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Have you picked up and paid for the car yet? Is there time to dicker a little on the price - what the seller represented is not entirely true.
5 cylinder engine? Show me!!
Power Windows? What are those cranks for??
Driver side air bag? Not standard on a 1988 240, (I have a 1988 GL).
Those are things I could see from looking at the seller's page. Maybe there are more things.
Does everything work? Power steering? Air conditioning? Heated seats?
All four gears work? First three are in the transmission, the fourth is overdrive which should kick in at 40mph or more on level road, if it is not inhibited. Pressing the button on the side of the shifter handle toggles the inhibitor in and out. "OUT" gets an amber arrow on the instrument cluster warning light line - right hand of the cluster.
Check the entire car for clues about the previous owner, assuming the seller was a broker and he stripped such info away. Look under the carpet in the trunk, under the pad, too. Look in the right side trunk storage well, it's across from the spare tire storage. Look for the jack, jack handle, and tool kit. Look under the front seats, and in the crack in the rear seat.
Contact the previous owner (aka PO) with tons of diplomacy and tact, and find out everything you can. What precipitated the sale/trade-in? Sometimes it a quote on a repair that is over the perceived value of the car!!
Any records? Maintenance and repair info? Owner's Manual?
Get some books. An Owner's Manual is available from www.volvocars.com/lit; have your VIN handy. Get a shop manual or two. Haynes is about $16 or so at AutoZone, and Bentley is $40 or more, look on eBay or www.rprusa.com and if you are really going to get into it look at getting at least the Volvo Service Manual Wiring Diagrams 240 1987-88 from that volvocars site.
Look about on the BBRD for what's called a "Zero Mile" list. Those are the maintenance things that will need to be done at your New2You car's "Zero Mile", if you don't know the mileage/date that they were done by the PO. Things like PCV service, new timing belt and engine front seals, etc.
Take your proof of ownership and VIN to the nearest Volvo dealership and see if a service writer will input the VIN and see what comes up. You may find more history there.
Go when things are quiet, not on a Friday afternoon or a Monday morning. I have found Saturday around noon works for me. While you are there, buy some inexpensive parts, such as the flame trap, hoses, rubber cup, and other stuff for a PCV service. Tht stuff will cost more than if you get aftermarket, but not a lot more, and it's not a lot of bucks to start a good relationship with the parts folks. Ask for an application for the Volvo High Mileage Club, too.
There's a lot more, but this will get you started.
Hope you have some luck in knocking down the price (though you got a good one anyway) because the seller represented that the car has things that it lacks.
Regards,
Bob
:>)
PS. Look on the rear edge of the driver's door for the date and location of manufacture, and the weight distribution. The sticker on the passenger's door edge will provide the stock tire size. Betcha a cold one that the tires on the car are not that size.
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