MY Steering/handling on my 89 244 seems to be a lot looser than it was a little bit ago. I am not sure if it is just the wind blowing the car, or maybe a little ice, but when i turn it seems to be fine. Its going down the road at...45+ that i notice it. it seems almost hard to keep straight. I know that i need new rear shocks, because the back end is sagging quite a lot. I was also thinking about getting one of those rear bushing kits and throw that in as well. Anyone know how hard those are to do? how about front?
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Blue '89 Volvo 244 DL 5-speed w/ 176k

Based on my experience:

REAR SHOCKS
- You can do the "bounce test" for the rear shocks. If they have not been replaced on your 89 they most likely need to be replaced. It is an easy DIY job, and there are plenty of sources online to get the shocks inexpensively. You will need jackstands, a jack, a torque wrench, and (from memory) 19 and 22 MM wrenches and/or sockets. Follow the instrux in Haynes or Bentley manual, or do a seach here for procedure. Only trick is to not tighten to final torque until after you lower car back to the ground. That is the only real pain in this job. May be able to do it on ramps - I just crawled around & cursed.
- This will do WONDERS for your handling based on my experiences with my 245.

REAR TRAILING ARM BUSHINGS
Check to see if the bolt through the center of the bushing still is in the center. If it is not, then the bushing is probably shot. This is a common replacement item, as you seem o recognize. This job is a @#&*%&!!! I bought the tool and new bushings and did it myself. In retrospect, I should have had the shop do it. Don't even consider it unless you want to take a crack at the "burn the rubber out / replace with polyurethane bushings" approach. This sems like it is an easier DIY, because it does not require you to press out the bushing shell from the trailing arm. There are recent posts on this.

FRONT STEERING COMPONENTS
Check your tie rod ends and ball joints. If the rubber boots are broken then you will need to replace. You can also wiggle wheel back & forth to check free play. Again, check your repair manual for this procedure or search here. I knew mine were OE, so I replaced both with new. The tie rod ends made the biggest difference in steering sharpness. The car feels much safer now at highway speeds. No more white-knuckle driving.

ALSO
In re other reply... I still feel the wandering rear axle somewhat. It's LOTS better than before though. I have some poly torque rod bushings waiting to be installed, and I will probably replace the front trailing arm bushings and panhard rod bushings too just so EVERYTHING is new back there.

Good Luck!
Scott

Bad rear trailing arm bushings (also called TABs') will cause the rear axle to wander, often when you transition from acceleration to deceleration. This causes the whole rear of the car to change angle, almost a fishtailing feeling. It can be VERY disconcerting, I know, I've felt it.
These are best replaced by a competent VOlvo shop. There is a special tool required to keep the ears on the axle straight while pressing in the new bushings. Without that, the job can be impossible, or parts can get screwed up. Not one for the amateurs. I've done it myself, but I had access to a shop with a lift, and one of the special tools. It still wasn't easy.
Buy the Volvo bushings too, the ScanTechs are probably not worth the risk. They are much cheaper but it's not a job you want to do over.
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Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: '87 244DL/M47- 230K, 88 744GLE- 220K, 82 245T-181K Also responsible for the care and feeding of: 88 745GLE, 231K, 87 244DL, 239K, 94 855GLT 189K