I'm going to look at what could be an exceptional 1976 240 wagon. It has been owned by the same guy for 25 years. He bought it when it had 11K and now it has 264K. He says he followed Volvo's recommended maintenance schedule the whole time, and I think he can prove it.

What should I be watching for with this model?

It's carbureted, correct?

Which engine would a 76 have?

How does the engine compare to the B21F and B230F that I'm familiar with?

If he actually did follow Volvo's suggested maintenance schedule religiously, could this thing have much life left in it?

Any information would be helpful.
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Thanks to everyone for the help, Doug C. 81 242 Brick Off Blocks, stock, M46; 86 240, 130K

I had a '76 240 for a number of years. It was a great car, despite being the color of a Mountain Dew can! As another poster stated, there are more similarities than differences between that car and a newer 240. As I recall, mine had an injected B21 engine with auto trans, third seat, factory trailer hitch, and manuel windows.

The only significant problem I had with it was some deal where the gas tank was over-pressurizing. The good news was that the problem had been identified as a "field recall," so Volvo did the repair at no cost to me. This would have been sometime in the mid-80's, so I was very impressed that Volvo would honor a recall such as this on a car which was almost ten years old!

Anyway, other that checking the staus of the car in terms of the recall, if it has been maintained and is rust free, I would think it is a good car -- at least a fun car. Not sure what you are looking for, but even if the drive train breaks -- and at 264k you cannot expect perfection -- used repair parts are very available and not too expensive.

Try this site for general spec info

http://www.volvoworld.com/

Sounds great!
Miguel
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'86 244 and '87 245

Hey Doug,

It's going to be a remarkably similar vehicle to the ones you are already used to. Odds are it has a B21F in it, if not, a B21A will grace the engine cavity. It's just carburated instead of fuel injected and there's a different cam under the valve cover. Early 240's did not have rear sway bars, the interiors were different, no front fender liners, possibly the old rotary heater controls and the exhaust went over the axle instead of under (most have been replaced with the newer style by now). Otherwise, standard 240 stuff applies, check for rust, bad wiring harnesses, bad bushings, oil leaks, etc...

Sounds like an overall sweet addition to the collection to me, how much does the guy want for it???

Happy bricking...

Richard

87 245 DL 349,000 km
82 242 GLT 121,000 km

He's asking 1500 or best offer. I'm thinking maybe 1000 if it's as good as it sounds??
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Thanks to everyone for the help, Doug C. 81 242 Brick Off Blocks, stock, M46; 86 240, 130K

Provided that there's still a body left on it... sounds in and around the right kind of $$$$