Racing Up In Class: 1972 Volvo 1800ES

I have the good fortune of working and living near a few good vintage Volvo mechanics, so I get to see the occasional 1800/P1800 cruising around on the road, but the average driver sees one or two in his lifetime and probably thinks they are an Austin Healey, Aston Martin, or maybe even a Ferrari.  So if you are looking for an inexpensive and interesting car that'll have people scratching your head and you don't like the Triumph GT6, this is the next best bet. Find this 1972 Volvo 1800ES offered for $9,700 CAD ($7373 USD) in Royston, BC via kijiji.net. Tip from Erik202.

From The Pen of Giugiaro: 1972 Mazda 1800 Luce Sedan

The Mazda Luce isn't just another random Japanese classic from the early 70s...because it was styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro of Bertone Design Group and looks more Lancia than Mazda. Unfortunately the car was a flop when it was new and only a few where imported and a smaller number have survived the rust over the years...so I'm pleasantly surprised the few remaining are so cheap. Find this 1972 Mazda 1800 Luce sedan offered for $2200 in Olympia, WA via craigslist.  Tip from FuelTruck.

The Corvolvo? Volvette? 1992 Chevrolet Corvette Volvo 1800

This next car brings so many more questions than answers.  What am I looking at?  How did we get here?  When will this car be flipped for stupid money on eBay by MotoExotica?  How have we not featured this car on DT before?  How has CFlo not owned this car for a few years?  Would K2 Mystery Car approve?  How much is that doggy in the window? Who is KBZ and why does he wear a Mexican wrestler mask whenever he visits DT HQ?  How does the Smurf population reproduce with only boy smurfs? Why can't I have the time (and skillz) to build something like this?  Find this 1992 Chevrolet Corvette Volvo 1800 here on eBay with starting bid of $29,500 reserve-not-met and $40,000 buy-it-now located in Portage, IN.

Coupe-a Sore-ass: 1966 Volvo 1800S

Today's Volvo is brought to you by the power of the discussion forum - an ancient technology that modern anthropologists are still trying to understand, one that was born before the days of social media and smartphones. Here at DT we like to put on our Indiana Jones hats and scour the old-fashioned classifieds of our favorite model-specific forums because sometimes a reasonably priced gem will surface. This one has some...uhh, needs at the rear, but is probably worth the effort to fix. Find this 1966 Volvo 1800S for sale in Philadelphia, PA for $5,500 via turbobricks.

$6500 is the new $500: 1972 Volvo 1800ES

If any car-finding site has helped to drive up the values of Volvo's 1800ES shooting brake...then it's probably not us, but we were guilty of over-featuring the little mini wagon during our first few years on the web. For a long time these were affordable, incredibly stylish, and durable classics that could be used daily and make you look cooler than you really are. All of that is still true, except for the affordability part. Imagine our surprise when we found this 1972 Volvo 1800ES for sale in Las Vegas, NV for $6,500 via craigslist.

SCCA Solo2 Class Winner: 1972 Volvo 1800ES

I love a car that comes with a story.  Or a log book.  Or any vintage pictures from when it was in its prime...and this next car comes with an SCCA log book, and pics from when it was Solo2 champion in EP class.  Yeah.  The conversation with the owner when you pick this beast up will be worth the price of admission.  Find this 1972 Volvo 1800ES here on eBay bidding for $560 with 3 days to go, located in Jacksonville, FL.

Car Looks Complete: 1968 Volvo 1800

As the price of collectable classics has ridden the elevator up to the 99th floor in the past few years, you might not be surprised to notice that more common/pedestrian classics have also seen an uptick in asking price.  The plus side is that a car that might have been crushed and recycled into manhole covers is now saved and offered for some ridiculously high sum of money on craigslist.  Find this 1968 Volvo 1800 offered for $4500 near Chico, CA. Tip from Terry.

Polestar Blue: 1969 Volvo 1800

The Volvo 1800 is one of those underappreciated classics that can still be found for a song/dance from time to time.  Typically examples for less than $5k will include a lot of rust and rat's nests - this one is no exception, but it does run/drive at a roller price.   Find this 1969 Volvo 1800 offered for $6,500 near Seattle, WA via craigslist.Tip from Zach Z.

A Luce By Any Other Name: 1972 Mazda 1800 Wagon

I've seen a variety of cars over the past few years.  It started with random internet searches for keywords and blossomed into an obsession with the launch of DT in 2012, but I've gotta admit..I've never seen one of these before. Really.  I've seen Mazda 3 wagons, Mazda 6 wagons, but never have I found one of these oddball Mazda 1800 wagons from the Luce lineup.  Find this 1972 Mazda 1800 Wagon offered for $2000 near Seattle, WA via craigslist. Tip from Steve L.

Leone On Me: 1983 Subaru GL Convertible

The 2nd generation Subaru Leone was sold in the US market without the Leone badge on the back -- it was called the 1800 GL, DL, or STD, but it has the same basic Subaru ruggedness and Subaruness. Find this 1983 Subaru 1800 GL Convertible offered for $3,600 in Lewiston, ME via craigslist.

Seller Submission: 1973 Volvo 1800ES

The first time we featured a white Volvo 1800ES, it was way back in 2012 with a feature written by CFlo that was designated as the first Thorsday. A funny thing happened to the car since it was featured here -- it was purchased by a DT reader, had its interior swapped to red, received new paint (after rust repair), Cibie Oscar fog lights, and a whole pile of other new parts. Find this 1973 Volvo 1800ES offered for $16,000 or best offer in Wellington, FL via craigslist.  Seller submission from Doctordel. 

99 Cent Menu: 1967 Volvo 1800

What can you get for a dollar these days?  Taco Bell still has a decent dollar menu -- the Beefy Fritos burrito is one of my favorites.  What else?  Packs of bendy straws are available at dollar stores around the country.  Hotwheels and Matchbox cars are priced around one dollar as well -- but what if I told you that you could get an actual car for a dollar?  Find this 1967 Volvo 1800 here on eBay with starting bid of $1.00 located in Joplin, MO with less than one day to go.

Shooting Brake Bargain: 1972 Volvo 1800ES

The Volvo 1800ES is the quintessential Daily Turismo classic. We've featured at least 40 of them in the past 3.5 years; on average about 1 per month. There are myriad reasons for this: a) we like Volvos (well, at least I do, and I know Hunsbloger does) - they are ultra durable and easy to turn into fun drivers, 2) the 1800ES is a freakin' sexy shooting brake, and D) these aren't quite into overpriced rich-boy investment car territory yet, but they are on the rise. And when you come across a running daily driver ES for less than $6k these days, you jump on it. Find this 1972 Volvo 1800ES for sale in Oakland, CA for $5,500 via craigslist.

Some Assembly Required: 1968 Volvo 1800S

The Volvo P1800/1800S/1800E/1800ES is a regular offender on these pages -- why, you ask?  Simply put, it offers a combination of good looks, acceptable performance, and reliability for a low entry price.  It isn't the only option in town for a budget classic, but it makes a bunch of sense when you compare to some of the other overpriced European cars on the market.  Find this 1968 Volvo 1800S here on eBay bidding for $1,613 with 1 day to go, located in Renton, WA.

10k: Miata Powered: 1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod

 The Volvo P1800/1800S/1800E is a cool looking sports coupe built for worldwide consumption in decent numbers (39k from 1963 to 1972.)  The decent numbers part is important, because as a classic it lives in a land between massively overproduced cars you'll see everyday (Mustang or Beetle for instance) and massively under produced cars that demand a premium (Shelby Mustang). Today's example started life as a bullhorn equipped P1800, but is now a bit of a hot rod.  Find this 1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod here on eBay currently bidding for $6,500 reserve-not-met with a few days to go, located in Hillsboro, OR.

5k: Shooting Star: 1973 Volvo 1800ES

The Volvo 1800ES was a shooting brake version of Volvo's aging P1800/1800S/1800E platform, meant to breath new life in the old parts.  The frameless glass tailgate equipped version only sold 8,000 units for the '72 & '73 model years, but the prices don't really reflect that level of exclusivity...yet.  Wait too long and you might find the cheap 1800ES is thing of the past like the dodo bird, cheap 911, and Lindsey Lohan's probation...and we'll have to move on to beating another dead horse.  In the meantime, giddyap <whack>.  Find this 1973 Volvo 1800ES offered for $4,500 in Vancouver, Washington (not Canada) via craigslist.