Hello Willem and welcome to the 444/544 forum. To answer your question, I guess it all depends on the car's condition and what part of North America it is selling in. A fully restored 444 could fetch top dollar if you find an original PV, but I do not feel that eBay is the best place to sell/buy this sort of vehicle. You should do an "in person" inspection before buying any old car. At best, one might sell for $5,000 on eBay, but possibly double that through Volvo clubs, such as VCOA.org or other specialty Volvo parts vendors.

You likely saw the restored 445 a few weeks ago on eBay that was listed twice but didn't sell. I think I saw your friend's 444 sold in the UK (only 444 in Britian with a cuckoo?). I did notice the cosmetic faults on the 444, but the mechanical condition and the soundness of the uni-body frame are my biggest concerns. I understand that even though the UK does not use road salt, the excessive dampness can be just a troublesome. Did you see the article in Rolling about Roger Moore's 1800S that was the second 1800 used on the Saint TV program? It sold for 40,000 pounds and was a mess with rust and mondo bondo!

My advice is to find a southern US 444. Since these were only sold from 1955-58 in North America, they are very rare to find, unless you import one from Europe. Parts are not an issue since many original parts are still available. I recently bought 6 meters of original NOS upholstery (from Sweden)and had a local shop replace the seat material.

Best of luck.
--
Cam a.k.a. CVOLVO.COM