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R.Wold · 12-07-2020, 06:29 PM

Drove from Ca to Richmond Va for this car the day before thanksgiving, not without incident, but all is well now, the car is home, and I took a much needed day off today.Sort of...

1973 Volvo P1800ES, not restored but well taken care of and tastefully improved.

R.Wold · 12-07-2020, 06:38 PM

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Toby Dog · 12-08-2020, 04:33 AM

Admit it, you just wanted to get out of the house

.
Tell us more about the trip, we're stuck in the house also. Was is a blitz or a leisurely wander?
The car is beautiful, good buy.

Charming · 12-08-2020, 06:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by R.Wold

Drove from Ca to Richmond Va for this car the day before thanksgiving, not without incident, but all is well now, the car is home, and I took a much needed day off today.Sort of...

1973 Volvo P1800ES, not restored but well taken care of and tastefully improved.

Well, who would expect anything less coming from Richmond?

Written by a escapee of the great city on the James.

Hope you had a safe trip and good luck with the car. Do you expect problems with CA emissions standards or does it get a break due to age?

**TonyDi** · 12-08-2020, 06:43 AM

Looks beautiful. Someone really took care of this baby. Lots of luck with it.

R.Wold · 12-08-2020, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toby Dog

Admit it, you just wanted to get out of the house

.
Tell us more about the trip, we're stuck in the house also. Was is a blitz or a leisurely wander?
The car is beautiful, good buy.

That was a big part of it. We had just cancelled our family thanksgiving plans, and this was a nice consolation prize

. It was anything but leisurely - 10 days there and back, and we didn’t have any meals out and didn’t have to shop for food, and only paid at the pump, which I decontaminated before using. So it was a safe, relatively social contact free trip, and enjoyable but a lot of work driving 12+ hours almost every day. One day of no driving on Thanksgiving in the parking lot of Velocity Truck in North Vegas (read industrial park....).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charming

Well, who would expect anything less coming from Richmond?

Written by a escapee of the great city on the James.

Hope you had a safe trip and good luck with the car. Do you expect problems with CA emissions standards or does it get a break due to age?

The trip was safe, but I had DEF issues three times and was delayed 2 1/2 days in N.Las Vegas at Velocity truck center dealing with it. Fortunately still under the emissions warranty. Spent Thanksgiving in their parking lot....

At least they had 50a service - it was in the teens at night which I think contributed to the def issues. But it seems to be fine now and I learned a lot about DEF issues, both mechanically and with the fluid. What a mess!

No emissions issues for pre-75 cars, and it qualifies for historic auto registration, so no I don’t expect any trouble, but if they do give me any grief over it I’ll just keep the Va historic plates on it. They don’t have date stickers. It’s not going to be a daily driver, although it could be. More of a hobby car, making more improvements and going to local car events, if they ever have those again....

Unplanned Tourist · 12-08-2020, 07:37 AM

Nice car. Probably not an issue, but check the sub-frame for rust. Some of them had a problem with rusting out from the inside.

Have fun with it.

BTW, I bought my 1937 SS100 Jag in Tombstone, and drove it home from Phoenix.

eddndee · 12-08-2020, 08:26 AM

One of the most beautiful cars ever made. Lucky you!
When I went shopping for a toad, I brought home my ‘66 Chevy Sportvan. It is my daily driver.

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wolfe10 · 12-08-2020, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by R.Wold

Drove from Ca to Richmond Va for this car the day before thanksgiving, not without incident, but all is well now, the car is home, and I took a much needed day off today.Sort of...

1973 Volvo P1800ES, not restored but well taken care of and tastefully improved.

Nice. We had a 1973 1800ES-- gold/black leather interior. Beautiful, but heavy steering and clutch. Same engine and transmission as Volvo 142E and 144E with 4 speed and electric overdrive.

R.Wold · 12-08-2020, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfe10

Nice. We had a 1973 1800ES-- gold/black leather interior. Beautiful, but heavy steering and clutch. Same engine and transmission as Volvo 142E and 144E with 4 speed and electric overdrive.

Yup B20, elec OD, and heavy steering and clutch. Drive train seems better suited to a truck, but it’s torqy and I love simple cars and this one is elegant as well. Also rust free - the whole car. Found no evidence anywhere but it was owned by a decent mechanic for 43 years and he was really in to undercoating. Almost to a fault, but messy as it is, it did the job. One of the reasons I chose this car. It’s not “showroom” underneath, but it is in very nice shape. Has also had some handling improvements, but nothing radical.

capnqball · 12-08-2020, 09:27 PM

Nice find! I've looked at several over the last several years but haven't made the jump. I was considering using the P1800ES as a toad but, after several discussions with the long term Volvo dealer in Portland, was advised that this was not a good idea. The tranny shaft sits above the oil level, as I was told, and will not get the needed lubrication during a long distance tow. Just repeating what i was told, but worth checking if towing is your goal.

The cars I have found over the last few years have had some serious rust issues so finding a non-rust car is a true find. Good luck with your new toy.

wolfe10 · 12-09-2020, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by R.Wold

Yup B20, elec OD, and heavy steering and clutch. Drive train seems better suited to a truck....

Yup, my wife agrees. Loved how it looked (or perhaps how she looked in it-- don't tell her I said that) but steering and clutch too heavy for her to use it as a daily driver.

R.Wold · 12-09-2020, 10:15 AM

Yes the 2016 Edge behind it is the daily driver and soon to be toad - this was only a toad for a week on a u-haul car trailer from Richmond Va to our little ranch in rural western Nevada county. It survived the trip without a scratch, although when we got it home it looked like a barn find.

It will be a sunday driver, for trips to the winery, the local businesses at Higgins Corner, and local car shows, and just pleasure driving. Other than that it will rarely see the big city of Auburn, although it has been to Grass valley once already.

Eez Moose · 12-09-2020, 10:31 AM

I bought a green one of these as a collector car and the first time out with it my luck went sour and it was totaled by a drunk neighbour. It had just been restored and I had a heck of a time getting the insurance company to pony up its assessed value as they wanted to blue book.