volvo 340 van conversion

[madseb]

HI all,
ive scowered the site, and used my google-foo to great lengths, only to come up short.

hopefully someone more in the know could assist me with some answers.
I was wondering if they every produced a 340/360 two door van. as one would be pretty cool to have for a buisness vehicle.

awnsers on a post card please (or post below)

cheers in advance guys.

[360beast]

Here you go mate, read the prototype section

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volvo_300_Series



Looks horrible to me

[madseb]

hey thanks for the reply.
i did read the wiki page, but it only specified that the 345 was a van model.

any ideas on the 343?

i only ask as, you have pointed out, the 345 looks ugly as a van.

[360beast]

I'm guessing the 345 was turned into a van to be more of an estate instead of an actual van, the 343 would be a proper van but I can't find any info on one being made, I know a few people have made 300 series vans and pickups etc.

[madseb]

So am i right in thinking a 340 two door van would be a custom jobbie?
I thought it would be a more available model, like the ford, vw, peugeot etc variants of the same era.?

[classicswede]

The side doors are usefull. Vans are rare so you would most likely be looking at a custom job anyway.

[S10NPH]

There was a genuine van for sale in the Netherlands abourt 2 years ago, see here: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=14112&p=170169&hilit=van#p170169

But yes, they were only 345s, never 343s. I doubt they were ever sold in the UK, I certainly have never seen one.

[madseb]

Had an interesting chat with someone last night, a friend of a friend so to speak.
And he has sworn blind he knows where a "two door volvo van" as he put it, is? although this is either bs, or it is probably a conversion, hes not very savvy when it comes to these things.

if i have time over the weekend ill see if i can follow up his claims.

[Chris_C]

Sion's link is the genuine van, the pic posted by 360beast was a prototype estatey thing which I believe was never made (I know a man with the 440 version however...)

From what I've seen, apart from the VAN badge, externally they just put metal bits in the window apertures! The load bay has a few differences, but Sions pictures show those as well as anything else I've ever found.

[madseb]

beenmeaning to update this,
following a bit of investigation at the weekened, i thought i would follow this up.

well, my friends claims were correct:
i present to you, b reg, volvo 343 mk2 van...



had a rather interesting chat with the owner, an elderly gent, who's father has owned the vehicle from new. an interesting story which ill divulge later, should the sale be sucessfull.
hasnt been on the road since 1996.

currently in talks with the fella as to try and purchase it, however he is a little unsure on what to ask for it?

any ideas on a price?

[macplaxton]

however he is a little unsure on what to ask for it?

Same as any other 340 of similar condition. All it looks like to me is a 3dr 340DL with the window holes sheeted up (Is that a back seat in there?)

I can rush out and get a nice 360 at the minute for 800 sovs...

Good luck with sorting out whatever you need, but either way do come back eventually and tell us the rest of the story. I 'ate it when people start telling a story and go quiet!!

[madseb]

yes, that is indeed a rear seat in there.

i would of thought that due to its condition, and possibly rarity. it would fetch a premium. so im not holding my breath.

[macplaxton]

They fetch what people are prepared to pay.

I know of many poverty-spec motors that are rarer than the plusher models, but they never command a premium . They otherwise get upgraded in spec, except for the real die-hards that can live without carpets or a radio. I've got a pile of rust DAF van, but whilst rare (particularly in RHD form - only know one other and a second one is technically a combi) it was gratis. Same goes of the 340 diesel in RHD. Rare as rockin' 'orse poo but not exactly sought after as people want to get from A to B in minutes/hours, not days/months.

The "big" money is always going to be in the GLE/GLT end of the market. That's not saying oddball stuff isn't in with a shout of fetching money, it just might with the right person around on the right day, but it isn't a given.

[madseb]

These^
were my thoughts exactly.
despite the novelty of possibly being the only 2door 340 van in existance. if it wasnt for the rear windows, it would just be another 343.
so thats how i think ill approach it.
my next question, what would the going rate be for a 343, no tax, no mot, not been on the road in 18 years?

[macplaxton]

Weigh-in + 10%?

How long is a piece of string? (aye, double half it's length)

I've paid loads for a 340 with no tax or MOT, but then the condition (and the fact I was exporting it from UK) justified the decision.

Let's say a minter might be valued at 3k? It might be agreed higher for insurance purposes, but if we're talking of cash-on-the-table or someone prepared to open their wallet, then 2k and perhaps 2.5k to 3k maybe more for something sportier/serious low mileage.

At the other end of the market, 99p no reserve cars all but have dried up, so it's just above scrap value of say a nominal 150 quid. Something with a MOT 500/600 quid upwards.

The going rate would depend entirely on condition, or to put it another way, what you'd have to do to it to get it to MOT and tax stage. If that involves welding, then we're sliding back towards 150 quid again. The only "desirability" premium one might attach to it is 3dr and even then it's not going to make a huge bundle of difference. Are there any other features which justify more money than bits of sheet metal where there was once glass? To me, at the moment it just looks like a 3dr DL with some window aperatures blanked off. It doesn't seem to have some other USP, like a half-bulkhead behind the front seats or something else van-like that would add to it's commercial vehicle pretensions.

Anyway, cutting to the chase, 200 quid, and I'm feeling very, very generous today. I've had better (i.e. with MOT) for less folding. Anyone else care to pitch in with their views?