Got a new daily so this has to go! Isn't suitable for my commute now I've moved house sadly. Lovely 80's barge. Amazing boxy looks,
beautiful interior. Great colour. Nice OEM stripe.
Bought it about 4 months ago from an older Gentleman in Andover, he had made the tough decision to stop driving due to his poor health and age. Drove up there and made a deal, loved it as soon as I saw it. Lovely chap and couple. He told me if I ever crashed it he would find me and floor me. Cool dude.
It has done an amazingly low amount of miles in the last 8 years or so, previous chap only used it to go and get his shopping, pick up his pension and take his wife out to dinner. The most miles it's done in a year since 2008 is 1,966. Currently on 120k.
Click here for detailed mileage breakdown.When I purchased it, I had my mechanic give it a full service which included:
- Spark Plugs
- Ignition Leads
- Diff Oil (Full flush and fresh oil)
- Gearbox oil (Full flush and fresh oil)
- Brake Fluid (Full flush, bleed and fresh fluid)
- Coolant (Full flush and fresh coolant mix)
- Engine Oil (Full flush with engine fluh and fresh oil)
- Power steering fluid (Full flush and fresh fluid)
- New front brake pads
- Rear brakes serviced/checked
Now, my mechanic is a friend so I have no concrete proof/receipts of this - but I assure you this is what was done. Mainly as I had no idea when it was last done when I got the car and didn't fancy driving around with 20 year old fluid all over the place. Take it or leave it - I have no reason to lie. He gets the stuff for me and does it - I give him the money! You are welcome to check the condition of oil, leads, pads etc. I probably have some pictures of my phone of us doing it together somewhere.
When purchased it had the usual rust below the battery at the front of the engine bay from the battery flopping around without a clamp. On closer inspection this was a bit of a hole and was a bit rustier than I thought - so I got all of the rot cut out and brand new box sections welded in, sealed and painted. Similar story on the other side in the same place (although to less of an extent).
I have pictures of the before and after for anyone interested, it's done to a good standard and will hold up for many years to come. New clamp and tray also fitted, battery stays where it should.
Another issue when I got it was that the dash lights didn't work at all - these are known for having dodgy/poorly made clusters. I purchased a doner car (
an '89 wagon) that had a working dash. Swapped bits around, some soldering and swearing later - got the dash lights in the Saloon working as they should and dimming up and down as normal. I also took the heated seat elements out of the wagon and replaced the ones in the saloon that didn't work - so now you have a toasty bum too! As a bonus, the '89 seemingly had a much wider heated area than the '86 so that's a nice little upgrade.
Brake warning light is on, but the brakes function fine. Had it confirmed by my mechanic it's just a dodgy sensor, if you unplug the sensor and earth it on the car the light goes out so you could just do that or replace the sensor for £30.
I also sourced a new
armrest/cupholder combo (quad cupholder!! in the matching colour for the interior - way comfier as it's higher than the original tiny plastic bit and super useful. OEM Volvo,
very rare. Got it from the states for around £70.
Interior is mint. Lovely colour, very period. Comfiest thing I've ever sat in. Would rather sit on that and watch TV than my sofa. The interior plastics do have some cracking along near the roof (not sure what you call it) and a little on the door cards due to the age of the car and the sun. Headlining is mint and does not sag. Previous owner said he had it professionally reupholdstered a few years ago - it's lovely. Also has some aftermarket rear privacy blinds for.....whatever you want. Not my business.
Oh, and it's a manual too which is pretty rare. Had a new front left tyre & new brake light bulbs from halfords when one went pop. It's
pre-facelift so has the nice boxy designed with a ruler front end, none of that sloping nonsense of '89 onwards.
The car is totally solid - barring some surface rust on the front wing (can't recall which side..)
Also had a full detail (machine polish, scratches removed, and wax) from
Dean's Detailing in Dartford, he's got some pictures of it afterwards on his page, too.
Sadly some little cretin thought it funny to snap off the ariel, so now it's a stump. I have the other bit and the radio still works, just a shame. Why can't people have nice things.
Summary:
- 1986 - 120k genuine miles
- 5 Speed manual
- 2.3L 4 Pot - Single Carb - AUTO CHOKE (which works a treat!)
- Heated front seats - beautiful period beige/tan interior
in amazing condition - The small amount of rot beneath the battery and the other arch has been cut out, new box sections welded in, treated and painted to a good standard
- All solid body and panels (apart from one front wing has some scabbing)
- Recent full service (engine, gearbox, diff oil, brake & power steering fluid, new front pads)
- Rear privacy blinds (retro feel!)
- Gold with OEM stripe down the side
Pictures:
I've since fixed the broken number plate light!Honestly, it drives like a dream. It's smooth, the manual box is lovely, not really that slow considering. Interior is a splendid place to be, so so so so comfy (I can't stress that enough) and the boot is bloomin huge. I'm an IT Tech for work and I put 45 PC's in it, with room to spare. Incredible.I'll be very sad to see it go - but sadly it's just not economical enough to run with my new commute. Currently sitting at my partners on private land, SORN and being wasted!
MOT until May '17.
I'm looking for £SOLD
Not really looking for any trades - unless it's something small and retro-cool I can daily sometimes. Would have to be cash my way too as the aim of the game is saving money!
Location: Sittingbourne, Kent
Message me or post here with any questions.