If you find a true boxy Volvo fan they will tell you a few things. First, the 140/240/740 is the best car to have ever been built because it can be a: daily driving sedan, family wagon, race car, drifter, sporty 2-door classic, custom wagon, autocrosser...I think you get the picture. But today, we've got a special treat for you, a safari ready box. Find this 1974 Volvo 142 offered for $2,700 in Mobile, AL via craigslist. Tip from Zach.
Find this 1974 Volvo 142 here on eBay bidding for $6,700 reserve-not-met with a few hours to go, located in Escondido, CA.
Once again, the SFBay craigslist delivers. With another tip from KBZ no less! The Volvo 140 series is getting hard to find in decent driver condition - it seems like the examples left in 2015 are either restored and immaculate ($$$$) or have one wheel in the junkyard and barely running ($). It's refreshing to find one in between, and this car is even being sold by the guy we originally bought our 1800S from. Find this 1969 Volvo 142S for sale in Vacaville, CA for $2,600 via craigslist. Tip from Kaibeezy.
Volvos haven't always been boxy, but the car that started the trend was the 140 series. These were introduced in the mid/late '60s and laid the groundwork for the 240 which was discontinued after the 1993 model year. If considered as one model lineup, it lasted for almost 30 years, meaning there are many different versions to choose from. The 2nd iteration of the 142 (2 door) has some of the sportiest styling of the bunch - what if you took it further and made a streetable racer? Aftermarket parts manufacturer/distributor ipd (Import Parts Distributing) did just that in the early '70s, and this was their test car. Find this 1971 Volvo 142E on ebay with bidding near $10,000 (reserve met) in El Cajon, CA. Seller submission from Josh.
Douchebag car collectors might have you convinced that the $3000 beater classic is dead, but they are wrong. It has simply moved away from things with the Porsche/BMW/Volkswagen crest on the front to oddball brands like Volvo/Saab, hiding in the bushes like a hungry tiger ready to pounce. LONG LIVE THE $3K BEATER...(whoa, why are you shouting so much and calling everybody a douchbag? KNOCK IT OFF. Okay). Find this 1970 Volvo 142S offered for $3,200 in SF Bay Area, CA via Craigslist. Tip from Fueltruck.
The Volvo 140 was first introduced in 1966 as the first in a long line of boxy sedans from those crazy Swedes. The 140-series was a huge leap stylistically from the curvy Amazon and the same basic shape survived into the 1990s with the 200-series. Somebody figure out that the square peg will fit in the round hole if you use a big enough hammer. Find this 1974 Volvo 142 GL Custom here on eBay
currently bidding for $5,600 reserve-not-met with 3 days to go, located in Cambridge, OH.
It is one thing for a millionaire who wears a bulletproof suit and fights crime to be called a hero, or an impervious, flying, alien do-gooder, but the true heroes are those who save the world despite their personal situation, not because of it -- like Russel Casse (played by the inscrutable Randy Quaid) from Independence Day. This next feature is the unexpected hero looking for a new home. Find this 1973 Volvo 142 rally car offered for $3,850 in Tallahassee, FL via craigslist.
The Volvo 140 series marked a big change stylistically for Volvo when it debuted in 1966. With the 142/4/5 came boxy but good styling that replaced the 50's look of the ancient Amazon/122S, but most of the important bits under the skirt were the same. Find this 1969 Volvo 142S
offered for $5,750 buy-it-now on ebay located in Auburn, CA with a few hours to go.
We've featured our fair share of Volvo 142s over the past year here at DT and for good reason; these early bricks are good looking, simple, robust, and actually fun to drive. Granted they are a bit antiquated compared to their 240 successors, with recirculating ball steering boxes, very basic accommodations and pushrod engines. But with simplicity comes lightness and reliability and the engines in the B18 / B20 family are easily hot rodded into respectable performers. We're talking early V8 power with half the weight. Most 140 series cars have been recycled into Taiwanese laundromats by now but today's Thorsday feature is a minty sharp lookin' strong runner. Check out this 1972 Volvo 142E on craigslist for $7500 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
It's July 5th, and with the Stars n' Stripes related theme cashed we are forced to turn back to our old standbys of primered wagons, Honda Civic based El Caminos, AMC Javelin based Batmobiles, and Volvos...of course, Volvos. The 140 series was Volvo's first foray into the brick styling that would become synonymous with the brand, and considering that the word Volvo translates to "I roll" in Latin, it's a bit ironic because most bricks don't tend to roll very well. Maybe Volvo's American-Swedish Chief Designer Jan Wilsgaard was actually the first hipster, ironically styling a "roller" as a brick? Regardless, here's a fetching example of the 2-door variety, painted in a non-original pistachio green and looking very well kept and clean. Find this 1969 Volvo 142S for $5000 (or trade) on craigslist in Long Beach, CA.
Automobile manufacturers spend millions of dollars and thousands of engineering hours to create convertible versions of fixed roof cars and it typically results in a heavier drop top because of all the additional under body reinforcement to create a properly rigid chassis. However, sometimes a DIY car customizer will throw caution to the wind and convertibilize a coupe with nothing more than a hacksaw, welder and beer. The result is open-air motoring with the chassis rigidity of a car made from twizzlers. Find this 1971 Volvo 142 E 'vert for sale in Duvall, WA currently bidding on ebay for $430 reserve-not-met with 4 days to go. Tip from Scot!
Our New England area readers (if there are any Yankees reading this) might want to check out this nice little Volvo we stumbled across recently - it's what appears to be a very solid 1974 142, with upgrades in the form of a one-year-newer built pushrod B20 engine, M46 4spd + overdrive transmission, and some custom interior work. The deep red color suits the 140's crisp lines well, and the fog lights mounted on the massive Commando bumpers mean that you'll be able to clearly see anything you bash into, and then drive away unscathed. Find it here on Albany's craigslist (but located just across state lines in western New Hampshire) for $5500.