Old Volvos Never Die: 1961 Volvo PV544 vs 1966 Volvo 122S

Good morning! For today’s Shitbox Showdown, we’re taking a trip to the land of ABBA and the world’s most inept chef, and looking at two old Volvos. Yes, kids, there were Volvos before the 240 series, and they actually had curves in the sheetmetal.

But before we look at those, let’s see yesterday’s results. Vans are always popular choices, it seems, especially Dodge vans, and yesterday was no different. The three-on-the-tree Sportsman cruised to a comfortable victory. But the more I look at that van, the hinkier it seems. I didn’t notice until a commenter pointed it out that both right-side tires are flat. Further damage from the rock incident, I would imagine, which calls into question the wheels on that side, and also the suspension.

And to be honest, I would go for the Cutlass anyway. It’s a terrible color, but there’s something really appealing to me about a four-door hardtop, and I have always liked this era of GM A-body, from any of the divisions. You can do a lot to improve this car too, if you want, like power disc brakes, air conditioning, and bucket seats, and end up with a really nice old cruiser.

“They’re boxy,” went the old joke from the movie Crazy People, “but they’re good. Be safe instead of sexy.” Volvo has never been on the cutting edge of style, though those new Polestars look pretty good to me. The best you can say for the 200 and 700 series that were around when Crazy People was made is that they were inoffensive and pleasingly-proportioned. But definitely not sexy.

In the 1950s and 60s, most of Volvo’s cars followed American styling of a decade or so earlier, so they tended to look old-fashioned even when new. But even back then, Volvos were state-of-the-art when it came to safety. You will notice that both these cars have three-point shoulder belts, at a time when many American cars still didn’t have seat belts at all. They were good, safe cars for the time – as long as you were careful how you pulled into the driveway. Let’s take a look.

1961 Volvo PV544 – $7,000

Engine/drivetrain: 1.6 liter overhead valve inline 4, four-speed manual, RWD

Location: Spokane Valley, WA

Odometer reading: 29,000 miles (but probably rolled over at least once)

Operational status: Runs and drives well, but needs some electrical work

Looking a bit like a three-quarter-scale ’41 Chevy, Volvo’s PV444 was its first postwar design, its first unibody car, and the beginning of its reputation for safe, durable cars. In 1958, it became the PV544, with a one-piece windshield, a four-speed gearbox, and other refinements, but still looking like a ten-year-old American car. It looks great now, but I can only imagine how uncool it must have been when Detroit was deep into its Harley Earl and Virgil Exner days.

The PV544 is powered by a 1.6 liter pushrod four-cylinder, fed by a pair of SU side-draft carbs, the same units used on countless British sports cars at the time, including my own MGB GT. They’re simple, easy to tune, and as long as you keep an eye out for fuel seepage, reliable. The seller says it runs and drives great, though it has some electrical issues that need “debugging.” I believe this car still has a six-volt electrical system; if you’re going to dig into it, an upgrade to 12 volts is probably a good idea.

Cosmetically, it’s pretty nice. The interior has been redone, including the headliner, and looks fantastic. The seller says the gauges all work, but the turn signals are inoperable. You remember how to do hand signals, don’t you? The heater core has also been bypassed, though it isn’t clear why.

The paint is about ten years old, the seller says, and still shines up nicely. The original chrome bump strips along the sides are gone, replaced by the stick-on kind you used to be able to get on a roll. (Huh, actually, apparently you still can.) It does have all four original hubcaps and beauty rings, however. The seller says the hood latch is out of alignment, but everything else works like it should.

1966 Volvo 122S – $5,500

Engine/drivetrain: 1.8 liter overhead valve inline 4, four-speed manual, RWD

Location: San Luis Obispo, CA

Odometer reading: 75,000 miles (but again, probably rolled over)

Operational status: Runs and drives, “but will need brake and engine work”

If the 544 is a little too expensive or old-fashioned for you, here we have its successor, the 122, known elsewhere in the world as the Volvo Amazon. This design was introduced in 1959, overlapping the 544 by a few years, but only looking a little bit out of style instead of hopelessly outdated. This style has also aged better, in my opinion, especially the two-door sedan, and has a timelessness to it.

This is a 122S, with twin SU carbs again, this time feeding a 1.8 liter engine with five main bearings instead of three, further cementing Volvo’s reputation for indestructible four-cylinder engines that continued for decades. It uses a four-speed manual, like the 544. The ad for this car is a little light on details – the seller says it runs and drives, but that it will need engine and brake work. But if you’re looking at a car this age in this price range, you’re handy with a wrench and know how to read a Haynes manual, right?

The paint is clearly shot, but it looks like this car has only surface rust to contend with. I once looked at a shiny, but frighteningly rusty 122 for sale; the floor crunched when I sat down in the driver’s seat. I lifted the carpet and found myself looking at the asphalt street surface below. This one appears to be missing its carpet, and the green paint on the floors and transmission tunnel looks undisturbed, but lift those mats up to make sure.

This is another car, like the Lincoln earlier this week, that wears patina pretty well, but these cars look so good all shined up that it would be a shame not to repaint this one. But you can put it back to tip-top mechanical shape first, and enjoy it, before tackling that job.

These are both a little more expensive than our usual fare, it’s true, but they both look like better starting points than some of the heaps I’ve subjected you to, and they’re classics that you could drive every day, if you wanted to. This is back when Volvo made cars that lasted for literally millions of miles. You’ve got two generations to choose from. What’ll it be?

(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)