The interior of today’s Nice Price or No Dice Volvo looks way-more luxurious than anything you’re likely to find at IKEA. Let’s decide if this fancy coupe is saddled with an equally upscale price tag.
In ice hockey, getting caught doing something bad can result in being relegated to the penalty box. At first glance, there wasn’t anything overtly bad about the 1976 Volkswagen Rabbit diesel we considered yesterday, but based on the comments, many of you felt it was its own rolling penalty box. Perhaps it was because its $8,000 asking price was considered a bad move, earning the VeeDub an overwhelming 90 percent No Dice loss.
While a member of the European Union, Sweden has not yet made the Euro its primary currency, deciding, for various reasons, to stick with the Krona. That’s one way the Nordic country has chosen to maintain its national identity. Sweden has, in other ways, embraced its place in the Eurozone, and one of those is a rich history of partnerships with automakers and coachbuilders in other European countries. This passion has resulted in products like the 1989 Volvo 780 Bertone Coupe we have before us today.
Marc Deschamps of Carrozzaria Bertone penned the 780 and managed to marry Italianate design with Volvo’s traditional upright styling cues. The whole shlemiel rides on a modified 760 platform and is powered by Volvo’s stalwart ‘Red Block’ 2.3 turbo four. That offers 175 horsepower and 187 lb-ft of torque.
This being a second-half-of-the-game car means it also uses an independent rear suspension featuring Nivomat self-leveling shocks in place of the earlier cars’ live axle. A four-speed automatic does transmission duties.
According to the ad, this one has a rebuilt turbocharger feeding its family of four, a clean title, 80K on the clock, and some weird scrapes on the roof that may or may not be repaired via an insurance claim by the point of purchase. The seller is willing to knock some ducats off the sale price should the buyer decide to leave not-so-well-enough alone.
The rest of the car appears to be in great condition for its age. There is some apparent wear and tear on the rubber bumper caps, but it’s not enough to keep anyone up at night. The factory diamond spoke wheels appear unmarred by brake dust or curb encounters and are wearing tires that look to have enough tread to get home. One thing that should be noted is that the badging has been removed from the car. That may annoy purists or those with difficulty remembering exactly what model of car they drive.
Things are even better in the cabin, where the odd melange of Swedish stoicism melds seamlessly with luscious leather and burlwood trim that would make a Maserati proud. There appear to be a couple of cracks in the dash cap, but otherwise, the interior seems to offer no complaints.
Per the seller, things are right as rain under the hood, as well. A couple of under-the-skirt photos also demonstrate that the car is free of creeping road rot or absconded catalytic converters. As a closing argument, the seller offers a $12,000 asking price (with the roof repaired.)
What’s your take on this fancy-pants Volvo and that $12,000 price tag? Does that seem like a deal for a car with dual citizenship? Or is that too much to ask, even with the roof work?
You decide!
New York, New York, Craigslist, or go here if the as disappears.
H/T to Whatsupdohc for the hookup!
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