1971 Volvo Other

B20

Manual

1453343081717

Clear

Gasoline

This wagon has been my main car for nearly ten years. In that time the brakes have been completely renewed; the Weber carburetor it came with was replaced; I opted for electronic ignition instead of points; there was a valve job just under two years ago, and I replaced the radiator last summer. It starts well and runs well, usually getting better than 21 mpg. A week ago I noticed a small leak in the radiator I put in. Re-coring and installing the original radiator would be about $300 in this neighborhood. There is a ding in the rear passenger side wheel-well courtesy of a wild pig that came charging out of the ocean side of HWY1 north of Davenport just before Thanksgiving two years ago when I was coming back to Watsonville after getting some sawdust up at Big Creek. There are two areas with some rust: by the rear passenger side window and beneath the lower side of the windshield. The hinges on the back gate are new but the wiper back there and the plate lights do not work. Nor does the fan but there is some heat anyway. I've changed the oil every 3K miles, cleaned the carb and air-filter at the same time, and kept a record of every fill-up: while the gas gauge shows full when the tank is just filled, it shows empty after about 50 miles. This is a strong wagon with comprehensible and dependable engineering. It is worth restoring. It is certainly up to daily driving. It is even worth sending to the new owners of Volvo in China if they would like to make something comprehensible and dependable. Just don't make me send it to the DMV. Please note, because of its age this car does not need smog tests.