Hello again all! I have decided to go with another 240 for my next car. Horray:) The only thing is I want turbo for that little extra somthing, but recently I have heard alot of bad about them; They are unreliable, hard to fix, and just plain a pain. What are some of your comments/experiences. Thanks!!

Hi I have a 245 turbo and it's lots of fun. I really like feeling when the boost kicks in. My friend has a non turbo 245 and it has more horsepower at low RPMs but none at high. It's very hard to pass people. When it downshifts the RPMs increase but your speed does not. On my turbo you have a little turbo lag at low RPM and lots of passing powr at high RPMs. It is so easy to pass people on the road. Another good thing about the turbo is the wheels that come with it. I have not had any real bad problems with my turbo so far. My turbo runs better than my friends three year youger non turbo. But if you do have a problem with your engine and choose to work on it by yuorself they are much more complicated and the engine bay is more cluttered on the turbo. The only thing I have trouble with is summer driving. When it is hot outside my car has trouble keeping a normal temp. This may be becuase my radiator is bad or maybe the turbo adds heat. But in the winter this is a nice feature becuas it heats up real quickly.
Finally I really like how many things you could do to increase your power. IPD has turbo upgrades, cams, cam gears, exhaust sytems and much more. Overall I think is a lot more fun without reliability problems. The non turbo has 120hp and the turbo has 160hp and 180ft/lbs of torque. BUY A TURBO!!!!!!!!

Can you do the work yourself? I mean ALL the work?

If yes get a 240 turbo.

They are great cars to own and drive. Mine is rock reliable.

A used 240T will need work - no one (BBer's mostly) with an already fixed up 240T will want to part with their nice car....THAT should tell you something!

I plan on driving the 85 245Ti until I croak. I plan on living until I'm an old geezer. Then I plan on living until I die. Bury me in my 245Ti, please.

Maybe the only reason to pass on a 240T is rust beyond repair (lift the carpets!) OR the joker wants WAY too much money......

Just never get a 240T and expect the "mechanic" to do the repairs. Unless you can afford a Ferarri, which in that case, buy a Ferarri!

All the normal 240 stuff (rust,bushings,switches, relays, steering rack, front end parts, window regulators, electric door locks, exhaust system) craps out on 240T's - plus the turbo is 2x as hard on moving parts, plus the turbo itself, the exhaust mani...

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www.fidalgo.net/~brook4

consider that it can be a little difficult to find a good Turbo 240 sometimes... when i was buying my 245, i couldn't find one near me at any price, and i didn't want a 740. so i settled for an '86 245, but i got a nice one. done some mods (intake, exhaust, sway bars) to keep me happy. i recently looked at purchasing two Turbo wagons ('82 for parts, and '84) with the intent of selling my '86 to pay for them, at a decent price but after driving the "good" one ('84) i changed my mind. realize that without an intercooler, these cars are no faster than mine is, in fact the '84 was slower. and beat up. and kinda rusty. (this is PA)

so, considering the extra work (buying two cars, swapping parts, minor body work, selling the remainder, buying and installing intercooler) i decided to wait until i'm ready to put a newer turbo engine in my '86 from a 740/760 donor car. it will probably be more reliable, and parts may even be easier to come by. i will end up with a fast, rust-free 245 Turbo, and all i will need are some of those gorgeous 5-spoke wheels.

granted, the Turbo 240s are awesome vehicles and i still wish i had one, but they are a lot of work and i will get the power in the end...

I bought my first 240 about 6 months ago. 82 245 turbo 230K. I thought I'd be able to drive it a few years before doing any serious work on it. I was wrong. In 4000 miles I've had to do: Front end rebuild, wiring harness, starter, trailing arm bushings, blower motor, clutch and in-tank-pump. At first, I was really bummed out that the car needed so much work and considered selling it. Thanks to the advice and encouragement of the people on this board, I was able to fix all this stuff for less than $800 in parts and a few weekends getting greasey. I'm prepared that one day, I might need a turbo. Hell, I'm prepared to rebuild the engine if I have to. The car is that good. I looked at my buddies 80 242 today. Lotsa room in that engine compartment to work on stuff. The turbo definitely has more crap in there to get in your way but as Dave says, boost is fun, boost is worth it.

Bob
82 intercooled turbowagon 234K

Turbo'd cars aren't unreliable, they just need a little more maintenence. You know the stuff that most folks tend to blow-off until the repair bill is fairly large. Then averge brick lover comes along, buys a "fix-a-brick" and brings the car back the spec by pumpimg bucks into it and saving on the labor.

Once you find a T-car, bring it back to spec, take care of it, follow the perferred maintence program and it won't eat your pocketbook. But be prepared to maintain it.

Some of the early 80's T-cars had electrical problems and got a bad name. For $400 to $600, a spare weekend, and a vast vocabulary you can usually fix that.

Myself, I have three non-Turbo's. Maintenance is fairly light, they don't go zoom-zoom, but they me there alive...always. Did you know that Volvo tests their cars to survive a collsion with a Moose..no kidding.

As others have said, they are well worth it if you have the skils to do the needed work yourself. They are showing up in droves in the local pick and pulls undoubtedly because of maintenance issues and owners who decide not to spend what it takes to get a 17+ year old car up to par. That being said I decided I really should sell my '85 244T about 6 months ago, I have talked 2 people out of looking at it and have not run any adds. I think if someone walked up with wads of cash and tried to rip the key out of my hands they would have a fight on their hands :-) They are that much fun.
Enjoy
Dave
4 bricks
www.volvo2.homestead.com

sure they do have issues, bad harness, turbo life of 200K miles, but they are worth it.

I think what D said is true, and I too have found it worthwhile, but do not underestimate the effort and expense of rescuing an old turbo that has been abused and neglected.. If you are not willing to learn things like a clutch replacement, head gasket replacement or turbo swap, I would not recommend you get one.

After owning various 240s over the years. A turbo wins the favorites hands down.
Although, having said that you have to objectively look at what a turbo model is all about. They are more of an enthusiasts car. This is a motor that is stressed more and the higher level parts that are used cost more. In my experience once you take care of a turbo car's issues they are as reliable as the N/A cars. Mine have been. They do require more attention and parts do wear out sooner. But the boost is worth it.

The rest of the car is high level 240. You get vented front brakes instead of solid rotors. You have the bigger sway bars. Nice wheels. Heavy duty driveline. The only stuff missing is the sound refinement and things like the flush windshields of the 91 and newer cars. But you can add this if they are parts you need or desire. Keep in mind that you are basically dealing with 17-20 year old cars so parts have worn out from time not just mileage. I've been able to bring back a few 240 turbos back from dead. Always rewarding and worth it.

The interior can be a bit expensive if you get a leather interior. Cause it'll probably be cracked and split. Personally, I'd change it to the cloth. If you like 240s and don't mind a bit of extra expense they are fun cars. Boost and a manual trans make for a lot of fun in a Volvo!

Dave 82 242ti 276k mi, daily driver
84 242ti 170k mi, backup
86 244DL 115k? mi, for sale soon
89 244DL 223k mi going to be the winter daily driver.