Volvo 240 DL: Thinking of buying one

[overst33r]

What can you tell me about them? Any personal experiences?

Which years came with a standard transmission?

This particular example is a 1988 with no A/C and a non locking trunk. AFAIK, the engines on these things are bulletproof.

I'm having trouble identifying the engine on wikipedia... It is either OHV or OHC

Any good places to learn about them?

 

[nakedfrog]

I have a 90 740 Turbo with over 170k miles on it, and it's treated me pretty well.

http://www.brickboard.com
http://www.swedishbricks.com

 

[overst33r]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
I have a 90 740 Turbo with over 170k miles on it, and it's treated me pretty well.

http://www.brickboard.com
http://www.swedishbricks.com

Sweet thanks for the links.

 

[InflatableBuddha]

Originally posted by: mariok2006
What can you tell me about them? Any personal experiences?

Which years came with a standard transmission?

This particular example is a 1988 with no A/C and a non locking trunk. AFAIK, the engines on these things are bulletproof.

I'm having trouble identifying the engine on wikipedia... It is either OHV or OHC

Any good places to learn about them?

How are you supposed to theft-proof the dead bodies then?:laugh:

 

[Zenmervolt]

IIRC all model years of the 240 series cars from Volvo were available with a standard transmission.

I know that the very early 240's had a 4-speed unit, and that, at least by 1985, the unit was a 4-speed with an electronically-activated overdrive that essentially made it a 5-speed (standard 4-speed pattern, to get into overdrive you pushed a little button on top of the shifter while disengaging the clutch), in 1987 they moved to a regular 5-speed manual.

They are definitely bulletproof, but they're also dog-slow and they do not get particularly good mileage (23-24 mpg).

ZV

 

[CrackRabbit]

The only thing I have to add from what Zenmervolt said is that the interior plastics are quite brittle and will break easily.
Not a discouragement, just something to note.

 

[overst33r]

Thanks for the replies. I will update the thread if I purchase the car.

 

[thomsbrain]

Even bulletproof has its limits, and most of these cars are definitely showing their age. Avoid the auto trannies, as they were definitely NOT bulletproof. Also, you need to understand that Volvos are not cheap cars. It doesn't matter how little the purchase price is, because you will need to cough up a lot of dough to keep it running properly. Like Porsches, they will run a long time, but they will not run at all if you skip a service (seriously, they start getting rough and dying on you and stuff), and the services are expensive (though not Porsche-expensive). They can also be very finicky about gas, because they had poorly designed fuel injectors that get clogged with anything less than Chevron premium (premium gas for 125 HP?). They are dog-slow and they handle like moving trucks. While they were the safest car on the road at the time, I'd bet any modern car of similar size would be far safer, and you'd have a much better chance of avoiding the accident in the first place.

so the short answer is, unless you just really want a 240, there are better and more economical choices for transportation.