I don't know about the 240 manual, but many Haynes manuals have some very good safety tips and a section on proper maintenance in them.

There are plenty of How Tos on the web and on this site and Volvospeed.

See the list an the botom of the 700/900 FAQ - see window switch repair for a good example.

Consider joining Volvo Club of America (VOCA) and find out if there is a chapter near you.

Visit You tube and view some of the Volvo stuff such as VolvoSno Race, Tractor Volvo Terror Racing, or EPA Traktor

Have someone check the over-all body integrity - Volvos are great, but if the body and door drains have been damaged or blocked, they can be deadly, rotten deathtraps. All around the bottom of the body and each door, there are drain holes pressed in the metal that must be kept clear, or a volvo can rot as much as any lesser car.

I have seen some rotten examples that I would not even enter - one was so bad, the driver's seat rocked back and forth.

We taught out two daughters to check their cars weekly - fluids, visual inspection, and tire pressure.

My wife would not let them drive unless they could prove that they could change a flat.

Christine changed a flat on her Dodge 4WD work truck up in Saskchewan, When she went to a garage, the truck muddy and dirty, the attendant could not believe that she had changed the tire herself!