Mom has a 91,740, non turbo, B230F, 138,000. This Car keeps getting hit by other cars - seems jinxed! No major problems. Much annoyance with the rotor warpage too often. Found the Bendix/Rex/Regina system to be trouble free, except I never could get any instructions on how to perform a compression or rpm test. No one can tell me. I have asked about that here at this site and never got any replies. Getting ready to throw in the towel on this Volvo. I still got my 240 and am currently slowly restoring it. Anyway, Mom is tired of the 91 - feels it is jinxed, as I said before.

Don't want to ask a Chevy Dealers his/her opinion of a Chevy, know what I mean? But I know you guys love good well built cars - cars worth putting money into. My brother has had many very carefree Toyotas and Consumer Reports highly recommends them. Have mixed opinions on CR but I feel they called it right on the Toyotas. I have many mixed opinions on cars depending on the particular model and year. "Nobody makes em all good all the time." Anyway, I always wanted ask this FYI type question at this site. Btw, I didn't bother to put Volvo the list, as I know you all like em. Mom did too, but is spooked about em now. I know how you guys feel about them. I'm just curious to know your objective and subjective opinion of other cars. Also, I have no knowledge of any other car enthusiast sites like this. Include SUV's too, if you wish to give an opinion. What do you think of the Ford Explorer's in light of the Firestone tragedy? Btw, is that still ongoing? ... What is the verdict? ... similar to the bad press given by CR years ago on the Rodeo SUV?


Here is my list:

AM General
Acura
Aston Martin -
Audi
BMW
Bentley
Buick
Cadillac
Chevrolet
Chrysler
Daewoo
Dodge
Ford
GMC
Honda
Hyundai
Infiniti
Isuzu
Jaguar
Jeep
Kia
Land Rover -
Lexus
Lincoln
Mazda
Mercury
Mitsubishi
Nissan
Oldsmobile
Plymouth
Pontiac
Saab
Saturn
Subaru
Suzuki
Toyota
Volkswagen


Thanks for your opinion.
Bruce

PS. I left out Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lotus, Porsche, as Mom is not in that market anymore, if ever. Mercedes-Benz has no aftermarket parts available and forced you to buy dealer parts. Rolls-Royce, too much $$$, too impractical for the average person for other reasons.

Well....if you plan to choose from that list of yours, go for the Bentley! A nice, safe car weighing in at 5600 lbs, solid turbo V-8. Little shy on power at 400bhp, but the 616 lb-ft of torque should put her back in the seat with the 6.3 0-60 time.

And its rather nicely appointed with all the leather & wood trim...and other British sillyness. And what a bargain at only 207K list.

-Matt B
(guess whos been sifting through road&track again)

Nah, for that kind of cash I'd go for the Aston Martin Vanquish (also on the list). 0-100 km/hr in 5.0sec, 190mph top speed, 460HP 48valve V12. Not exactly a "drivers" car, but still a fun ride.

Seriously, for the $5k-$15k range, I'd probably look for a '95 940 Turbo, an 850 Turbo, or a VW (Golf/GTI or Jetta w/1.8T).
--
Michael -- 1987 244 GT | Volvo 240 Links

Matt, Matt, Matt .. Please, I am serious. Mom doesn't need that kind of power. And 207K is a bit out of her pocketbook. Lets figure around $5K min to $15K max.

Bruce

With so many cars out there, I can't comment anything without some insight as to what she really desires out of a car. Safety is prolly a concern, but is performance? New or used? Handling? Long term maintenance? DIY friendly? Space? Popularity?

As for the brake rotors warping ... if it's one of those chains with a rotate tires/oil change specials, that'll explain it all. None of those places will care about properly lug nut torque. And for the record, it ain't just Volvo's that have that issue. Many cars with ventilated brakes prematurely warp for that reason - a little while ago, my co-worker's Accord had that, 1k after getting his tires rotated at a "famous" quick-lube place. If there was any clue, my torque wrench was still clicking at even 110 ft./lb.

-- Kane ... since that, he's learning the DIY route.

posted by Kane, "With so many cars out there, I can't comment anything without some insight as to what she really desires out of a car. Safety is prolly a concern, but is performance? New or used? Handling? Long term maintenance? DIY friendly? Space? Popularity?

As for the brake rotors warping ... if it's one of those chains with a rotate tires/oil change specials, that'll explain it all. None of those places will care about properly lug nut torque. And for the record, it ain't just Volvo's that have that issue. Many cars with ventilated brakes prematurely warp for that reason - a little while ago, my co-worker's Accord had that, 1k after getting his tires rotated at a "famous" quick-lube place. If there was any clue, my torque wrench was still clicking at even 110 ft./lb.

-- Kane ... since that, he's learning the DIY route. "


That brake rotor problem is a frustrating situation. One of our Toyotas suffers the same thing IF it is not done properly. NOTE what I am saying here also about this. My Mom's Volvo has had this same overtorquing of the rotors and the resulting warpage, from a Volvo dealer - KEYSTONE VOLVO, of Berwyn, PA. Keystone runs the lugs down with impact guns and torque sticks. Their motto is, "We Demand Excellence." But they don't give excellence !!! Now isn't that ironic for a Volvo dealer, always stressing that warped Volvo rotors happen at the "other" repair shops. Yeah, right!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway back to the other good cars question, let me try to start this thread over and explain something I forgot to mention. First, my apologies to ALL Volvo enthusiasts. My intent is not to be posting about non Volvos at a Volvo forum (No sacrilege intend!). But it is because of the knowledge about many cars that you guys know about that I ask.

Personally, I have a 89, 245 Wagon (and other Volvos are in the family) that I am slowly restoring (slowly for various reasons). Myself, I like this car, as well as, other model Volvos. But we do not live in a Volvo only world. I have tried to talk some of my friends as to the integrity of a pre FOMOCO built Volvo - but old habits die hard! I can't force them to buying one. As for myself, I was interested in modifying the 245, if needed, into a camping vehicle, but I did not receive any replies of any substance, so I am considering getting another vehicle just for that purpose. Regretfully Volvo did not make any SUV's in the past, so there is no such used vehicle to consider. I was hoping that my current wagon with a 3:73 rear, was Ltd Slip, but no knows how to tell if it is. A Ltd Slip 2WD is sufficient for camping. (I prefer that to FWD or standard SWD).

As for Mom, she just got spooked. I had her convinced to get another Volvo but then she saw this SAAB and now is on a SAAB quest. When she pressed on the cup holder and it came out of the dash like a CDROM drive and then unfolded it just blew her away. Good almighty, I thought, what will they think of next. Sorry, I do my Volvo best.

So please forgive the non intentional sacrilegiousness. If I can't get people to look at Volvos, then I need to get the next best thing, and was hoping you guys might know of some "particular" good non Volvo vehicles. Consumer reports lists both recommended cars and vehicles to avoid. Toyotas and Volvos seem to never be on the bad list and are usually on the good list - at least one or two models for every price range. Most of the bad vehicles seem to be US made, but there are also good US made cars on the list. The US does seem to make the better SUV's. Ironic huh, when you think of how much we stress buying US made goods as being synonymous with good quality - go figure.

Anyway, if my apologies are accepted, perhaps you might have some insight into these other vehicles.

So, to answer Kane's question, about specifics, I would say Mom is looking for these priorities in a vehicle: safety #1, dependability #2, Comfort #3, Fuel economy #4 (like 4 cylinders for that reason). I know, that points to a Volvo. Oh well, I try. So, the question remains. It's both ironic and complimentary that I ask this question at a Volvo web site.


Thanks,
Bruce

Damn dealer ... wants more business, so they screw up in the service department. Find an independent Volvo shop for service - usually the more specific, the more experienced. Not always, but check around here for recommendations in your area.

As for limited slip ... IIRC, you can check when both wheels are jacked up. Brakes released, of course, and in neutral, spin one of the tires. If the other rotates in the same direction, you have limited slip. If it rotates in the opposite direction, it's an open differential.

I wouldn't recommend getting so attached to a Saab. Servicing ain't fun in those, and parts are more expensive than the Volvo counterpart. And since those Saab cupholder/coin holders are just standard DIN size, you can mount it in the bottom tray, behind the shifter, of the 240's.

As for the priorities - old Volvo's fit #1 and #2 alright, but #3 and #4 usually aren't their strong points. Towards the upper eschelon of your price range, she may want to consider a used Camry - '97 or newer, as the earlier ones didn't have as much priority to safety. That's not saying that it's a tank, but it's doing better than a lot of other cars, regardless of origin.

If image is not a factor at all, large Buicks (Le Sabre, Park Avenue, Roadmaster) may fit the bill too. Contrary to their larger engines, their conserative gearing keeps the mileage up.

Now, these are stictly my opinions, and I'd admit that they won't be the top selections on my list (RWD is a priority for me). Your own judgement should prevail first.

-- Kane ... so don't complain if my choices are skewed, OK? :)

No problem. Just wanted other "opinions." Was hoping to get an answer from a real atoz-automotive-knowledgeable person. Guess this question wasn't too well received with most people at this site, or perhaps most of them really don't know alot about otehr cars -- Bruce

PS. Do you know of any other real good automotive web sites, either very brand specific or just Generally. I have found a few but the general repair ones are not very active.

A good number of us here have been driving Volvo's for generations. Or what feels like for some of us, at least. :)

With general repair, none that I can think of. For general, try Edmunds.com.

-- Kane

Well geez, you shoulda said so... I thought you were asking for a pick of the litter (or list)...

$5-15K, I'd say your best bet is a good used Volvo... Otherwise, you could get a nice new kia....?

Remind her that the Volvo has been good, and safe. And that she should keep it or get one in a different color that doesn't blend in so much.

-Matt

With respect to the color, how about code # 113 Red-Orange? :) Will stick out like a sore thumb and look like one.
-J