If you only ever buy one car for the rest of your life, then today’s Nice Price or No Dice Volvo could be a strong contender to be that car. Let’s see what such a commitment might just cost.
Whether in the stock market, the classic car market, or a relationship with Britney Spears, there’s an optimal time to invest and an obvious indication that any such moment has passed. In the case of Porsche’s 928—the company’s once range-topping V8 grand tourer—now is the time. At $9,995, the 1982 Guard Red 928 we looked at last Friday was not only a reasonably decent deal but could also prove a great inroad to classic car ownership. This was a factor not lost on the 72 percent of you who awarded it with a Nice Price win.
Old enough and sufficiently interesting to be considered a classic in its own right, today’s 1985 Volvo 245DL represents another opportunity to join the ranks of enthusiast owners. Considering how stout, safe, and reliable old Volvos of this ilk generally tend to be, it’s also a classic that could serve as a daily driver without much worry.
This one has been driven by a single owner all its life and has racked up an astounding 329,000 miles over the course of that time. Naturally, it’s now far from showroom fresh, but it doesn’t look half bad in the pictures, and according to the seller, it has been dealer-maintained since new and comes with the records to prove it.
Mechanically, these are pretty simple cars. The engine is a 2.3-liter SOHC four “Red Block” with Bosch fuel injection. When new, it made around 100 horsepower and 115 lb-ft of torque, not much, but enough. Unique for an American edition, that engine is paired on this car with a four-speed manual transmission. Helpfully, that has an added overdrive activated by a switch atop the shift knob.
According to the seller, the car runs great and has recently enjoyed a rebuild of the front suspension. Per the ad’s description, it also has “Many other addition.” As we can see in one of the engine bay pictures, the battery is over four years old, so that may be an upcoming maintenance item.
Aesthetically, the wagon appears to be in decent condition. Admittedly, the paint is lackluster and, on the hood, shows what’s either some significant degradation or just an unfortunate cloud reflection. The black inlay paint is also wearing thin on the roof rack, and there’s one bit of minor rust beneath the back window, although that isn’t even big enough to show up in the pics.
Things are surprisingly better in the cabin. The vinyl seating upholstery is in amazing shape, both front and rear. Everything else looks to be in perfectly serviceable condition as well, and the dashboard offers a great conversation starter as to why Volvo thought it appropriate to build the instrument cluster with a giant analog clock and comparatively tiny tach. Oh, those silly Swedes.
Other than that, there’s nothing remarkable about this old Volvo other than just how cool it is despite being slow, boxy, and unapologetically old-school. Who doesn’t love that? To seal it with a kiss, this 245 has a clean title and a $3,600 asking price.
What’s your take on this old Estate and that $3,600 asking? Is that a screamin’ deal to get on the Volvo bandwagon? Or, while the miles have been racked up, do they not add up to such a dollar amount in your book?
You decide!
Seattle, Washington, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
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