This post originally appeared in Practical Classics Magazine, August 2018 ‘Bangernomics’ Feature
With our daily driver off the road due to an ominous electrical fault, we were faced with a dilemma – hire a car in the hope the Golf can be fixed, or buy a cheap alternative? Three weeks in a rented Corsa costs around £500, and not wanting to pay actual money to take the kids to school in a Vauxhall, we started browsing the web. It needed to be local, have four wheels and a long MOT. After spending a sunny afternoon trawling cheap rubbish on eBay, we gave up and drank Prosecco. Fuelled by a renewed confidence, I carried on into the small hours, adding items to my ‘watch’ list and making offers. It was a bit like fishing. Sure enough, the next morning, we’d caught a big one.
Our prize was 1993 Volvo 850 2.0 GLT Automatic, with bad photos, barely any description and all the miles. Crucially it ticked all the boxes, so we reeled it in. The MOT history didn’t reveal any horrors, and the owner assured us the car had been cherished. The old barge showed 177,000 miles, had heated half leather, a sunroof, a great stereo and no history. The total cost of this late night gamble? £300.
A few miles behind the wheel confirmed the owner’s comments – this was a great buy. The drive home was a magical 20 miles under the most beautiful summer sunset. I immediately fell in love. Our Volvo goes, stops and looks just the way it did in 1993. The kids love the sunroof, the wife loves an auto, and I love knowing it’s actually a rare old classic.
A month of trouble-free Volvo motoring later and our two year old son is still telling anyone who will listen ‘Mommy car broke down, buy Bolvo’. It seems the ‘Vo is part of the family.
Obviously two weeks later the Volvo moved on to a new home for a small profit, because that’s the way Geoff rolls.
