Community Forums:

Your friend is not doing you a favor. $3k for a rusty 21 y/o car is too much especially for the base model. I dare say a carpet-up, seats out inspection will turn up more rust.

You can't expect a 21 year old car, even a Volvo, to be as reliable as one less than half as old. In general, however, 240 reliability is much better than average. Sure, there are a few idiosyncrasies (flame trap, air box thermostat, tailshaft bushing, throttle body deposits, etc.). But most little failures occur because the cars are just so darned durable. A few minor bits and pieces may fail, but with a little TLC, the powertrain and body structure are good for more than a quarter million miles with no problem.

And then there is the little matter of safety. The 240 series is the stuff of legend when it comes to safety. You can feel very good about putting your family into a well-maintained 240.

Samdog, my advise to you is to offer your friend no more than $1500 for that car. If that's a deal breaker, look around. I'm sure you will eventually find something that meets your needs. Good luck!