R plate car 1st reg 99???

Actually, that should make it a T reg. I'm fairly sure that S reg was the first of the 6-monthly registrations, though I think S reg was for 7 months (start August 98-end Feb 99). Could be a personalised plate perhaps?

This is a V70 classic?

Whichever, personnally, good as the 2.5 140 engine is, when coupled to the auto box it is abit underpowered for serious towing.

Either seek out a 170 or better still 2.5LPT (193 and latterly 200bhp) This will be no more juicy when towing than the NA engines and makes a much better companion to the auto box due to its massive low rev torque.

Be aware that there is no stipulated ATF change interval on the auto's which unless it has been changed every ~ 50k or less by the previous owner, it will result in the gearbox becoming toast at some point after 120k miles, especially if it's towed.

Later 5 speeders (99-on classics) run a much improved fluid but still benefit from changing.

Tim..

It should be a T reg.

You can put the reg number in here and see if it helps

Capt T ( snipped-for-privacy@Nospamhomecall.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

May 99 would be, as others have said, T-plate.

Does it say "Declared new at first registration" on the V5?

If not, it could well be an import, registered elsewhere before the UK. Ireland would be the obvious suspect, assuming it's RHD.

Even imports should have near enough the correct year letter.

Zimmy ( snipped-for-privacy@y.z) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Indeed. For their original registration date in the country they were originally registered in.

But the V5 will show the UK first reg date.

I've got a V5 in my hand that says "date of first reg - 1/6/1999", on a vehicle that bears a V plate.

This does puzzle me a little, though I confess to having no experience of this car. I tow with a Previa 2.4 auto (132bhp), which will pull a house, with decent acceleration up to the legal limit and beyond. Said Volvo has more bhp, weighs less if anything, and you're saying it's underpowered? I tow a 22foot twin axle. You would have to be towing something fairly humungous IMO to make that amount of power insufficient!

FWIW the 2.4 did not come out until the 99 model year. A touch over

Hmmmmm, thats quite concerning, neither of my cars are on there :(

Mines an M reg with a first registration of 2005 :)

Tim

My Riley Elf is registered January 1969 on a G plate. But it's most definitely a 1967 car! Yes, I know they were less strict then. But I still haven't got to the bottom of why it's a '69 reg.

Chris Bolus ( snipped-for-privacy@RILEYELFb0lus.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

G-reg was '69. Maybe it just sat around for a couple of years unregistered.

Tim Anderson ( snipped-for-privacy@t.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Check the reg against the RAC's site (My Rac -> Vehicle Data Check), because the marque may not be quite "right". I've got one which it's impossible to check on vehiclelicence because the marque's shown as blank.

Interesting, my Dad's 1968 TR3A import got a yearless plate.

Zimmy ( snipped-for-privacy@y.z) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

If it was pre-63 build, then yes, it would.

Used imports up until the mid-70s or so got a then-current plate. Since then, they get age-related.

I suspect that the Elf in question was built '67 but sat around brand new unreg until '69 - at which stage it was still "new", so got a then-current plate.

Oops!, you're right, it was 1958, not 1968 (duh!), just registered a couple of years ago.

If it's a 10v engine, it's a classic.

The newer 140, 20 valve 2.4 may be not the best with an auto (on account of how it's restricted compared with the 170bhp engine), but the 2.5 10v 144bhp engine is practically as good with the auto as with a manual (check the 0-62 dash times to confirm).

And as for towing - _especially_ with the auto, the 2.5 10v is quite suited - it having good low-down torque, and an impressive spread of torque. Compared with the 20v engine, though, it does run out of steam, higher in the rev range.

The 2.5 10v and 2.5T are pretty much the choice of those that tow.

The 2.5 10v engine has good low down torque, too. However, the slightly reduced in output, but slightly newer engine (the 2.4 20v 140bhp) isn't well known for it's low-down torque.

Quite.

Mine hasn't been used for towing, but is indeed the AW50-42LE (4 speed auto), and has a little of 200k miles on the clock, and is smooth and doesn't slip.

But are the adaptive gearboxes, that drivers seem less happy with. Plus many may not have had the software upgrade to disable the disengaging drive for neutral, when stopped for a short period, that has been responsible, or contributory to some of these gearboxes having problems.

Sorry, that should read "has a little over 200k miles on the clock".

Ok, just done the RAC check, the Metro show up on there but still nothing on the Subaru....

Ah well, no matter I have a V5 in my name :)

In news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com, Chris Bolus wrote something quite bizarre, possibly in an effort to confuddle the world. It went like so;

The 2.4 is the 2.5.

sounds silly, I know, but my Renault has the same engine, albeit in 20v form. 2435cc or thereabouts, Renault always called it the 2.5, Volvo changed it from 2.5 to 2.4, but it's the same 2435ish cc engine.

In news:Xns97877526C52AEadrianachapmanfreeis@204.153.244.170, Adrian wrote something quite bizarre, possibly in an effort to confuddle the world. It went like so;

There's a 3dr Sierra Cosworth knocking about on a 51 reg, although it wears the private plate Y2K RS, IIRC.