1971 Volvo 164 from North America - Comments

In response to the listing for the stepdad's 71 164, please send me an email at rcdmmoore@rogers.com

Rob.

Hooray! I just bought a granny's 1969 164 in white. awesome original condition, but the upholstery needs a lot of love. anyone have any tips or suggestions as I plan to have this done?

I am not a "car person" but I HAD to have this vehicle. I have a good volvo mechanic and need the car to haul the kids to and from school.

Volvo 164 1969-75.

Volvo's luxury car entry. The best ones are 1969-72 with manual transmission. The later years with the US safety bumpers (1974-75) are just simply ugly old tanks. No resale value. With an automatic transmission you'll do well to get 12 mpg around town, and the AT will fail at 100k or less because it does not handle the extra torque of the 6-cylinder. The fuel injection systems are primitive, and also subject to lots of quirky failures. Unless it's a 69-72 with manual tranny, just walk away from these cars...

I am a BIG 164 fan. My first car was a 1969 164 4 speed manual which I bought in 1986 with over 400,000 miles on the clock. The twin Stromberg carbies are a bit of a nightmare so I put on a set of triple SU's which are easier to tune (mix). It is worth sniffing out a set of steel timing gears as the fibre one will rattle after a while spinning on the end of that 6 cylinder cam shaft. The car later got an engine transplant (same B30 type), the M410 overdrive gearbox and limited slip diff options and hey-presto we have a ripper drivers car. Being a hoarder I kept it in storage and now recently bought a 1970 model as well with factory sunroof and in amazing condition for its age - only 113,000 miles.

Last year I purchased a 72 in relatively good shape, but still in need of some TLC. The previous owner had stopped driving it due to a major electrical meltdown cause by some faulty after market wiring, but I fixed all of that within a few weeks. The engine has been rebuilt and runs beautifully, but I'm faced with two menacing problems I can't figure out on my own. One is awe-full rattle from the engine (front of the block, pulleys & flywheel area) that I can't track down. I've yet to actually put a thousand miles on the car myself, but it does not seem to be getting any worse. I'm a decent mechanic, but not the kind of guy that's going to tackle pulling half the engine apart. The other is a phantom vibration that I believe is coming from the front end. It might be as simple as an alignment, but I've never had this in another vehicle (and I've owned quite a few) The tires are new, brakes are fine, control arms are in good shape, bushings & bearings are in good shape. If anyone has any ideas about these, let me know. Also, I haven't the foggiest idea how to tune these Stromberg carbs... someone help! I'm getting about 16mpg with 93 octane gas (4spd manual) and I know it ought to be doing better than that.

Beyond these problems that I'll eventually get sorted out and body work, this is totally the coolest car I've ever owned and baring another drunk teenage girl barreling into one of my vehicles while parked in font of my house in the middle of the night, I'll keep this until I kick the bucket. Glad to find so many other 164 lovers out there.

I have owned my 1970 164 for 10 years now. Has 128k original miles and 5k of which I have enjoyed since I purchased it. It's appearance is as grand as its durability! When I found it, I knew before I ever saw it in person that I would buy it. Didn't need much of anything. The interior still today looks like new, and a repaint in 1999. No sagging headliners one would find in almost any 740, no dash cracks like a 240, and definitely a lot of heavy steel built to last. Not good on fuel for today's standards but a very nice driving car. Very Comfortable but not too fast -that's why I have a porsche as well :) I will keep my "Old Blue" for as long as possible. She's a Classic.

I am very interested in purchasing a 1971 Volvo 164. From the first time I saw one and it's picture for sale on craigslist I liked it a lot. Funny thing, I'm not a car person. I know little about them and want to make sure I am not spotted from a mile away, if you know what I mean. Do you/anyone have any tips, tricks or general info. or websites to refer me too? I need help in gathering more info. about the 1971 Volvo 164 value, repair costs, and just good to know car knowledge which will help me with making a good purchase. Thank you.