Volvo P1800 ES Sport Wagon 1972

Background:

This Volvo p1800 ES Sport Wagon was my good weather daily driver through my later college years (2001-2003) and saw several round trips from NJ to VT (600 miles). The car has since been used for an occasional trip to the store. short drive. housed in my family's garage. and kept in good running condition with the intent of someday doing a first class full restoration.

Condition:

Overall the car is fully functional. fun to drive around and catch some looks. and starts right up on the first turn of a key. Occasionally I would add about ½ quart of oil and saw no evidence of burning oil. smoke. oil slick in the water. loss of water or any issues such as ring failures or head gasket problems. The car has idled for long periods of time in heavy traffic without ever overheating and the oil pressure is normal. The four speed transmission feels smooth. overdrive works flawlessly. and there are no issues with the clutch. Brakes. universal. suspension. and all other components were checked this summer during a routine tune up and were in satisfactory condition. The previous owner upgraded the carb to Weber. added gas shocks. and keep the car as original as possible. A simple worm gear manual steering box offers exceptionally good tight steering without the sloppiness found in most older cars with power steering.

The weak point of this car is the aesthetics. It is a fun old car. but not a showroom classic. While the white paint job is acceptable and has prevented rust. the paint has been sprayed over a previous paint job and is cracking and peeling in some areas along with a small shallow dent above the rear bumper that doesn't show up in photographs. The seats are original. but the leather needs to be reupholstered along with the top of the dash board. We used a dashboard cover and seat covers as a simple solution. There is also no weather striping along the moving windows and the rear hatch window latch is loose. As far as I know the floor boards look good and I don't see any visual rust issues. The heater works amazingly well and all gauges are functional. Overall the interior is acceptable for a car of its age and is a bit stuffy. but definitely could use some restoration efforts to reach its potential. We have several crates of spare parts including a working air conditioner that we can pass along to a new owner. 2004 was the last year that the car was registered as a normal driver and passed inspection without issue. Since 2004. the car had historic tags.

Overall Impression

This p1800 is definitely the real deal and very close to original minus the Weber Carb and intake. The ES (Fuel injection) on the 1972 was truly dreadful. so a previous owner decided to run the Weber. We have no issues with starts in cold weather and the Weber is simple to tune. The car definitely keeps up on the highway and has been surprisingly reliable. never once leaving me stranded or failed to start. As far as I know. there are no major mechanical issues and the car has been recently been serviced by Montclair Motors. Overall this is a unique and fun old car. but definitely far from a restored classic. With a little time and effort. you can really transform this car into a classic show car or appreciate it as the first sport wagon that would go on to influenced so many future designs.

Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions 973-743-7882. Yes. I am certainly willing to show the car and try my best to answer any questions. Thanks so much

Reserve and Buy Now

The reserve price is $4000. 00 and there is no buy now option.

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