At $900, Is This 1974 Volvo 145 Wagon A Down And Dirty Deal?
While today's Nice Price or No Dice 145 wagon is missing its title and hasn't run in years, it's an old Volvo, so how hard could it be to clean up and fire up? Let's see if this down-on-its-luck Swede is priced to make that resurrection a done deal.
Tweedledum and Tweedledee are twin characters from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, described by the author as rotund and identical, except that they are left-right reversals of each other. Carroll didn't create the names out of whole cloth. At the time he wrote Alice, the names were commonly used in Great Britain to describe the sounds of low and high musical instruments.
Owing to its ample rear end and overall roly-poly style, the 1977 American Motors Pacer wagon that came our way last Friday could easily be nicknamed after one of Carroll's fat twins. Of course, to really pull that off, a second car would be required, preferably in the same color and spec. That's not out of the question, financially at least, with our Pacer coming in at a reasonable $6,500 asking. That eked out a 52% 'Nice Price' win, leaving us to go looking for that elusive twin.
A Swede in need
Absent any Pacers falling readily to hand, let's instead take a look at this 1974 Volvo 145 wagon project that is promoted in one of the strangest ads I've ever come across. Let's address the photos first of all. Those appear to be shots of existing photos on a cell phone screen that is spiderwebbed with cracks splaying from one corner. At first glance, it appears the car has a weird issue with its paint. A closer look indicates that it's just on the screen, raising all sorts of questions about why the seller chose to present the car this way.
Once we get past that, it's obvious this Volvo has been sitting for a very long time, leaving it covered in dirt both inside and out. It also has some parts missing, or at least not in their proper places—most notably the instrument cluster—that will require attention. That being said, the dust and dirt appear to have served as a protective layer for the car, as the paint and upholstery beneath it seem to be in decent condition.
The Hokey Pokey
Another odd component of the ad is the description. According to the seller, the rear end was once yanked out for use in another project. That didn't pan out, so it went back in but wasn't fully bolted up. At least it's there. The windshield was also removed for some reason, and is now just sitting in its opening, not held in place by its trim. Did I mention this was a project car?
Despite the attempts to cannibalize the car, the seller assures us that it's "almost 100% compete unmolested." Do they mean almost 100% complete and unmolested, or almost 100% completely unmolested? It's a nuanced difference. Another thing that might be confusing is the engine. That's the legendary B20, which, despite having sat under a layer of dust for years, would likely start without hesitation and run for decades to come.
The thing is, in 1974, the U.S. market engines were the B20F, a low-compression four with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection. The engine in this car is obviously carbureted, with an aftermarket down-draught two-barrel. That might prove preferable for anyone fixing the car up, as K-Jetronic systems can be a bear to bring back from the dead.
Your papers, please
The last issue we need to address is the car's title and registration, as it has neither. That means it will require a lien sale and the possible threat of a former owner showing up someday to attempt to reclaim the car. Yeah, right. Actually, since it's been sitting for so long, it's most likely out of the DMV database and will require the review by a Highway Patrol officer to confirm its VIN and that it's actually a car. At least that's how they do it in California.
With that out of the way, we should also note that the car has an automatic transmission and 150,000 miles on the clock. It appears to be sitting in a yard with some other Volvos (there's a P1800 behind it), so perhaps all of the absent parts are actually sitting around somewhere there. Naturally, extracting it will require a tow or a trailer.
A project for a pittance?
That's a lot of weirdness to take in for just an old Volvo. Once we dig through it all—the dirtiness, the oddball story about pulling and reinstalling the rear end, and the strange, cracked glass picture of a picture—we can come away with a car that seems to be mostly all there. Not only that, but its greatest issue looks to be that coat of dust, the majority of which would likely blow off on the tow home. Could that all make it worth the $900 the seller is asking for its removal, er... purchase?
What do you say? Does this look like a worthy project, and if so, is it $900 worthy? Or does it seem too far gone to grab at even that paltry amount?
You decide!
Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
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