Volvo 340s Compared

Comparison of three different Volvo 340s, to show how the model changed over time. Starting from an original launch (almost DAF) spec 1977 Volvo 343, to a 1981 Volvo 345 where the car became more refined and useful, and finally a 1985 Volvo 340 where the model became a car firmly for the 1980s. I own all three of them of course!
Twitter: @sionhudson
Instagram: @morselsandmotors
Blog: morselsandmotors.home.blog/

[@furiousdriving]

That is a proper Tea Shelf, although I know know the Swedes prefer a strong coffee

[@eggy1962]

Steph of idriveaclassic did a test on one not so long back it was identical to the one i had 1.7 in red, brought back a few memories

[@atiliogarcia5019]

Are they reliable Cars like Volvo ussualy have done?

[@furiousdriving]

@@atiliogarcia5019 incredibly

[@atiliogarcia5019]

@@furiousdriving thanks...there is a good deal to do here in Uruguay with a 360... The thing is if i ever need parts for it in a future here i'm not gonna find not.even the smallest thing .

[@Strike86]

I'm not much into Volvos but I watched all of this - fantastic car geekery! I love seeing the upgrades/development of a car throughout its life, especially on a car with a history as interesting as the 340. Well done sir.

[@bertramspielt]

I owned a 89 1.6 Diesel 5 door in the blue line trim version. With 57 horsepower, and a 5 speed box it was not so slow than expected... Manuel sunroof, tinted glass, black trim with some decent blue stripping fog lights and a slightly wider wheels fitted with 175s rater then the 165s on the diesels. Looked good in the dark silver with blue and grey coachlines. I've done around 100.000 kilometers in this, mostly long distance with a real fantastic fuel consumption of around 5,5 liters to a 100 kilometers. Very smooth ride, and incredible silent for this little, hard working oil burner. And one of the best cars ever to drive in the winter, with the transaxle and the gearbox in the back. Only the lack of power was destroying the fun of drifting in the snow. Great little car - with an amazing view from the driver's seat. I just wanted a GTE with the B20 engine - but I changed than to a 440...

[@davidhall7744]

Another great video Sion 👍 And as I’ve commented before, super nostalgic for me as I had 1980.87&89 models back in the day 😊🇸🇪

[@club1fan552]

Nice to see someone with a real passion. Thanks for showing us your collection.

[@MorselsAndMotors]

My pleasure!

[@justinlavelle4416]

Brilliant video👍🏼 looking for a 340 for my first car so any info and bits I can learn about them is much appreciated and shown in this!

[@narancs5]

Thank you for this excellent comparison. Great feeling to finally get to know why the grills are in the bumper. My '81's glovebox lid is well aligned. I guess this is down to start of the week vs end of the week production.

[@AxeGRR]

Wonderful trip down memory lane. My parents have had two. One 1.4 variomatic and a 2.0 manual, both post 1985 as I’ve just learned from your video.

[@mariuskwint4218]

Enjoyed that, thanks. Brought back a lot of memories. We had a new 245 in 1978 and then 340s of a slightly later vintage than your green and red. I remember looking at the brochures for the early 340s too.

[@Jay-Kay-Em]

What a gem of a KZbin find. Nice video, excellent narration. Subscribed.

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Much appreciated!

[@doktoruzo]

Great video...thanks. I have watched all your Volvo videos and loved them. I have a very nice Volvo 66 GL from 1977 but we all call it 'the DAF' ! Love these quirky cars. The antithesis of modern motoring.

[@zebedep]

No UK primary school car park in the '80s would be complete without one of these. Excellent video, thanks.

[@mountain_del1863]

Absolutely fantastic. My dad had a brand new 340DL 1.4 Y reg, and a number of years later I acquired a D reg 360 GLT..........best car I ever owned. Really enjoyed this video. Best wishes from snowy Scotland.

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Thank you!

[@jamesadlam9875]

Hi, I've just found your video, takes me back because a 340 was my first car! Mine was a 1983, the interior was like your 85 model but it had the old door-mounted side mirrors (and yes, the nearside mounting did rust away; in the end I removed it and filled the holes). I wish I had been able to keep mine. I'm really impressed you have gathered three! You've covered so many of the distinctive and nostalgic features of these cars. The one thing you didn't show was the lighting and sound effects inside a variomatic car when 'changing gear'. The loud warning buzzer and flashing red light was quite spectacular at night, could startle a first-time passenger. Incidentally, I recently heard that the reason for the spare wheel being in the bonnet was that the variomatic unit took up too much space to fit a spare at the back.

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Thank you so much for your comment. I've actually got four of them - the other one is too similar to the green one so it didn't make sense to include it in this video. Yes, I realise I should have shown the 'buzzer', but the battery was flat in the red one when I was filming 🤣. I'll do a separate video on that car soon. You're absolutely right about the location of the spare wheel. For the 360 which had a 2L engine, there was no space in the engine bay so they made some bodyshell alterations to enable the wheel to go in the boot and the fuel tank went where the variomatic unit would be - 360s were therefore all manual.

[@jamesadlam9875]

@@MorselsAndMotors interesting! Keep up the good work keeping these cars going on behalf of people like me whose fell by the wayside 😊

[@arnoud235]

Nice video! I bought a Volvo 340 winner with 29k kilometers as my first car, im only 15 years old. Im very happy with it and i am waiting till i have my driving license so i can start driving it on the road( after a restoration )

[@RichieRouge206]

Love the geekiness and being a huge Volvo fan anyway, really enjoyed it. Thank you! I’ve shared your channel on my Facebook group ‘I Spotted A Volvo’

[@pit_stop77]

I had an 82 343 GL. Brings back many memories 👍

[@garethkeri]

Brings back happy memories of my first car, a maroon Volvo 340GL. ERW405Y. It was knackered before I was given it, and had a lot of carb trouble as being 17 I couldn't afford to buy a new one. It lasted another 2 years but ended up having to scrap it. Years later I bought a C reg one but ended up having to sell it when funds got short. The y reg one had the later type dash but still the quarter lights in the front windows.

[@Eltonlaleham]

@@MorselsAndMotors My first ever car Sion was a graphite Volvo 340DL and its registration was F797RJF and I had it 8 years before it became sadly no longer a good reliable car which was a shame in billions of ways

[@terrificspokesman7416]

Love your videos. Your channel is very underated

[@MarkieC1990]

A lot of the changes you mentioned for the ‘85 car were actually in place by ‘82/‘83 😃 The clocks on my ‘83 are still smiths units as well whereas your ‘85 looked like the VDO units. Great video for anyone getting into buying a 340/360.

[@matthpotte]

I had a 1985 1.4 DL manual as my first car back in 2000. Loved it

[@schneil]

14:47 my father owned an '86 340 GLE and the heater controls were indeed different, with symbols. It had a recurculating or fresh air option as well.

[@CreRay]

Ah yes... My dads car had aluminium wheels (the ones fitted as standard on the ’Black beauty’ model), the strip at the bottom end of the tailgate, and a rubber bootspoiler. Combined this gave the car a kind of ”GTI-look”, in keeping with the B19A’s lively performance. When for instance merging onto the highway he could easily outpull most newer cars. Ofcourse it had an LPG tank in the back, as almost every Volvo of that era did in our country, so fuel consumption wasn’t much of a problem. I will never forget the sound the doors make upon closing, it made the car sound extremely robust, especially compared to japanese cars which started to become more popular in that era. I read an owners survey in an old car magazine today (it was about the Ford Sierra), to my amazement the 1984 Volvo 300 result (covering cars 1-4 years old) was listed by far best for not needing “unusual repairs” so obviously build quality was already very good in the early 80s. My dads car certainly did not have any problems, but had been treated with rust proofing. His previous one (with orange instrument cluster) had failed its MOT on rust. Lastly, the car was seen as very expensive when it was launched, but by the time it disappeared from the market, it was one of the cheapest cars available new! It also sold (contrary to my expectation) well in Sweden, covering 3rd place in the sales statistics in 78/79, even before the VW Golf, even though it didn’t fare well in reviews. The 400 series never managed to repeat its success, covering 6th place at its peak.

[@TheSurvivor1963]

In Sweden these cars were called "Belt Johan", because of the belt in the variomatic transmission and the squeaky sound when the belts got wet.

[@e.c.listening326]

I always had a hard time accepting these 3 series as real volvos, even with all the adaptations going on. Still own a 264 DL and a 262 C to this day. Good job comparing this trio 👍

[@MorselsAndMotors]

I think a lot of people agree with you, and to be honest you aren't wrong as the model was never designed to be a Volvo initially.

[@StewSims]

Catching up on some of your videos I've missed. The gold 1977 car really is something special. I don't know what your plans are and what other work is needed but if you're interested there is an upholstery guy in Norfolk I used for a quick repair of the leather seats on my Rover. If you want his details give me a shout - getting those seats done would be time consuming and/or expensive but really give it a lift - I bet it would look stunning with those restored.

[@martindehavilland-fox3175]

I can't tell you how happy this video has made me. I had four of these beauties. I learned to drive in a 340, and my first car was a 343 (V-plate series 2, Vario) waiting for me on the drive when I passed in 1989. The next was a 340DL 1.4 3dr Manual ( B-plate '85) An '87 (?) F-plate 1.7 340GL, and then I grew up to the 360GLT. Sooooooo many happy memories of these old girls. My school mates all called them ugly ducklings - but I was comfortable in mine while they were all squeezing more bhp from their MKII Escorts! Thank you, thank you, thank you. I thought I was the only one! I'd kill to have another 😔

[@MorselsAndMotors]

What a lovely comment to read, thank you! Wow, a 343 on the drive after you passed your test, what a lucky guy you were.

[@adampowell5376]

I had a teacher with a RHS S reg 343 with the CVT (DAF) transmission. I was very impressed with the 3 series Volvo in all of its iterations.

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Ooh an S-reg 343 🤩🤩

[@normanyates6735]

Having worked on all the 340 range from inception, my main gripe was the very poor fuel economy.

[@colinscott5127]

Love those cars. I have 2 Volvo 66's but aspire to get an early 340 one day.

[@davidyoung9561]

I have an A-reg 1984 340 DL 5dr and would love to get hold of an early 345DL/GL .

[@robertngreen6]

Super video! A very rare opportunity to compare the range through the years and very interesting. What a pity I no longer have my F-reg (1987?) 1.7 manual for further comparison. It definitely had a slightly different dashboard from memory. Will you be tempted to add a later one to your collection at some point?

[@Gunzee]

No clock instead it had a rev counter. Also above the petrol guage there was a 'econ' needle, similar to BMWs. Also some models had an external temp dial above the engine temp.

[@flemmingsorensen5470]

Great video👍 Always liked these cars, but havent seen any for many years now...

[@MorselsAndMotors]

No, they seem to have almost completely disappeared from normal use, sadly

[@VicMcFly111]

Really good video! I myself have owned multiple old Saab automobiles and I currently have a 1990 900 and 1999 9-3 but I'm into Volvos too. The only problem is that Volvos are a lot more expensive than Saabs so I haven't bothered to get a Volvo (yet). This video gives a very nice insight to the history of the 340!

[@VinDieselS70]

Had a H plate red 5 door 340 GL 1.7 Catalyser with a 5 speed box, rear wiper, electric windows at the front and possibly electric mirrors too. It was a great car, However the fuel tank had rosted so had to stop and clean the carb from junk from time to time but eventually replaced the tank which was held with four screws so dead easy to replace. The other issue I had was the rear of the we was way to bouncy or at the back for being a Volvo so decided to get two new yellow Bilstein shocks and after that it drove as it should despite the single leafsprings. The road handling was like so good and driven properly thanks to the DeDion axle and the gearbox at the back. Great video and good to see the old cars. 👍

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Thank you! By H-plate they were much better equipped, as you say

[@michaelheimbrand5424]

Lovely. I have never been into these models. But I am from Gothenburg Sweden and remember them as a kid in the late 70's. And yes, I am and was also then a severly geeky one who had to look at all cars. I remember these as a bit of a brain-meltdown for me. They were Volvo's, but sounded like those strangely interresting DAF's, and looked like nothing Volvo did. And now I suddenly want one. I have never been in one, but for some reason I know (?) that the Variomatic system had both overdrive and kick-down functions built into it. Oh wait! I just remember that I have a Variomatic story to tell. Sometime in the 60's my dad worked as a security guard with a dog at a Swedish military airport base. And one cold winter, on a very snowy day, he left the dog for a moment, in the car at idle with the heater on. When he got back the car and dog was nowhere to be seen. Far away he saw some kind of light and started to run. When he got there (other side of the runway), he found the car in a snow pile. The dog must have gotten it in drive and...well, off they went. The dog sat in the driver seat and looked like it had reached full satisfaction. And if I remember it correctly, yes my dad had a runway and a DAF to himself at times. So there may have been some top speed tests in reverse.

[@MorselsAndMotors]

This is a wonderful story! I would loved to have seen the look on your father's face! You're right, the variomatic system has a kind of cruise setting which is similar to overdrive, but it also has a kickdown switch on the throttle pedal, and a low ratio hold switch to keep it in low gear for descending hills.

[@neilmustow368]

Great 300 series Volvo vid from 1977 to 1985 great survivors the first 343 model a rare sight

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Thank you 😊

[@Eltonlaleham]

I have had 2 Volvo 345s they were slate blue and graphite grey my first Volvo was a c reg and my 2nd was an F reg and I miss those cars .

[@leesmith3448]

Good stuff! I always thought I was Geeky in knowing all the stuff you said on this video was I was about 19. My first car being a 1984 340 GL 5-Dr in Onyx Green which my parents had bought new in '84 (so different squarer speedo font to the '85 model you have). I had subsequently owned many a 340/343/345 since, lol. I still wish I had bought a post '86 360 GLT in Black when I had the chance but ended up getting a 440 GLT in Black instead and went from there

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Now it is very geeky for you to remember that your 84 had different speedo font to my 85. Well done!

[@chrisrichmond403]

I owned a 1983 Y Reg 340 5DR that had everything exterior, engine bay & interior as your 1985 version but had the earlier key setup ( keys) small square for door locks & boot lock , Big Square for ignition barrel only then Big semi circular for fuel filler cap.. Comfy seats , great steering lock , fuel thirsty & sluggish underpowered engine is how I remember it .

[@marcbrasse747]

What brings an Englishman to admire this particular car so much? I was born about 20 kms from where the factory was later built and spent most of my youth even nearer. I could however never feel much pride about it. It was not even a real DAF anymore. As you probably know the NEDCAR factory still exists. Many types of different brands have been built there. From, DAF to Volvo to Mitsubishi to BMW (new mini) and Daimler Chrysler (Smart ForFour), Peugeot, and Citroën. My brother actually often contructs all sorts of stuff for minor production line and (re)building refurbishments.

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Awesome, I have visited the car park at NEDCAR several years ago. I don't know why I love these little Dutch cars so much: probably because I grew up with my mother driving one, and I also had an uncle who had one. I always wanted one of my own when I grew up, and that has become four...!

[@marcbrasse747]

@@MorselsAndMotors I gues they inhereted a bit of the unassuming simplistic charm of the DAF's but still; England has such a strong car heritage and still you chose this quirky Dutch car. The Variomatic was a stroke of genius as such but the rest is rather mundane. I love that you point out the cooling air channels through the chassis beams though. That's new to me.

[@Trancefreakeh]

I see you are a man of the finer tastes in life... My dad loves these, had the 1985 1.4 diesel DL Model for years, after that he couldn't part with it and bought a golden 1.6 (1990 I think? ) gasoline manual GL ' doors and finally a dark gray ( I believe 1987 ) 1.4 gasoline DL CVT. I have to admit I have a softspot for them as well.

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Really nice to hear these stories of the cars people used to have 🙂

[@ScrapeMetal]

Great video mate!

[@TATEXPRESSINC]

Keep up to great work on the videos

[@davidtraynor8075]

My first car was given to me by my relations, a 345dl x reg. I was super excited to get a car but when I started to work on it and fell though the sills on both sides. Someone had used expanding foam and filler. I then bought a 340dl B reg and it just went downhill after that. The front hub seized, the front suspension strut collapsed, heater matrix broke, rust, rust, rust everywhere and broken engine mounts. Did a great job of vibrating the hell out of the front on stop. It was awful but I loved it. Sold it for exactly what I paid for it. Oh and the seats were amazing!

[@Stephenb033]

I enjoyed this. Soothing voice too

[@Thorscauldron]

We had new as a company car an 80 343 DL with 4-sp manual. It definitely needed a 5th gear for the motorway. It was the same green as the middle 81 car with brown interior. The only issue when new was a suspension knock from the rear. That the dealer soon put right. Nice drive with with gearbox balanced under rear.

[@MorselsAndMotors]

That's so cool to hear, thank you for sharing :)

[@kittyhawk9707]

I had an A reg 340 DL in the same Red as yours .. 1.4 .. nice car.. but they seemed to have had a problem with their carb ( weber) i think it was.. mine had a faulty jet and EVERY 340 I looked at in the scrapyards at the time had this particular jet removed ( this was WELL before Ebay/ internet). also my diff went .. sold it for spares repairs - saw it on the road two weeks later .. good stuff ..

[@ABCDEF-yf4yu]

The Volvo 343 and 345 is a Dutch car, not a Swedish car like the bigger 244/245. The early ones are very rare, and even the late ones have nearly disappeared. There was also a later a 360 saloon that looked more ugly than the hatchback. Remember the famous commercial about 1987 when a 340 driven by robots smashes through the top floor factory window to emphasize the crash protection strength.

[@alanr1062]

I had a Y reg 343 with variomatic and loved it. The clutch had a tendancy to burn out and the mechanical fuel pump was unreliable (leaking oil) The second one I had was a 5 door, manual with what I think was a 1700 engine. I never enjoyed driving it as much as the variomatic though. Super video - keep up the good work.

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Thank you. So good to hear you enjoyed the variomatic, it’s a very special thing

[@drumtum]

Nice video. I have a 340 GL from 1988. Volvo B200F engine and Volvo M47 gearbox.

[@volvofreak86]

The interior on that 77 is soo old haha, i remember older cars were either that brown inside or black, just like orange sofas and orange cupboards were in style xD such cool cars those are

[@massimo6770]

Great video! It reminds me my first car, a 1980 345 GL manual. Great problems with the 1397 cc engine by Renault, but also great fun!

[@jackspringheel9963]

I started off with a 345, W reg, then after a couple of years moved into a 360. Having a 2 litre engine in the same size car was quite exciting!

[@massimo6770]

@@jackspringheel9963 yes, the GLT with 115 hp or the GLS with 90 hp?

[@jasongomez5344]

I know a lot than I ever wanted to know about the Volvo 340 series now. I don't even think I've seen one for over a decade.

[@yeomanie]

Great video. Thanks a lot

[@TheWildtman3]

Like your video, got the last model, with alterations. And lots of spare parts....

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Nice 👍 Spare parts are essential!

[@bubitaoasis]

Another super video!

[@davidrumming4734]

Great comparison. Volvo must have thrown a lot of money at this car. Today it’s unusual to see automatic transmission offered on the poverty spec model, of any car. Would be great to see a 360 as well.

[@andyt8216]

Definitely prefer the very early 80s model. It has that "exotic" late 70s / early 80s vibe going on.

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Yes I think that's my favourite style too

[@mattyboy3908]

Nice video. I had an 86 340 GLE that succumbed to rust in the end. Would be great if you could do another vid comparing these with a post ‘85 340.

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Yes, I'll try to get my hands on a later one sometime for a comparison

[@jimbrown2044]

First video i've watched.....very interesting, these used to be so common,my first car was a 1973 DAF66 which I ran from 1979 to around 1988,Volvo introduced a park position on the transmission that the DAF never had.I had a relative who bought a 343 around 1980 who traded it for a triumph acclaim after the scare about safety with reports of cars taking off after being left in park with the engine running,this was quite a big deal at the time and i think killed the auto version in the UK.

[@driacon]

Just bought a -85 363 GLS :)

[@shepshepherd]

Very nice! I've never seen an R-reg 340 before. I think the oldest I've ever seen was a T-reg, and that was well over 25 years ago.

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Yes, I've certainly never seen another R-reg, or an S

[@shepshepherd]

@@MorselsAndMotors In the 1990s, one of my neighbours had a V-reg 3-door Variomatic, which she proceeded to use and abuse over a period of about five years before she replaced it with a late model Montego Countryman. The last time I saw it it was in the local scrapyard with two other cars on its roof. Pity.

[@SlightlyDazed.]

I got an 88 1.7 as my first car in February so its interesting to see a bit about the cars heritage. Nice collection by the way, is it true that the cvt models go as fast backwards as they do forwards?

[@CreRay]

That is definately true, I remember a TV show here in the netherlands where they raced them. Going backwards! No joke

[@punyawdrg2127]

i noticed so many similarities as soon as the 85 car was shown immediatly makes me think e30 with the dash shelf and blower motor switch.

[@SC-hz2bs]

Superb cars, how do you keep them so tidy and corrosion free? mine rusted almost everywhere that it wasn’t leaking oil from. But great memories of that car including getting it very sideways on a wet roundabout in Milton Keynes about 10 minutes before my driving test 😂

[@MikeJones-yk6nd]

My first car was a manual 343dl 1979 which was very much like the green model BUT mine had the old style bumpers.

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Very nice, what colour was it? I had a 1979 343 for a while

[@bobmirdiff2043]

Wonderful cars! I have covered around 300,000 miles in Volvo 300s - A 345 a 340 and a 360 which really was a Pocket Rocket!

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Wow that's a lot of hours behind the combined wheels. I'm very impressed. Around what time period was this?

[@bobmirdiff2043]

@@MorselsAndMotors During the 1990s, and the cars had already been 'Well Used!'

[@FerrySwart]

I had a volvo 343 GLS from 1981 that had a manual gearbox and a 2 liter engine. And indeed my clock was in the middle because i had a rev counter.

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Now having a rev counter is very upmarket! None of my cars have one!

[@robertcoldham6849]

I think that would of been a 360 GLS.

[@FerrySwart]

@@robertcoldham6849 no, the 2 liter versions first were called 343 GLS or 345 GLS. later that changed into 360 GLS

[@duncands9172]

A great car all round. Would be great if they bring it back with an updated version. Tell tale signs of the first 340's from a distance are the wheels

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Those early wheels are incredibly distinctive, but didn't even last the first full model year before the hubcaps were dropped

[@Kiinell]

We had headlamp wipers on our 81 345GL.

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Yes, the GL got those I think as a feature above the lowly DL

[@Zeem4]

My dad once had a 360GLT which was a nice car, until it failed an MoT on rust in the complex three-piece sill structure, and around the steering rack mountings. He sold it to someone who drove it round illegally, finally killing it by hitting a hump-backed bridge at excessive speed, stamping on the brake pedal in panic while flying through the air, after which it hit the ground nose-first with the brakes fully applied, shattering both front brake calipers off their mountings.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Drove a Renault 5 recently with the 1.4 engine. Funny how similar it looked under the bonnet to these...

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Yes, very similar indeed. Main difference is the engine on a series 1 R5 is backwards with the gearbox on the front!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@MorselsAndMotors , it was a 1994 R5 Campus with the fuel injection, so quite a different era of car, but the good old Cléon-Fonte engine just kept on going!

[@HammerRudi]

i ´ve got an 78s 343 with sunroof :) spended ca.3500€ to bring it back on the road again :) nice video, thanks for showing :)

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Oh wow that's awesome. I'd really really love to see some pictures if you have some online, or you could email me (sionhudson@ the usual gmail ending)

[@HammerRudi]

@@MorselsAndMotors i will send you pics later today :)

[@simonc858]

Very interesting, I had an A reg Variomatic (guessing 1983 model), then a D reg 360 GLE saloon (guessing 1986), my 340 had the same under the bonnet, apart from still having a fan driven by the belt.

[@PhilOsGarage]

I believe the belt driven fan was part of an optional 'towing pack' if it was a 1.4 or 1.7 from 84 onwards? My 84 A reg 340 had the later revised front and an electric fan, and used to get quite warm towing. There was an option for 'supplementary engine cooling' which was specified if a towbar was optioned from the dealer.

[@simonc858]

Sion Hudson ah ok. I must have caught one of the last ones.

[@mikkelp00]

what's the color code of the 85? love the color!

[@matty5057]

Interesting to see the 1977 is left hand drive but the speedometer in mph. Which country did that one come from originally Sion?

[@irsw51]

Yes I was going to ask that.

[@CreRay]

Interesting! My parents had 2, the last one being a January 1982 343DLS. It was a rare interim model, everything equal to the 1981 but it did have the front of the 1985, but definately the 1981 dashboard. I don’t know when they switched over to this front, I don’t think it was produced like this for a long time. Being a DLS it had a different instrument cluster with rev counter. As a kid I always thought the seats were broken, because of they strange way they folded! It also had a sticker at the bottom of the back window saying ”Volvo 2-liter” which must have been there from new. At least in the Netherlands, the Daf heritage negatively influenced the reputation of the model, hence the sticker to tell everybody that this was “a real Volvo”. I think this was the car he had for the longest time of all his cars.

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Yes, that combination of old interior and revised front end was the 1982 model year. We never got the DLS in the UK, but in 1983 they introduced the 360 which came with the 2-litre engine.

[@marklittler784]

Test drove one, kept banging elbow on door glass though.

[@VampyrMygg]

My first ever car was a 1985 Volvo 244DL, it had an odd engine that only was delivered in the 240 for 2 years, '85 and '86, and it was the 2 liter used in the 340/360 I believe, B200K. I ended up liking the engine, though the car was an automatic, my dad swapped in a M45 I believe, 4-speed manual, and I swapped the intake and carb onto it from a B21, this paired with the rear end for an automatic made the car accelerate pretty hard for an old 2 liter Volvo, it was so much fun, I kinda miss it sometimes. I know a lot of the FWD Volvos that showed up with the 440, 460, 480 used Renault engines, was that the case for the small engines in the 340 and 360 as well? as the smallest Volvo engine I've encountered is the B16 which is a 1.6, but the 340 at least, was down to... I see one of yours is a 1.4, but I seem to recall a 1.3 as well? or were those just the FWD ones? actually... the Volvo 66 probably had an even smaller engine? I'm realizing I don't know what engine the 66 came with, I assumed a DAF one. I can't remember seeing the designs of the '81 and '77 version, I only remember the look of the '85 one, I don't remember seeing the grille that almost seems like an afterthought, though I kinda wish they'd kept the bumpers, the old ones look a lot nicer than the ones on the '85 one, but the newer ones are probably safer, being Volvo and all. :P The cooling duct on the variomatic ones though... it goes inside the frame rail? probably why I've never seen one in Norway, they rusted from within and fell apart. :P Edit: That's what I get for not finishing the video before posting, just found out it is a Renault engine. :P

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Hahah yes, the 1.4 is a Renault engine. The 1.3 you mention was used in the Volvo 66 inherited from the DAF takeover, and was basically the same engine as the 1.4 Renault. I agree: I barely remember seeing any of the early design when I was growing up, they didn't seem to last long, and actually didn't sell all that well in the UK until about 1982 when the facelift happened. Yes the cooling ducts go straight through the chassis rails!

[@robintnnessen5893]

do you know if the doors from the red car fit on the gold car?

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Yes, I believe they do

[@ASDASD34RDFS]

Got a -79, the glovebox is not aligned on that one either, but not as bad as yours luckily.

[@richjones5432]

Thanks for taking the time to put your video out there. I served my apprentiship with a Volvo dealer & although you give decent descriptions of these cars you are skipping over the rust & build quality issues that these bland cars came with. The early nose cone/front extension would rot like early morning dew & the check straps ............... the bit the stops your door swinging open too far, well they just ripped out & Volvo had to stand a lot of warranty costs over that. Then there is the gearbox issue .......... do you know of the issue ???? ................. I bet you do not. But of all the cars out there, why in the name of God can you have a interest in the 340 range. They were Pants then & are soiled pants by now.

[@eggy1962]

i had one of each engine size albeit all 3 were older cars by time i got them....the 1.4 i found very under powered (or tired engine) i didn't keep it very long, the next was a 2.0 (360) now that really could shift and tow but came with price of petrol thirst, so much so that with combination of heavy fuel consumption and insurance cost meant i had to let it go..... few years later i have a very nice 1.7 now that was athe model imo to have with best compromise f runningg costs had it for 2 years myself before selling it to a young couple with children , they kept it till it fell apart and still reckon it was best car they owned.

[@ASDASD34RDFS]

I agree that the 1.4 litre is a bit on the weak side. But it does the trick. Just have to get used to drive like an old grandpa.

[@CreRay]

BTW in the 1978 model the push button light switch was already gone, the dash was know in black (although still same design) and had round face ventilation vents. Inbetween was now the clock, now recessed in the dashboard, tombstone seated were gone. In hindsight a bit of a failed design, you usually don't design a car to replace a lot already in the next model year.

[@lucasrem]

This car became modern at the end of the production cycle. They did own a DAF version too, not sure that still exists. Small chrome bumpers, the original DAF design was better in looks.

[@dafdaffer1]

some beautiful cars there Sion, i have owned a volvo 343 and 345s in the past, and now own a couple of DAFs, we once rescued a black beauty 343 from a scrap yard, amazing car. ps is the red 340 Richard butlers old one?

[@dafdaffer1]

@@MorselsAndMotors have you seen the manual one for sale on car and classic with 28000 miles?

[@dafdaffer1]

@@MorselsAndMotors I know the guy in Ireland but can't remember his name. He used to own a few Dafs

[@dafdaffer1]

@@MorselsAndMotors haha in I'm Very tempted myself but I would have to sell a Daf and its not a Vario

[@volvo340cars7]

super !!!

[@cambs0181]

Ten years of design and they never gave you door pockets!

[@MorselsAndMotors]

That's all to do with trim levels, if these were posher then they would!

[@TheDiner50]

I think the glove boxes might not line up due to being made for the cars that drive on the right side of the road. And yes I mean right as in the proper side of the road to drive... I think it would make sense that they let the gap be there. You know if windscreen wipers where mounted the wrong way for the drivers view, a small glovebox gap really is nothing to worry about...

[@MorselsAndMotors]

I hadn't thought of that, but you could well be correct

[@CreRay]

In case anyone is interested, there was just a test posted of the 1981 model, from the swedish state media traffic show Trafikmagasinet. Just search on ”Första testet av Volvo 340”. The comments are not very kind!

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Oh thank you - I had not seen that video before

[@terrificspokesman7416]

Our family had a Volvo 360 so with a 2.0 engine and in GLT spec

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Very nice, I've actually never driven a 2.0 Volvo 300!

[@peterjanvanbijnen226]

the build quality of the volvo 340 is superb

[@andrewnorth4857]

If Old Top Gear had been as good as this there would never have been a New Top Gear.

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Blimey that's a nice compliment 😀

[@shebbs1]

Australian ones seem to have mostly been the highly specified models. Might explain why they didn't sell in huge numbers.

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Yeah I think you're right. Though in the late 80s most of the ones here were high spec as well, because they started to introduce the more plush trim and equipment lower down the range, to keep the (by then ancient) car competitive

[@nikandraathelvete]

The forgotten Volvo. When i was young i almost bought a 360 GLT in 1986 . But then when i compared it to the GTI cars of that time it was slower, thirstier and not very sporty. I got an oddball Mitsubishi Colt Turbo instead. About the same price but 5 hp more and 3 sec faster to 100km/h :-o

[@predragv.365]

The red one is very nice

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Thank you. I’ve actually recently sold that one to a friend in the USA!

[@timothyhh]

That has got to be the biggest and highest-mounted car ashtray I've ever seen in the 77 model. And I know the Swedes are known for minimalism, but those ventilation controls could use a few more markings. I'm guessing the top two sliders are for temperature and fan speed. The lower two must control where the air blows and recirculating or fresh air but I don't know how you're supposed to tell which is which since they are identical. What are the two switches next to the gear selector? They look to be made out of better plastic than everywhere else. Finally, are those supposed to be arm rests on the door cards? They're minimal to the point of functional if so.

[@johnjayalves6843]

Did Madza copy DAF/Volvo for their early 1980's GLC series? Lots of similarity especially from the front

[@MorselsAndMotors]

Yeah, I had always wondered the same, but I don't know

[@KAZ-4540]

отличное видео, у отца в 90х была 343 76 года. У вас нету 360 для обзора? Хочу купить 360.

[@mikasulonen8638]

i love this first 77 volvo 343 dl car so beatiful volvo