well i got my 244 back from the mechanic and it happened to be in worse shape then when i brought it in, even $800 later. the worst part is that i loved the car but didnt have much choice besides leaving it behin and heading west in a 2002 caviler (ouch!) apparently the car was terribly cancerous underneath and needed much more work then i expected. from the mechanic tinkering with things underneath my car he made the whole e-brake system that was already bad,comepletly let go and cause much more unneeded strees so Bulla is up for sale now and im saying the hell with the 240's untill i get all the way west (in in Winnipeg now by the way) and can get a salt free car,
cheers all, and thanks for the help
Matt

Winnipeg...one of my favorite cities! We try to spend at least a week there every summer. Sometimes we have trouble finding a reservation at the Fort Garry Hotel (www.fortgarryhotel.com) due to the huge numbers of weddings they host.

We also spend a week or two on a friend's island on Lake of the Woods.

Sorry to hear that your Volvo has bit the dust!

When you get to your destination, find out anbout importing costs (taxes, etc.) and we'll see what we can do to find you a decent, non-rusty car.

I drive a 1964 PV544 as my daily transportaion (418,000+ miles on it) and it has ZERO rust, despite having spent some time in San Francisco.

I'm certain we can find somethign good in your price range, then you can come down (next winter?) and pick it up and see stuff like Death Valley and Las Vegas.

We spent 21 years in Omaha, Nebraska, the very heart of the U.S. Rust Belt.


I saw a lot of five-year-old cars rusted right out...too much salt and not enough car washings!

Since we've been in southern California (7 years now) I see all kinds of clean Volvo's and the prices seem dirt cheap to me.

Steve

Good luck on your drive.

As rusty as our 20+ year old Volvos get, I was astounded today by the rust and corrosion on a 2001 Subaru I had the 'joy' of changing brakes on.

It's working on friends and family cars that scares me from driving anything other than a Volvo.....Don't get me started on Honda cracked manifolds or Dodge gaskets.

mormit.
--
02 S40 now my daily! :), 98 V70 T5 new wife mobile-very nice!, 85 245DL 266,000mi V15cam It takes a licking and keeps on ticking

I notice a previous poster mentioned salt-free cars in BC. Be prepared for sticker shock in the Vancouver area. There are plenty of 240/740 cars there, but my last look 'round there says any in reasonable shape wll be way overpriced compared to cars of its age, condition, size, etc.

Older Volvos seem to have reached a cult status or something out there. Too many UBC profs and environmentalists maybe.
--
Bob (son's 81-244GL B21F/M46, dtr's 83-244DL B23F/M46, my 94-944 B230FD; hobbycar 77 MGB, and a few old motorcycles)

Yeah I drove cross-country in an Escort once, and I have to say it was a painful experience. But I understand the need to put a rusty car down, even when they're running ok. My 87 244 has reached its end due to rocker panel and floor rust along the right side. A real shame as it runs outstandingly well for a 250K-mile car.
--
Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: 87 244DL, 88 245DL, 90 745GL, 84 242DL project, 89 244 parts, 88 244DL to replace the 87

"A real shame as it runs outstandingly well for a 250K-mile car."
I thought you'd know how to weld.

I'm learning how to weld so that I can keep my '80 and an '84 going.
--
1980 245 Canadian B21A with SU carb and M46 trans in Brampton, Ont.

After you've spent some serious seat time in that Cavalier, you will be begging us to take you back.

So the '85 244 is still in Nova Scotia and up for sale?

BC should have some 240's in good salt-free condition.
--
1980 245 Canadian B21A with SU carb and M46 trans in Brampton, Ont.

Alternatively, you might consider taking a trip down the coast when you get to BC. Oregon was pretty reasonable when I was there a few years ago (in Portland) where I got an 89 740 Turbo/Int sedan w/leather all options for $3000. (in 2001). Oregon has the following things going for it:
1) No sales tax (though getting into Canada may involve your own gov't sticking you on that one. Calif. does that, Wash. does not)
2) No salt on the roads - it doesn't snow enough, so they use ground up volcanic rock. BTW, this is hell on the front of your hood if you ski a lot.
3) Relatively sleepy economy. I live in Orange County, CA which has many rust free 240s, etc., but tend to be a bit expensive, 'cause everything else here is.

Don't give up on Volvo - they're for LIFE.


Best,

Lanval
--
92 240 GL 143,000mi

I think if some of you East Coast guys came out west, you would be amazed at what you could find that is rust free and cheap. Lots of nice cars here in the Seattle area, but the best I have seen have been in Central California. Not too hot, so the insides are not fried, and no rust.

A few years back I spent two days hitting the Pick and Pull Wreckers from Fresno to Sacramento and then into the Bay Area. Some of the cars that were fifteen years old looked new....with the paint still shinning! Amazing!

Amen. I recently saw a 92 240 with perfect paint, straight body in the pick n pull.... why, why, why? I seriously thought about buying it salvage, replacing the interior + mechanical from my car (which has trashed paint - PO lived in Corona del Mar, close to the beach). It was that good. And that's not altogether unusual. I've gotten many good parts here, and the bodies are usually excellent, if not smashed.

Lanval
--
92 240 GL 143,000mi

quiet!!! we don't need any more compeitition out here :)