My Volvo 340 DL

Paula · 4-13-07, 14:32

Hi guys,

Don't you dare laugh....

In 2001, John bought me a one owner Red 2 door 1989 Volvo 340 DL 1.4 litre hatchback. It has a 5 speed gearbox and will do up to 45mpg. It had a full service history from a Volvo dealer.

It is an ideal first car for someone's offspring/partner.

It has been loving cherished and serviced.

It has done just over a 100,000 miles.

I will be sad to see her go as she has been totally reliable.

I will get an MOT before I sell her, have the oil/filter changed and a new rear silencer fitted.

I want £495 for her ONO.

I can send fotos to anyone interested.

Those of you who have seen my MX 6, will know that my Volvo is immaculate and being a Volvo will go on and on and on.

Take care

Paula

**supersparky** · 4-13-07, 17:14

Volvo, hehehehehehehehehehehehehhehehe

sounds like a nice car ideal for someone who keeps a bag of Werther's in the glove box and a tartan rug on the parcel shelf.

i however have am yet to buy a flat cap and start shopping at greenwoods.

good luck with your sale,if things are going slow park it outside your local post office big "for sale" sign in the window on pension day will be gone in no time

gareth

Paula · 4-13-07, 17:53

I knew that this would bring a certain response.........

I once took it down to the Goodwood Revival Meeting and held a famous racing driver at bay for 15 miles in his Alfa Romeo.....

He got past me up a long hill after the windy bits and then we drove in convoy the rest of the way.

When we arrived, he said that my Roadcraft was awesome.....

One helluva compliment coming from him.

This Volvo is not typically driven by any means.

I must admit with it's fantastic solidarity, very comfortable seats ( heated, of course ) and commanding driving position, I feel very safe in it.

When it goes, I will really miss Trundle 2 ( my nickname for her ) as cars of this era had awesome characters.

Paula

PS. The Tartan Rug would not stay there for too long as the huge Pioneer Speakers that I fitted will constantly keep it in mid air....LOL !!

Quote:

Originally Posted by supersparky

Volvo, hehehehehehehehehehehehehhehehe

sounds like a nice car ideal for someone who keeps a bag of Werther's in the glove box and a tartan rug on the parcel shelf.

i however have am yet to buy a flat cap and start shopping at greenwoods.

good luck with your sale,if things are going slow park it outside your local post office big "for sale" sign in the window on pension day will be gone in no time

gareth

**Wackyracer** · 4-13-07, 18:57

I cant laugh.... several years ago i had a volvo 360glt 2.0i Having had a rather serious car accident i wanted to feel safe! And that i did .... esp when in 3 days 2 cars - a mondeo and a peugeot 405 hit me hard up the rear ( so to speak!) basically i ended up with some new bumper mounts and the plastic centre bit, the mondeo needed massive work ( bumper, bonnet, front crossmember, radiator etc etc) the peugeot just got written off! Suddenly all the volvo jokes just died away! And just to ad some suprise for such a solid heavy car she pulled away quite nicely! (had those heated seats too!)

**Einstein** · 4-13-07, 19:48

Volvo's (mainly the older ones) are one of those makes of car that have a certain following... you know what I mean, the owners always buy another one.. sort of a clique with them..

People who have never had one, tend to drag them down nearly as much as the drivers of them.. it's a phenomenon that not many cars have, just the odd few..

So, what I am trying to say, is that if you find the right person, you could get a very good price for it... although I do think most people just wouldn't be interested unless the price was ridiculously low.
As an example, a quick search on autotrader brought up 6 of them, ranging from £195 to £575, the latter having 55K miles and most of them being GL's with 1.7l engines.

Again, condition is everything, and I am sure yours will command a premium because of it... but only to the right person.. and I hope you manage to find a good home for Trundle 2..

I can only suggest you try Autotrader, and maybe Ebay if you set a reserve.

John

Paula · 4-14-07, 20:22

The more that I think about your suggestion , it is a great idea....

If I do sell Trundle 2 to a local pensioner, I just hope that I do not get stuck behind him or her at 20-25mph........

Quote:

Originally Posted by supersparky

good luck with your sale,if things are going slow park it outside your local post office big "for sale" sign in the window on pension day will be gone in no time

gareth

Paula · 4-14-07, 20:27

I once drove a hot Volvo like your's.

Gee they sure went like hell.

I know the feeling re their solidity.

When I drive in traffic, people seem to get out of my way far quicker than when I am in the Mazda...It's like driving a 4x4...

My driving style is also more confident in narrow streets as you sit up higher.

Nite

Paula

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wackyracer

I cant laugh.... several years ago i had a volvo 360glt 2.0i Having had a rather serious car accident i wanted to feel safe! And that i did .... esp when in 3 days 2 cars - a mondeo and a peugeot 405 hit me hard up the rear ( so to speak!) basically i ended up with some new bumper mounts and the plastic centre bit, the mondeo needed massive work ( bumper, bonnet, front crossmember, radiator etc etc) the peugeot just got written off! Suddenly all the volvo jokes just died away! And just to ad some suprise for such a solid heavy car she pulled away quite nicely! (had those heated seats too!)

Paula · 4-14-07, 20:45

When the 340 first came out, I hated them.

They were always driven by people who used to have Morris Minors and drove everywhere at 30mph.....

But when you look around today at small cars made in the 80's, most of the Fords,Vauxhalls,Renaults,Citroens,Peugeots etc have rusted away.

But there are many Volvo 340/360's still about..

Apart from the lack of power steering which make the steering very heavy, the ride, build quality,lovely seats and good engines make it a relaxing car to drive.

It's party trick ( being Rear Wheel Drive ) is that it has a Turning Circle of a London Taxi/Triumph Herald.

The shape is also very individual against other cars of it's era.

My flat mate has a "K" reg Volvo 940SE Estate which has 238,000 miles on it.

He has just had a new clutch fitted for £400 but the rest of the mechanics are all original from new and the body is near perfect.

The reason I call my car Trundle 2 is that it is the second 340 that I have had and it simply trundles along very happily mile after mile....

Thanks for all your advice on where to sell her.

Nite

Paula

Quote:

Originally Posted by Einstein

Volvo's (mainly the older ones) are one of those makes of car that have a certain following... you know what I mean, the owners always buy another one.. sort of a clique with them..

People who have never had one, tend to drag them down nearly as much as the drivers of them.. it's a phenomenon that not many cars have, just the odd few..

So, what I am trying to say, is that if you find the right person, you could get a very good price for it... although I do think most people just wouldn't be interested unless the price was ridiculously low.
As an example, a quick search on autotrader brought up 6 of them, ranging from £195 to £575, the latter having 55K miles and most of them being GL's with 1.7l engines.

Again, condition is everything, and I am sure yours will command a premium because of it... but only to the right person.. and I hope you manage to find a good home for Trundle 2..

I can only suggest you try Autotrader, and maybe Ebay if you set a reserve.

John

**Einstein** · 4-15-07, 5:12

Certainly better than the newer type Volvo's... supposed to be noisy, rough engines, uncomfortable..... but if you need a very quick estate, then the T5's are unbeatable... no wonder the cops have then in abundance...

Story goes, from a friend who is a West Yorks traffic cop...

They needed to change the tyres on his T5 estate.. so they fitted some cheaper ones rather than the one's Volvo recommend... he said the car was almost undriveable. I have never seen different brand tyres change the handling that much...

John

Paula · 5-4-07, 5:07

Hi guys,

Going to Simon's meet on Wimbledon Common last night brought me luck...:-)

When I returned Richard ( my flatmate ) said that David my next door neighbour wants to buy Trundle 2 at £595.00........I put the price up last week as I am going to spend nearly £200 on her so that she is 100% purrfect.

Simon, that will go towards paying for my Timing Belt/Tensioner/Water Pump work on the MX 6 upon my return in July from the USA.

My neighbour gets a great deal as I will continue to polish her.

I could not bear seeing her deteriorate in front of my eyes after all the hard work that I have done on her since John bought her for me in 2001.

The red was oxidised brown when I first got her now she gleams.

A Happy Paula

**supersparky** · 5-4-07, 6:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Einstein

Certainly better than the newer type Volvo's... supposed to be noisy, rough engines, uncomfortable..... but if you need a very quick estate, then the T5's are unbeatable... no wonder the cops have then in abundance...

Story goes, from a friend who is a West Yorks traffic cop...

They needed to change the tyres on his T5 estate.. so they fitted some cheaper ones rather than the one's Volvo recommend... he said the car was almost undriveable. I have never seen different brand tyres change the handling that much...

John

put cheap tyres on a scooby john very interesting/scary

best part is the OEM tyres from subaru you can only get in japan.
I have noticed a differance in fitting 17" alloys to the 6

gareth

Jackie · 5-8-07, 5:49

I could feel the warmth for Volvo.

It’s also been my first car. I really loved it for the safety it gave me. I took it a nice ride out of town with new Volvo oil filter and was just newly oil changed, new tires and some engine parts, for the last time before I finally sell it. I didn’t want to give it up but I realize that I could buy a new model and enjoy my life with new experience with even one of the latest models.

Another Volvo would’ve been a good choice but of course, I wanted to try the others.