I drive a 1982 Volvo 240 DL wagon. It has been well maintained as it belonged to my parents and then to me. I've had it routinely serviced at what I have feel is a reliable Volvo shop.

On my last visit I was told that I need transmission work which will cost $2,000. (I live in California)

I had a new transmission put in by Amco probably 15 years ago.

When is it time to say good bye to my beloved Volvo and get a new car?

I have never had a new car but have driven rentals which I do not like. What I love about my Volvo and have not found in the rental cars I've sat in or my daughter's cars is great visibility all around the back, comfortable seat that fits me, a door I can open and close easily (I could fall out of my daughters Mercedes or Honda when I try to reach to close the door), of course I love the ability to put my Christmas tree and other garden stuff in the back since I don't care about getting it dirty.

Is there an amount of money that after I've invested that much it's time to stop?

If I do the transmission work I think I'd like to go back to Amco or another transmission shop because there is a possibility the owner of my shop is going to retire, in which case any warranty on the work would be no good. Do you see any reason not to go with Amco under those circumstances?

My big question is how much is enough to put into this wonderful car?

Thanks
Ginny

 

its all about how long you want to keep your car.
Remember you are talking about a 30 year old car, and if you got 15 years out of an aamco tranny than do it again for another 15 years

 

Well you are also venturing into a lot of repairs by keeping it, but honestly i don't know if you would be better off in any new car. I don't really have a healthy respect for a new car on the street right now in terms of reliability vs. wanting to live with it.

 

When you get on a car forum and tripple size the fonts.

Most cars cost people upwards of $400 a month in payments. So if $2,000 takes you 6 months in a car that you like, no big deal. Will you be able to find a real nice car that you like for $2,000? Will you be able to find a '92 or '92 240 wagon somewhere that doesn't need work? Probably not.

If I were you, I would jump and get a '92 240 wagon. However, you will be entering a phase of owning a car that you really don't know the true history on.

 

+1...

 

Very true

 

The Volvo Owners Manual recommends changing the transmission fluid every 20K. It's no harder than changing engine oil, as the tranny has a drain plug, unlike many lesser cars. This comes under the heading of basic maintenance.

Just out of curiosity, did you do this? If not, and you still got 15 years out of the transmission, that would seem to be an argument in favor of keeping what you've got. As rspi pointed out, 2 grand is a few car payments, and when you factor in having to have full coverage insurance on a new car, I'd probably bite the bullet, fix the car that you like, for the reasons you mentioned, and be more careful about maintenance..

 

Driving any car costs money. I taught my daughters what my Dad taught me. Either buy a nearly brand new car and make payments every month, or buy a second hand car for cash. Either choice will cost you; the difference is the used car will take the money in maintenance. Your car is paid for; others have already mentioned the financial trade offs. Frankly, if you got 15 years out of a rebuilt transmission you are blessed. Realistically, don't expect that to happen again.

 

Last 3 posts from texas, pretty cool.

But 15 years is pretty amazing, i honestly would be leaning on, and this is on the more lucky part, of 10 years. I think that it might be worth it to do it again though, it's all up to if you want the car for another 10 years.

 

I think getting 15 or even 5 years out of a rebuilt trans from that company is truly a miracle... I wouldn't count on it happening again, and I'd get a used transmission instead for much less.

 

1982 is pretty old, but I would say this all depends on your personal financial situation. Can you comfortably afford to fix all the problems that a 30 year old car will have? If yes, then it should be no problem but you may want to buy a newer car with a much better safety rating. If not, I suggest you keep that $2000, save up some more and get a decent used car or even a low budget new car.

 

Safer than a 240? Did you know "...from 1986 to 1991 in the USA no person in a Volvo 240 involved in an accident died"?
Safety of Volvos overrated? [Archive] - Straight Dope Message Board

 

Yeah I would just pull a used tranny from a junk yard for $250 and call it good. It's never time to say good buy to your old volvo! (unless you're selling it to me ) But really, as it has been said numerous times in this thread, a new car is not going to treat you as well as a 240, and you'll be paying $200-$400 a month payments, plus full coverage insurance, while an old 240 will last you and last you, and you're payments are only in repair and maintenance, which you can pay when you can, not because you have too