In the old days, a car with 100,000 miles was universally considered to be worn out.  Someone else could deal with the maintenance from that point on, as it was time to trade in.  Well, at least until Volvo came along.  The Swedish car maker built its reputation on reliability, durability, and safety.  This 1970 Volvo 1800E for sale on craigslist in St. Louis, Missouri is a testament to those tenets.  Running and driving, with a few issues here and there, this car is still in great shape 52 years later.  Would this be the type of drive-and-enjoy classic that you could use for another 52 years?  Thanks to Gunter K. for another great find!

You cannot have any serious discussion about Volvo 1800s without talking about Irv Gordon and his 3.26 million mile example.  Irv was a guy who kept his Volvo from when it was new until he passed away a few years ago.  The car went through the usual changing of wear items, like brake pads, spark plugs, wiper blades, and such.  Yet, believe it or not, the engine block, cylinder head, transmission, and rear end were all the original components when the car was handed over to Volvo USA by Irv’s children after his death.  Two engine rebuilds and a minor transmission repair were all that was done to keep it on the road.

Keep in mind that this was on a car built in 1966.  All the way until recently, a car with 100,000 miles on the odometer was considered pretty much worn out.  You would be hard-pressed to purchase a car in today’s market and get that kind of life out of it.  Who knows how many miles Irv would have racked up had he continued to roam the earth?  He definitely liked to drive.  Three million miles passed while he was traveling the Seward Highway in Alaska.

Irv’s experience is both unusual and exceptional.  However, it wasn’t a fluke by any means.  Volvo’s small but loyal following counted on the engineering and materials of their Volvos to be above reproach, both for reliability and safety.  Surely these were in the mind of whoever originally purchased this 1970 Volvo 1800E.  Or, perhaps, it was purchased by a fan of the TV show “The Saint,” which starred Roger Moore before he became James Bond.  Regardless, the car seems to have been lovingly cared for.  There is some rust and wear, but for a car that is 52 years old and has not been restored, it looks great.

While the exterior looks good, there is some wear on the interior surfaces.  Photographs in the ad point to the car needing some new upholstery.  The picture above shows an original set of sheepskin seat covers which hide some cracks in the seat material.  These furry covers were the rage back in the day, and they are great when it is cool out.  In the sun, they are a bit warm.  The dash also exhibits some cracks, waviness, and a bit of separation of the materials around the instrument panel.  Dash pads are offered from aftermarket suppliers and can be purchased for a reasonable sum.  The new owner may want to track down where the loose wire dangling from under the dash should go.

The ad says that the odometer displays just 72,000 miles, but is broken.  Chances are that number is not too far off.  The only issue noted is that the car’s idle bounces from 500 to 1,500 RPMs.  While I hope some more experienced Barn Finds readers with knowledge of tuning engines will chime in, my guess is that there is a vacuum leak somewhere in the fuel injection system.  Perhaps a prudent line-by-line replacement of these hoses would find the culprit and solve the problem.  If not, there are a whole lot of garages that specialize in Volvos still around.  Or, we have the internet nowadays and internet forums are a great place to bounce ideas off people.  Some info is right and some is wrong. You take your chances and you get what you pay for. With a Volvo like this, you could get a lot more than what you paid for.  At a price of $12,000, this 1800E may be a bit more expensive than market value.  However, this is a car that can provide another 50 years of service if properly cared for.  If you want a classic with nice lines and equally impressive reliability, you would be hard-pressed to find something better.  Irv certainly didn’t find a better car.  He stopped looking when he found his Volvo. Have you ever owned a Volvo?  What were the good and bad parts of ownership?  Please share your experience in the comments.