend jolly and a bit of gentle classic rallying. It may also, very occasionally, be used for commuting and visiting clients.
My biggest concern is the rot under the rear screen and in the A post. Can rust there be repaired cost-effectively, or is it a killer?
Does anybody have experience of rotten Volvos?
If so, care to share?
I don't get it. You're going to the other side of the world and need transport. And you are looking at .... a project. It'll take time and money to get working reliably and be safe, and you will have it for two years at the most. When it's done you're leaving it there.
Doesn't add up for me.
Oli.
Doesn't add up for me.
Oli.
Yep, but I reckon I can have it ready to go pretty quickly if the rust under the rear screen/in the A post isn't a killer- all the other replacement panels are ready to bolt on and spray. Unless the rot in/near the bulkheads is a b****rd, the big costs will be a respray and fettling thereafter.
According to my man-maths, if I get the car for $4k, I can budget $2.5k to fix the rust in the bulkhead and A post, fit new door, bonnet, and front panel and prep it myself, spend $4k on a spray, leave another $2k for surprises, and I'm potentially finishing up with a spend of $12.5k for a car worth $13k - $15k.
On the other hand, if it's a ~$10k to repair the rear screen and bulkhead, I've got to say no.
I should probably explain that I had a fairly bad motorbike crash two years ago and it put a sudden end to all of my adrenalin-based hobbies: Since then, I've struggled to keep myself busy and motivated. My physio/rehab advisor keep going on at me to find something to 'achieve'. I'd quite like to tell her I'm going to fix up a car and do a classic rally in 2015.
According to my man-maths, if I get the car for $4k, I can budget $2.5k to fix the rust in the bulkhead and A post, fit new door, bonnet, and front panel and prep it myself, spend $4k on a spray, leave another $2k for surprises, and I'm potentially finishing up with a spend of $12.5k for a car worth $13k - $15k.
On the other hand, if it's a ~$10k to repair the rear screen and bulkhead, I've got to say no.
I should probably explain that I had a fairly bad motorbike crash two years ago and it put a sudden end to all of my adrenalin-based hobbies: Since then, I've struggled to keep myself busy and motivated. My physio/rehab advisor keep going on at me to find something to 'achieve'. I'd quite like to tell her I'm going to fix up a car and do a classic rally in 2015.
The Crack Fox said:
I've been looking at these too, much cheaper in blighty of course. I think they look great (on the right wheels). Will you do the work yourself or get someone else to do it? I guess they're pretty simple things so even the welding and bodywork shouldn't cost too much.
Isn't there some rule about being allowed to import cars from the UK when you go over? A mate took his mint MK2 Golf Gti 16v. I guess you can even flog it on for a profit after a while.
Keep us posted.
I'd need to get somebody else to do the metalwork, but I'd rather prep the body myself and then send it back to be sprayed. I've got a few trade contacts out here, so I'm not likely to get (too badly) stuffed. It doesn't actually need much mechanically - a couple of seals and hoses would be prudent, but it all fires and turns without funny noises. After all, it is a Volvo....Isn't there some rule about being allowed to import cars from the UK when you go over? A mate took his mint MK2 Golf Gti 16v. I guess you can even flog it on for a profit after a while.
Keep us posted.
You can import from the UK, but it's quite complicated and the bureaucracy for private car imports is byzantine; the costs and hassle mean that it's not really worth it unless the car is extraordinary rare or expensive in Australia. Australians will also pay silly premiums for 'Australian delivered' classic cars. I'd doubt your mate would get his money back on his Golf when he sells it, but he's not likely to find a good one out here either.....
Trust me that is no way near rotten ! Mine had no inner wings no rear quarters ended up with 2 replacement front wings and sills . Compared to how mine was that is pristine .
Mine took me 2 years to restore aged 16 and was a cool second car at 18 wish I had kept it so much.
I would go for it the mods look great too.
must avoid the classifieds!
Mine took me 2 years to restore aged 16 and was a cool second car at 18 wish I had kept it so much.
I would go for it the mods look great too.
must avoid the classifieds!
mad4amanda said:
Trust me that is no way near rotten ! Mine had no inner wings no rear quarters ended up with 2 replacement front wings and sills . Compared to how mine was that is pristine .
Mine took me 2 years to restore aged 16 and was a cool second car at 18 wish I had kept it so much.
I would go for it the mods look great too.
must avoid the classifieds!
Mine took me 2 years to restore aged 16 and was a cool second car at 18 wish I had kept it so much.
I would go for it the mods look great too.
must avoid the classifieds!
Sounds like a lot of work! Had this car not been left under a tarp for several years, it wouldn't have any rust. It's only rusted where there's been condensation or the tarp has leaked, which creates the rather odd situation where the floors, wings, and sills are good, but the rear screen and one A post are rusted through.
Were the A posts or rear screen difficult to work on? These are my main areas of concern at present.....
Edited by spitsfire on Thursday 7th August 10:23
Sign up to the Volvo Owners Club forum and you’ll get some good advice... you never know, there might be someone on there who knows the car/can check it out for you.
Have you spoken to the seller? He doesn’t mention the rear screen issue and the pics look ok... (my work PC is playing up and I can't get that site to load properly)
It’s widely regarded that the only thing that will kill an Amazon (122 if you prefer) is leaking front and rear screens. If there is sign of serious rot here I would walk away and find a better car as you could be looking at a LOT of work to remedy the problem. I’m not saying that it isn’t possible, but it’ll cost ya.
Have a look at this buying guide.
If you decide to go for it, you’ll be making a wise choice – I’ve been running a 133 Amazon for a few years as a daily and they are great cars.
Have you spoken to the seller? He doesn’t mention the rear screen issue and the pics look ok... (my work PC is playing up and I can't get that site to load properly)
It’s widely regarded that the only thing that will kill an Amazon (122 if you prefer) is leaking front and rear screens. If there is sign of serious rot here I would walk away and find a better car as you could be looking at a LOT of work to remedy the problem. I’m not saying that it isn’t possible, but it’ll cost ya.
Have a look at this buying guide.
If you decide to go for it, you’ll be making a wise choice – I’ve been running a 133 Amazon for a few years as a daily and they are great cars.
Thanks, Faust. The car has a bit of an odd story with it; it was extensively restored, but the owner had a bad accident shortly thereafter, leaving the car sitting in a garage (when I assume the pics were taken) and subsequently sitting under a tarp behind a workshop. I get the impression that the owner hasn't actually seen the car in some time - it's the mechanic who owns the workshop who has been looking after it.
Thanks in particular for the guidance about rust; I'm just not sure, given the unusual way this car has oxidised, to what extent the 'standard' advice is relevant. Leaky screens would usually mean posts, floors, and bulkheads, whereas on this car it's just the screen and one A post.
Most of the car could be sanded, smoothed and primed tomorrow - whilst the rust is severe in some places, it's pretty localised.
I'm trying to get a bodywork guy who does lots of old Italian stuff (ie he specialises in ferous oxide) to come and quote it up for repairs on Saturday, so I think I'll be making a call on it then, if not before.....
Thanks in particular for the guidance about rust; I'm just not sure, given the unusual way this car has oxidised, to what extent the 'standard' advice is relevant. Leaky screens would usually mean posts, floors, and bulkheads, whereas on this car it's just the screen and one A post.
Most of the car could be sanded, smoothed and primed tomorrow - whilst the rust is severe in some places, it's pretty localised.
I'm trying to get a bodywork guy who does lots of old Italian stuff (ie he specialises in ferous oxide) to come and quote it up for repairs on Saturday, so I think I'll be making a call on it then, if not before.....
Paradoxically, one thing that appeals is that it would need a respray after the welding was done - I'd finally get to choose the colour of my car!! This might not sound like much, but I've previously not had the cash/opportunity to choose the colour of my classics, and being able to say 'I chose that colour' rather than 'the bloke who started the restoration/who I bought the shell from chose it, and I thought it looked alright'.
I quite like the idea of a two tone job like this, but with cream over red. Any thoughts?
There is quite a tasty race prep'ed one here
I quite like the idea of a two tone job like this, but with cream over red. Any thoughts?
There is quite a tasty race prep'ed one here
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