At $900, Is This 1974 Volvo 145 Wagon A Down And Dirty Deal?

While today's Nice Price aliases No Dice 145 wagon is missing its title and hasn't tally successful years, it's an aged Volvo, truthful really difficult could it beryllium to cleanable up and occurrence up? Let's spot if this down-on-its-luck Swede is priced to make that resurrection a done deal.

Tweedledum and Tweedledee are copy characters from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures successful Wonderland, described by nan writer arsenic rotund and identical, isolated from that they are left-right reversals of each other. Carroll didn't create nan names retired of full cloth. At nan clip he wrote Alice, nan names were commonly utilized successful Great Britain to picture nan sounds of debased and precocious philharmonic instruments.

Owing to its ample rear extremity and wide roly-poly style, nan 1977 American Motors Pacer wagon that came our measurement past Friday could easy beryllium nicknamed aft 1 of Carroll's fat twins. Of course, to really propulsion that off, a 2nd car would beryllium required, preferably successful nan aforesaid colour and spec. That's not retired of nan question, financially astatine least, pinch our Pacer coming successful astatine a reasonable $6,500 asking. That eked retired a 52% 'Nice Price' win, leaving america to spell looking for that elusive twin.

Absent immoderate Pacers falling readily to hand, let's alternatively return a look astatine this 1974 Volvo 145 wagon project that is promoted successful 1 of nan strangest ads I've ever travel across. Let's reside nan photos first of all. Those look to beryllium shots of existing photos connected a compartment telephone surface that is spiderwebbed pinch cracks splaying from 1 corner. At first glance, it appears nan car has a weird rumor pinch its paint. A person look indicates that it's conscionable connected nan screen, raising each sorts of questions astir why nan seller chose to coming nan car this way.

Once we get past that, it's evident this Volvo has been sitting for a very agelong time, leaving it covered successful ungraded some wrong and out. It besides has immoderate parts missing, aliases astatine slightest not successful their due places—most notably nan instrumentality cluster—that will require attention. That being said, nan particulate and ungraded look to person served arsenic a protective furniture for nan car, arsenic nan overgarment and upholstery beneath it look to beryllium successful decent condition.

Another overseas constituent of nan advertisement is nan description. According to nan seller, nan rear extremity was erstwhile yanked retired for usage successful different project. That didn't cookware out, truthful it went backmost successful but wasn't afloat bolted up. At slightest it's there. The windshield was besides removed for immoderate reason, and is now conscionable sitting successful its opening, not held successful spot by its trim. Did I mention this was a task car?

Despite nan attempts to cannibalize nan car, nan seller assures america that it's "almost 100% compete unmolested." Do they mean almost 100% complete and unmolested, aliases almost 100% wholly unmolested? It's a nuanced difference. Another point that mightiness beryllium confusing is nan engine. That's nan legendary B20, which, contempt having sat nether a furniture of particulate for years, would apt commencement without hesitation and tally for decades to come. 

The point is, successful 1974, nan U.S. marketplace engines were nan B20F, a low-compression 4 pinch Bosch K-Jetronic substance injection. The motor successful this car is evidently carbureted, pinch an aftermarket down-draught two-barrel. That mightiness beryllium preferable for anyone fixing nan car up, arsenic K-Jetronic systems tin beryllium a carnivore to bring backmost from nan dead.

The past rumor we request to reside is nan car's title and registration, arsenic it has neither. That intends it will require a lien waste and nan imaginable threat of a erstwhile proprietor showing up someday to effort to reclaim nan car. Yeah, right. Actually, since it's been sitting for truthful long, it's astir apt retired of nan DMV database and will require nan reappraisal by a Highway Patrol serviceman to corroborate its VIN and that it's really a car. At slightest that's really they do it successful California.

With that retired of nan way, we should besides statement that nan car has an automatic transmission and 150,000 miles connected nan clock. It appears to beryllium sitting successful a gait pinch immoderate different Volvos (there's a P1800 down it), truthful possibly each of nan absent parts are really sitting astir location there. Naturally, extracting it will require a tow aliases a trailer.

That's a batch of weirdness to return successful for conscionable an aged Volvo. Once we excavation done it all—the dirtiness, nan oddball communicative astir pulling and reinstalling nan rear end, and nan strange, cracked solid image of a picture—we tin travel distant pinch a car that seems to beryllium mostly each there. Not only that, but its top rumor looks to beryllium that overgarment of dust, nan mostly of which would apt rustle disconnected connected nan tow home. Could that each make it worthy nan $900 nan seller is asking for its removal, er... purchase?

What do you say? Does this look for illustration a worthy project, and if so, is it $900 worthy? Or does it look excessively acold gone to drawback astatine moreover that paltry amount?

You decide!

Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, aliases spell here if nan advertisement disappears.

Help maine retired pinch Nice Price aliases No Dice. Contact maine astatine robemslie@gmail.com and nonstop a fixed-price tip. Remember to see your commenter handle.