Hello I'm new, I hope to be a regular if..... I buy this Volvo. I would like some input from people in the know.

A friend is offering me a 1985 240 wagon in very good and clean condition. 149k mile auto,no over drive, manual everything, third back seat, interior very good, non-turbo. for $3k. The only thing I have noticed as wrong, is a single rust spot in the INSIDE, near where the rear shoulder harness attaches to the rod at the rear windows, one on each side, the paint is bubbled up some. He bought this from the original owners, he is selling, because his sixth, yes, sixth child is on the way, 'nuf said.
I have driven it for a week now, nothing out of the ordinary.

I work on all my own cars, and can do anything I need to. I have nursed along a 1967 series IIa landrover for several years, as well as countless aircooled and diesel VW's.

I would have to part with a 1995 subaru legacy, while boring, it is super dependable, I don't have to worry about my wife and kids when they go to the nearest large town 40 or so miles away, dependability wise anyway.

All my life I have heard Volvo are super, but now that I have researched them, I have come across more negative than I expected. So what's the story??????

re: "...1985 240 wagon in very good and clean condition. 149k mile auto,no over drive..."

First, $3,000 is way too much for this vintage car. If it had something desireable, like manual transmission, maybe almost that price. But it sounds like a run-of-the-mill DL.

But I don't understand your description, re "auto, no overdrive"). Did you mean that the overdrive was broken? No automatic in a 240 of that era had the BW55 transmission (i.e., three speed), the last without an overdrive. The 240's from about '82-on all had the AW70 (turbo's, the AW71), which was a four speed with the fourth gear being an overdrive.

hi there, you wrote i have come across more negatives than i thought. if you used this forum to research that would make sense, since this is where people go to ask about problems. buy the way the car is not worth 3,000$. good luck

Unless you meant $300, not $3000. It's 20 years old! Regardless of how nice it is... it's gonna have issues.

Look, here's some comparisons, from Connecticut: (www.bargainnews.com)

1988 VOLVO 240 WAGON 5 speed, not overdrive, runs good, has some dents, $600 OBO. (860) 857-9131. Ledyard

1987 VOLVO 240 187K mi, 5 spd, 4 cyl, broken side lenses & back bumper, excellent running condition, motor doesn't burn any oil, needs emission testing, good for parts, $400 OBO. (203) 865-6973 (2x) . New Haven

1987 VOLVO 240DL WAGON runs good, great body, needs battery, $650. (203) 525-3307. Hamden

1985 VOLVO 245 WAGON auto, pw, 165K mi, runs & drives, $395 neg. (203) 530-8519. New Haven

Hmm I think I may call about that 2nd one... my 87 is getting pretty crusty underneath. And my wife wants another 5-speed....
--
Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: Roterande Fläkt Och Drivremmar!

I think You will really appreciate the 240 given your history of owning wonderful but purely Utilitarian cars. I doubt you wife will appreciate giving up her newish Suburu for what to her will seem like an old and codgy car. For it to be trully reliable it would have to be YOUR daily driver, if she is typical I doubt your wife can sense when a timeing belt slips a tooth or when its time to change an oxygen sensor or appreciate a nicely sorted out suspension. Besides that's way way too much money for a 240. Just look at Ebay and you'll see what I mean. Good luck!

The third seat is a joke, unusable and a waste of space. 240's are nice and easy for owners to work on themselves. Your Subaru doesn't need any work, keep it.

Klaus
--
98 V70Rawd(108Kmi), 95 854T(88K mi), 75 164E(173K mi)

The third seat is a joke, unusable and a waste of space.

Eh. Um, no they are not a waste of space. We use ours a lot and it's invaluable.

We can turn our 745 into a 7 pass whenever we need it; typically when wife picks up the nieces/nephews or when the parents come over.
--
Norm Cook Vancouver BC; 1989 745T 204,000KM

I would say $1K would be my max price. If there's a stack of recent maintenance records with alot of the maint work already done then you could go higher. A friend of mine bought a clean rust free 88 for $800 a few months ago. There are deals out there, look around a bit.

i totally agree with the others on this. $1500 is tops for me to buy a volvo like the one you've described, unless its an absolute once in a lifetime gem, which A)would never be for sale, and B)if it were to be for sale, someone else would snatch up.

offer $1500. keep the subaru too. volvo's suck ass in the snow.

>'Volvo's suck ass in the snow'.< !!!!!!!

If you are having problems with your RWD Volvo in the snow, I suggest you set up your car with 4 snows and some extra weight in the trunk and then let us know how it goes. Consider where they originated from and the climate there.

Good luck.

Your friend is not doing you a favor. $3k for a rusty 21 y/o car is too much especially for the base model. I dare say a carpet-up, seats out inspection will turn up more rust.

You can't expect a 21 year old car, even a Volvo, to be as reliable as one less than half as old. In general, however, 240 reliability is much better than average. Sure, there are a few idiosyncrasies (flame trap, air box thermostat, tailshaft bushing, throttle body deposits, etc.). But most little failures occur because the cars are just so darned durable. A few minor bits and pieces may fail, but with a little TLC, the powertrain and body structure are good for more than a quarter million miles with no problem.

And then there is the little matter of safety. The 240 series is the stuff of legend when it comes to safety. You can feel very good about putting your family into a well-maintained 240.

Samdog, my advise to you is to offer your friend no more than $1500 for that car. If that's a deal breaker, look around. I'm sure you will eventually find something that meets your needs. Good luck!

non california cars are prone to rust. I wouldnt pay more then
1k for that car. low miles or not. check the kelly blue book www.kbb.com
Goodluck

It is way overpriced, I purchashed a 92 245, 152,000 miles, great condition, in Oct., 2003 for $2450 on eBAY.

And if it has rust where you say, I would bet it has major rust of the floorpan just behind the the front seats. Look underneath or pull up the carpet on the rear floor. Rust along that window sill means that the windows should come out, and those spots need to be treated with rust sealant like POR-15 and repainted, because the window lip is likely being eaten away. Ask me how I know.
--
Bruce S. near D.C.