Greetings,

After searching for the perfect Volvo wagon, my wife and I just bought an'89 240 DL wagon from the original owner. It's got 111,000 miles and seems to have been pretty well kept. This is my first Volvo, though my wife grew up with them in her family and is glad to be back in one.

From poking around the site, I've gotten the flame-trap warning, and I'll check on that as soon as I do an oil change. But I'm eager to learn anything else I can about these cars -- quirks, problems, or other things to look out for on this particular model.

I do have a few specific questions:

1. What's with the black strip of vinyl (or paint?) along the windows? Is there a way to remove it and reapply new?

2. The rear window wiper doesn't work, and a mechanic thought this was due to a worn out wire that passes through the rear hatch. How hard is this to replace?

3. How long do the automatic transmissions tend to last on these?

4. Any synthetic oil believers out there? I've begun using it on my MB 300D and am considering the same for the 240 DL.

5. Why are my brakes so noisy? Is this normal?

6. What kind of mileage can I expect? (automatic transmission)

Thanks for any and all advice, on these questions and on anything else. As I said, I'm brand new to the Volvo world and trying to get up to speed.

Jim Heetderks