'91 240: reliable??
 

Hello all! This is my first post on this forum :)

I am considering buying a 1991 240, and am not sure if it is a good choice or not. I recently owned a 1990 240 DL, but after 6 months I realized that the head gasket was bad (along with a bunch of other stuff).. so I sold it. I must mention that this was kind of a junker car to begin with so I am not shocked in the slightest that there were all these problems going on.

Heres the thing though: I found this one with about 120,000 miles, garaged its whole life, routine factory maintenance, pretty much a pristine condition 240 and at a good price too. Is it worth getting or are 240's always going to be in the shop? If the car has had such good maintenance can I trust it?

I am also moving across the country soon and am wondering if this car will be reliable for a 3,000 mile drive, because I don't want to be breaking down on the side of the road every 400 miles.. ANYWAYS. What do you guys think? Will this car make it? Do you think with proper care a 26 year old Volvo will be reliable and last me? Let me know what you think :p

Have it inspected by a mechanic that knows something about 240's...preferably a mechanic with gray hair on his head.

27 year old cars break and require repair. If you can't diy the work don't buy it.

Odometers on redblock volvos are known for breaking. I don't believe anything when it comes to mileage on a redblock... except mileage unknown.

Good luck.

+1 on what dytha said. If you aren't handy with tools and aren't willing to do the work yourself, you're better off buying a newer car. Even though the car has been well kept doesn't hide the fact that it is an old car with a lot of components that may be nearing the end of a wear cycle.

If you work on it yourself you will save significant amount of money getting it to the stage where it can be a reliable daily driver.

i would not hesitate to jump in mine for a 3k mile jaunt.. but i do know its recent maintenance history. if this car you are looking at really does have only 120k it is rare beast indeed. getting hard to find them with low mileage at reasonable prices. do your due diligence and if everything checks out go for it!

Thank you for your input!! I still have some thinking to do... but I definitely trust this seller.

This is reassuring, it is hard for me to come to my senses because these cars are hard to come by in good shape, so I think I will probably end up buying it. Hopefully she doesn't get totally wrecked on my trip.