Elderly Merc Estates, What Should I Know?

[Shirley Knott]

Of the three I'd have the '531' head or the 850. Both can be had cheaper if distance isn't an issue but not everyone wants to mount an SVM style collection mission of 700 

 

Agreed, will have a look at both this weekend if they're still about

 

RE cost, a set of new tyres can put 25% on purchase price at this end of the market... Sometimes the cheaper ones that 'just need' this and that end up being a false economy IME.

 

 

Any of those, basically. Buy all three, store two and you will never need to buy another car.

 

^Probably the most sensible suggestion in this thread so far.... Can't believe I didn't think of that.

 

 

Values of 740s seem all over the shop, some are a few hundred quid others are a few grand. A few hundred quid one probably better buy.

 

Yes, they seem to be going through that transitionalal phase and achieving 'modern classic' status   Mk1 MX5's are doing the same at the moment FWIW.

 

 

Agreed. Friends have an early one that just soldiers on forever. I had an S40 (saloon version of the same thing), which I absolutely loved and again just ran and ran. I'd have another, in fact I was going to but it sold to the person who looked at it before me.

 

Volvos are growers. They're not flashy and impressive so people who've never had one think they're boring, but people who've owned them tend to stick with them for good reason.

 

Other than a brief stint with an S80 I'm new to them.

 

We shall see....

[Mrs6C]

Some more things to consider...

 

Volvo 740s of the 1987 model year and earlier didn't have cylinder heads suitable for unleaded, so 'ware valve seat recession...

 

Volvo 940s ended up having fewer luxury appointments than the 740s - like they lost full leather and gained 'half leather'...

 

Volvo 760s and 960s are also worth a look; they are more thirsty but gain extra luxury bits like A/C...

 

The 960 ended up being called the V90 towards the end of its life...

 

The 2.3 injection engine IMHO is the nicest engine to have; it may sound like a bag of spanners having a fight, but that's normal and it will go on for ever if you keep changing the oil at the recommended intervals...

 

Six-cylinder is an expert on these things; he used to sell them new, back in the day. This is why I have a TARDIS full of Volvo 740 accessories which are guarded jealously!

[Shirley Knott]

^Thanks, that's a massive help. It's struck me that I've spent my motoring years messing about with VAG shite with the occasional Ford and a smattering of MX5/Eunos's, my knowledge of Volvo's is virtually nil

 

What's the deal with OMGHGF on these, the web seems to have enough tales of woe/disapointment to make me think it's fairly common, at least on the 2.3 engines?

 

Also, what's the availability of spares like for the older stuff? When browsing through Ebay stuff like PAS pumps etc seem pretty costly....

[Mrs6C]

Spares supply is good. The 740 is a reliable thing and should just need service parts to keep it going. The lift pump in the fuel tank on the estate can fail but from memory, when I did this last it cost about £12 for the part and didn't take long to fit. I guess it would be a faff if you had a full tank of petrol when it happened and had to decant it all first...

 

The green, cube-shaped fuel pump relay that hides behind the ashtray in the centre console is a well-known culprit of FTP. Again, these are cheap to buy and easy to replace.

 

I haven't experienced OMGHGF with any of ours. We have had seven; five estates and two saloons, all 2.3 engines. My current 740GLE estate did gain a water weep about 10 years ago, that turned out to be corrosion in the aluminium cylinder head itself rather than HGF. It could have been skimmed and refitted, but my Dad had a secondhand head fitted instead and it has been fine since.

 

Petrol gauges are generally unreliable and the dashboard lights can have a mind of their own. The dashboard console can be removed and replaced with other secondhand units though.

 

The usual places like Euro Car Parts, German & Swedish (or GSF) and eBay will cover most new parts. For secondhand parts, then they are plentiful too. The big one is Lakes Volvo on the A1 at Wyboston. There are more retired Volvos sitting there than possibly anywhere else in the UK!

 

http://www.lakes4volvo.co.uk/

 

 

Suggest you ask the SVM here about their experiences with the Volvo 700/900 series cars. Collectively they run a lot of them and have lots of practical expertise around these models.

[BorniteIdentity]

 

The usual places like Euro Car Parts, German & Swedish (or GSF) and eBay will cover most new parts. For secondhand parts, then they are plentiful too. The big one is Lakes Volvo on the A1 at Wyboston. There are more retired Volvos sitting there than possibly anywhere else in the UK!

 

http://www.lakes4volvo.co.uk/

 

 

I seem to be the only person I know that the guys running this place ACTUALLY LIKE.  My wife used to do their banking at HSBC, so that was a bit of an icebreaker.

 

If you need any parts or help, it's about 10 minutes from my house - and happy to play courier.

[Shirley Knott]

Thanks chaps, again that helps massively

 

This thread should at this stage really be re-named 'Help Me Buy A 700/900 series Volvo estate'

 

This weekend I shall fill the Golf with derv and look at some cars...

[2MB]

 

Agreed. Friends have an early one that just soldiers on forever. I had an S40 (saloon version of the same thing), which I absolutely loved and again just ran and ran.

The S40 was based on a Mitsubishi Carisma. V70/S70 shared a platform with the C70

[SierraMikeHotel]

The S40 was based on a Mitsubishi Carisma. V70/S70 shared a platform with the C70

I stand corrected! You're absolutely right of course, got my mental wires crossed there.

[Shep Shepherd]

That first w124 looks delightful.  If it's the 12v 300 (which i'm 99% certain it is) it's a proper old slogger, and makes a hell raising wolf cry when you get the rev counter past half way.

 

Looks genuine and unmessed with, too. I'd be happy to own it

[Mrs6C]

A thought: it's not an estate but it is a tidy Volvo 740GLE and it's good money with a known provenance... you could buy it, try it out and see if you like the whole 'Volvo 740' experience without any hassle or too much outlay.

 

JohnK of this parish has a nice light green one for sale for £295 here: http://autoshite.com/topic/31559-1987-‘e’-volvo-740-23-teesside-£295-or-roffle/

 

IIRC it's manual rather than auto and it does have the velvety cloth rather than leather, but I've had one just like it and it was lovely. This one has a towbar too.

 

You missed the chance to buy Six-cylinder's grey Volvo 740GLE auto estate (with bonus A/C that may or may not work) by about a week (gone to another AS member) but JohnK's car is a nice one.

[Shirley Knott]

^ Thanks. Yes, spotted that and commented on the thread.

 

As mentioned it's tempting and local too but it's an estate model that my heart truly desires.

[forddeliveryboy]

1998 or so to 2002 E-Classes especially rotted in every way imaginable, from the inside out, too. Didn't the brake lines also corrode to the point of brake failure being slightly more common than one would like?

 

None of that's important anyway; what you need to do is find an E430 estate and buy it.

 

Thing is, not all rotted so those which are sound and not abused are fine, gvfm cars. Some owners looked after them spectacularly well and are only just moving on.

[Shirley Knott]

Right, 'Super rare 531 head' car has sold despite the advert still being up...https://www.autotrad...rice-asc&page=1 

 

Might well go and have a look at this one tomorrow, it boasts the 'Sort after' red block LPT lump and actually does look quite nice despite the poor spelling in the advert, hardly any miles done in past years and an owners description claiming to have spent a weekend cleaning the engine bay (possibly to hide something?) 

 

Spider senses tingling........https://www.gumtree.com/p/volvo/volvo-940-2.3-lpt-classic-petrol-/1296287274

[Shirley Knott]

And wait for it.... I've done a buy.

 

In a super sensible move I've gone and bought the first one I've looked at. I shall start a new thread tomorrow to reveal my new ride/addition to the fleet after clectshun.

 

Again, thanks to all who offered support, you're a good natured bunch

[Mrs6C]

And wait for it.... I've done a buy.

 

In a super sensible move I've gone and bought the first one I've looked at. I shall start a new thread tomorrow to reveal my new ride/addition to the fleet after clectshun.

 

Again, thanks to all who offered support, you're a good natured bunch

Well done!

[vaughant]

Is it the one linked in your thread as it says no longer available???

 

Good luck with the new motor.

[Shirley Knott]

Is it the one linked in your thread as it says no longer available???

 

Good luck with the new motor.

 

Top detective work

 

Viewed it this afternoon. Not a scrap of rust anywhere,original owners brochures/sales docs from a 90's Volvo showroom, toolkit, loads of history and a genuine 88k on the clocks. Apart from a few minor imperfections (Will detail these tomorrow) it's a proper 'timewarp' jobbie.

 

Not even sure I'll dare use it that often TBH, far too clean compared with my usual fair and actually feels pretty special/nice to drive

[Mrs6C]

Are we nearly there yet?

[Pete-M]

I ran a 210 320 CDI Avantgarde estate for ages. It was great, once I'd had some welding done.

 

It was so good I replaced it with a C32 AMG estate, which is one of the best cars I've ever driven, never mind owned. They're a bit rare in estate form.

[Shirley Knott]

^Very nice too

 

 

Are we nearly there yet?

 

Yup. Landed it...

 

 

I shall update the 'Web Of Shite' shortly with full details.

[Mrs6C]

Excellent!