No Reserve: 1973 Volvo 1800ES

1973 Volvo 1800 ES
* NO RESERVE * Introduction

Up for sale is my beloved 1973 Volvo P1800 ES. Only 8. 77 example of the ES were built in its two year run. and this one is a fantastic example that both looks and drives great. These cars are getting harder to come by. with most project cars having rust and body issues and restored vehicles climbing in price. This vehicle hopefully finds itsef in a nice sweet spot and is ready to be regularly driven or polished up even further to show and go.

Note: all images can be clicked on for hi-res versions.

Why am I selling?

This was important to add. as I'm about to explain how much I enjoy this car. Needing a second vehicle for occasional trips into the office. I wanted to find a quality classic rather than spend similar money on a 'normal' commuter type car. In my 2 years of ownership. I have not had to go into the office. as I first anticipated. and am not getting to drive it much in general. Save for errands and excuses I find to take it out of the garage. most of my limited driving time is unfortunately spent in our family vehicle. Seeing as it was bought to be used and not stored. we've decided to give the eBay route a go in hopes of recouping some cash and almost as important. finding a nice home for our car.

Vehicle Condition

This vehicle is in fantastic condition. both visually and mechanically. The visuals are hopefully supported by the photos below. I'm unfortunately not a mechanical person. however I know the value of finding someone good you can trust. All maintenance and updates were handled by Volvo Centrum. an independent Volvo specialist shop in San Francisco. I probably paid a premium. but they know their stuff. Here are my condition ratings. an arbitrary but honest attempt to convey what you're getting:

Exterior: 8. 5/10 Clean original body. no dents. fill or rust issues. At some point had a OEM quality repaint original shade. looks awesome with only a couple minor imperfections that can barely be seen in the high-res photos (note. all door jambs. engine bay etc correctly match). No door sag or panel alignment issues. Because the paint looks so good. I always wanted to get front chrome bumper refinished back to perfect. Looks good. no rust or deep scratches. minor swirl marks that bothered me when detailing the car. Zero curb rash on original wheels (including spare). newer tires (80% + at least). Glass in good shape. no nicks. There were three small volvo enthusiast stickers I took off. leaving a subtle 'ghosting' when seen at the right angle.

Interior: 7/10 Zero rips. tears or repairs in all original seating. both front and back. There are some minor surface scratches on the front seats. Perfect headliner condition. No stains or rips in carpeting. Uncracked dashboard. There is a CB that was installed in 1978. That remains. I planned to remove it but grew to tolerate it as it has a similar wood paneling and my kids liked it. No apparent cutting on the install (bracket used). There is also an 'aftermarket' cassette deck installed. I have not seen what the original should have looked like. but seeing as it was not original. I had planned to upgrade the audio.

Mechanical: 7. 5/10 As mentioned. I wish I were better in this area. That said. Volvo Centrum took care of the car and gave me a 'to do' list. I have recepts totaling $4K from them based off of the list over the last 2 years to ensure the care is running smoothly. Engine promptly starts every time - even with it's sporadic use. The 4 speed transmition works excellent and the overdrive is perfectly functioning as well. This car will cruise 65-70 mph all day long. Suspension checked out good. I was told that the rear of the vehicle commonly sags - this has none (probably due to the air suspension upgrade). One known issue is with the fuel gauge. It will intermittently get stuck at 1/4 full. The other maintenance/repairs on my list include: Center support bushing replacement and. in time. mufflers (I wanted to replace all with a deeper sounding exhaust). Everything else is working properly right now. the car running and driving great.

History

I was given quite a bit of documentation when I purchased the car. Here are the details and pieces I've been able to put together:

Yes. the odometer is correctly reading 27. 95 miles. I wish that I could confidently say that this is accurate. but I simply don't have enough documentation throughout the entire life and don't want to mislead anyone. I will say. however. that the car looks and drives like a car of that mileage.

The car started out in Washington state and remained in the pacific north west for much of it's life. From 1973-1980. it was consistently taken to Columbia Basin Imports in Pasco. WA (about 25 reciepts in all). Documentation shows that the car was just over 10K miles at the close of the decade. Unfortunately that was the extent of the documentation I was provided. I have one interesting piece - a title transfer in 2005 - to a family owned Apple Orchard company in the same area that had the original owners same last name. It's my belief that this vehicle has had the same owner/family from 1974 - 2005.

Photos

On to the good stuff . all of these photos were taken in the last week. If something is missing or requested. I'm happy to take more and update the listing. I will try to be quick in response.

Terms of this Sale

A deposit of $500 is to be paid via PayPal within 48 hours of the end of the auction and the balance to be paid via bank wire transfer. cashier's check or cash within 7 days. unless other arrangements have been agreed upon during the auction.

While shipping is the buyers responsibility. I'm happy to help accomidate your shipping arangements. ensuring the vehicle is safely picked up and loaded for your peace of mind.

Also published at eBay.com

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