Volvo P1800

Reliable? One of these holds the world record for highest mileage on passenger car, 3 million miles or something, (I think one owner)

 

Here you go... Irv Gordon from NYC, 2.3 million miles in his one owner 1966 P1800

 

Terrific car - 'Saintly' even.**
Very Robust, very easy to maintain.

** Roger Moore drove one on 'The Saint'

 

Very beautiful cars!

edit:
I saw one earlier this year:
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This one is a little out of the norm but full vintage race prep + spares for $35K

Built to conform to La Carrera Production Menor class specification, this car has proved it’s ability and competitive edge in several Carreras. Strong, proven reliable and quick, this car is offered at a fraction of it’s build cost. Coleman engineering Volvo B-20 engine (185.3BHP on pump gas, dyno sheet available), race built and proven transmission, limited slip differential, reinforced and tuned suspension, big brakes, and much more. Body stripped and lightened then reinforced and weighted where it does the most good. Special orange fading to red paint with all interior areas white for easy service visibility. Full cage, fire system, special seats, high capacity fuel cell and other rally upgrades.

This car has compiled an impressive record in eight Pan-American races beginning in 1993. This car won the Turismo de Produccion class in 1997, finishing an incredible 5th overall. It has several seconds and thirds in class awards. It has won more than half the daily class fastest time awards in the years in which it competed. It has finished in the top 10 five times. The car has never failed to finish the event. In addition to La Carrera Pan-American, it has been successfully campaigned as a vintage racing car and placed 5th overall in the 1998 HSR Rolex Vintage Endurance Series.
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They are great cars. I believe the doors are 6 inches thick, so probably very safe, too. Parts are readily available and there's a huge community to help people out. Some people have converted them to V8 power, so they can be fast, as well!

 

An old car can be a reliable daily driver. When they were new people drove them everyday, why not today?

The short answer to that question is: BECAUSE THEY ARE NO LONGER NEW!!!!.

Cars with 35 year old rubber gaskets, hoses, seals in master cylinders WILL fail and leave you stranded.

On a car that age, anything that has not been replaced in the past 2 or 3 years is just waiting to fail and leave you on the side of the road.

The car you need has been fully restored AND then driven 3 to 5 thousand miles in the past year. A car like that is ready to go 15k miles a year.

Are you likely to find one of those? Doubtful.

What you can do is buy the cleanest car possible and commit to fixing it up.
Do a deep dive on one system at a time.
Start with brakes and replace EVERYTHING in the system.
Work your way thru the car and after a year or two you will have a car you can confidently hop in and drive anywhere.
But while you are going thru this process, you will want another car to make runs to parts store while you work on this one.

I guess the take away from this rant is this. If you can find a car that somebody has been using the way you intend to use it, you will have a good chance of having a reliable car.

ps this advice bought and paid for at the school of hard knocks

 

Do you know anything about this particular car or no? I've had direct experience with it. Even if you buy it used, chances are it's not gonna crap out on you. Our Volvo has 300,000 and has never stranded us anywhere, nor required any major repairs. Volvos are durable and very much unlike other cars on the road, especially Ferraris, which seem to break if you sneeze next to them.

 

What model do you own?

Parents got a s60 and one thing the salesguy told them after they bought it was that Volvos should have no major problems up to 200,000 miles.

This was to the delight of my parents who had American cars with transmissions and engines that give up after ~150k miles.

 

I have a P1800 that I bought for $400 from a friend. Vandals broke out the windows when he had it stored at a cheap mom & pop storage place. In the interest of saving it from being totally destroyed, I bought it and towed it to my storage property. They are neat looking cars. But you don't just drop in a V8. Installing a Chevy 350 into an 1800 requires a lot of cutting from what I've read. Perhaps an aluminum block Rover 215 V8 would be a better choice from the weight standpoint. (I just happen to have one of those too!)

 

I have never owned a P1800 if that is what you are asking.

I currently own a car that shares the braking system with the P1800. It is NOT a 300k trouble free system, especially if it has been sitting.

If he finds a car that is being driven regularly, and the maintenance is reasonably current, he stands a better chance. How likely will it be for him to find an 1800 being used for daily service?

 

And it looks just like a vintage Ferrari.
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You'll want to check out the upper 'A' arm of the front suspension. The shock absorber bolts through it and the metal there tends to fatigue. There's an easy fix: weld a little metal to reinforce (or repair) the attachment point and all is well.

I've also heard that water drainage around the trunk/rear wheel arches isn't the best, so rust is always a problem.


Beyond that what everyone else says is true. They're unique (some say good-looking) cars and very reliable.

 

I don't know what they are asking, but it looks great and even has the factory alloys!
Will be hard to beat.

 

A few months ago, there was a guy in the local paper who had a Fiat 124(?) convertible and an 1800 Volvo for sale. Wanted $1500 for the pair. The Fiat was basically complete with a little bump on the driver's front fender. Unfortunately, the 1800 had been hit hard in the passenger side behind the front wheel. The entire fender was badly mangled along with some of the firewall. It had the factory alloy wheels. MY 1800 has the standard wheels, AND, as my friend the former owner found out, the alloy wheels from the later years will NOT fit on the earlier 1800s. Or so he said. He had ONE alloy wheel that he tossed in with some spare parts as part of the deal. I passed on the wrecked 1800. I may call the guy back some time and see what became of it. I have only seen 1 other 1800 in the area and that was at a local car show. They are quite scarce.

 

They are just like buying a Ferrari. Do your homework and buy the best car you can afford. I love my Volvos I have a 90 240 wagon (240k) and a 98 V70 (118k) and I see myself owning the 240 for many years to come. If I had the money for the 1800 you posted I would jump all over it. If it doesn't over extend you too much. Find a way. Try Turbobricks.com and Volvospeed.com they may be able to direct you better than the Ferrari crowd. I got alot of info on my cars from those sites. Volvospeed is for newer cars and turbobricks for the older stuff. Good luck and keep us all posted.

 

I always liked the way they looked. Seems like a calssic car you could own without breaking the bank. Like stated earlier, lots of people out there willing to help in the classic Volvo community.

Darrell.

 

They are great cars-super reliable with new hoses etc. I think they are also fun to drive as they move around on the stock tire size at reasonable speeds. I had a green 1800e I loved (wish I had it now).
There is a company that makes a supercharger for it if you need 200 bhp, or I've seen them with ford 302s in.

 

Check out: www.vclassics.com

 

My father recently purchased the origional Volvo 1800 that was used in The Saint and personally owned by Roger Moore. I think that these are great cars and would be a good choice for you.

 

I used to work at a Volvo dealer; a service and parts customer owned a mint red 1800ES wagon.........made the car just smokin' by putting on the Volvo S80 Arrakis style rims

http://www.usedcars.com/autoparts/images/wheels/zob29786f.jpg

I may have a pic of the car somewhere, if I ever dig it up I'll scan and post!

Chris