I'm asking here because I think the old 240s are the best Volvo ever made so this group knows what durable is.

I was looking for a '95 940. (last year for the B20 right?) It seems they are very hard to find clean and with low miles (under 75,000) at any price. It may be time to move on.
What is the next best (dependable) Volvo in the $3000-$3500 price range?

 

Yeah the 940 was the last to get a B23..motor.
Have you looked into a 700?
I like my 745T (B230FT). It is a great car and the only problem I have had is a BHG. The only weak part I am aware of on the 700 is the subframe, which can snap if the power hits ~300whp.

$3000...you might find a nice 850.

 

In that price range that's all I am finding here in South Florida, lots of 850s very clean and low miles.....but judging from the fact there is three times more tech posts on 850s that any other model on VolvoForums, I'm worried three times more people are having problems with them?

 

Have you asked Tech what he thinks about them? He lives out by you.
I would ask the 850 owners about them, and see what problems they find.
My complaint is that the 850s are FWD.

 

1995 940 Non turbo, Best Volvo! You can get a nice one for $3,000 if you do some looking around.
850? A Camry is a much better choice!

 

There are lots of 850s on the streets........seems like more than any other older model Volvo so they were either the best seller or they keep holding up. I've seen some 850s posted for sale on online classifieds like autotrader.com that actually have very low mileage like 45,000 - 65,000, but these are usually overpriced. My daughter bought a 1995 Volvo 850 GLT (non-Turbo) in 2002 for $8300 with 90,000 miles and had it until it was totalled in an accident in late 2008. The insurance company gave her $3500 which wasn't too bad for a vehicle with 143,000 but the unfortunate thing is we had invested over $12,000 in maintenance on that vehicle over the period she had it. This included a rebuilt transmission two years ago at $1200, replacement seat motor, repaired A/C unit, some front-end work, etc, etc. And we used an independent Volvo repair shop for this stuff at much cheaper costs than the Volvo Dealer. So, we loved the vehicle but just seems the maintenance was excessive. I've advised my daughter that if she really wants to eventually buy another 850, find one with the lowest possible mileage. In the meantime, she's driving our 1989 Volvo 740 GL wagon with 235,000 miles on it and it just keeps going and going!

 

Thanks, there's a lot of information there, even between the lines.
However I haven't given up on finding another pristine 940 brick.. ..yet. This may take longer than I expected. Maybe in a bad economy with new car sales down, everybody is holding on to their good dependable cars.... I've been watching Craigslist, autotrader, and ebay . Nothing's surfaced yet, at any price. Any other places people look for these older Volvos?


I would like to go on record saying at least in the Mustang clubs we occasionally sell a car, the Volvo guys seem to just buy and drive

 

BrickBoard.com has some amount of vehicles posted for sale in their Classified section. Also, just Google the vehicle year/model you're looking for and all kinds of ussed car sites pop up.

 

I drive a '95 850 NA w/160K mls; my son drives a 89 240 w/over 300K mls; both are daily drivers.

Seems like my son's car needs more work than mine, and i would MUCH rather drive mine than his (faster, handles better, stops on a dime, etc.)

But if you're not a DIY mechanic, the 850 could get $$$, especially if you're not real careful when you buy it (have it thoroughly ckd out first!).

Happy hunting...

 

I have seen a few 940's on the Orlando Craigslist. Since u're in Miami I would look there, Orlando and maybe Tampa Bay craigslist! I always see a few on there.