Right...
I'm moving house two weeks before xmas (an ingenious bit of timing), so I'm thinking of ways to seal up the many holes in the leaky vessel that is my bank balance.
So, it occurred to me that maybe someone in the retro world might be after a monster-quick luxobarge in return for their nice little runner and a handful of wedge.
It's a '97 Volvo 850 T5 auto. Under the bonnet there's a 2.3 litre 5-cyl 20v Turbo - official factory figures claim 225bhp, which is pretty Cosworth-ish. Mileage is approx 140k IIRC - cambelt was changed last year.
It's got electric windows/mirrors/heated memory seats, great stereo (CD player and radio/cassette), trip computer, cruise control, all the other toys you'd expect. Incredibly reliable - always fires up immediately, even if it hasn't been used in weeks, never overheats in traffic (and you encounter a lot of traffic jams in south London!), no worrying noises, leaks, squeaks, rattles etc.
I put six months tax on it a couple of weeks ago, and it was MOT'ed in August. I've recently fitted new discs, pads and handbrake shoes on the rear, tyre on the front, engine mounts, various other bits that I'm sure I'll remember in due course.
Bad bits (they all have 'em) - it's not concours! Some paint has flaked off the front bumper, the bonnet is stone-chipped, one of the headlamp wiper arms is missing, and there are a couple of little dents (about 50p size-ish) - one on the driver door, one on the roof. Still looks very presentable though, especially after a good wash! Interior could do with a clean too - beige is not a practical colour. The aircon needs regassing and the heater's a bit temperamental of late, but all the other electrics work perfectly (including the awesome heated seats).
Overall though, a bloody good car - a genteel luxury cruiser that will thrust you impressively towards the horizon when you plant the throttle down. Oh, and it's got the Retro Rides logo on the bonnet and the rear wings! ;D
I don't really want rid of it considering how much I've spent on it and how ridiculously reliable it is. However, if someone wants to give me a cool car and some cash then it'd keep the bank manager at bay.
If we were to make a deal, I'd need a couple of weeks or so to get my private plate off and reassign the old P-prefix number to it. I'm also planning to take it to Devon for new year, so I'd either need another car reliable enough for that trip or to trade in the new year after I'm back.
I'd want something that's very reliable - I don't want a project or a car that I'm going to have to throw a lot of money at, because that'd entirely defeat the point of the exercise and I don't have the time/funds/space! A pretty decent amount of MOT and tax is important too.
Ideally I'd like to get, say, £500 cash plus something cool like a BMW E21 / E28, a Merc W123, a mkI Cavalier, something with a bit of retro sparkle. It's got to be fun too - nothing with a tiny engine.
Maybe I'm being unrealistic? Dunno. Hit me with your ideas. ;D
I'm moving house two weeks before xmas (an ingenious bit of timing), so I'm thinking of ways to seal up the many holes in the leaky vessel that is my bank balance.
So, it occurred to me that maybe someone in the retro world might be after a monster-quick luxobarge in return for their nice little runner and a handful of wedge.
It's a '97 Volvo 850 T5 auto. Under the bonnet there's a 2.3 litre 5-cyl 20v Turbo - official factory figures claim 225bhp, which is pretty Cosworth-ish. Mileage is approx 140k IIRC - cambelt was changed last year.
It's got electric windows/mirrors/heated memory seats, great stereo (CD player and radio/cassette), trip computer, cruise control, all the other toys you'd expect. Incredibly reliable - always fires up immediately, even if it hasn't been used in weeks, never overheats in traffic (and you encounter a lot of traffic jams in south London!), no worrying noises, leaks, squeaks, rattles etc.
I put six months tax on it a couple of weeks ago, and it was MOT'ed in August. I've recently fitted new discs, pads and handbrake shoes on the rear, tyre on the front, engine mounts, various other bits that I'm sure I'll remember in due course.
Bad bits (they all have 'em) - it's not concours! Some paint has flaked off the front bumper, the bonnet is stone-chipped, one of the headlamp wiper arms is missing, and there are a couple of little dents (about 50p size-ish) - one on the driver door, one on the roof. Still looks very presentable though, especially after a good wash! Interior could do with a clean too - beige is not a practical colour. The aircon needs regassing and the heater's a bit temperamental of late, but all the other electrics work perfectly (including the awesome heated seats).
Overall though, a bloody good car - a genteel luxury cruiser that will thrust you impressively towards the horizon when you plant the throttle down. Oh, and it's got the Retro Rides logo on the bonnet and the rear wings! ;D
I don't really want rid of it considering how much I've spent on it and how ridiculously reliable it is. However, if someone wants to give me a cool car and some cash then it'd keep the bank manager at bay.
If we were to make a deal, I'd need a couple of weeks or so to get my private plate off and reassign the old P-prefix number to it. I'm also planning to take it to Devon for new year, so I'd either need another car reliable enough for that trip or to trade in the new year after I'm back.
I'd want something that's very reliable - I don't want a project or a car that I'm going to have to throw a lot of money at, because that'd entirely defeat the point of the exercise and I don't have the time/funds/space! A pretty decent amount of MOT and tax is important too.
Ideally I'd like to get, say, £500 cash plus something cool like a BMW E21 / E28, a Merc W123, a mkI Cavalier, something with a bit of retro sparkle. It's got to be fun too - nothing with a tiny engine.
Maybe I'm being unrealistic? Dunno. Hit me with your ideas. ;D
