Hello All,

New here (obviously LOL) I'm considering buying an 82 Volvo GL, but want to figure out if it will be a good decision! I'm a single mom, so repair bills are not in my budget!!

I hear that it has no AC, no Stereo (can i put one in?), "turns like a whale" (not my words LOL), and if the tires are in mm it will be costly to replace them. Being rear wheel drive, i hear that it will be useless in snow. Not that big of a problem, it rains 70% more than it snows for Victoria winters. But how would it do on icey or wet roads?

Probably put this in the wrong place...

Anyways, "HI!" and thanx in advance for anyones help

 

Well if you are looking for a reliable vehicle, you have found it..... Those "whales" I call tanks! Solid and super reliable. They are easy to work on and parts aren't as expensive as the newer Volvos. Tires shouldn't be so expensive as normally they are 14s. As far as the stereo is concerned, you can always put one in. Good Luck with your search and Welcome to the forum.......

 

A Tank is exactly what i'm looking for! I like older vehicles because they are build solid and have bumpers that aren't stuffed with Styrofoam! I rolled my '87 jeep cherokee into a 15ft ditch. We all survived without a scratch, a new vehicle wouldn't have faired so well. Thanks

 

My mom used to have a 240 gl which is basically the same thing as what your looking at but a sedan, and it was tank and reliable, easy to fix. But we live in Wisconsin where we get a fair amount of snow, and I gotta confess that in the snow, that car was useless. Now if you want an older Volvo that's still super reliable and not too bad repair wise, I would try an 850, Volvo's FWD model after the 200, 700, and 900 series. I have had my 850 for a few Winters now and I have never spun out, hit someone, or anything like that, when other cars are doing 35 on the highway because it's snowing out, I'm usually the one in the passing lane doing 65 because it drives so nicely in the snow.

 

I live on the island, too, and have been driving Volvos here for 25 years - most of them old "tanks". I find the volvo does great u-turns, although if you're used to front wheel drive it may take some getting used to. When it snows I put a lot of weight in the back (a bag of cement or some cinder blocks or just plain rocks), snowies for the back tires, and it's good on all but the iciest roads. Like a lot of people have said: I feel safe in a solid old car. Good luck with your purchase!

 

Turns out the volvo i looked at had 400,000 km and the lady said it stalled sometimes and she didnt know why (its automatic). So i passed on that one!