Another Volvo 345 owner

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srg86
Posts: 27
Joined: 02 Nov 2004 03:33 pm
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK

Another Volvo 345 owner

Post by srg86 » 02 Nov 2004 04:06 pm

Hi

A few weeks ago I was given my first car (I'm 21 this month) and it is a Blue 1985 Volvo 345 DL with the 1.4 engine. It's done 38,192 miles (astonishing for a 19 year old car IMHO) and sounds fine with no mechanical problems (appart from clutch - see later).

There is some rust around the wheel arches and near a bottom corner of the windscreen. Also the blower motor doesn't work, I've tracked it down to a single contact on the resistor network that controlls the voltage to the motor, hope I can get another one.

Also my dad, when driving it home for me (can't drive yet) was saying that the bite of the clutch was right on the top, can this be adjusted or do you think this will need a new clutch? It is a manual BTW. A mechanic friend of my dad says his garage can fit a new one for £130.

It needs two new wing mirrors and a pad for the drivers seat as you can start to feel the springs. Anyway it seems the bodywork and fittings look as if they have done more mileage than the rest of it, but the last owner was an old guy who forgot to turn inside lights off and use the handbreak when parking so I'm not surprised. Still for a car of it's age, from what I've seen at least, it's in pretty good nick and has years of motoring left in it.

Anyway, it's been SORN for now as I've got to now learn to drive and get a student loan to try and pay £850-1000 to insure it (I wasn't planning to get a car untill I was 24 when the Insurance goes down but this was a good opportunity, those blood sucking insurnace companies, leagalised javascript:emoticon('sm85') robbery).

srg

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Chris_C
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Post by Chris_C » 02 Nov 2004 08:02 pm

I had the same with my clutch, there is an adjustment screw, but I had a mate do it for me, so I can't tell you where it was!!! Carried on like that for nearly 3 years, then dropped a new clutch in. Sounds like everything on it is fixable, welcome to the board!
'89(G) 340 GLE B172k
'03 S60 D5 SE, '91 (J) MX5, 1954 Cyclemaster
Ex:
'89(F) 340 GL F7R (ex B172k) - Fake -> SBKV 300 Runner Up 08, 12; '91(H) 340 GL B14.4E - Kar; '88(F) 360 GLT B200E - Jet -> BKV 300 Runner Up 09; '89(G) 360 GLT B200E - Beast

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5lab
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Post by 5lab » 02 Nov 2004 08:24 pm

mate tesco insurance will do you a deal for under £600 at your age, specially if you've been driving a while
Siddy-'87 360 Glt lhd convertible
Swapsea-'89 360GLT-swapped!
Leah-'84 340GL-sold! Maisie-'85 340GL-sold!
Snowy-'88 360GLE-killed by a truck! Dougle-'89 360GLT-dead&stolen!
Nessy-'86 340GL-foggy's! Grace-'86 360GLT-gone!

wjp01908
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Post by wjp01908 » 02 Nov 2004 09:08 pm

"and pay £850-1000 to insure it"

It must be said that insurance coming down is one of the joys of advancing age. Mines about 200 all in

Are those the sort of prices that younger drivers pay on a 300. Must be a nightmare for the livelier models......

Will

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5lab
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Post by 5lab » 02 Nov 2004 09:15 pm

im 22, nessy is £410/year, and a gtl is only £40 more
Siddy-'87 360 Glt lhd convertible
Swapsea-'89 360GLT-swapped!
Leah-'84 340GL-sold! Maisie-'85 340GL-sold!
Snowy-'88 360GLE-killed by a truck! Dougle-'89 360GLT-dead&stolen!
Nessy-'86 340GL-foggy's! Grace-'86 360GLT-gone!

wjp01908
Posts: 210
Joined: 25 Jul 2004 03:35 pm
Location: Bucks. UK

Post by wjp01908 » 02 Nov 2004 09:35 pm

" and a gtl is only £40 more"

That does surprise me - I`d have thought it would`ve been a fair bit more extra.

What about modded cars?

Will

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SteveP
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Post by SteveP » 02 Nov 2004 09:44 pm

I'm 19 and the GLT cost me about £850 to insure with 1year no claims, one of the reasons I thought about getting one in the first place!

Steve

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5lab
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Post by 5lab » 02 Nov 2004 09:46 pm

my cars arent modded, as far as the insurance could ever know..

seriously, other than the fox sticker, every part on nessy is volvo
Siddy-'87 360 Glt lhd convertible
Swapsea-'89 360GLT-swapped!
Leah-'84 340GL-sold! Maisie-'85 340GL-sold!
Snowy-'88 360GLE-killed by a truck! Dougle-'89 360GLT-dead&stolen!
Nessy-'86 340GL-foggy's! Grace-'86 360GLT-gone!

srg86
Posts: 27
Joined: 02 Nov 2004 03:33 pm
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK

Post by srg86 » 02 Nov 2004 10:01 pm

Everything is fixable and for a freebie is ideal, the boot'll carry a PC or two with ease.

I'll have to phone tesco as online it doesn't insure cars worth less than £1000. BTW I havn't even started driving lessons yet and wasn't originally going to untill I could afford to insure a car but this has changed that plan. But wow, £400 seems very good, how meany years no claims bonus do you have? I'll have to look into them as Norwich Union quoted £1000 once I'm 21.

BTW Are spear parts easy to get hold of? Are they quite expensive? If something was to break would it be relatvly expensive to fix, not including scrap yard of course. Saying that, are newer parts still made? Of course, from what I've hears about these cars, they go and go and go.

thanks
srg

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5lab
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Post by 5lab » 02 Nov 2004 10:22 pm

tell them it cost a grand - they say estimate to the nearest £1000 anyways
Siddy-'87 360 Glt lhd convertible
Swapsea-'89 360GLT-swapped!
Leah-'84 340GL-sold! Maisie-'85 340GL-sold!
Snowy-'88 360GLE-killed by a truck! Dougle-'89 360GLT-dead&stolen!
Nessy-'86 340GL-foggy's! Grace-'86 360GLT-gone!

srg86
Posts: 27
Joined: 02 Nov 2004 03:33 pm
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK

Post by srg86 » 02 Nov 2004 10:40 pm

5lab wrote:tell them it cost a grand - they say estimate to the nearest £1000 anyways
So it doesn't actually matter how much you tell them it costs??

srg

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5lab
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Post by 5lab » 02 Nov 2004 11:15 pm

no. the worst they can do is not pay out the full grand if it gets nicked! if you tell them to only insure it 3rd party (i wouldnt claim myself if mine got nicked - my no claims is worth more) you can get it even cheaper, but you do need to ring up for that
Siddy-'87 360 Glt lhd convertible
Swapsea-'89 360GLT-swapped!
Leah-'84 340GL-sold! Maisie-'85 340GL-sold!
Snowy-'88 360GLE-killed by a truck! Dougle-'89 360GLT-dead&stolen!
Nessy-'86 340GL-foggy's! Grace-'86 360GLT-gone!

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petefarrell360
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Post by petefarrell360 » 02 Nov 2004 11:33 pm

The 2.0l GLT is amazingly cheap to insure compared to many cars for someone my age! Although the insurance pricing methods often seem odd when you compare cars, the reasons I see for the 360 GLT being cheaper to insure is due to the fact its old, safe being a Volvo and cheap enough for the insurers to write off.
Pete

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special
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Post by special » 02 Nov 2004 11:35 pm

im 24 the insurance on my 1.4 is only £300 with hill house hammond so shop around(yes its all declared to the insurance company)
dare to be different

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special
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Post by special » 02 Nov 2004 11:42 pm

petefarrell360 wrote: the reasons I see for the 360 GLT being cheaper to insure is due to the fact its old, safe being a Volvo and cheap enough for the insurers to write off.
Pete
plus no bugger will nick it (unless they plan on ram raiding the local tsb)
:lol:
dare to be different

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