I'm going along with Daves1800... The '71 142e is a rather special model. I believe they were all either gold (or metallic brown mustard I suppose), and I've seen some that were silver. These are not to be confused with the normal 142s's of the same year...as Dave said, the "e" is for enjection, and that car had the most powerful variant of the B20 ever put into a factory Volvo...same as the 1800e, which started in 1970. Furthurmore, the '71 142e would have been supplied stock with leather interior, 4 speed with overdrive (not sure which...M41 or M410...), and possibly could have come with other very desirable options such as the rallye or GT gauge cluster, sometimes the 3 spoke 1800 steering wheel, sometimes a dash mounted tach, sometimes stiffer suspension, sometimes spiffy (ugly) alloy wheels, sometimes limited slip... and the list could go on....

These particular cars new cost as much or more than the 1800e of the same year. Sort of Volvo's 1971 answer to the modern BMW M3...although the M3 is a hell of a lot faster. They are, in my opinion, the quintessential 140 series...and 1971 only. They are not to be confused with a '72 142e.

So...all that said...things to look for... Rust, rust, rust. Rust is hard to fix as I'm sure you know, and these cars were generally driven more and abused more than many other models. Beware of rust.

Next thing I'd look for is original running gear. If the engine has been swapped at any point, it may not be the high compression unit that the car came with as new. Also, of course, you want the 4 speed with overdrive. The fuel injection really makes these cars run nice, and ideally, that would still be in place and working right.

Next thing to look for would be what works, and what doesn't. The big things here would be the unique options that the car has...namely any rare gauge stuff...and the overdrive. But of course, engines and transmissions and gauges can be fixed. A good heater fan is nice too, but again...they can be fixed/replaced.

Now...all that said, I've had two '71 142Es in my life. Both were in poor condition, rusty, worn out. They were two of the most fun Volvos I've ever had. Both pulled like a 164...never minding revs well past redline. One had teh rallye gauge cluster and 1800e steering wheel, the other had the dash top tach and limited slip. I saved all the parts when I scrapped teh cars. I paid less than $200 each for the cars. BUT....a good original example of one of these could easily pull a couple grand out of my pocket. They are pretty rare, and one quick drive in a good one will win your heart over. They can be a real kick in the pants!

Also...keep in mind that even if the body is shot, all the bits and peices can be put into a normal 142, so if you are a tinkerer...don't necessarily rule out a rusty car. The parts alone are often well worth getting ahold of. Heck, I've been saving the bits from mine for ages...and I ain't keen on seeing those ones go away!

Good luck, and let us know how the car looks!

-Matt B
71 145s
72 164e
65 1800s
other silly junk