Some interesting ideas! Mine is bland in comparison. I got this holder from Pep Boys, but you can find these sort of cupholders at many Japanese specialty stores here in California. It works nicely, but the drawback is that you can't have any super tall stuff, as the dash "roof" will get in the way. But for the most part it can hold those water bottles.

Very nice wire cup holder!

I've been using these two methods (below) for years, successfully.
See pic below.

1) Cup holder hooked to glove box door. My favorite is from RubberMaid, and is kinda hard to find. I think maybe Pep Boys has it sometimes. Has a strap-type "hook" that goes into the glove box. The cup grabber has two fingers that are kind of flexible. So they like to let the drink fall out. I put a velcro strap across them - the velcro makes the strap adjustable so any size drink stays put. I don't often need to change the strap width but I can.

2) Cup holder planted on the coin tray.
This uses a wood mounting block. You could use aluminum stock if you prefer.
I worked a piece of wood (2" x 3" stock) so it would fit in the coin tray, over on the right side. Block is only about 2-3" long, it doesn't fill the tray (it still holds pens etc.). This becomes a mounting block for a hanging cup holder. You have to glue the wood block to the coin tray with contact cement or your favorite glue. I cut two long grooves in the edges of the wood block so it would fit down into the coin tray nicely. I left it as large as it is so that it would not split apart when driving in the two screws to hold the plastic cupholder.

In the pic below it's unfinished. I've since painted it black.
Cupholder is screwed to the wood block. If you add a back support connecting to the console it will be more sturdy.

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Sven: '89 245 NA, 951 ECU, open-front airbox, E-fan, 205/65-15's, IPD sways, E-Codes, amber front corner reflectors, quad horns. Wifemobile '89 245 NA stock. 90 244 NA spare, runs.

Cheap and lazy: I usually just stuff whatever I'm drinking into the frontmost compartment of the 240 map pockets in the door. Granted, it's probably not the safest thing, leaning forward to grab your drink, but i have found that coffee or normal-sized soda cups fit in there pretty nicely.

I find that if you push the butt of the passenger seat over, the area between that and the hand brake will hole a 20 oz soda or a normal size cup with a lid of course very nicely!

On my 1990 745, I open up the ashtray and hang my travel mug off it. The mug has an open bottom handle. Water bottles fits between driver's door and the seat snuggly.

I do like your wire design. My 740 has an open tray area below the radio. Bet that a wire bent to fit snuggly in that hole and extending out to your round part would work too. Or perhaps a flat wood piece cut to fit snuggly inside the hole and laying on the tray bottom would be a stable enough platform to attach the wire to.

Mostly though, I sip water. I have spilled enough coffee to learn that unless I am using a spill proof lid, I'd prefer to pull over, take a break and keep the interior clean. Just a klutz I guess.

Bill

Neat stuff!

My solution is to just take my travel mug with the skinny bottom and wedge it between the parking brake handle and drivers seat. Just snug enough. Zero cost. Zero effort. Though a bit problematic when you park. :-)

-Ryan

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Athens, Ohio
1990 245 DL 130k M47, E-codes
1991 745 GL 280k (Girlfriend-mobile)
Buckeye Volvo Club