My brother has a 1982 VOLVO GL Diesel with ONLY 123,000 miles that has a valid 1992 Texas inspection sticker available CHEAP! Loaded! Hasn't moved in 14 YEARS!

Hurry, in a week or so it is finally going to one of those "Cars for kids" organizations....

Seriously, this WAS a great car when it was brand new. We were just talking about it over Thanksgiving. It was his first new car after graduating from college and it ran great. I was the first to point out to him that it had VW engine. I burst his bubble, he was really upset...pissed! Wrote letters to Volvo letting them know he felt that it was deceptive to sell a Volvo with a VW engine without telling the customer.

The car did great until 115,000 miles, and then it had problems starting. I remember him having to spray starting fluid into the intake manifold to get it running. I think the glow plugs wore out and he never got around to replacing them, then it sat there forever and the sunroof kept water out like a screen door on a submarine... Has tons of mold growing on the inside. I call it the planter.

I think the last time I saw a running Volvo diesel CAR on the road, Ronald Reagan was still President.

PS It had those finned factory rims. The first time the center caps were taken off, you could hear him coming from miles away becasue those things NEVER did go on again correctly and rattled like a banshee when he was approaching!


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If it needs to be maintained, repaired or replaced on a 1990 240, I've probably done it. '90 240DL, 245K looking forward to 300K badge. >>You haven't really worked on a car until you draw blood<< :-}

your screen name suggests what you would have another if you bought that car. Avoid any 1 series or 2 series Volvos with a 6 as the second number, diesel or gas.

If you are in the New England area, you might check with Converse Conversions. They install V-8's into 240s and the suspension of a Diesel is just right for the additional weight of a V-8 over a 4 banger.

As I recall, the Diesel models of 240 had the higher level trim like the GL, maybe other fancies like power windows, sunroof, leather upholstery, etc.

Had a co-worker with a 245 Diessl, early 80's model. Lost the timing belt, broke cam into 5 pieces, no doubt bent all valves, maybe twisted the crank. The compression ratio on a Diesel is around 18:1, far tighter than our 10:1 level. Car was totalled.

But the key is if you have a mechanic for the car.

Regards,

Bob

:>)

You just said "diesel". In here that means people will be telling you to run away from that car ASAP ;-)

The diesels got a bad rep in the States. I believe mechanics unfamiliar with the diesel engine and general lousy maintenance are to blame. In all fairness I should add that these engines are pretty unforgiving. You have to treat them right (and remember broken timing belt = byebye valves).

Around here (Belgium, 55-60% of new cars are diesels, been so since decades) there are quite a few D24's (the engine type) driving around. Most mechanics (both indie and dealer) are quite experienced with diesel engines.
Around here the D24 is known as a pretty decent engine. Sure it lacks the power modern diesels got (hello, introduced in '79!), but they still get around nicely (you won't be winning any stoplight-sprints though). And with frequent and religious maintenance (and proper driving habits of course) the engine will serve for a long time, albeit never as bulletproof an engine as the redblocks.

My D24 240 sedan has currently got 255000 kilometres, uses no oil between (3000mile) intervals , mileage is 6.5 litres per 100 Kilometres (I'll let you do the math). Top speed is about 150 Km/H (GPS), cruising around at 120-130 is easy. Never had it overheat on me (and I've done my share of mountains) either.

I guess the real question is: can you find a decent diesel mechanic or are you confident you can master it yourself.
[If the latter you'll need the books and tools to do the timing belts (front and back).]

Good luck
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'92 Volvo 240GL 6cyl. Diesel

Is it this cream-colored wagon currently on ebay? if so, it looks like it might be worth a look, but not close to the $4500 the guy wants. I wouldn't pay more than $1500-2k for it. But that's just me.
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Nik :: 1989 Tinted Silver 244 AW70:: Chicago, IL :: 149K as of 11/2006 :: Pics and Notes

It might be best to let this one die. Parts and help working with a volvo diesle car are hard to find