...I'm going to look at the above car tommorow, about an hour out of town..

it's a 69 red 142 with I believe a b20 "B"(dual SU's?) in it...auto trans, this guys the 3rd owner, drives it on the highway every two days, but not in winter!

Big stack of maintenance bills from the late 70's / 80's, the body looks good and has very minor rust. Interior is white and the dash doesn't even look cracked!

only 100,000 miles (according to the present owner). The internet pics look great!

Me and a magnet will find out the truth. He's asking $2900.00 CAN, I'm thinking about $2400.00 would be good, if the body is as straight as it looks..

Too much?

Too little? :>

Are there inherent problems to look for?

Any quick tips would help out a lot! Cheers, Josh

Josh,
This is a little too high in my opinion. If you haggle and get it for $2400CAD, this is almost exactly $1900 USD. I paid $2300 US for a 71 142E with OD and fantastic new upholstered interior and zero rust.
It is the auto trans that loweres the value. However, you may just want to put around in it. I bought mine for fun an long distance high speed commuting and good fuel economy.

Good luck.

Jeremy
--
71 142E and a yard full of 240's in Mass.

I'm on the west coast. There are lots of Volvos here, and that price is ridiculously high. For that kind of money you can get low k 80's GLT's and other fun 240's. That 140 isn't worth that kind of money, especially with the crappy BW35 trans.
The other poster said it best - the car cost that much new!

My second car was almost the exact same, except it was a 71. Volvo 46 red, 2-door auto tranny. Pushing the gas pedal is like stepping on sponge, not much happens.
Agree with all other comments - I like the car but the price is too high. I bought a 74 144 off ebay for $840 that only had some minor surface rust.

Kåre

Looks like a nice car, and conversions to a manual aren't hard at all. Look under the carpets as well as under the car for rust, and under the trunk mat.

I'll reinforce looking underneath the carpets statement... Also make sure you get underneath and look up at the floorboards. It isn't too rare for 140s to leak at the windshield, and then rain water accumulates on the floor of the car, and sometimes rusts through where the windshield seals as well. My 142 had floors that have been rusted through and patched at one time, and the gas pedal fell out when I tried using it due to rust where it mounts. My 145 has the same problem, and I also drive that without a gas pedal...

Rust rust rust, everywhere, check everywhere... Then take it for a drive, check for any wierd clunking, weird vibrations, any rough sensations or pulsating coming from the brakes, blah blah, normal car checking out stuff.

Good luck!
--
Kyle - '68 142? - Oregon Volvo Tuners?

Don't bother with the car they're a dime a dozen (It really does look nice, though!) BUY THE TRAILER!!! It's an early SCAMP fiberglass camper and they're going for about US$5,000 right now.

All kidding aside, the car isn't bad, depending on what you find when you actually see it. Figure out what you'd pay for ANY generic car in 'X' condition and then deduct for age, rust, etc.

I've bought two cars on eBay (including my Volvo PV544) and they have both been great.

Cmon! Quit snooping in the background of the photos!

Look at the car, man!!!!!!!!!

Just kidding, I'll see if that info can help me lower the price on this fella..

Thanks, Josh

I haven't looked at the other replies, since I'm kinda busy right now.. but I live in Ontario (not sure where you are) and a solid body is worth it's weight in gold. Interior and mechanical stuff is easy to fix and easy to come by.. solid bodies arn't. In other words I would and have spent 1500-2000 for a solid 140 without nice interiors.

Hey Hudson, ....I'm in Regina, Sk.

ya know, the flatlands! I agree about the body business....that's why I'll be taking a magnet or two and thoroughly hounding out any bondo.

If the body's is in original, near rust free shape, it makes a difference with what I'll pay...

Cheers, Josh

Just for comparison.

'74 144, Djet, manual transmiassion. Straight, some rust behind rear wheels. 185K miles. I got it for $300, it needed an alternator.

This is just me and my notion of value but if that 142 you're looking at had a manual transmission, I might think it was worth $1000.

If you've got your heart set on an automatic 142 and none have come up in your area in the last 12 months or so, you might have to give $2400 for one. That just seems like a lot for a 35 year old car that's not really all that collectable.
--
Volvo Farmer:

21 Volvos '58-'91

445-544-122-144-1800-240-740

sorry, no FWD

good point, Bob...the cars are near impossible to find around here, manual tranny's would be my choice always, but what the hell.

On top of that, I've picked up two 740's for $1000 CAN each. Excellent cars, low mileage, they just needed regular maint. and some interior tweaking and wham! it's a 5000.00 car.


I'll take a look at it, base the offer on the mintiness factor.

Thanks for the farming tip! Josh

Josh

Bob's a Volvo Farmer and he knows! Seriously, I think he is right on the money.. I would add that I deduct 1/2 my offer for BW35 (they have their place... just not mine!) equipped cars, so I wouldn't go over $500.

this is assuming you actually WANT an auto... If you don't REALLY want an auto, don't buy one. Conversion to a manual is possible, but a tedious and an unnecessary expense.

Take your time...the right car is just around the corner!!

Mike

Thats how much the car cost when new

Think they were actually closer to $5,000 USD when new, or about $30,000 with inflation.

Volvo's have always been (relatively) expensive cars. :-)

That's an interesting point!
Thanks