First, a little history. I own an '83 DL that I purchased last year with only 64k miles on it. It now has about 72k on it. It's in immaculate condition - no rust, no dents, clean in and out, and what seems to be a smooth engine (this is my first Volvo, and I'm used to driving a Honda Accord, so I'm not quite sure yet what my Volvo should feel like. I've always been intrigued by the ultra-durable Volvo 240, and this one seems to be a gem, so I just had to buy it, but I digress...). I quickly put over $2,000 into it right after I bought it (new exhaust, new brakes, new brake master cylinder, new engine belts, and a new copper radiator and hoses).

Now the problem. I hear and feel a pretty loud clunk in the rear of the car when I drive over a bump in the road. Usually it happens when I'm driving at highway speeds, but sometimes even at slow speeds if the bump is "just right". A bump seems to be "just right" when it rises, and then abruptly drops. It's when the rear wheels fall off the abrupt drop of the bump that I hear, and feel, the clunk. The clunk sounds and feels like I have a big rock in my trunk that bounced once (I don't, though, Mr. Obvious!). In contrast, hitting a chuck hole doesn't result in this clunk that I'm trying to describe, which is why I think the rear wheels have to rise and then abruptly fall in order to produce the clunk.

I also hear and feel a clunk, albeit softer, when I'm driving slowly around town and I accelerate from a stop or when I slow down to a stop. It sounds and feels like it's coming from the rear driver's side.

I don't know if the two clunks are related in any way, but I'm concerned that I have a problem with the rear suspension. I've read several other postings about clunks in the rear, and I'm thinking I have some bad bushings somewhere back there, but I wouldn't have a clue about how to diagnose this problem myself.

Any suggestions about what could be causing these clunks? Any suggestions about confirming the cause (I don't want to get taken for a ride - I don't have enough experience with my mechanic to know yet if I can trust him. He's already gotten over $2,000 out of me, so maybe he'll think there's a lot more where that came from!)? Any risks if I wanted to just ignore it? Thanks!!