P1800E value.... NICE!!!!

1970 Volvo P1800, 74,xxx miles. runs and drives. What would this cars current value be? Considering selling something and buying it....

In reply to Datsun1500:

I agree with this.....sounds pretty fair.

Check very closely for rust. If it is as good as it looks, I would think $6,500 would be a bargain. And I'm a cheap old barstard. Let me know if you pass on it.

Datsun1500 wrote: They seem to run from $3500 to mid teens, wagons a bit more. That one should be $4500-$6500

What price guide are you looking at?

That was the case maybe 5 years ago, but right now if the car is reasonably rust free and runs well (a good 'driver quality' car), then figure on at least $7,000. The yellow paint is a detraction for most. The a/c is a plus, even if it's not working (r134a conversions are dead easy).

I've been following 1800's for the past few years (we own two) and prices have been climbing recently. I've seen some real barely running, rust-bucket project cars with $5000 asking prices. Cars that would have been parted out and scrapped a few years ago.

Hard to say. Was it restored recently? or is it a survivor?

Ian F wrote:

Datsun1500 wrote: They seem to run from $3500 to mid teens, wagons a bit more. That one should be $4500-$6500

What price guide are you looking at? That was the case maybe 5 years ago, but right now if the car is reasonably rust free and runs well (a good 'driver quality' car), then figure on at least $7,000. The yellow paint is a detraction for most. I've been following 1800's for the past few years (we own two) and prices have been climbing recently. I've seen some real barely running, rust-bucket project cars with $5000 asking prices. Cars that would have been parted out and scrapped a few years ago.

I agree with what he said. If it's a rust free survivor I would price it higher than $7K. $10k maybe.

Judging solely by these pics, it looks like a good survivor. I can see the seam lines on the rockers - often covered over in restoration work. The rear quarter looks good. The grill surround as well. Would need to see pics of the underside (floors and jack-struts) to say more.

To be honest, with more pics and info, I could see this car easily selling for well over $10K on eBay.

Yeah, if you want one, buy it now. Extremely good ones are selling for more than $20K, and they are expected to continue climbing.

If this car is solid, and under $10K it could be a great deal.

A restored one went for $19.5k on eBay last week.

In reply to dansxr2:

So what would you be selling?

:vulture:

Looks nice, but do I see rust bubbling around the fuel door? I also see a couple spots around the engine bay.

Nonetheless I'd probably buy it no-questions-asked for $5k if the underside isn't rough.

Oh, and 5x108 pattern Minilites are pretty rare (vs. more common Panasports or VTO's, but look a bit different). Those alone are worth a $1000, easily if not more.

I'm not seeing rust around the fuel door, but the pics aren't great. The door is the fill cap and the sealing gasket often doesn't do a great job after 40+ years, so fuel sloshing out is common during hard right turns with a full tank.

Ian F wrote: Oh, and 5x108 pattern Minilites are pretty rare (vs. more common Panasports or VTO's, but look a bit different). Those alone are worth a $1000, easily if not more.

Isn't the ATS the rarest of all of them?

I gotta agree with Ian. I had an 1800E as a first car many years ago and have followed their values since. These cars have a super complex body that loves to rust and there aren't really replacement body panels available. Restoring the body on one can easily run $10k+.

On the flipside, the mechancials are Volvo sturdy and replacement parts are easy to come by, so they can still be running and driving years after the body has essentially rusted beyond any hope of economically viable restoration.

Because of this the gap between semi-rusty drivers and nice rust-free cars is HUGE. Decent drivers are still out there for $3000, but a rust free Texas/California/Arizona car that looks about the same from 10 feet can be worth $10k++.

The same thing applies to the BMW E9's (3.0 coupe). You can buy them for under $10K all day long, but a serious collector will hold out and pay good money for one of the few nice ones.

SEADave wrote: Because of this the gap between semi-rusty drivers and nice rust-free cars is HUGE. Decent drivers are still out there for $3000, but a rust free Texas/California/Arizona car that looks about the same from 10 feet can be worth $10k++.

This is quite true. These cars photograph really well, but can hide a multitude of sins to an inexperienced eye. I sold my 2nd 1800ES because while the car "looked" better than my current ES, it really needed the same amount of work - plus, unlike the second ES my car is straight (never hit) so while it looks like hell, everything closes like it should.

I have nothing to add except to say that this is one of the prettiest classics.

The nicest 1800E I've seen in a long time is for sale here in Saskatoon for $21K. One of the rustiest ones I've seen, original owner, winter driven for a couple decades, painted at least twice, hardly any floors left but it looks nice at first glance, and he figures its worth $15,000. He is very, very wrong.

Rust is an issue. There should be obvious seams running down from the headlamps through the signals. They are the first ones to get spacled over in a rust hiding operation, and make sure you look underneath.

In reply to Datsun1500:

I agree this is a car on my bucket list. I have been watching them and i think its a 4k to 5k car also

I'd way rather have the yellow one. 74k is worth many many k to me. In fact I'd rather have the yellow one at $7600. Then I would clean it up and store it very well.

Without seeing them in person, neither. Like i said, these cars easily hide sins and shiney paint doesn't mean anything. And for this reason, I don't think eBay is a good valuation tool anymore.

I've been interested in these cars for thirty years and the best thing that I can add is that there seems to be very limited market for the cars at the top of the market. I'm pretty sure that the only guys willing to pay over ten grand for one have already owned a long string of old Volvos. They're neat, but they're not really dream cars.

Never ever trust a Volvo odometer to be correct, unless there is documentation from new. They love to break.

I haven't kept track of values of these recently, but $5k seems awfully low if there is no rust.

I still believe datsun1500 nailed it, survivors can pull a premium if they're solid/immaculate, but this one isn't that. Most survivors are generally around the "fair" category, and considering how close the kbb guys are 99% of the time at Mecum when I am there, I'll believe sub $6500 all day long for this car.

Ian F wrote: Without seeing them in person, neither. Like i said, these cars easily hide sins and shiney paint doesn't mean anything. And for this reason, I don't think eBay is a good valuation tool anymore.

Why not? If you can go buy a pretty much identical car from a seller on eBay for a certain price why would you buy it somewhere else for more? I think eBay is the best valuation tool available to us individuals as it shows us what cars actually sold for - meaning what a seller was willing to sell it for and what a buyer was willing to buy it for.

No other options offer that powerful of a tool.

JoeyM wrote: I have nothing to add except to say that this is one of the prettiest classics.

Ya that's a looker for sure.