At $2,300, Would You Roll Up Your Sleeves For This 2004 Volvo C70?

The seller of today's Nice Price or No Dice C70 says the car "Needs lots of work," but that work actually doesn't seem like much of a heavy lift. Let's see whether its price makes this handsome convertible a viable work in progress.

There's this old joke: What is the last thing to go through a bug's mind when it hits your windshield? Its butt! Automotive accidents are no joke, and manufacturers have spent decades improving product safety. That's part of the reason we no longer see forward-control consumer vans and trucks like the 1987 Toyota Cargo Van we considered on Wednesday. 

No one likes the idea of their knees being the first line of defense in a collision. Of course, the 1980s were a different time. Now, the Toyota Van is just a quirky reminder of what once was, albeit an AWD one. At $10,000, though, few of you liked being reminded. That price proved too maxi for that minivan, ending up in a decisive 83% 'No Dice' loss.

Do you ever think about how much history gets lost because people are simply overwhelmed with information, or they just blatantly forget? Today's 2004 Volvo C70 convertible is a notable car for a number of reasons, but when was the last time you saw one on the road, or even gave the tidy four-seater a second thought?

The first-generation C70 was based on the 850 platform, first hitting the market in 1996 in both closed coupe and open-top forms. The model is notable for a few reasons. Its design, credited to legendary automotive designer Ian Callum, was the first in a long time to eschew the rectilinear, boxy lines Volvo had become associated with. Underneath that design was a chassis tuned by Britain's Tom Walkinshaw Racing for something approaching sportiness. The convertible version also has the distinction of being Volvo's first droptop since the pre-war ÖV 4. See? Important stuff.

This C70 comes in Arrest Me Red over a tan leather interior and a black top. According to the ad, it has a clean title, a strong engine, and a convertible top that was replaced just two years ago. Per the odometer photo, it's only done a meager 83,942 miles over the last 19 years. The seller says they are offering the car for a family member whose driving days are over. Based on the scratches on the rear bumper and the loose front one, that's probably in everyone's best interest.

The ad also notes that the car has been sitting for several months and needs a good bit of work to be roadworthy again. Claimed needed are new brakes, two new tires (the car is currently sitting on its mini-spare in the back), and perhaps a new muffler. Obviously, the bodywork could use a good buffing to clean up those bumpers, and the front one should be re-clipped.

On the plus side, the automatic transmission is said to have worked fine when the car was last driven, and the 2.4-liter 197-horsepower turbocharged five-cylinder, while alarmingly filthy under the hood, appears complete and shows no leaks in the one picture.

With all the work needed, the seller positions this Volvo as either a parts car or a project. It seems too nice and not far enough gone to be a parts-counter special. Plus, who could possibly be restoring another C70 and need one for harvesting?

No, this just needs the right person to come along and give it some TLC. If the seller is being upfront, it shouldn't have anything wrong with it that would prevent it from being driven home—or straight to the tire shop, if we're being honest. It's offered for sale in Pennsylvania, which requires an annual safety inspection, meaning the brakes and tires will need to be repaired or replaced before it can be renewed. That, and maybe a new muffler (or a welded-up existing one), would take, what, a weekend? After that, this Volvo might only need cosmetic fixes (like that driver's seat, woof!) and normal maintenance. How bad could that be?

Of course, none of that speculation matters if the seller has set an unreasonable price to take on this project Volvo. And yes, that's how we're spinning it. This is too good-looking a car to strip of its parts. We're not hyenas on the African savanna after all.

So, onto the price. That's a mere $2,300, or less if the buyer's negotiating skills are as strong as their ability to envision what this C70 could eventually be. But is that a deal?

What do you say? Is this Volvo worth that $2,300 asking price given that the ad warns it needs "lots of work?" Or is that price another warning to stay away from a potential money pit?

You decide!

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

Hat tip to Whatsupdohc for the hookup!

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