Good morning! For today’s Shitbox Showdown, we’re taking a trip to the land of ABBA and the world’s most inept chef, and looking at two old Volvos. Yes, kids, there were Volvos before the 240 series, and they actually had curves in the sheetmetal.
But before we look at those, let’s see yesterday’s results. Vans are always popular choices, it seems, especially Dodge vans, and yesterday was no different. The three-on-the-tree Sportsman cruised to a comfortable victory. But the more I look at that van, the hinkier it seems. I didn’t notice until a commenter pointed it out that both right-side tires are flat. Further damage from the rock incident, I would imagine, which calls into question the wheels on that side, and also the suspension.
And to be honest, I would go for the Cutlass anyway. It’s a terrible color, but there’s something really appealing to me about a four-door hardtop, and I have always liked this era of GM A-body, from any of the divisions. You can do a lot to improve this car too, if you want, like power disc brakes, air conditioning, and bucket seats, and end up with a really nice old cruiser.
“They’re boxy,” went the old joke from the movie Crazy People, “but they’re good. Be safe instead of sexy.” Volvo has never been on the cutting edge of style, though those new Polestars look pretty good to me. The best you can say for the 200 and 700 series that were around when Crazy People was made is that they were inoffensive and pleasingly-proportioned. But definitely not sexy.
In the 1950s and 60s, most of Volvo’s cars followed American styling of a decade or so earlier, so they tended to look old-fashioned even when new. But even back then, Volvos were state-of-the-art when it came to safety. You will notice that both these cars have three-point shoulder belts, at a time when many American cars still didn’t have seat belts at all. They were good, safe cars for the time – as long as you were careful how you pulled into the driveway. Let’s take a look.
1961 Volvo PV544 – $7,000
Engine/drivetrain: 1.6 liter overhead valve inline 4, four-speed manual, RWD
Location: Spokane Valley, WA
Odometer reading: 29,000 miles (but probably rolled over at least once)
Operational status: Runs and drives well, but needs some electrical work
Looking a bit like a three-quarter-scale ’41 Chevy, Volvo’s PV444 was its first postwar design, its first unibody car, and the beginning of its reputation for safe, durable cars. In 1958, it became the PV544, with a one-piece windshield, a four-speed gearbox, and other refinements, but still looking like a ten-year-old American car. It looks great now, but I can only imagine how uncool it must have been when Detroit was deep into its Harley Earl and Virgil Exner days.
The PV544 is powered by a 1.6 liter pushrod four-cylinder, fed by a pair of SU side-draft carbs, the same units used on countless British sports cars at the time, including my own MGB GT. They’re simple, easy to tune, and as long as you keep an eye out for fuel seepage, reliable. The seller says it runs and drives great, though it has some electrical issues that need “debugging.” I believe this car still has a six-volt electrical system; if you’re going to dig into it, an upgrade to 12 volts is probably a good idea.
Cosmetically, it’s pretty nice. The interior has been redone, including the headliner, and looks fantastic. The seller says the gauges all work, but the turn signals are inoperable. You remember how to do hand signals, don’t you? The heater core has also been bypassed, though it isn’t clear why.
The paint is about ten years old, the seller says, and still shines up nicely. The original chrome bump strips along the sides are gone, replaced by the stick-on kind you used to be able to get on a roll. (Huh, actually, apparently you still can.) It does have all four original hubcaps and beauty rings, however. The seller says the hood latch is out of alignment, but everything else works like it should.
1966 Volvo 122S – $5,500
Engine/drivetrain: 1.8 liter overhead valve inline 4, four-speed manual, RWD
Location: San Luis Obispo, CA
Odometer reading: 75,000 miles (but again, probably rolled over)
Operational status: Runs and drives, “but will need brake and engine work”
If the 544 is a little too expensive or old-fashioned for you, here we have its successor, the 122, known elsewhere in the world as the Volvo Amazon. This design was introduced in 1959, overlapping the 544 by a few years, but only looking a little bit out of style instead of hopelessly outdated. This style has also aged better, in my opinion, especially the two-door sedan, and has a timelessness to it.
This is a 122S, with twin SU carbs again, this time feeding a 1.8 liter engine with five main bearings instead of three, further cementing Volvo’s reputation for indestructible four-cylinder engines that continued for decades. It uses a four-speed manual, like the 544. The ad for this car is a little light on details – the seller says it runs and drives, but that it will need engine and brake work. But if you’re looking at a car this age in this price range, you’re handy with a wrench and know how to read a Haynes manual, right?
The paint is clearly shot, but it looks like this car has only surface rust to contend with. I once looked at a shiny, but frighteningly rusty 122 for sale; the floor crunched when I sat down in the driver’s seat. I lifted the carpet and found myself looking at the asphalt street surface below. This one appears to be missing its carpet, and the green paint on the floors and transmission tunnel looks undisturbed, but lift those mats up to make sure.
This is another car, like the Lincoln earlier this week, that wears patina pretty well, but these cars look so good all shined up that it would be a shame not to repaint this one. But you can put it back to tip-top mechanical shape first, and enjoy it, before tackling that job.
These are both a little more expensive than our usual fare, it’s true, but they both look like better starting points than some of the heaps I’ve subjected you to, and they’re classics that you could drive every day, if you wanted to. This is back when Volvo made cars that lasted for literally millions of miles. You’ve got two generations to choose from. What’ll it be?
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
I like the style of the Amazon more even though the 544 is in better shape. I would definitely have to check everywhere for rust though. San Luis Obispo is close to Morro Bay so cars kept outside esp. get that salty air non-stop.
PV544 for me as it looks like it needs far less work and thus is actually a better deal even though it costs more.
A tough call! I like the 122 more in general but for these specific examples it’d be the 544 cause I can do my own mechanical work but not my own bodywork.
Both, please.
Difficult choice, but I will take the 544. I think I like the Amazon better, but I don’t want the other to be turned into some half-assed rockabilly rat rod with amateur pinstriping.
I went against my usual “better deal” criteria this time and voted for the 122S Amazon. Though the 544 looks nice, I suspect it has a little bit of 10-feet-away involved and there might be more wrenching than at first guessed. If I’m going to be working seriously on a car, I like the 122S more. It looks a little more characteristic to the decade it was built.
I was going to choose the Volvo PV544, until I heard it rolled over.
I like the cheaper Amazon more, but have you priced a decent auto paint job lately? The 544 wins by being the better bargain. You can YouTube wrenching but painting requires tools that are expensive and skills that are hard to learn. Can you use a Wagner paint sprayer to paint a car?
I’ve done decent stuff with my Harbor Freight cheapo paint gun. Decent enough that I almost bought one of those inflatable paint booths to try some bigger projects.
I think the 544 looks awesome and it’s in a lot better shape than the 122, so an easy choice today. Volvo for the win!
As others have pointed out, both are excellent choices. I’d love to take a more beat-up version of the 544 and make an American hot-rod style custom out of it. This one, however, is too nice to do that to.
The Amazon has more style overall and is in a condition more appropriate of performing a mild resto-mod. If I’m not mistaken, I believe there is a large enough following of this Volvo 1.8 that performance parts are available. Bonus, since I’m a prime member, I can get the Amazon delivered with free shipping, right?
The PV544 is in better shape. The other car will need more than the $1500 difference to get right.
My grandparents bought what must have been a PV544 new and drove it until their passings in the ’90s. Had 300k+ miles on it. And they never changed the oil! My grandfather said, “Oil doesn’t get old. It just gets dirty”. So he’d change the filter ONLY.
Whoa.
I typically run extended oil change intervals on my cars, we are fairly rural so full warmups and stop and go are generally not an issue. I run full synthetic oil and purchase quality filters. I do monitor oil usage between changes, etc… and note color, condition at drain. I’m actually moving up the oil change interval on my daily based on consumption (car has 230,000 miles on the clock). Heat is the biggest killer of oil. We see a lot less gasoline contamination since the switch to FI from carbs and I don’t see water issues here.
I can’t imagine being cheap enough to really take a chance like this.
Mobil 1 (or whatever full syn you prefer) and a quality filter are less than $50 for most vehicles and take 30 minutes to change at most. Pushing a change interval beyond ~10,000 miles or annually is just not a risk I’m willing to take over so little money and time.
I typically change between 7 and 10k. I’m pushing one car now up to 5k.
I have to argue the statement that Volvo was never cutting edge or sexy. Certainly not often but the 1800es, 480, and c30 all look great and were not a common design.
Tough. I normally would say Amazon, but that 544 is (probably) in such better shape for the money. Maybe just hold out for a wagon.
When the price is close, go for the one that runs and doesn’t need paint.
As soon as I saw today’s cars, I immediately thought of The World According to Garp. So, I’m picking the 544.
The one time I actually desperately want an option for both. That said, the Amazon 100% for me
They’re simple, easy to tune, and as long as you keep an eye out for fuel seepage, reliable.
Have you replaced the gaskets with modern silicone ones? That makes a world of difference!
Either—but I rather like the long hood/short deck of the 122. Wonder if you could ft a modern in-line 6 in there?
A Volvo SI6 might fit.
If that 544 was a Duett this would be no contest, but as they stand it’s a harder choice. Both are desirable. In the end, I’m sticking with the 544 as the more interesting. The Amazon always reminds me of the ‘55 Chrysler 300. The 544 looks like every villain’s car from “The Adventures of Superman.”
The PV544 winds due to looking in better shape.
Hey, don’t trash the Chef!
My 1/2 Swedish mom cried when my dad traded her PV544 (Minnesota spec with the chain that pulled up a radiator screen) for a 1970 Chevy Kingswood station wagon. So the choice is obvious. I still have the fish jaw wrench from the old Volvo’s tool kit.
If that Kingswood was a choice here, I’d take it.
Both good choices, but the 544 speaks to me.
This one is tough! The 544 clearly looks to be in much better condition, but I like the Amazon style much more.
Screw it. I’m voting Amazon and committing for the long term.
Gotta go style over substance on this one, though I suspect both are solid.