Good afternoon,

Has anyone had any experience with the aftermarket tail light assemblies made in Europe selling for about $50 ?(I saw them on ebay)

Tom

no, never get those. The lens fades quick and it starts to fall apart. I'd rather get a used OEM one than a brand new aftermarket.
--
...and the bricks keep on rolling

I've purchased several after market units. None of them have proven reliable. And the lenses are detaching.

Sedan type are bad, bad. Bulbs and sockets fit poorly, lens panels are loosely attached etc. The 245 lights are simpler and better. I would not buy the sedan lights.

Even on the wagons, the fit/finish ain't that great. Functional, but go for OEM, even if it means getting a used set to offset the higher cost.

-- Kane
--
Blossom II -'91 745Ti/M46 ... Bubbles -'74 144GL/BW35 ... Buttercup -'86 245GL/AW70
The Wayback Machine -'64 P220/M40 ... The ParaBox -'90 745GL/AW70

That sure is what I would do. And what I would recommend everyone with a 240 do. Pay more, get the best, once a decade, for the brick.

Whats a $125 ea every 15 yrs? (I just did both for $250 this past summer)
One thing is that the aftermarket lamps that I've seen don't have the thick foam gasket which is key to making the lamp housing seal properly. These are $30 at the dealer, so now your $50 is $80. And the light bulbs are not always included, another $10. The aftermarket reverse lens gets yellow fast, and re-gluing one on every year or two is a PITA.
The Volvo lights sound like a good deal now, don't they?
--
'89 245 Sportwagon, '04 V70 2.5T Sportwagon

Exactly the kind of hard nosed financial analysis we need here more often. What am I talking about, I work my butt off finding the darn OEM things in mint condition in the pick and pull yards on the cheap. But if I had to, I would buy the real thing rather than the crumby imitations.