Dear Volvo Lovers,

My daughter has a 1988 240 DL wagon that just got into an accident that may end up being the last hurrah for the car, depending upon what the other driver's insurance company does. If the car must go, I wanted to replace it with another Volvo 240 DL wagon. the 1988 has many new parts, including tires, all new brakes, etc. My question is, how far forward can I come in model years into the 1990s and still be able to use the spare parts we can scavange from the damaged car before sending her to the boneyard. At what point in time does the 240 DL wagon become so different that older parts just won't be useful?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Regards,

Gene Smelik

Brake pads and rotors will swap, but you can't put '88 front calipers on a ABS 240 because non-abs uses 4 lines to the front and abs uses 2.

The '88 fuel system, LH2.2, was used '85-'88 on the 240.

From 88 forward the main changes that were made that would effect compatibility would apply primarily to the fuel injection systems. Most of everything else should be compatible.

Depending on condition and your storage space availability, try to keep:

Front Seat belts, and their stalks. Rears, maybe. Wide tab vs narrow tab.

E-brake console cover.

Glove box in toto, include lock and key.

Front seats. The driver's seat base up-and-down adjuster can be fitted to the passenger side.

Front door map pockets.

All fuses and relays you can get to.

Cargo door struts

Headlight - complete unit including the plastic base that holds the corner light and the corner lights themselves.


There's maybe more, just can't think of it now.

Good Luck,

Bob

:>)

I would use caution in simply removing parts from the car before you reach a settlement with the other company- assuming their driver was at fault and you expect them to pay. If you can swap parts out you should have no problem but if their adjuster comes and the radio is removed or the radiator has been taken out you might have a problem reaching a good settlement.

What you might consider is reaching a settlement with them and then asking how much they want for the car. If you can purchase it for a reasonable amount you can then strip it out and call a yard to come pick up the carcass (you might want to check around and arrange this ahead of time). My recent experience with our 88 DL that was totaled when hit by a drunk driver is that the insurance company was willing to sell me the car for $300.

Good luck
Randy

You're in luck with an '88 - all sorts of things are forward-compatible. The stuff you'll find really useful are interior/exterior trim pieces, relays, etc.

My advice is to find a '91 or newer. Much better AC (although on a 10+ yr old car the AC will still need work), driver's side air bag, and ABS (optional for '91, standard for 92-93). 93 got the R134a refrigerant for the AC.

Gene,
Bodywise you can use parts from '86-93,brakes are the same('92+had antilock)steering and suspension are the same,as are the engine('85-93) and trans.FI varys slightly.interior is compatable.'88 was the first year for new seatbelt location and rear headrests.
Keep as much as you can take off,you never know when you're gonna need it.
--
philvo '86 245 215k,'90 240 196k,'87 SAAB 900 SPG 213k