Hey everyone!

Post by **daedalus** » 22 Oct 2007 10:48 pm

Hey guys!

I came across this forum while looking over Volvo 340 information and thought i'd join up and join the community as thats gonna be my car of choice... Let me explain!

I'm a 23 year old guy from Hampshire, England who never learnt to drive... And now i've decided to. My friend showed me a picture of a Volvo 340 and that was it, I was sold.

I hope you guys don't mind that I currently don't drive. I'm starting to sort out the process at the moment.

I intend to do an intensive driving course to get everything done as soon as possible, but obviously i'll need a car... So I may as well ask you guys in the same breath, any nice 340s currently for sale that would be suitable for a beginner?

I hope i'm welcome here and I hope everyone wont mind helping me along in the coming months as I start out!

So yeah, hey!

Post by **shimon340** » 23 Oct 2007 01:11 am

hello and welcome!

look forward to seeing you at some meets

I too bought my first 340 before I could drive

Post by **Chris_C** » 23 Oct 2007 09:13 am

A near local

Welcome to the site, I got my first just after I passed my test, (about 3 days

) but a load of people have used them to lean in! Good luck with your hunt

Post by **SteveP** » 23 Oct 2007 09:25 am

They make a great car to learn in... and can be very cheap to run if you get a rust free example. Besides that, they're actually pretty fun - I feel sorry for the people learning in brand new Corsa's, it must make them think that all cars are as dull...

Post by **trabitom99** » 23 Oct 2007 10:23 am

SteveP wrote:They make a great car to learn in...

+1

... and you're learning to drive in a REAL car with RWD and without having your motoring senses dulled with ABS, PAS, traction control etc etc

A good choice.

Tom

Post by **garethreece** » 23 Oct 2007 12:44 pm

Yep great first cars if you can put up with mates taking the micky

First car I EVER drove was a 360 when I was 12 and my first road car was a 1.4 340 (both of which I still have)

I often miss the volvo when I'm in the french tin can (though the fuel eco is better

)

Post by **daedalus** » 23 Oct 2007 02:00 pm

Thanks for the welcomes!

My mates think the idea is great... A few of my mates have boring modern cars like Astras and Clios, although two mates have Skylines...

They were the ones to recommend the 340 as my first car as they thought it would be easy to learn in and still be fun months after i've passed my test.

I've been doing plenty of reading and I agree, plus the car has that lovely retro look to it without it looking toooo aged.

Gonna get my provisonal licensed sorted this weekend, so that once I have it I can just jump straight in with the lessons... After speaking to a local instructor i've decided to do 2 hour lessons everyday or every other day till I have enough experience. That way I should be driving in no time!

Is there anything anyone can recommend? Anything really, such as what to look out for when buying a 340 and maybe a few simple upgrades to get me going.

Post by **Ronnie** » 23 Oct 2007 04:41 pm

Don't even think about upgrades until you've passed your test! Just make sure you have little or no rust, an engine that starts and good brakes. Check seatbelts too - the examiner might not be impressed with sticky ones.

Post by **classicswede** » 24 Oct 2007 01:21 pm

Hi and welcome to the forum,

if I were you I'd keep my eye on ebay and your local paper. These cars do come up quite often but with the intrest in drifting the prices are finding there way up!

If you intend to get a car for hammering then don't go buying a minter like the 360 on ebay now. Even if you intend to give teh car a gentle life I'd still only go for an avarage car but not mega rusty.

Your best off starting with an ok car for teh first 12 months that does not matter if you have a misshap then move onto a better one after.

Post by **Ricatron** » 24 Oct 2007 09:45 pm

i started car life with little 1 litre micras and i really learnt how to drive

low grip with maximum feel gives you a sense of mega speed when your going slow. which is the plan for lots of the cars for the future.

going with a simple 300 is a great idea as you will learn rear drive with a simple drive train.

if i knew about how good volvo's were when i was younger i would have been straight on a rear drive volvo

not enough rear drive cars out there IMO

Post by **daedalus** » 20 Dec 2007 11:37 pm

Well, I finally got my car... A silver 1989 1.4 340 GL with 66000 miles verified. Pretty good condition with only a little corrosion under one wheel arch. Grabbed it from Ebay for £210.

Only one previous owner and seems like it was garaged a lot over its life and only used to go down the shops and back. It ran like a dream getting it back from Nuneaton to Basingstoke.

Just gotta work out all my stuff out to get it and me on the road and get myself driving. I'm gonna put a friend with a full driving licence on my insurance so I can drive the car and learn with him in the car... Much different to his silly Skyline...

I'll get some pictures up for you guys soon if anyones interested.

Yay!

Post by **SteveP** » 21 Dec 2007 12:40 am

Sounds good

And a good price too... bring on the pics!

Post by **meintag** » 21 Dec 2007 05:26 am

Welcome and congrats for your adquisition !!

Greetz from Spain !!