howdy, i have a friend who has a 64' 122. it is all original, no modifications whatsoever; except a weber conversion. some rust through on the passenger side floorboard, and the usual surface rust here and there. interior is decent, however, no carpet or radio. mechanically: no issues. original paint. i believe it has under 200,000 miles on it. what can he expect to get for this car...he wants to sell it but has no idea what to expect. just curious.
thanks, jeff

Both of my 122s' came to me without running engines and significant rust/body damage. One had no mats and trashed doors while the other has no upholstery left on the seats.
First one was free.
Second one was traded for a used VW 1600DP manifold center section with Holley 2-Bbl carb (essentially free).

Northern Nevada.

I'd say around here if it ran (well) $1500. If it needed obvious work, $600.

If it looked and ran "like new" you may scare up $2500. Obviously not a good classic volvo market!

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Mike!

Depends on where you are also. I'm a geographer, so I'd say that about anything, but it *does* matter. They are cheaper and more plentify along the northeastern and western seaboards. They are somewhat more rare and go for a higher price in the midwest and south. I only know of around a dozen such cars in the this general region (St. Louis) 'though I may be underinformed.

I see them go from 1K to 6K on eBay but the upper end are really well cared for show and daily driver cars - a rare combo.

I got my 122S for $750.00 with some body rust and a strong engine in need of an eventual rebuild (burns/loses oil). It had a ton of IPD upgrades (seals, swaybars, brakelight switchs, ect) and I bought it from the original owner with almost 500,000 miles. I drove 1,600 miles round trip to get it, and I got extra parts and bodywork putting the cash cost close to $1,200.00 without my gas and hotels.

There was one in Kentucky that looks great, except that it had been clocked in the driver's fender. The seller couldn't even get $850.00 for it and it was MUCH nicer than mine (with the exception of it's wasted fender and hood). It's almost worth the $650.00, day's trip, and $100.00 tow rental to get it for parts, but I have no place to put it. A rather nice P220 in Chicago did not come close to the $6,000.00 price that the seller wanted for the nice original condition, low miles car.

Just some comparisions. I'd guess it would fetch $1,500-2,000 w/o knowing many details, seeing pictures, or knowing where you are. Probably not less than that.

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You mean Volvo makes cars that are *NOT* Wagons?!?

i hear you. i live in olympia wa. 60 mi from seattle and 120 mi. from portland. 122's let alone volvo's are a dime a dozen here. in this town of approx. 30,000 i've seen, off the top of my head, 15-20 122's and other pre-140 series cars. there are actually more of those than 140's...long story short i've no idea of the inherit value of those volvos.

regards, jeff

A Volvo collector/purist will place more value on a car that is original, intact and unmolested.

A person who is looking for a daily driver will place more value on a car that has been maintained in this condition from day one, but not necessarily restored. A car that is completely original has probably sat for a long time and will probably require an extensive 'going over' before it can be driven reliably.

In the market for 'classic Volvos', there are more prospective buyers who fall into the latter category - looking for a maintained daily driver. That being the case, if you friend's car has been sitting for a long time and/or needs work to get it back on the road, then it is probably worth slightly less than the 'going price' for a '64 122S despite the fact that it is all original.

A running 122 is in substantially "good" condition but needs some mechanical work is probably worth $2,000-$2,500. A "mint" car, or one that has been reconditioned for use as a daily driver, might fetch $5,000 but that is really the upper end of the market (although you do occasionally see folks advertising "fully restored" examples for $10-$12K, they are trying to recoup the expense of parts + labor). It might be worth it to have some work done to your friend's car before advertising it for sale.

thanks. i guess my question is just that. what's the market like for the unmolested example that the purist is searching for. the car could, except for the floorboard issue, be a daily driver i suspect. however to satisfy a purist would probably need some restoration. i ask these questions because somebody who had a 68' that had been modified with a b20 and disk brakes sold his for something like 10,000. he told my friend he could get upwards of 15,000 for an unmolested example. obviously he was wrong. also ebay's prices seem to vary pretty widely so it is difficult to get a good estimation on prices.

regards, jeff

What is your definition of "unmolested" ?

I was thinking of a car that is nearly 100% original mechanically. In my mind, a 40+ year old car that is completely original has either been in storage for a significant period of time, or was parked at some point in its life with the odd mechanical issue that the owner did not elect to repair due to an unwillingness to replace parts that were no longer available from Volvo or the OEM.

I think that this hypothetical car would actually be worth less to most buyers than one which has been driven on a regular basis throughout its life, and has possibly had the engine and/or drivetrain rebuilt, or a few aftermarket parts installed, to keep it in a roadworthy condition.

If this sounds like your friend's car, then it is really 'nothing special' in terms of its value on the market and would probably sell for $2-$2.5K. If you fixed the floorpan rust and splashed on a fresh coat of paint - and provided that the body is straight - you might get between three and four grand. 122's that command more than $5K are either restored or modified for performance use (e.g. B20 with cam, exhaust, suspension mods, disc brakes and so forth).

you are correct. it is a car that had been parked/stored for a number of years. 1990 was the last time it was registered. my friend then procured it somehow and it sat outside in the pacific north west weather. my friend did go through the car and address any issues it might have had. i think he was just grossly misinformed about the value of this particular car, let alone 122's in general. the prices i've been told seem more realistic to me.
regards, jeff

$15,000 should buy a zero-miles, 100% concours restoration of a 123GT.

Without records of a full engine/suspension/steering rebuild, it sounds like this car is half a step above "parts car".

Sight unseen, this car is worth $1000-$1500.
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'73 142, '75 242, '75 245, '80 245, '86 244, '87 745T

http://www.vmrintl.com/cctm/coll_frame.htm

Hit the 'pricing' link at bottom of page and go from there. Not sure how accurate these prices are in the real world however. Still, a place to start.

I would suggest you have your freind look on ebay and see what a 122 in similar condition is bringing. I say this as ebay has a broad audience--and Iv used it as guide myself in the past. Even if your freind isnt planning to sell the car on ebay-its still helpfull as he will get a ballpark idea of what people are really willing to pay for the car. Also--seems prices vary based on the location of the car--more popular in certain areas of the country than other parts. Good luck