Volvo P 1800 or silver Karmann Ghia

cath28

Hi there,
Anyone know anything about either of these cars for sale on Classiccarsales.ie? I went to see the Ghia and its v nice but a bit pricey for me.. I dont know much about either car though.. any info would be great,
C

alastair

The Volvo would be a good deal nippier than the VW. You'd need to check for rust (sills, arches, headlamp surrounds) carefully - pretty much everything else on the Volvo is solid / easily remedied. That one has been resprayed (and de-badged at the front) in what looks to me to be the sea-green colour that was only originally applied to the 1800ES (not the 1800E) - so any rust issues could be dealt with or hidden. The wheels aren't original either - they're Volvo alright, but not from that model. The fuel injection system on the Volvo can be tempermental to adjust, and the associated MAP can be hard to replace if it's died (and they're prone to dying about this age), but there's after-market options you could replace them with. Steering will be heavy - no PAS, but nothing you can't adjust to. The world's record for highest mileage driven in the one car is held by a slightly older Volvo 1800 - approaching 3 million miles now, so that should be re-assuring: http://www.volvoclub.org.uk/press/releases/2007/irv_gordon.shtml

Dades

alastair wrote: »

The world's record for highest mileage driven in the one car is held by a slightly older Volvo 1800 - approaching 3 million miles now

On the other hand, the Ghia is so slow it probably isn't old enough to have covered 3 million miles.

VolvoMan

The Volvo P1800 is a more comfortable car and probably a much more usable classic.

1948Wolseley

alastair wrote: »

The Volvo would be a good deal nippier than the VW...

Anything would be a good deal nippier than the VW. Don't get me wrong, I still love 'em, but rapid they ain't.

PaulK_CCI

I have to admit that I would prefer the P1800's as a more regular and comfortable driver, but it all depends on personal preference and I would certainly not class the Karmann Ghia as slow. The 1600 engine, though not a pocket rocket, is nippy enough in normal traffic. Of course the P1800 are quicker but not that much, they just feel faster because you sit so low, what they do have is an electronic overdrive, making motorway cruising a lot more bearable.
I would agree with previous replies, I would not be too happy about the 'modifcations' and that Volvo fuel injection system would not be on the top of my list. Also 5,5k is very low so I would reckon there might be a few flaws we don't know about


I can vouch for the Karmann Ghia because I brought this car in for the current owner a few years ago. (in fact, I just noticed the photographs used are mine :rolleyes: I still have it on my sold section: http://www.classiccarsireland.eu/autos_detail.asp?ID=206)

It was a nut and bolt restoration down to bare metal, in absolutely superb condition so absolutely no worries there!!

Dades

PaulK_CCI wrote: »

I still have it on my sold section: http://www.classiccarsireland.eu/autos_detail.asp?ID=206)

You could fit a set of golf clubs and a picnic basket in that engine bay!

cath28

Thanks to all for the comments on these cars.. Very helpful as usual.

I did think the volvo was quite cheap.. and wondered why.. but I havnt been able to see it yet as the owner has it in storage at the moment.. and while I saw the ghia, it was having its clutch replaced so didnt get to drive it yet. The owners in england at the mo so I have to wait to test drive it too.. Its never easy!! And they say its a buyers market??!

Interesting that its the same ghia though.. what do you make of the price?

245

cath28 wrote: »

Thanks to all for the comments on these cars.. Very helpful as usual.

I did think the volvo was quite cheap.. and wondered why.. but I havnt been able to see it yet as the owner has it in storage at the moment.. and while I saw the ghia, it was having its clutch replaced so didnt get to drive it yet. The owners in england at the mo so I have to wait to test drive it too.. Its never easy!! And they say its a buyers market??!

Interesting that its the same ghia though.. what do you make of the price?

Someone who was at the classic car sale in Citywest last autumn told me that that particular Volvo needed bodywork and paint.. Its anyone's guess how much that'll cost once you start chasing clean metal.

If there's a comprehensive photographic record for the ghia restoration then maybe the price is justified, provided that the car's been stored and maintained properly since but for that money I'd want a pre '70 model with the smaller rear lights and other nicer features. There's a blue '70 ghia for sale on the same website for 3.5k less - its being sold at a loss by an Eircooled.com member. Depends what you want I suppose.

The Volvo would be much more useable outside the city, in my experience.

cath28

I saw that blue ghia and its lovely but the guy told me he had changed his mind and he wasnt selling it now. Dont know why he has left the ad up though. I havnt seen any other simular volvos for sale so I'm not sure what price range they go for normally..

245

cath28 wrote: »

I saw that blue ghia and its lovely but the guy told me he had changed his mind and he wasnt selling it now.

Its for sale again - he's asking 8k....

Not a bad price given condition and spec.

LHD though - not a big problem as far as I'm concerned but you need to be sure that you're happy with that