WANTED - 480 - Previous owner of F726 OPF

[Laurie945]

Hi there all,

It's been a good number of years since I've been on the forum, and about the same time since I owned a 480. First car for me, £500, two owners (one being a farm owner who used it as their towing vehicle ), and a fairly tidy number, F726 OPF, 1989, Grey Metallic (not Black as it was registered as), 1.7L.

A move up north forced me to sell her, to a chap who needed a banger rally motor for £600 or less. It went for £600. I've seen it listed a few years ago for spares or repairs, but I can only hazard a guess that it's long gone now.

Currently, I'm in a position where I don't need a car, which I gather is the perfect time to become a proud owner of a 480! But little did I know how the prices have shot up!

I'm in the West Midlands. I've seen the £5000 listings. I'm not looking to spend that much, and would like a 2.0L (or the turbo, for that matter, but I can only imagine that they're gold-dust). I thought that all you lovely people would be able to help, and a shot in the dark for me is better than nothing at all.

I fell in love with them the first time I ever saw one, and I don't think I've ever been as excited as the first time I went to see what became my pride and joy.

Thank you all,
Laurie

[jifflemon]

What sort of car (condition wise) are you looking for and what sort of budget have you got?

The pretty much sorted examples are commanding the high prices, where as useable project cars are still fairly reasonable.

Turbos? Yeah.... I think you'd either be paying big money, or be undetaking a complete restoration. We're down to around 60 cars now.

[Laurie945]

The first one I had cost me £500. It was my first car. It had been used as a towing vehicle on a farm, but that said, it was fairly clean. No rot, it all worked, apart from an intermittent computer.

Having close eyes on the market for the past month or so, I've seen one, maybe two sold. The two GT models currently listed on eBay look good, but they're at the top end of my price range.

I will be keeping it on the street, so I can't justify having one that's concourse.

Unfortunately, the chap who had mine sold it on, and it ended up for spares/repairs. I found it on eBay a few years back, and I quickly tried to buy it again, only to find that it had already been stripped. Sometimes you learn the hard way ...

So all that said, maybe a few grand I'd be able to go, but it all depends on the actual car in question. I'd like to find one roadworthy, as I'm limited to workshop space as I live in a terrace with no off-road parking, let alone a garage!

[Laurie945]

Well, I couldn't resist, and have become the proud owner of a '94 GT

Now I've got Clapton stuck in the VC-802 ... Could be worse!

[jifflemon]

Nice!!! Red or green?

Hollar if you want some help uploading pics!

[Laurie945]

Green! I'd certainly like some help uploading photos. You've probably all seen it online, but I was in a good position to make the purchase, and the heart made the decision ...

The 2.0L is certainly a smoother drive, from what I can remember. I'm just glad that I'm back with a 480. I forgot just how much I love them. The problem now is that I might have to sell the Reliant so it's got a garage to stay tidy in.

The slightly lumpy idle issue is present, along with a slightly dicky synchro (or so I believe) in first and second. Apart from that, it's pretty good! But it's missing the OEM floor mats! That's driving me crazy! The alarm went off twice at work today, which was a laugh, as the horn is ridiculously loud.

Just over 61000 miles on the clock. The info centre is sweet. I'd like to believe it's genuine, and the MOT certainly suggests so. The chap, who was lovely when I met him, had it for 20 years, and it had to go, so here I am!

It would have been nice to have seen a 2.0L Turbo, but I guess their quirkiness left Volvo in a sticky position ... The C30's are cool, though, so ...

So if anyone has a set of mats then please let me know! And a period correct keyring (it's the little things, sometimes). What's the best category to share the car in?

[jifflemon]

Most people usually have a thread in the "the secret life of a 480 owner" section - Think of it as your online diary.

drop me a PM and I'll sort out some picture hosting.