VOC acting Register Keeper Report

[pettaw]

The latest edition of the Volvo Driver magazine that the club produces landed on our doormat today and I have to give heary congratulations to our very own Foggyjames who has written his first Register Keeper's report for the 300 series.

Nice read and nice one mate

[trabitom99]

Nice Any chance of reading it here?

Tom

[Chris_C]

Parents say mine is at home... I'll have a read later! Nice one Foggy.

[foggyjames]

Thanks guys. I've just read it back myself!

Here's the text I emailed to Chris Wickers...

Welcome to my first register report! Since Ted Brown stood down as 300 series register keeper (after many years of helpful service - I'm sure we all say a hearty thank you, Ted!) just too late for the advert for a new register keeper to go in the last copy of Driver, I've been asked to step in as the 'acting' 300 series register keeper while the formal process of appointing a new register keeper is carried out.

Let me briefly introduce myself, and tell you a bit about where I feel the 300 series scene stands at present, and how the club can get involved with assisting 300 series owners. I'm 23 years old, I live in Lincoln, and my family bought our first 300 - a 1988 360 GLE - in 1992. I still own that car, and over the winter it is undergoing a transformation to be powered by a tweaked 940 Turbo engine. I'll most likely be writing an article about engine swaps for 300 series cars at a later date, so I'll not say too much more about that at the moment. This car won the 'best 300' prize at the 2005 BKV - although I really don't remember bribing the judges! There are four more 300s of varying ages and models in my 'collection', but that's a story for another day.

I've been a regular contributor to several online Volvo forums - the VOC forum, Volvo300Mania.com, and Turbobricks.com - for several years now. Through this means of contact with fellow enthusiasts, I've come from being a mechanical dunce to be a moderately competant DIY mechanic, and although I wouldn't claim to be an expert (and we all have our bad days!), if you 'spanner' for long enough on a certain model of car, you gain a good working knowledge of the quirks and common faults associated with that vehicle. Through the knowledge I have built up over the past few years, and the significantly greater depth of knowledge communally available via our internet communities, I hope to be able to assist with any queries you may have.

I think many 300 series owners now find themselves on the 'crossroads' in terms of how they use their vehicles. For some, the cars are still cherished cheap runarounds - many of which will be sadly be noticeably worsening in condition on a yearly basis, despite the best efforts of the owners. For others, they are now closer to pampered show cars. Parts availability is causing a significant problem with keeping many of these cars on the road (particularly 340 models), and the cars are all now of an age where the relatively poor rustproofing is taking its toll. A lucky few have the budget to properly attend to the bodywork issues (on a car worth a small fraction of the cost of having this work done), or are fortunate enough to have rust-free (and well rustproofed!) cars, and daily-drive vehicles which are show-worthy. I should confess at this point that 300s are now just a 'hobby' for me. My beloved 360 was my only car for several years, but I couldn't face watching it suffer the same rapid deterioration due to rust which my 1986 340 GL rather spectacularly succumed to last winter, so I am dry storing it over the winter at present - both to slow the onset of rust while I can't justify the cost of a restoration, and to allow the various pieces of work I'd like to have completed to be carried out in the relative comfort of our garage.

Prices of 300s are definitely on the up. I think the past two years have seen three factors push prices up. Firstly, the price of scrap steel has risen, so even cars only good for scrap are worth up to £100. Secondly, the 'drift' scene has popularised the 300 series models with a new generation of buyers, and many cars - particularly 340 1.7 3dr models - are being sought out, and changing hands for hundreds of pounds, even in very average condition. Finally, there are fewer and fewer genuinely good condition cars available. Based on recent sales, one would have to budget at least £500 to secure a 300 in excellent condition. The best cars are fetching over £1000 again. An (otherwise tidy) 360 with no MOT which required two new sills recently sold on eBay for around £250!

Finally, a brief word on parts availability. Volvo are effectively culling genuine parts for the older cars, including 300 series models. We're hearing of new 'no longer available' status parts on an almost weekly basis. There has been much work done by various parties - but most notably by George Mitchell of 'Friends of the Volvo 300' - to try to secure the future availability of at least the essential maintainance parts for the 300 series cars, but it must be said that the pleas have fallen on largely deaf ears, so far. I hope to be able to add my voice to the campaign to get Volvo to support our hobby.

It's tricky to introduce myself and sum up the 300 series scene concisely, but I hope you've not got too bored reading this! I would be very happy to hear from any members who have comments, questions, or indeed any other reason to get in touch. Please be aware that I'm often not within reach of my telephone, so if I don't answer, do keep trying. Email is more reliable, as I can pick this up at my leisure. Ultimately, the 300 series section will be what you make of it, so get in touch, and I'll do what I can to help you with your hobby for however long I end up looking after this position. Happy motoring!

Apologies for being relatively absent of late. I've got a lot on with the cars, the house, work, and trying to have something of a social life on top! Will try to be around a bit more...

cheers

James

[foggyjames]

Oh....and I'm not "acting" any more

cheers

James

[Chris_C]

Nice one Foggy, that is a good report. As a member of the VOC, I don't remember ever being asked to vote for you... or an official response asking for nominees, so how are you not still acting?!

Not that I disagree, but I'd like to have seen the formal process vote you in.

[SteveP]

Nice write up mate

[trabitom99]

That was a very good summary, I think you described the various issues going on in the 300 scene well: the rising values of 300's, the different "user groups" (daily drivers / drift cars / show cars), the "crossroads" at which many people who use their car every day are at.

I'm especially glad you mentioned the parts situation (or non-situation)

Tom

[foggyjames]

Register keepers are voted for by the board, Chris. I was officially voted in at the AGM. I believe you had the opportunity to stand/complain/endorse based on a note in the last edition of Driver. Someone else applied, so it must have appeared somewhere!

cheers

James

[MJ]

Good read, and congrats on the job.

Nice summary of the different types of 300's and their owners.

[sven360]

Congratulations Mr Foggyjames.

23, who ya tryin' to kid??????

[petefarrell360]

Good work mate! Spot on write up. That crossroads description is so true. I must also confess that 300's are now a hobby. This isn't a bad thing when it comes to my 300's, as now they won't be subjected to the winter salt etc, the daily commute and abuse of car parks etc. Instead, I hope to find some dry storage, work on them at my leisure, not in a rush in order to drive home in it etc!

It was actually quite funny on my first real day of driving a non Volvo 300 daily drive that a 340 that I've seen a few times locally should be sat behind me following me closely through the village, then as I slowed to turn left overtook me. Maybe it was that little reminder, remember where your roots are and don't forget the 300's!

I would have said that that owner falls in the cheap daily drive that will run until it fails an MOT, there isn't a love of the car as such, and they probably won't want to invest money into what they'd see as a bottomless pit. This sadly is the case for the majority of car owners. Most won't even spend money on the serious items regarding safety, let alone service items or pure care and committment to preserving a car. Often you get out of something what you put in. In the case of a 300, look after it and prevent rust and it will repay you by being a reliable, rewarding and fun car.

Anyway, not being a member of the VOC, partly due to being a bit unimpressed by the coverage of the 300 and the VOC in general when I did join for one year, I didn't get to see the article in all it's glory in the magazine. However, it may make me reconsider rejoining the VOC, especially if as many of us as possible could combine and as a recognised group supported by the VOC, who instead of being an internet forum, or a small unofficial club, may have a bit more of a presence when lobbying for some sort of support when it comes to genuine Volvo 300 parts and somehow getting the lifetime care we bought into!

Keep up the good work.

Pete

[Chris_C]

Ffs, this is sounding like the 480 forums with a I'm laying my car up for the winter thread I still do 15-18k a year in mine, purely because it makes economical sense. How long that will remain I have no idea though, but I can't see it stopping soon! I do know the feeling of not having time to fix stuff though, though touch wood rarely do they need much once they are running OK.

Foggy, in which case accept my congratulations on doing it proper I must have missed the bit in the driver!

[petefarrell360]

LOL, it's not quite like that for me Chris. It's more a case of, we know they rust, let alone when the Council decide they should waste some money and throw salt everywhere, and get paid overtime rates for doing so at the first sniff of a little bit of a cold spell. Yes when it's actually icy and dangerous yes, otherwise teach people how to drive according to conditions, and not to jump into a warm car and drive like it's the middle of summer and dry, when there's ice about!

I've got a few things to do, i.e. split downpipe on the 360, with that having been deleted for a PAS 360, we into dubious quality crap...... I'll wait and do something else. Plus rust prevention hasn't been completed yet...... something I wanted to do but work got too busy, now it's damp and wet, so they need cleaning and drying out first.

Foggy is right though, there are the different 300 owners, you know I'm not one to fall into the immaculate show category, my cars are always to be driven and enjoyed, but cared for and preserved, but modified to my tastes.

I wouldn't mind a scruffy 300 as a daily drive that didn't matter so much, but I know I'd get attached to it, spend silly amounts keeping it road worthy and then taxing insuring it and running it doesn't make sense!

Pete

[Chris_C]

I wouldn't mind a scruffy 300 as a daily drive that didn't matter so much, but I know I'd get attached to it, spend silly amounts keeping it road worthy and then taxing insuring it and running it doesn't make sense!

Yeah, it doesn't work mate Fake wasn't supposed to have any money thrown at her

And I'm only winding you and Foggy up