Volvo 480 as my first car :)

Here you can talk about the joy owning a Volvo 480 brings. Non-technical discussions take place here, like what is the difference between an ES and a S version.

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cptlingo
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Volvo 480 as my first car :)

Post by cptlingo » Fri Oct 05, 2018 6:54 pm

So when i first saw that car i just felt in love with that car but there is a lot of diffrent opinions like this car is getting broken very often and u need a lot of money for fixing it and that water is getting inside etc. Maybe its was just an bad owner? I would like to hear ur opinions about that car bcs the style is the best in the world but what about the mechanical part is it good?

cptlingo
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Re: Volvo 480 as my first car :)

Post by cptlingo » Fri Oct 05, 2018 6:55 pm

And sorry for my bad english :D

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WRDendy
Can tell where the 480 was built
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Re: Volvo 480 as my first car :)

Post by WRDendy » Fri Oct 05, 2018 9:55 pm

cptlingo wrote:
Fri Oct 05, 2018 6:54 pm
u need a lot of money for fixing it
Yes and no, depends on how handy you are yourself. Some spare parts can be expensive, others are just really hard to find. Having a good mechanic or garage that you trust for things like MOTs and jobs that you can't do yourself will make a big difference. I'm not sure if they are easy cars to work on or whether I'm just used to them!
cptlingo wrote:
Fri Oct 05, 2018 6:54 pm
water is getting inside
Fairly unavoidable, but certainly manageable. Keep on top of things like deteriorating seals and blocked drain holes and it's not really a problem. Minor leaks on the tailgate seal are the main complaint, but they can be dealt with.
cptlingo wrote:
Fri Oct 05, 2018 6:54 pm
but what about the mechanical part is it good?
Again, mixed bag. Some cars have survived well, others are mainly rust and everything is broken or about to break. As a general rule, most of the cars that are still on the road today have probably been well looked after and are probably pretty good (although they will deteriorate if they are bought by someone who doesn't care/know better). One would assume that any lemons are long gone by now. The engines were designed in the late Jurassic period and consequently are very solid, particularly the N/A versions (less to go wrong than a turbo), but again that does depend somewhat on whether previous owners kept up-to-date with oil changes and services. The electronics are a whole different story. When everything works it still feels quite futuristic, but you may wish to find a night school offering a class in electronic engineering, or at least a competent auto electrician (NB a competent mechanic is not the same thing as a competent electrician).

Inside, everything is made of a special compound from the 1980s that is very similar to plastic, but that shatters and/or inexplicably turns brown and melts if you so much as give it a funny look. Can't get new bits from Volvo anymore but people are starting to reproduce the parts that commonly fall apart, such as heater knobs and seatbelt arms, for example.
cptlingo wrote:
Fri Oct 05, 2018 6:54 pm
the style is the best in the world
Correct.

Basically, I have few qualms in saying that other than a few minor quirks here and there, the Volvo 480 is, objectively, the best car in the known universe. Think carefully before you buy one, as nothing else you drive will ever quite satisfy you for the rest of your life.
Formerly known as 'Jaster'
Current: '94 GT & '88 ES
Former: '89 ES

jifflemon
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Re: Volvo 480 as my first car :)

Post by jifflemon » Fri Oct 05, 2018 10:35 pm

cptlingo wrote:
Fri Oct 05, 2018 6:54 pm
So when i first saw that car i just felt in love with that car
Now that is understandable.
cptlingo wrote:
Fri Oct 05, 2018 6:54 pm
this car is getting broken very often and u need a lot of money for fixing it and that water is getting inside etc.
Remember that even the newest 480's are 23 years old. I could show you plenty of cars less than 10 years old in worse condition. The best part though, is that on here, we're pretty much aware of all the cars faults, and yet still love them. As Jaster said, faults are unavoidable but most definitely manageable. The trick is to try and find the best example you can, or at least be aware of the faults you can''t rectify yourself and budget accordingly.
cptlingo wrote:
Fri Oct 05, 2018 6:54 pm
I would like to hear ur opinions about that car bcs the style is the best in the world
So, like you, I fell in love the with car (way back when they launched. Could never afford one though. When they finally came down to prices I could afford, there were very few left. I joined here, learnt what to look for. I viewed a couple and avoided them; You need to learn to purchase with your head, not your heart. I finally bought what appears to be the worse example out there.

Why? Well, the spec was right. Whilst the exterior is in poor condition, the interior was in great condition (even better when it dried out!). The bonus was discovering that reason behind its excellent condition was that it was a stupidly low mileage car, that had had dashboard faults "fixed" by a "volvo specialist" (read that line as "replaced for a second hand one - Twice"), and it's actually mileage could be roughly calculated from the huge wads of service history that came with the car.

Oh and it has an immaculate rear bumper bar! :lol: :eek: :bla:

cptlingo
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Re: Volvo 480 as my first car :)

Post by cptlingo » Sat Oct 06, 2018 12:05 am

Mostly im scared about that if i buy one its gonna be more often at mechanic place than on the road and i will not have money for the repair... For example there is a guy selling one (https://sprzedajemy.pl/volvo-480-turbo- ... nr55982186) the cost is around 3250$ and the guy says that the car is in collector condition and u dont need to fix it at all so this one would be good to buy?

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brinkie
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Re: Volvo 480 as my first car :)

Post by brinkie » Sat Oct 06, 2018 8:22 pm

cptlingo wrote:
Sat Oct 06, 2018 12:05 am
Mostly im scared about that if i buy one its gonna be more often at mechanic place than on the road and i will not have money for the repair... For example there is a guy selling one (https://sprzedajemy.pl/volvo-480-turbo- ... nr55982186) the cost is around 3250$ and the guy says that the car is in collector condition and u dont need to fix it at all so this one would be good to buy?
The turbo engines have more single points of failure but generally speaking the Renault F-series engines of the 400-series are very reliable. The engine needs its valve clearances checked every 30,000 kms and with regular maintenance it goes on forever (400,000+ kms is very common). It's the gearbox that can give problems if neglected (i.e. check for oil leaks and top up with oil specific for Renault JB/JC gearboxes) and at some point, the electronics need to be overhauled. The problems are known and there is an active community in Poland to help you address the problems.
Oh I almost forgot, there are also parts that can leak, but the leaks are pretty easy to fix. Rattling interior parts are part of the deal if you buy a 480, they used poor quality plastics back then.

By far the biggest problem is rust. Rust in the wheel arches, rust in the seams at the underside of the doors, rust in the boot, rust in the bumper supports (especially the rear bumper support is gone in many cases). So get one that's clean and shows no signs of rust yet, otherwise you will end up with a car that falls apart in front of your eyes. Replacement wheel arches are available so those are repairable, replacement rear bumpers are almost impossible to find. Just like the rear lights, they are unavailable new, and second hand only for unbelievable prices if available at all.

Save some more money, talk the price a bit down and get this one:
https://sprzedajemy.pl/volvo-480-gt-tur ... nr53998694
I knew this car from its original Dutch registration JX-BN-13.

But then again, there are so many hidden skeletons in the closet, especially if the car doesn't come with complete service history.
Mine had 324,000 kms on the clock and I paid 1500 € for it. I was blinded by the colour and spec and accessories I wanted and there was a couple of years of service history that came with the car. But the engine had compression loss on one cilinder and the wheel arches started to rust. I have replaced the engine, replaced the rear arches, resprayed the rear end, invested in new rear and front lights (when they were still available new!) and had the A/C system overhauled. I had this all done by specialists because I only have knowledge of electronics - the only part of my 480 that DIDN'T fail. Yet. Anyway, I have spent over 5000 € to the car the past 4 years. And it still needs attention in some places :shock: OK, I have to knock it off on unpainted wood: I have NEVER needed the road assistance once, while our 2011 model V70 broke down on Christmas Eve...

As one of the most knowledgeable 480 Turbo owners on the Dutch forum once said:
"You can buy a cheap one and have luck. You can buy an expensive one and have bad luck."
Robert.

Present cars: 1994 Volvo 480 GT 2.0i, 1999 Volvo S70 2.5 Europa, 2010 Volvo V70 2.0F Momentum

cptlingo
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Re: Volvo 480 as my first car :)

Post by cptlingo » Sat Oct 06, 2018 10:06 pm

Its like 8000$ thats incredibly high price for a car like this in my opinion but ye i think im gonna buy a volvo anyways bcs the style of this car is so damn charming i just cant think about not buying him :D Im just getting informations on what should i watch when buying one and of course trying to find one in very good condition but the one u showed me would took me one year to even get money for him so its just big no :/

David
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Re: Volvo 480 as my first car :)

Post by David » Sun Oct 07, 2018 10:21 pm

Unless you are a mechanical wizz I would really think twice about having a 480 as your first car. I had a 480 as my first car about ten years ago and it was a bit of a disaster. You might be better off getting something cheap and reliable first and maybe getting a 480 as a weekend car in the future. Just my opinion.

cptlingo
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Re: Volvo 480 as my first car :)

Post by cptlingo » Mon Oct 08, 2018 10:21 am

Well my brother is and i know an only volvo 480 engineer nearby so he would help me in everything :D

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brinkie
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Re: Volvo 480 as my first car :)

Post by brinkie » Mon Oct 08, 2018 11:02 am

No matter how well maintained the car is, it is still a car that has been built 23 up to 32 years ago, with quality issues even when they were new and a parts supply that grows worse every day. Generally speaking the cars are reliable, but when a fault appears, it may take some time to rectify. Ideally you should have a donor car ready to supply parts, and in any case you should be ready to spend a lot of time and money in the car to keep it going, like every ageing car does.

EDIT: WOW, this is my 480th post on the forum :hopping:
Robert.

Present cars: 1994 Volvo 480 GT 2.0i, 1999 Volvo S70 2.5 Europa, 2010 Volvo V70 2.0F Momentum

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jamescarruthers
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Re: Volvo 480 as my first car :)

Post by jamescarruthers » Thu Oct 11, 2018 10:05 pm

I love my 480 but you will have to be pretty dedicated if you do get one to overcome problems that will arise eventually. You might be lucky, it might be reliable for years before you get a problem. All cars do, even new ones, but sometimes with the 480's parts availability you can't just leave it at a garage and expect them to fix it. You will need to help (with our help) especially with parts.

I've bought ropey looking 480's though and driven them for years with pretty much no problems... I was lucky. I've also spent thousands on others.

Hope this "Throwback Thursday" post doesn't put you off too much! viewtopic.php?f=19&t=13869 I thought it was quite an interesting old post
1987 Volvo 480 ES, 507274, 217 - Red (Ness)
2006 Citroen C6 Exclusive 3.0 petrol/LPG
2008 Mini Cooper convertible (Mau)

Previous 480's:
J123 CFU -- ES
J449 MNL -- ES auto
D864 CPV -- ES
L691 JFC -- Turbo
F70 MNR -- ES
H858 FGV -- Turbo auto
E981 KHM -- ES (509849)

cptlingo
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Re: Volvo 480 as my first car :)

Post by cptlingo » Sat Oct 13, 2018 6:15 am

So overall the car is crap but it looks good :D

cptlingo
480 Newbie
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Re: Volvo 480 as my first car :)

Post by cptlingo » Sat Oct 13, 2018 6:17 am

But the thing i didnt see anywhere how bad those volvos are compare to other '90s cars like were other getting broke like our volvos or not

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