I just posted in the new member forum, now I need help.

I am selling a 1999.5 Audi A4 Avant 1.8t Quattro, the car has had a lot of work done and is fast, but not something I want to mess with anymore, I need money for my family and a beater to drive daily.

I plan to spend no more than $1000 on a Volvo wagon that will last me 1-2 or maybe 10 years (they can do that right).

Basically, I know nothing about these cars, we had one back from around '91-'94, an '84 760 that looked pretty but stayed in the shop alot. I drove it some when I could get my hands on it (it was my sister's car), and I remember I liked driving it, when it was on the road.

I've gotten over my "anti-volvo" ways since that car and I'm ready to get a dependable daily driver. Occasional trips that might be 100 miles, but just something for around town that I can load all 3 kids in if I have to, and throw some bikes on top of.

I need to know, in the $1000 and under price category (I live in North Carolina, close to Virginia on I-95), what can I get that will do what I need it to without costing me much along the way?

The less complicated the better, I do all of my own mechanic work, but prefer to drive over wrenching. I'm not a boyracer, I've had plenty of fast cars, but that's not what I'm about right now.

What models do I need to stay away from. What engines are best? What transmissions are best? What are common problems and how are they on parts cost and availability?

I love the look of the old square body Volvos (240s I think).

A rear facing 3rd row seat is something I'd love to have.

Thanks for the help.

(for those curious, these are the past cars I've owned from current to oldest)
1999 Audi A4 (current mentioned above)
1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4 (current)
2006 Kia Sedona (current)
1992 Nissan 240SX SE LSD
1986 Suzuki Samurai 4x4 SPOA 1.6 snorkeled, gears, caged
1989 CRX DOHC ZC
1991 Honda Accord
1999 Toyota Sienna
2000 Mitsubishi Montero Sport 4x4
1983 Toyota 4x4 flat bedded
1988 Ford F-150 4x4
1991 Honda Accord sedan
2000 Honda Accord sedan
1990 Honda Accord coupe
1986.5 Toyota Supra
1989 Ford Mustang GT
1983 Ford Mustang GT
1982 Toyota Cressida
1984 Chevy S-10 4x4

 

a good condition 740 or 940 should get you 10years if you take care of it. any car should really last 10 years in that case...
We have had the 91 745T for 14-15years now. the car now has 283,000miles right now, and still going really, really strong. I made a few improvements to make it move a little better, and my dad put on a full ipd suspension when he got it. nice daily drive. pretty comfy even with the 14 year old billstein HD's and TME springs and 3" exhaust...etc... I have taken it on several 300mile trips with no problems. The car is solid.

The key is to find one that has been looked after very well. Even a 240 will last you. I plan to have the 244T for a long long time. The 745T will hopefully stay in the family forever.

now, A really good condition 740/940/240 could cost from $1000 up to $2500. depends on the seller and what has been done to it.

wait for others to comment.

 

OK, so it's a Volvo forum, we love them, I understand... but what to avoid?

 

If you think you're going to get a good car for under $1000 that you won't spend money on, I think that's unrealistic, no matter what it is.

Be patient, and burn a lot of shoe leather looking for a car that has been maintained well and has the records to prove it... if it's current on all service, you won't wind up needing new tires, brakes, shocks, exhaust, front end, etc in one year like so often happens when someone sells an older car because they're not keeping it up anymore and sell it when the to-do list gets too long. Even though all that stuff is normal maintenance, that's at least a few thousand dollars of work - bad if it comes all at once.

Since you're going to be looking at 15-25 year old cars, and each one is different after all those owners, all those miles, and wear and tear (and accidents), I'd look mostly at the vehicle's condition and its price/value, and less at what year or what equipment or perhaps even what model it is. Just my $0.02.

 

You can have reliable and cheap, but you can't have it without spending money on it. That goes for ANY vehicle.
There's are many really good reasons a car worth less than $1k is worth that amount, upcoming major maintenence is usually the prime reason.

Regards, Andrew.

 

I know that a cheap vehicle will cost you money, but I don't think it's unheard of to get something cheap and have it be a decent driver.

2 years ago I sold my trail rig, put some money in the bank and set very little aside for another 4x4. I found a 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4x4 inline 6 with 163k miles on it for $1100. It was suppose to be just for hauling a little trailer and occasional 4 wheeling trips to the beach and mountains. Since then though it has actually been my daily driver. The day I bought it the previous owner had to jump start it because the battery was dead and told me it would need a new one, well 2 years later the original battery is finally giving me enough trouble to consider buying a new one. I did spend under $300 doing a water pump, radiator, thermostat on it, then later I replaced the exhaust manifold, exhaust/intake manifold gasket, valve cover gasket, plugs and that cost me about $100.

Now creeping up on 180k miles I think I made a good investment, plus, this Jeep was NOT well taken care of, it was someone else's beater.

So, would something like this possible in a Volvo purchase? I know things happen and you can get a real lemon, but I'm talking in general here.

 

Well mine is hardly new - but it's newer than many that are still popular - I drive a 1998 S70, about 20,000 miles/year - it has 210,000 now. The parts are expensive compared to an American car, and it does need pretty frequent work, but the basic powertrain is very solid, and I think can go 300,000+ if treated well. See FCP Groton for parts - much cheaper than the dealer.

I suspect that the older ones like the 240-series have problems less often, as there is less to go wrong on the simpler cars. If you want to get down to rock bottom spending, I'd suggest looking for one of those whose most recent owner has maintained it.

 

The only things I would say to look out for....
1: the older 240s (I believe the newer harness are from 85+, someone can correct this) have a wiring harness that tends to degrade. mostly a problem in the turbo cars from the extra heat.
2:The V6 models are not the most desirable.
3:change the oil regularly. I change mine every 3,500miles.
4: try and stay within the LH2.2 or LH2.4 management. K-jet (stop around 85) is fine if it is working properly. both of my cars, 745T (LH2.4) and 244T (k-jet), start every time with no problems.

the 700/200/900 aren't that expensive to maintain.

 

Thank you, great information. I would love to have a 200 series, but there are so many 700 series wagons for cheap that I will look at those as well. I don't care much about exterior, I'd rather have a clean interior and just spray bomb the outside. I haven't seen many rusted out Volvos, is that a problem or do they have a better process than some cars?

What about the diesel engines? I've seen a couple for sale, and love a diesel, but I haven't heard much about the Volvo diesels. There's a nice one with a salvage title (usually I won't even consider a salvage, but it's easier when you're not concerned with resale) but I;m not jumping in without more info.

 

I have zero experience with the diesels so no comment. I am in cali, and have only seen a few 240s with some rust. Most the time it is not bad enough to require concern, but I imagine it is a little worse on the other coast or other areas with snow/salty roads. Check turbobricks forsale section. there is usually a car that comes up... A lot of people use craigslist for the "good" deals.

 

I buy and sell alot on CL, so that is where all of my current window shopping is being done, it gives me a good idea of real world values compared to what an enthusiast thinks something is worth.

 

I had a 740 that I put over 400k on. It still looked very good and had only 1 problem that did not effect the stop & go driving. I have had several Volvo's and the ones I like best are 700, 240, then 940's, when it comes to low maintenance.

I recently purchase a S90 that had about 157k on the clock. It had a broken water pump and a few other things wrong with it. I got it for $500 and got all the parts to do the water pump, timing belt, pullies, etc.. Cleaned it up and set it to run for about 4 trouble free years for about $350.

 

Very cool.

Well, my Audi is sold, with a deposit in the mail, the new owner will be flying in from Buffalo and driving it home. Time to start some serious shopping.