New member - pics of my shite

[345DL]

Having been a casual visitor to the forum for a long while, I have now eventually joined. I thought I would share some pictures of the (mainly Volvo) shite in my life, past and present.

 

I have two 80s Volvos at the moment. The first is my pride and joy, a 1980 Volvo 345 DL. It is one owner from new (before me), and had only 34,500 on the clock when I bought it a couple of years ago.

 

I also have a 1989 240 GL estate:

 

Before I bought the 345, I owned this 340 for a while. It was a 1989 special edition known as a blueline:

 

My love of Volvo 340s came from one that my mother had from 1987 to 1995, D875 VEY, which was a 1.7 GL model. This picture is taken at Cemlyn Bay in north Anglesey, and that's me eating quavers (I think):

And also one that my uncle had for around the same period, HCC 692Y. This was a 1.4 DL model. The photo was taken in 1989 on my first holiday visiting family friends in Walton on Thames. I (embarrassingly) still own and regularly use the grey holdall with red piping in the boot!

Sadly, both these cars died in about 2002 according to the DVLA.

 

My family have had lots of other Volvos over the years. This is our house in 1996:

I'm not sure why I am flashing my moobs at the world, but hey, it was a more innocent time. Both these cars survive according to the DVLA, although rather worryingly my mother wrote off the 440 in February 1997 (and I saw the mangled wreck with my own eyes!) :-S

 

In terms of other shite that has affected my life, my grandfather had a 1984 Hyunday Pony pick-up. This is a picture taken on 14 April 1984 when it was brand new:

And here's me and him in about 1991 painting over the rust with black bitumen paint!

Sadly, it only lasted until 1998 before the rust became too much. I remember making numerous journeys as a third passenger in this 2-seater pick-up sitting on the handbrake, with the passenger belt buckled into the driver's side to keep me in place!

 

Here are a couple of Escorts that were briefly in my life too, N250 DTW was my first car which I bought in 2002 shortly before I was 17. I rather hated it so it only lasted a year before I swapped it for a Volvo 440. According to the DVLA it died in 2009, I'm guessing through the scrappage scheme.

The second (K764 NHF) was even more hateful than mine, and was owned by some friends of mine. It eventually sat rotting in their driveway for a few years until scrapped in about 2008. It used to make some interesting groaning noises as I recall, and seat adjustment was done by way of a spanner. Nice.

 

That's all for now, hope you enjoy the pictures.

[hairnet]

love it ovlov tat

 

when did they start making 340s - 78??

[345DL]

Thanks.

 

No the first 340s started in 1976, although the first serious model year in the UK was 1977. I have some road tests with pictures of R-registration ones.

[UglyAmerican]

Your 345 is seriously cool. Welcome!

[Cavcraft]

Can't argue with your shite pedigree, welcome along.

[M'coli]

Excellent shite credentials, and love the 345, I remember seeing a white one of similar vintage about 15 years ago with rust holes under the headlights. Where was the second picture taken?

[345DL]

The picture was taken at a place called Mynydd Bodafon on Anglesey. Here are a few more:

 

I have only ever seen two other 340s of that shape in the flesh. A yellow 343 in Cambridge a couple of years ago that looked like it was on its last legs as someone's daily driver, and a dark green 343 in Menai Bridge about 10 years ago owned by an elderly couple.

[AnthonyG]

Hello and welcome aboard!

 

Haven't seen a pre facelift 345 for a very long time.

[RoadworkUK]

Wow, the number of times I've stopped in that lay-by at Menai. 4, I think.

 

Loving the big-headlamp 300s. My uncle had a 1.7 DL, he worked as a butcher and the thing always smelt of rotten meat.

 

Welcome!

[michiel]

Hi, nice (Dutch ) Volvo! Welcome.

[maxpower]

hiya and welcome

[Albert Ross]

I took my test in a Gold 343 DL. KGK 148T. It had a really nice Chocolate brown interior, with the diagonal folding front seats, which were heated. Yes. It was my Mother's car... I wish I had kept it.

[morris_ital_lover]

I'd forgotten how much I loved the prefacelift ovlov 345 thingies... despite the fact I have never knowingly seen one in the flesh.

 

Welcome aboard!

 

m0rris

[Station]

The picture was taken at a place called Mynydd Bodafon on Anglesey. Here are a few more:

 

Welcome to Autoshite!

 

That Volvo doesn't half look like the 80's Mazda 323:

 

 

[boobydoo]

God! You just reminded me of a car I briefly owned in the early nineties....a Volvo 343... on a V reg I think. It was a creamy orange colour. I only had it 6 months but it was my first actual 'classic' if you could call it that. It was £150!

 

How could I have forgotten that?

[Barrett.in.the.USA]

I'd forgotten how much I loved the prefacelift ovlov 345 thingies... despite the fact I have never knowingly seen one in the flesh.

 

Ditto. Not really a fan of the later cars but the early ones look so hopelessly gawky that I can't help but love 'em. Not seen one on the road for a very, very long time either.

 

Welcome to AS sir!

[garethj]

Welcome!

 

Nice to see an early little Volvo! GR8 4 DRIFTIN, or wobbling around like it's on tiptoes as I remember from the late '80s

[345DL]

Thanks for all your comments! I think my car is very rare now, although I know of a couple of others in the VOC.

 

I agree that it looks a bit like the Mazda 323, both slightly odd-looking.

 

I'm also loving hearing about all your old 340s, I think everyone has had a 340 in their life at some point! If anyone has any pictures of their 340s, I'd love to see them.

 

Welcome!

 

Nice to see an early little Volvo! GR8 4 DRIFTIN, or wobbling around like it's on tiptoes as I remember from the late '80s

 

It actually doesn't wobble around that much, it drives very sweetly, but that's probably because the mileage is so low. The F-reg 340 i briefly owned was much more of a pig to drive, I think because the tyres were wider which made the steering unbearably heavy. And just to confirm, my car will certainly not be used for any drifting or sporty driving whatsoever!!!!

[barefoot]

The last 340 I saw was at a skid pan with some Sierra's

It would have been interesting to see how it behaved with iirc rear gear box & front engine.

But it had broken down!

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

That blue 345 is win win win.

 

I remember driving a Variomatic 343DL in 1985, and bolloxing the gearbox by accidentally selecting a gear that I shouldn't have. It would have been a 1978 ish car.

 

I used to look after a pair of old Ovlovs in the late eighties belonging to an old couple. They were absolutely minted with the bloke being an artist for the Queen - Peter Greenham was his name. a lovely old bloke. But like a lot of Old Money folk, they couldn't give a shit about cars. He had a 145 which was so shagged, it had gaffa over the sunroof to keep the rain out. This was replaced by a china blue Y plate 245DL in around 1987 which did about 300'000 miles and outlived him. His Mrs had a T plate 343DL which was never, and I mean never washed in the 6 years before I started to maintain it. I can still recall the utter state of it. Thanks to a front crank oil seal that was spectacularly fucked, the underside was absolutely soaked in oil. And the tyres as well.

[forddeliveryboy]

Had a mate at uni with a (2 litre) 360 - it ate prop somethings and drifted in spectacular fashion. Confirmed my prejudices but imagine that the early stuff can be lovely, especially with the VD tranny. Welcome.

[Guest]

Had a mate at uni with the VD tranny. Welcome.

 

 

Likewise, hello. I have a 1966 Amazon and a 1991 480 ES.

 

Both are grey.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Lets see some pics of the VD tranny, sounds interesting!

[carlo]

Really nice pictures, have saved a couple to my personal 'car' file! Surprised how nice that 345 looks, I always remember them as being a dowdy car but yours looks quite pretty. Didn't they start out as Variomatic only?

[345DL]

Really nice pictures, have saved a couple to my personal 'car' file! Surprised how nice that 345 looks, I always remember them as being a dowdy car but yours looks quite pretty. Didn't they start out as Variomatic only?

Thanks.

 

Yes they did, they were all 3-door variomatics for the first few years of production. The option of a manual gearbox was introduced for the 1979 model year and 5 doors were added an an option for the 1980 model year. This made them much more popular for British drivers, hence why you won't see many examples that pre-date mine.

[forddeliveryboy]

VD - van Doorne. Sounded a bit *poxy* as I wrote it.

[cms206]

Having been a casual visitor to the forum for a long while, I have now eventually joined. I thought I would share some pictures of the (mainly Volvo) shite in my life, past and present.

 

I have two 80s Volvos at the moment. The first is my pride and joy, a 1980 Volvo 345 DL. It is one owner from new (before me), and had only 34,500 on the clock when I bought it a couple of years ago.

 

That is possibly the loveliest thing I think I've ever seen. I've not even had a drink either, it's truely awesome. There was a nice facelift example in a similar colour on an A-reg I think in a barn which fell down on the Torslanda I was about to buy about three years ago, not all the cars were damaged... wonder if it's still around...

 

 

Before I bought the 345, I owned this 340 for a while. It was a 1989 special edition known as a blueline:

 

 

My mate Colin had a 340 1.7 Redline, F199 EGE. N/S/F suspension turret made a break for freedom through the bonnet one day and that was the end of that.

[KruJoe]

 

My grandmother in Hastings had a 340 in JUST like that in the 80's. At a house which looked strikingly similar to yours!

 

Welcome aboard anyway! There's plenty of Volvo love on AS right now as I'm sure you've witnessed.

I have a Thai built 850 on lpg, but we don't talk about that too often!

[Spottedlaurel]

Welcome! The last early one I can recall is this green W-plate job which used to live near me about 1993-95. Doubtless there would have been others as the 300-series cars seemed popular in the rural area where I lived, and the importers were based in Ipswich where I spent a few years.

 

I'll have to see if I can find the original of this photo and make out the registration.

 

Edit: Forgot to add the photo...

 

1982 Datsun Sunny 1.3DX (B11) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

[Torsten2001]

A man after my own heart! Welcome!