^ +1

you should check out the public car auctions. good deals show up there all the time. like my buddies 78 318i with 110 original kms... no rust for about 2k.

lots of cheap trucks there too, (we got a 04 3/4 ton HD silverado for about 17000 2 years ago) still runs great.

there are 2 that I know of, and they are really fun just to go check out and eat a hot dog. you can sit in all the idling vehicles before they go on the block, shift them in and out of gear, look at them top to bottom, just like livestock.

the two are

mitchener allen, just north of the airport (the one I frequent)

and regal auctions, never been to this one but one of my buddiy got an 02 civic si with 150kms for 3k!

of course you have to use ALOT of discretion there, as its easy to buy a pile of crap if your not careful.

really?? I hardly ever see any Volvo's period.

About 4 years ago I went on a road trip to Lethbridge(long drive from Edmonton in one day) picked up an extremely clean 1971 Datsun 510 wagon...when I say clean.....it was 99.9% rust free,although non running.I think I paid $250 for it,plus the gas trailer etc..........I think the climate in that neck of the woods must be easier on cosmetics. Another place I have had good luck with vehicles,is the lower mainland BC,had a 82 Jetta,and a 76 Capri from there that were in amazing condition. My 1981 260 diesel wagon also came from there,and had survived well. Funny thing with that..I had to put it through OOP inspection after I got it, as soon as they lifted the hood, they had to check with Transport Canada to see if a v8 engine swap was permissable in a Volvo,it delayed things for 2-3 days until they got a reply. I guess its ok...........Alex.

Welcome to the board Darren! Its cool to have someone around that's from Ireland. While I'm not Irish, my wife is part Irish, and I used to live in Oxford which is pretty close to Ireland! It sucks that you had to sell your cars....I would love your headlight/signal setup from your 245, and would give my left nut for a 2.5d.

As for Volvo's here, I'm guessing by what you're saying, they must be really cheap over in Ireland? Can you give us a better idea of what a nice 240 would cost over there?

Both my cars together cost a grand total of a $1,000, and I've never paid more than $700 for any Volvo I've ever owned. There aren't as many here in Alberta as lets say the coast (Victoria/Vancouver Island in particular), but there's still a fair number if you're looking. 700 series cars appear to be basically worthless these days, and an early model 240 shouldn't cost more than a $1,000 unless its in really nice shape. As frepea and Craig have already stated, Southern Alberta cars stay rust free longer. My '79 245 w. b21a (same as yours I guess) had over 400,000k on the clock when I bought it, and it was nearly rust free. The underside was perfect.

Hopefully you can find something soon!

There aren't many on the road, but there's a few guys around that are woarding them in lots: there's a lot on the way to Raymond that has around 4, and I know of a lot in Picture Butte that has at least 6 or 7 240's. I've had the chance to buy at least 4 or 5 running 240's from either the Airport PYP or people that are advertising since moving here....all were under $500. Heck, the one wrecker in Raymond had two '75 240's sitting there, one of which still ran, and the other Airport lot had 2 140's when I moved here...both were nice and still running.

Where you born and breed in England or just living in Oxford for a few years? It's only a quick overnight ferry from Ireland; I went to the mainland to pick up my 480 and 245! In fact, the mainland is the place to go for any cheap Volvo as that's where they all are! There isn't much of a Volvo 'scene' in Ireland (North or South); i.e. it would be rare to see anything older than ten years old knocking around, minus the very odd RWD beater. Ebay is a Volvo buyers best friend if one is on the market for a nice old Volvo; http://motors.ebay.co.uk , take 10 minutes and have a quick search for typical RWD models and be careful not to drool all over your keyboard! They aren't all minters, but you can pick up some real clean, low mileage examples for not much money.

I sold my '79 245 for £1100 ($1900) and my '96 850 for £1300 ($2250). A few people thought my 245 was over priced as you can pick up similar 1 owner 200s with low mileage in mint condition for around £700 ($1200), but with the accessories I added a few people thought it was under priced. It was a quick sale and I think I could have got a couple more hundred if I had of knew this. The 850 I just couldn't get rid off!! It was mint, full history of receipts, 3rd owner, one years inspection with six months road tax; £350 ($550) went into it at Christmas and in the end I lost that much off my asking price just so I could sell it two days before leaving for Canada. I only owned it for 9 months but it was the best car I've ever owned and would have lasted me a long time of trouble-free and very ecomonical driving had I stayed in Ireland.

A nice base model 2/7/9 (they all had the 2.0 and 2.3 - 2.3 preferred) would set you back around £500 ($820), less from a local private ad, more from an enthusiast. You guys didn't get the 3/4 models but they are cheaper again with less mileage and 1 owner status. 400s are good daily beaters (they look like a small 850) and are very ecomonical (although the Renault engines question the reliability), and the 300s are a fun little RWD car if you can source one with a 1.7 or 2.0 engine.

You can pick-up Turbo Volvos for not much money in the UK (T5 850s most popular, and the odd 4/7/9) but you have to be careful with what your buying - they are cheap to begin with that so many are bought, fleeced then sold on to the next fool. You can still get a real nice enthusiast owned Turbo but you'll probably pay and get the sellers personal-taste modifications with it also! T5s are all the rage back home which is great if you can afford to run them daily!

I think the only real issues I've had with Volvos are rattly interiors and bloody engine mounts!! Oh, and I've never had a drivers heated seat that works correctly, apart from that I've been a pretty happy Volvo owners. Most of my expenses in a car is down to accessories / modifications anyway.

If I could pick up a sound 2/7 for the money you guys are talking then that would be awesome. If there are any good ones left out there I'd rather pay a little more for a trusty one than a little less for something that needs a mechanics touch - at the minute I don't have a clue what we'd do if the Jeep left us stranded nor do I have a back-up if it needed to go into a garage for repairs (I have to commute to Edmonton for work everyday)! Oh, I'm sure insurance would love me if I tried adding another car to my policy!

Sorry for the long post, I like to ramble - perhaps we should organise a 'new members to the club' night!

We do get together from time to time - and especially in the summer for shows or cruises, whatever. Sounds like the prices are pretty comparable, if not a little higher in Ireland. We've seen several nice cars around go for not a lot of cash. I'm not sure why Woodenshoes is having trouble over in East LA, but between Greg and I there are 4 Volvo's in a 4 block radius that are on this board alone. Now if we expand the search to cars that we know about but don't know the owners, there are even more. There are even a couple of running 122's in town aside from mine and a PV544 on the west side.

It ain't Volvo heaven, but there are several sitting around that need notes stuck to windshields for a chance at a new life (there's a 244 Turbo just down the street that hasn't moved in years, buddy in Raymond has a 244 Turbo that he's willing to sell for $800 if memory serves).

Anyway, we're all a little nuts, so if you want a car we'll hunt one down for you (Dale has probably sent me 100 or so 122 wagon Craig's list adds over the past year and a half - still want one).

Oh, and hands up all those with relations in the Emerald Isle...my clan are from Mohill, Co. Leitrim. I'm guessing we like it in the middle of nowhere.

Regarding car actions, would you get much older stuff at them; not so much 'classic cars', but decent daily driven material 20 year old cars? I've never been to one but mainly because all of the local auctions back home auctioned newer stuff and I've never really been into newer stuff! I do know though, that the trader I bought my 245 from on the mainland UK picked it up at auction and I'm pretty sure (given his original eBay reserve) he picked it up for a fraction of what I paid (nice for him!).

A couple of days after I bought the Jeep this came up on Kijiji;
http://edmonton.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicl ... Z111765231

I was a bit disappointed as I probably would have snapped it up. It looks clean in the pictures and has the 5-speed. Not sure which engine (did the Canadian market get the 2.0 and 2.3?) or how many miles are on the clock, and I don't like the colour, but it would have been a start (and weirdly, my missus likes the Sedans but dislikes the Wagons). The heater in my '79 245 was the best heater I've had in a car too. Do you guys think this is expensive for a 240?


That is pretty much in the middle of nowhere! The closest I've been to Mohill would be driving through Carrick-on-Shannon en route to Galway for a Volvo meet! My missus and I are from way up on the North Coast, Coleraine and Bushmills (ever heard of, actually, ever drank Bushmills Irish Whiskey?).

Well my wife has Irish in her blood, but because I am Scotish (I know a very dangerous combination ... LOL) i will never let her see this post
Great to have you in the group Darren

I guess I was alluding more to watching kijiji, the paper, the shopper etc. that Volvo's come up very rarely. Not living in L.A. I guess I would see the few that are there more often. My oldest daughter who is driving the 740 said she parked next to a grey 940 with a tbrix.com sticker (she laughed when she saw it, another volvo nut like her dad) at the college the other day... anyone you know??

Saw a nice clean red 740T parked on 3 ave at leth. center this afternoon... maybe time to start a leth. spotted thread.

Are these cars for sale/parting out or just your typical rural collector ie: buy'em and park'em with no plan in mind.

http://kelowna.en.craigslist.ca/cto/1040706418.html

http://kamloops.en.craigslist.ca/cto/1071906184.html

The 740 looks OK and not bad K's, the 240 made me throwup in my mouth...

And the GLE will be the much-loved B27 V6...