I bought my '88 240 DL Wagon in Oct '03. It is my first brick, and perhaps in my haste to join the Circle I didn't shop carefully enough. I paid $1100 for the car which had 175000 Miles. Turns out, however, that the odometer gear was shot (I've since fixed it). So the mileage is indeterminate. The AC was broken when I bought it, but, summer is rapidly approaching here in Arizona - not having AC is not an option. So with AC and suspension/steering work needed I'm looking at ~$2000 in repairs (See below for the list of items).

So I turn to the Brickboard for advice. I plan to test drive a '93 240 Sedan ($2300) today. Also my local dealer has some 960 wagons that I might consider. I'd like to stick to a wagon if possible.

So, repair or replace? Any advice, opinions, or rants are welcome.

thanks,

Aaron

P.S. I'd like to say 3 cheers for the Brickboard. You folks have helped me out immensely with diagnosing a faulty AMM to replacing the faulty odometer gear. A solid group of intelligent and thoughtful people.

AC compressor, dryer, hoses, etc - complete overhaul
Front struts
Rear shocks
Rear springs
PS rack + tie rods
Some ssorted bushings front and rear

I'm in pretty good agreement with Pancho. $2300 for a '93, assuming the mileage is reasonable, is a good price. My guess is that with doing most of the wrenching yourself, you'd spend $1000-1200 on parts for bringing your '88 up to snuff. The '93 has an airbag, ABS, and not only a much better A/C system but it also uses R134, not expensive freon. (I moved out here [Phoenix area]last summer and unfortunately had to have a shop replace my compressor... the guy said "nah, you don't want a R134 retrofit... we've had a lot of problems with those"... I was at his mercy, and the job was over $1200, $150 was just for freon). Another thing is that most sedans have cloth upholstery, whereas most wagons have vinyl... miserable in the heat out here.

Beyond that, the cars are pretty similar, and having owned an '88 245, I can assure you that the '93 is a tad more refined.

Good luck... post back with your decision.

if the 93 is worth buying at 2300, i'd do that. it does sound awful cheap. might be it needs 2k in work, also. have someone who speaks volvo look over anything you want to buy, 50-100 bucks, is cheap insurance to pay for avoiding used problems, i mean, cars, someone is selling. i'm leery of the 960s myself, a 940, yes. good luck, chuck.

I was in the same pickle with our 87 245 - although the repairs needed are not as costly as yours (a warped head), I was thinking whether nor not to invest some money into the car or buy another newer 245. An importnat factor in my decision is that the car is my wife's - and we were thinking of the next five years and possibly kids. Anyway, we decided to go for a 93 wagon - more money but it has 93K miles and we can move it to 200K and beyond with careful maintenence. Your 245 is sort of like a pandora's box because the OD is broken. Many people on BB have said that a 240 can go forever *if taken care of*, but like any internal combustion vehicle, inattentive ownership wears a car down. The 93 sedan sounds like a great deal, depending on the miles. If there are repair reciepts, you will know what you are getting yourself into. I would move up in the 240 world into the 90s if I were you. If you have space, keep the wagon for a parts car. The 90s 240s are excellent cars, according to a lot of BBers. ABS and airbags add to their safety.

Good luck with your decision and your test drive.
-pu
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((1993 245 Classic, 93K)) ((1992 244, 105K)) ((1987 245, 271K - RIP)) San Diego