Hi. I just joined the forum today. I recently got my license and am looking into buying a car. I thought a Volvo 240 looked like a good bet -- they're safe (a must for my parents) and were in production for so many years (parts readily available?).

I have a few questions for all your experienced Volvo guys/girls out there:

1) What type of repair costs am I going to be facing with a Volvo? I've heard they eat through brakes..
2) Do you guys/girls know of any good Volvo repair shops near Seattle, WA?
3) How reliable are the 240 wagons? I'm interested in one because of the classic look and storage capacity.
4) What do you guys think a fair price would be for the following vehicle?:
~1993, 118,000 miles, 2nd owner, 3rd row, leather, automatic, newer wheels
Are the 93's reliable? What about mileage.. is 118k too high (am I going to be staring down the barrel of costly repairs)? What are your overall thoughts of the year? Is there anything I should look out for when viewing this vehicle? Are there any Volvo-specific questions I should ask the current owner? Am I leaving anything out?

Thanks everyone. I look forward to your responses. Like I said, I'm a new male teen driver who is looking to get his first car. I'm hoping to find a reasonable car that I can keep (hopefully through College). Also.. to you new(er) drivers out there.. what type of insurance costs am I looking at by owning a Volvo? (I assume they're lower than a Honda Civic.) Thanks again!

 

Teen,

I might recommend looking at the 850 wagons. A few things to consider, when looking at purchasing your first car.

1: Stay within your budget, what I mean is...You might find what appears to be a really good deal on a car that is in the top range of your budget and after a few months it needs a costly repair which you do not have the money for.

2: Try to get a sense of the history of the vehicle you are looking at, that is why I prefer to buy used cars from the owner rather than a dealership. Look at the other cars they own, look at where they live ask questions about cars. A run down house with beat up cars laying around is probably a bad sign.

3: ALL Volvos are reliable if maintained properly. I might suggest that you look through your local classified ads in the paper. I have helped quite a few people buy used cars over the past 20 odd years and one thing I like to look for is a car being sold by someone who owns another newer model of the same brand. Their "brand loyalty" indicates a higher likelihood that repairs and maintainence were done timely and at the dealership. (unlessthey workthere then maybe it is junk that the dealer didn't want)

4: Mileage means nothing...well almost nothing...look for cars driven10 to12 thousand miles a year or less. Also, you might avoid a LOW Mileage car driven by the little old lady from Pasadena. Cars rarely driven or driven on lots of short trips (espcially Turbo cars) are prone to problems.

5: First thing to do if you like the looks and price is check the service history if possible and get a carfax report or similar.

6: ALWAYS bring CASH! Someone asking $4,000 for a car might take $3,000 if you show him 30 $100 bills.

Allstate website says you might pay about $1,600 to insure an 850 a little more for a Civic but not much. Remember though, an 850 with Dual Airbags, ABS, Traction Control, Alarm may make the rates a lot lower. On top of that an 850 is a lot more car than a "tin can" Civic.

If you are looking for something to last 4 or 5 years I suggest a 1993-95 850 wagon, 130-140,000 miles or so. You can probably pick one up local out there for $2,800 or so.

 

1996850turbo,

Thanks for the tips. You brought up some good points. I didn't even think to look at the 850s.. although I do have my mind somewhat set on a 240. If your username suggests anything, how reliable has your 850 been? Did you buy it used or new? Thanks again for such a quick response.

EDIT: I forgot to add.. I've bought the unlimited 1 month Carfax membership so running a VIN # shouldn't be an issue for me.

 

The 240 is a great first car. The thing you have to keep in mind is that a 93 is almost 15 years old, chances are it will need something. Like turbo said keep a cushion in your budget just in case. The blue book on the car in question is 4k, but that seems a bit steep. My first car was an 84 240 wagon and it served me quite well; never left me stranded! Look around and see if you can find a manual transmission, they are much better than the auto.

 

Just to be clear, Teen: the 850 mentioned above, while probably a fine car, is not of the same lineage as the 240. Different engine, etc. 740s and 940s share the same engine type as the 240, which is the venerable Volvo B2__ series.

As mentioned above, maintenance trumps all. If you find a 240/740/940 that has records of regular routine maintenance (as opposed to "fixed when broke"), that's the one to go for. My son, who is 19, has an '83 wagon that was maintained within an inch of its life. The car has 240K miles on it, but you'd never know it by driving it; I'd drive it across the country tomorrow.

 

Good posts all and excellent info. My recommendation for the 850 is based upon owning one for over 2 years now. By the way by "fat fingered the keyboard while signing up and my car is really a 94!) I bought it from a friend of my mothers. She was the original owner and had ALL services done at Volvo of Westport CT. Westport is one of the richest towns in the U.S. I am partial to the 850 series because it is "sporty" which is something that an 18 -24 year old would like. It is IMHO very rare to find someone teens age that has his head on straight as teen appears to. The 850 turbo has a 0 to 60 time ofunder 8seconds yet is one of the safest cars on the road. Insurance is probably cheaper than any car of its age with that kind of performance. Mechanically they are very, very sound cars. They have some issues with PCV system, and after 95 they have ABS module issues. But. I have driven the car hard with over 110,000 miles on it and it comes back for more. My favorite thing though is when a kid teens age pulls up next to me in his honda Vtec and revs up his "sewer pipe" exhaust system. The light turns green and he is nothing but a spec in my rear view mirror getting smaller by the second.

Teen, here in CT where ANY car has a price premium, there is a 94' 850 Turbo - 89,000 miles, white w/spoiler, new tires, brakes, clean, I mean CLEAN for $4,000. My sister-in-law and brother-in-law are buying it this week. I would assume a similar car in your area might go for a few hundred less.

Well I am off my soapbox and I feel that whatever VOLVO you choose will be a good choice. Good luck in your future endeavors as hearing the way you think has shown me that there is hope for this country yet in the next generation! All I can ask is that my 3 & 8 year old daughters will have as much on the ball as you at 18!

 

A 240 for a first car sounds like a winner to me. The 240 in my opinion is the most reliable car ever made and they are built like little tanks.

Let's say you purchase a used 240 for around $1500.00 and maybe even have to do some minor repairs and or maint. You would still have a great car under $2000.00 and being that you are a new driver, if you happen to wrap it around a tree, you will not be out that much unless you get hurt physically.

 

I love my 88 240 and have had 265,000 trouble free miles. I think 240 are one of the best cars ever made, period. I also have a 740 with just about as many miles that has been fairly trouble free......

 

I wouldn't go for a 850. They are a bit less reliable than the 240/740/940 cars and they are much harder to fix on your own. I own a 940 and there is nothing that I couldn't fix myself. Even an engine swap. I've heard a few horror stories about parts on the 850 that couldn't be replaced without the whole engine taken out.
On the other hand, the 850 is much better looking and drives a bit better than older models.
My last piece of advice.... if you go with a 850, dont get a turbo.

 

Thanks for all the great information everyone. I really appreciate everyone's input. I haven't found the 'right' Volvo yet although a few weeks ago I did see an 82' Volvo 240 with ~17k original miles for an ask of $3k. The issue was.. the car ran a bit rough and the owner was able to sell the car that day to someone with a higher than ask (no inspection) offer which I didn't feel comfortable doing.

On another note: what do you all think of the Volvo Bertone 780? There's an 88' near me for sale with around 80k miles and original owner. Is this a car worth looking into or is it going to be very expensive to fix? I know the Bertones were a limited and at the time, a 'higher end' Volvo. Would this type of car be a money pit? The main reason I'm interested is because it was a one owner vehicle with lower mileage.

 

If that 780 has a V6 I wouldn't buy it. It had some problems. Otherwise, you found yourself a really nice car.

 

240 > 850 for a 16yo that is buying his car. The repairs for the 240 will be much cheaper and it is such a simple design that parts rarely break (when taken care of).

Nick