PICK OF THE DAY: Nicely Preserved Volvo 145

When it was time to replace Volvo’s classic rounded shapes of its Amazon and earlier PV cars, they thought out of the box. Or rather, they created the box, which would become a Volvo hallmark for the next 40 years.  The boxiest of these was its wagon form, the 145. Like the 122S Wagon which preceded it, it was immediately popular for its build quality, safety and cavernous cargo room. In 1971, the 145 was further adored for having a new fuel-injected motor providing a very respectable 135 hp as well as a 4-speed gearbox, now with electronic overdrive. Volvo 145s don’t come on the market very often and those that do are mostly a testament to Volvo’s legendary durability, logging hundreds of thousands of miles and looking the part. This 145 appears to be a remarkably well preserved 90,000-mile example showing some patina in the paint and a leather interior that has been under seat covers for most of its life, thus looking practically new. A fair amount of recent mechanical attention has been given to it as well, making for what could be a very enjoyable car for a very long time. 145s and 245s have long been a favorite of the “hooning” set, but this one deserves to receive the careful preservation it’s been accustomed to. Priced at $4,500, it is a rather attractive package. Or box. Find it here on AutoTrader Classics in Gadsen AL.