Volvo has said inte mer to more wagons, so those of us who love them will just have to make do with the ones already out there. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe 1968 122 Wagon is out there, but is its price far out?
Yesterday's grey market ‘79 BMW 635CSi proved to be far worth its asking price, and a Fahrt that a whole bunch of you would like to blow your own money on. Its 85% Nice Price win started off the week on a positive note, let's see if today's candidate can keep the streak alive.
Coursing through the steamy rainforest, the world's second-longest river, the Amazon traverses over 4,200 miles before dumping into the Atlantic Ocean. If you believe the myths, the its banks are populated by ginormous and insanely hot warrior women in leopard skin bikinis, and who are seeking men for lengthy mating rituals. Perhaps it was the harsh Swedish winter that drove Volvo's deciders of such things to name their mid-‘50s family of cars after the sultry jungle land, and by extension, its aspirationally tall mythical denizens.
Actually Volvo named their car the Amason, but a deal with the German tiny motorcycle maker, Kreider which was already using that name, resulted in Volvo changing theirs to Amazon, and only calling the cars that in the Swedish market. Everywhere else, they utilized a nomenclature featuring three numbers - as demonstrated by today's 1968 122 Wagon.
Defying explanation,Volvo wagons engender a kind of goofy adulation. Perhaps it's the seemingly incongruous combination of utility and sporting potential cultured by the brand with the advent of the Turbo engine. Or maybe it's their legendary durability and classic appearance. Whatever it is, people tend to react to Volvo wagons the way they do to a cardboard box full of puppies, or a cardboard box full of. . . Miranda Kerr.
This one was built in the third to last year of 122 wagon production and looks to be in reasonably good shape. There's rust along the hem of its skirt, and the chrome is as dull as CSPAN 2, but it's all straight, and all one color. A lot of 122s on the market look like something a moose has sat on. . .and then shat on. This one seems like it could jump into daily driver duty with little effort on the new owner's part.
The inside is what is claimed to be new seat upholstery, door trim, dash cap and carpet, while in contrast the rear section is said to have been left untouched. The body does have the appearance that it may have forded the Amazon what with the jungle rot afflicting its rockers, but with somewhere in the neighborhood of 200,000 miles estimated to be on it, this 122 looks pretty good. The seller's not too sure of the overall mileage due to a busted speedo/odo that has since been fixed, but come on, it's a Volvo, and they have a rep for that kind of mileage.
While the 2-litre B20 was made available in the 122 this year, I don't think that bigger motor made it to the wagon. That would make this car's motivator to be Volvo's rock solid reliable 1,778-cc B18. From the factory that would have originally come with a natty pair of Skinner's Union side draught carbs, however here those have been replaced with a single Weber 2bbl downdraught. The seller says the engine fires up without fuss and that the M40 4-speed stick shifts smoothly though its long floor-mounted lever. Sadly that transmission isn't the highway becalming O/D unit, but still it's a three pedal car, and should be good for zero to sixty saunters of about 14 seconds. Slow sure, but it being a Volvo wagon, you'd have a goofy smile on your face the whole time.
The seller had this car up on eBay at its current Craigslist price, where it received no reserve-breaking bites. Here, it likely comes with the same offer of both the unfortunate modern alloys on the car, as well as a nice set of steelies with shiny chrome hubcaps. Switching those out should be job one for the new owner. Amazons also look dead sexy in Panasports. Either way the $8950 asking price isn't going to put too big a dent in anybody's wallet, but the question remains - is that amount a bargain? What do you think, does that price make this a pretty Swede deal? Or, does that make it an Amazon too far?
You decide!
Charlottesville Craigslist or go here if the ad disappears.
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