Here is the story:
1992 Wagon
Automatic
Bright Red Repainted (shiny)
Rack
156,000 miles
New blower motor professionally installed by Volvo specialist
power windows
cloth seats, no rips
Water pump weeps
Fair tires
No rust issues
AC works

I think it's worth what he is asking. He is 3rd owner.

What do you all think?

Is the Carfax thing worth the money??

Could a person ever change it over to a 5 speed?

Thanks to all,
Hawk

That price isn't dreadful. Do you have documentation on the work that's been done?

For the transmission, while the manual is a little fun, I'd be tempted to just swap in a lock-up AW unit from a 740 or 940.

-Ryan
--

Athens, Ohio
1987 245 DL 324k, Dog-mobile, E-codes
1990 245 DL 137k M47, E-codes, GT Sway Bars, GT Braces, Dracos
1991 745 GL 304k, Regina, 23/21mm Turbo Sway Bars

It's deja vu all over again! I had a similar situation in 9/08, '92 245, bright and shiny, low mileage and had to make a quick decision, though not quite up to $2000. I bit to replace a totaled 240.

What I learned: High value is attached to "bright and shiny" by sellers and insurance companies, thus $2000. Numerous POs add mystery to the mix, paticularly when they are more frequent in the recent past. CarFax would be worth it. Spend some time looking it over, but get under the "skin". Insist on seeing service/repair records from the 3rd owner. I'm sure your research on BB will give you the hints at what to look for. Hopefully, you are a willing DIY'r with patience.

So, by now, I have a reliable, sweet sounding and riding, "bright and shiny" '92 245 that should pass the next state safety inspection. And another 240 has been rescued from a final fate. I couldn't end this without praising the Brickboard support.

For the love of Volvos.
Mike
--
'83 245 GLT, '92 245DL, '90 760 GLT

DO NOT be overwhelmed by what the others say about a Tranny Swap - it is EASY. I've got an in-depth pictorial to step you thru it...
But are you an OWNER or OPERATOR?
An owner pays out the nose to keep a mechanic in business.
An operator researches all the pertinent resources to achieve a desired result AND maintains his efforts. (or vice versa, if you're a trucker)

Other that that... worth $2,000?
That really depends on how much you really wanna see this car fly... or just see it "run" - there is a huge difference. (e.g. Enthusiast vs Naturalist)

1992 is an awesome year - you'll have all the perks that the previous models wished they had. ( I own one, myself) I just spent $2k on a 1989 wagon with a few faults but only cuz the paint was STUPENDOUSLY perfect. I've found that being sensitive to certain driving characteristics allows you to detect failures in these cars. Not to mention that the troubleshooting priority tree is not so lengthy. Basically, your question about worthiness of the car is like asking if AIR is worth breathing despite you KNOWING you can filter it.

One thing to seriously check is the heating cycle.... let that car sit running in DRIVE with the parking brake on (and you at the controls) to see how bad that car will heat up. If you see that Temp Gauge shoot up and NOOOO fluid is leaking, you have a problem. But these B230F's hardly run these Nissan/GM Heating issues.
--
'92 244 NOW w/ M47 (Hydra, turbo bars, bilstein, urethane bushings)

Only you have seen it so only you can tell. I picked up a decent '87 245 for $600 and spent $1000 on it getting it into reliable runner shape. It still has a ways to go. How are the tires, brakes, suspension, timing belt, exhaust, etc. ?

If you really want an old car, you should buy the best one that you can afford. You can change them over to a manual transmission, it only takes a lot of cash or a lot of effort.

Greg

I just had my 93 245 switched from a auto to a 5 speed from my wrecked car. 100 for the new clutch and 400 to switch.

I bought my 88 245 for 500 and have spent 2000.00 to bring it back. Big things were a rack and front seats recovered. This one needs none of that. I am going to look over it better tomorrow.

Hawk

FWIW, As far as the Carfax thing goes there's one thing to be aware of. That is that an incident will only show up on a Carfax report IF it was involved in an insurance claim. In other words, if someone wrecked their car and took it to a body shop and paid for it out-of-pocket then it will NOT be on that report. It's up to you if you want to spend $30 for a "maybe accurate" report.