Hi folks,

I'm going to look at a 1990 240 DL today (weds) and, since this is my first Volvo, I'd like to know your thoughts. The car is being sold by a private individual on Craigslist. The advert says:

Talked with the seller today on the phone. He says:

* He owns a shop himself (though not a Volvo-specific shop)
* He bought it from an 80-something year old woman who had been taking it to him for regular maintenance, though he did mention that she had taken it to other shops prior to his
* He says she was the original owner and, by all accounts, it got little use owing to the woman's age
* He estimates mostly local (i.e. not highway) mileage but that, again owing to her age, probably not a lot in the way of intense acceleration or breaking
* It's an automatic
* No major part replacements
* Service history is limited to his establishment, but he's got that paperwork
* He smog-checked it this morning (CA related)

Thoughts on this? Things I should look/listen for when I check it out?

I understand there are risks involved here, but $3,000 might end up being a pretty sweet deal for a 1990 with only 86K in "grandma car" condition.

I plan on taking it to a third party shop when I give it a drive tomorrow. Unfortunately, the closest Volvo-specific shop is 30 minutes away, and he wasn't too excited about going that far. So I'll have to pick a local place; based, I guess, on a combination of Yelp/Google/BBB reviews.

Thanks in advance,
Brandon

 

If it feels good,then buy it.They are lovely cars,durable and easy to work with and long lasting.

 

Thanks. It occurs to me after having looked at another comparable thread that your guys must get this question from newbies all the time. Sorry to drop in out of nowhere with a decidedly common question.

I found a link to this thread after poking around some more, which really helped.

Again thanks everyone,
Brandon