Volvo 480 Club Europe

Hi. I'm thinking about buying a 480. I've liked the styling for years, they are available at the right price and seem very reasonable to insure!! My second car was a 1.4 340 and i caught the volvo bug then lol, since owning 2 white 1.7 440s which were more than able to keep up with golf gti's and astras ;P. I cant remember which model the first one was but it was a bit quicker and handled stiffer than the se (i think the 2nd was..) and an 850 se which was like a boat if i'm honest..
Now I want a 440 ..
Which are the ones to look for?, What should I pay? Common faults ect,ect ????

I'm thinking the 1.7 turbo engine has the most potential cheaply tuning wise.. Anyone care to disagree? lol.
Do they all have the same suspension setup and are just strut braces effective in stopping body roll??

Also I've seen some on the net with what look like vw rims. Are these standard fitments or custom jobbies cos i'd like to get some, Bring the car up to date a bit and look after the originals.

Cheers in advance for answering my noob questions if anyone does

Nigel

400lover wrote:Hi. I'm thinking about buying a 480. I've liked the styling for years, they are available at the right price and seem very reasonable to insure!! My second car was a 1.4 340 and i caught the volvo bug then lol, since owning 2 white 1.7 440s which were more than able to keep up with golf gti's and astras ;P. I cant remember which model the first one was but it was a bit quicker and handled stiffer than the se (i think the 2nd was..) and an 850 se which was like a boat if i'm honest..
Now I want a 440 ..
Which are the ones to look for?, What should I pay? Common faults ect,ect ????

I'm thinking the 1.7 turbo engine has the most potential cheaply tuning wise.. Anyone care to disagree? lol.
Do they all have the same suspension setup and are just strut braces effective in stopping body roll??

Also I've seen some on the net with what look like vw rims. Are these standard fitments or custom jobbies cos i'd like to get some, Bring the car up to date a bit and look after the originals.

Cheers in advance for answering my noob questions if anyone does

Nigel

do you want a 440 or 480 your post is contradictory.

Sorry yes I want a 480 :s

You will be wanting a 94 or 95 480 2.0 liter, smooth ride, plenty of torque, best 480 experience there is imo

coyote1980 wrote:You will be wanting a 94 or 95 480 2.0 liter, smooth ride, plenty of torque, best 480 experience there is imo

Agreed, unless you wanted to increase engine power as the turbos are easy to tune.

The one with no or little rust on the rear arches , a low mileage no leaks into the boot idles at a rock steady 800rpm , fully functional electrics no oil leaks a good condition paintwork. A drivers seat with very little wear. Timing belt recently done and an ace clutch. Oh and low mileage.

thats the best car....

If and when you find it you wont be caring if its a 1.7 or a 2 ltr or a turbo.

Automatic gearboxes on 480's last only 135k miles .
The service schedule for the timing belt is common across the 400 series at 70 k miles
Virtually all 480 have water in the boot however more 480 sellers will tell you that their car does not have a wet boot and some may even believe it to be true

2 ltr are smoother and more powerful than the 1.7 NA , go for a later 2 ltr but it MUST have a green dipstick

TBH I drive a 1.7 manual and it is less power than my previous 2ltr but it ticks the boxes at the start of this post and I wouldnt exchange it for any other 480 even the mythical 480 of 480

Turbo > all.

grafi wrote:Turbo > all.

Well that's cutting corners there mister!

I've had all three engines and my latest engine is the 1.7Turbo in my Collection. It won't leave since it's rare (a Turbo Collection with moonroof), but to be honest I must say that the 2.0 offers the smoothest ride. The 1.7Turbo is always a bit neurotic compared with the 2.0. And standard you cannot really beat a 2.0 with a 1.7Turbo.

So what model to get is basically defined by the question "what do you expect from your 480":

If you want power then get a 480 Turbo, have it chipped and modded and Bob's your uncle.
If you want real power then get a different car in the first place.
If you want a smooth ride combined with decent power get a 2.0 with green dipstick
If you want something special get a Celebration or Collection
If you just want a 480 then stay on the lookout for a well looked after one

You cannot actually go wrong

Stuff to look out for: there is a guide here (http://www.volvo-480-europe.org/volvo48 ... uyersguide)

But basically be aware that Volvo doesn't make parts for them any more, and as there aren't that many left, used parts can be difficult to come by (though if you post your needs on here you'll likely get a PM if someone (ahem) has some).

So, electronics-wise, check:

* Electric windows (new regulators are £70ea)
* Moonroof it it has one
* Info centre
* Age of battery & alternator (batteries are £70, alternator is higher)
* Pop up lights
* Wipers. Particularly check the rear wiper comes on when the front wiper is on and the car is put in reverse (CEM controls this and they're hard to come by)

Condition-wise, check:

* Paint is in good order
* Rear arches for signs of rust (some rust very heavily and the panels are no longer made)
* Rear lights for any damage (no longer made, Volvo still has some at something like £230ea)
* Boot carpet is dry and doesn't smell of damp (likely just needs the lights resealing, but could be worse)
* Front seats fold properly

If it's a turbo vehicle then check turbo condition -- startup should be from cold, preferably overnight and smoke-free. There should be no smoke on boost or lift-off.

Other than that, check everything you would normally when buying a car. Don't forget the tyre condition, exhaust condition and the alloy wheel key!

coyote1980 wrote:

grafi wrote:Turbo > all.

Well that's cutting corners there mister!

I've had all three engines and my latest engine is the 1.7Turbo in my Collection. It won't leave since it's rare (a Turbo Collection with moonroof), but to be honest I must say that the 2.0 offers the smoothest ride. The 1.7Turbo is always a bit neurotic compared with the 2.0. And standard you cannot really beat a 2.0 with a 1.7Turbo.

So what model to get is basically defined by the question "what do you expect from your 480":

If you want power then get a 480 Turbo, have it chipped and modded and Bob's your uncle.
If you want real power then get a different car in the first place.
If you want a smooth ride combined with decent power get a 2.0 with green dipstick
If you want something special get a Celebration or Collection
If you just want a 480 then stay on the lookout for a well looked after one

You cannot actually go wrong

Well, of course I agree with you, Turbo makes only sence if you tune it, otherwise go for the 2.0, a latest one, but I think basically it depends on the use of the car. If it will be in daily use, the 2.0 engines are the best choice. (I had a 460 2.0 for daily drive, I made several long trips all around Europe, without any problems.) but if its a hobby thing, it really depends on the buyer.

It may not be the best 480, but a pre 1988 ES is very collectable (in my view) and has a lot of goodies which were later modified or omitted.
A good running B18E (ok, a bit difficult) is a very revvy engine. It lacks offcourse the punch of a B18FT or the torque of a B20F.

True, eventually very little pre '93 480 will stay on the road when everyone tries to get hold of a (relatively) young one...

An older graphite grey with front spoiler (for instance) really looks beautiful and seems to become rarer and rarer...

Can anyone tell me the significance of the green dipstick? I believe my celebration 103/480 has one- should I be worried if it dosnt?1?

Tim

The green dipstick was used on later 2.0 litre cars after it was found that the early 2.0's (with a red dipstick) used lots of oil. There was a recall to sort the early ones out but its effectiveness was a tad variable I believe.