Hi,
I'm looking for advice. Please keep in mind that I'm not a mechanic. I can do the basics...but nothing beyond.
My wife's a professional gardener. The 240DL Wagon has been the perfect vehicle for the past 20 years. We've had two in that time. Lots of space for her plants/tools and a perfect, comfortable family car.
I've never had a problem finding a 240DL wagon. Usually around 10 years old/100K/for $5000. Not so easy now, though. Why, oh WHY did they stop building them?
Right now we've got a 1990 240DL Wagon. It's got 205K on it, though the engine's a '93 that, supposedly, has 105K. The first engine...well...it "went" on us. We wanted to keep the car, so we found a new one and had it installed. I had a mechanic I trust check out the new engine. He said it's good, but has some buildup in it, which means I should never use a synthetic oil that cleans the engine, as it'll loosen that buildup.
The rest of the car is a solid 205K. The tranny's leaking and is getting worse in that way. I know someone in VT who's ace in that field and can rebuild it for $1500. It also needs a new tail light and horn (not just the horn...the full assembly), and a new air filter compartment. It seriously overheated the other day, but the mechanic said the engine's fine. "Check Engine" light's been lit ever since, though. Not a good sign...
(Thanks for reading if you're still with me)
Anyway: that's our car. Body's got minimal rust. Some scratches/dents...but we don't care. The main thing is that we need a comfortable, reliable car for family/work. I'm concerned that this one's going to become a money pit. If I knew how to work on it, I'd be ok...but I don't, really. And I'm having a hard time finding mechanics that I trust who know the 240DL.
So the question is whether to sink more $$$s into this car or look elsewhere. Not many 240s on the market at less than 200K. I see some V series cars. Like the look of the V70s.
Any advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Bob