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1973 Volvo 1800 ES Hot Rod?

1973 Volvo P1800 ES

With one of the more unusual descriptions I’ve seen in an eBay auction, this car that can “tempt AC Cobras” is for sale in Succasunna, New Jersey where it “burns rubber.” You can find the auction here on eBay where the opening bid is $2,000 without reserve. Don’t let the neon blue wire sheathing under hood and the floor mats that belong in an early Porsche 928 distract you from what might be a decent affordable classic. The rust is somewhat worrisome, and folks that know more than I do about 1800’s have advised me against a rusty one, but the price is pretty low if it stays near the opening bid. The car does have overdrive and less than 80k original miles if we believe the odometer (6-digit with a zero in the first column). Besides, who wouldn’t want to take the seller’s advice and paint it flat black and polish the chrome?

Comments

  1. Avatar krash

    nice Swedish storage unit

    what the seller meant to say was “the interior smells like burning rubber”
    and “tempt Mustang Cobra II owners”

    hey, how much for the rider mower?

    Like 0
  2. Avatar Mark E

    I too have been strongly advised not to buy rusty ones. And after having looked at close to a dozen or so I can say with absolute authority…that this one is rusty. The owner may be selling ’cause they can feel the floor giving way beneath the carpeting…

    Like 0
  3. Avatar Jon R

    I actually just finished restoring a ’66 which was a HUGE rust bucket.. so much so that it took 3 cars welded together to restore the car. After 3 years I finally have it done! However, The rust bucket I started with didn’t look as bad as that one. The three things that stand out to me are…

    1. Rust EVERYWHERE! under the hood under the body panels and I am sure all the floor pans are gone.
    2. To “burn rubber” or “temp a cobra” in one of these you have to rev it hard and drop the clutch. So if the owner finds thrashing an old classic like that fun then you can bet the engine and trans is on the verge of death.
    3. The junk all inside of it. If a person is willing to store their dirty laundry in the car, and not even clean it up before trying to sell it, then you know they have no respect for the car. This is also a great sign that they have probably done 0 maintenance on it for as long as they have owned it.

    Moral of the story… I would pay maybe $750 tops for it, and that is just to sell off the few good parts left on it and crushing what is left.

    Like 0
  4. Avatar Dave at OldSchool

    ” tempt Cobras “….Tempt them to do WHAT ????

    definitely one of the best ‘lines’ I have heard in a while… LOL

    Like 0
    • Avatar St. Ramone de V8

      Ha, yep, great line. Good morning chuckle.

      Like 0
  5. Avatar jim s

    first item on ebay for this seller. parts car only. i wonder if any of the other vehicles in the photos have been better cared for. interesting find.

    Like 0
  6. Avatar Bobsmyuncle

    One of the best people I’ve come across in this world was a Volvo shop owner that dissuaded me from buying the used P on his lot when I was a young man. At the time I was insulted after all young or not I had already restored a vehicle by that point. Wish I knew where he was now to shake his hand.

    I do love these cars though!

    Like 0
  7. Avatar Bob Deveau

    My 63 1800S,yes a very rust prone car. Every two-three years I’m patching and painting!!! But it is a labour of love!

    Like 0
  8. Avatar johnd

    That left front fender around the headlight actually looks like it was made of duct tape, then painted. I think it was the Altoids that caused it to deteriorate so badly .. . .

    Like 0
  9. Avatar Rex Kahrs Member

    Having resurrected one of these a couple of years ago, I too can aver that this car is very likely a major rust-bucket. Hell, even the bezels on the Odo and Tach are rusty!!

    That said, certain classics seem to be getting hot these days, and this is one of them. Thus, there are buyers out there for this car , despite the rust. They are damn fools in my estimation, but they are out there.

    Like 0
  10. Avatar Alex

    Beautiful car. It’s rough, but I love it.

    Like 0
  11. Avatar Don

    I have a rusted one but getting it done have a350chev 500 horsepower in it 700 r 4 Trany be hind it wow

    Like 0

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