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The purpose of this post is to ask the advice – sincerely – of this Board, about which car I should keep. There’s a great deal of collective wisdom and experience here and I’m sure that some of you will be able to provide perspectives that haven’t occurred to me.
Here’s the background: My ’94 940 wagon, which I’ve had for 12 years, now has 192K miles on it. I really like this car. I'm the second owner. It drives great, I have maintenance records since it was new. It has a great CD player. I’ve kept up on the maintenance. However, it does have a few needs; air conditioner does not work – probably needs a recharge. Driver’s seat does not move, fortunately it is stuck in a position that works for me. It needs tires. It seeps a little coolant and oil at the head gasket, but it is not too bad yet. It needs a new tail light. Even on long drives – say, from Seattle to Portland - the car never overheats or has any problems. It does not burn oil. My daily commute is 10 miles each way. I figure at this rate I can drive the car until I retire in 4 years, maybe even longer. If I’d never seen and bought my other car I’d be as happy as a clam and could enjoy driving my 940 until it dies.
Last year I saw a gorgeous ’85 244 DL sedan in a parking lot. I’d never seen such a perfect 240. Out of curiosity I peeked at the mileage – 32,000 miles! (I just uploaded three pictures in the gallery.) I left a note under the windshield wiper asking the driver to call me if he ever decided to sell it. About five months ago the previous owner called me. He’d kept my note and was ready to sell the 244 and buy a modern car with cup holders and air.
I took the car to my mechanic for an evaluation – he said it was great but needed the 30K service. BTW, he worked in the Volvo factory from the late ‘70s to the mid-‘80s. He asked how much was being asked for the car and when I told him he said “You’re stealing this car.” I tried to bargain with the seller but his response was “find another one”.
I bought the car and had my mechanic do the 30K service.
To me the car is gorgeous. Tires are less than a year old. It looks like a used car that is about two years old. I’ve had three other 240s and this is, by far, the tightest, cleanest and prettiest. It has no needs. It’s a new experience to drive a 240 that doesn’t already have over 150K miles on it. I find 240 engines sound smooth – this one sounds even smoother. The transmission shifts beautifully. No creaks. No squeaks. Upholstery and interior look nearly new.
The downside? It has a tape deck. It is a DL, so windows are hand-crank, though that reduces my vulnerability to degraded wiring harnesses. No air. No airbags. Since it is so straight and pretty, I worry about door dings and rock chips.
If it were up to me I’d keep both. I “know” my 940; know its needs. I expect the 940 is worth about $2,000. It wouldn’t be easy to find a comparable car that I would trust for that amount of money. I’d prefer to keep it as my daily driver and for occasional use to haul lumber, plants from the nursery, stuff to the transfer station.
But my wife says I have to sell one of them. Each offers certain advantages. I can drive the ’85 for a very long time and it’s fun to have people ask me about it – it gets a certain amount of attention. The 940 drives fine. I love it that it is a wagon, and that it has a CD player. The things that are wrong with it don’t bother me. I don’t worry about door dings or rock chips. I see on ebay that I might be able to make a little money on the 240. I think it is as nice as any of those I have seen posted there.
I’ve read some opinions here that tend to place a lower value on a car like my 244 and a higher value than I would expect on an old but reliable 940. Having driven both models I think the 940 is clearly a more user friendly car, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen one that wasn’t fairly well used, including my own.
So there you have it. I’m going to have to make a choice and I find myself in a quandary, mentally going in circles. Please take a look at the pictures I’ve posted of the little sedan so you can see why I find it so appealing.
If you were in my position, which car would you keep? Are the any special reasons why you’d make that choice? I’d appreciate any insights you’d care to share.
All the best,
Markus
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'85 240 DL with 37K miles, '94 940 with 191K, 40 linear feet of vintage jazz, r'&'b, funk and soul
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