Fee -- what does 'for its age' mean? That's subjective, so subjective evaluations of the car's worth would be in order. An '81 with an autobox with no paper documentation of maintenance is worthless to me; on the other hand a good looking low miles no rust '81 with an M46 with papers documenting conscientious maintenance might be worth $2000. Someone else will undoubtedly have a different subjective response.

Alot depends on where you live. A no-rust '81 240 would be worth much more in the salt belt than it would in California. Prices seem to be higher in western Washington and Oregon than in the southeast -- both rainy and salt-free.

A used car dealer will inevitably ask more than the car is worth to an informed Volvo person. Compare its asking price with selling prices for similar cars on eBay, the Brickboard classifieds, the IPD classifieds, and the VClassics classifieds web sites. To give you an idea, I looked at a private sale '83 244 with 150,000 miles, M46, body rust-free with stone chips and door edge dings, interior clean, asking price $990. I would have offered $600 and let the seller sit for a while. I probably would ultimately get it for $600 if I wanted another sedan.

*Please* make sure you have an independant mechanic thoroughly check it out if you're serious about it. Used car dealers seem to have a genetic predisposition for sleazy business practices.

Rob Kuhlman