Hi there, I am new to the forums and volvos in general. At the grand old age of 22 I think its finally time for me to purchase my first car, and I have found a few treasures on craigslist and am having a hard time deciding what to go for. I am generally ignorant about the inner workings of cars, so I am trying to start off on solid ground while I learn some maintenance skills.

Here are the two cars I am looking at.

Vintage 1982 Volvo 240 Wagon

and

1989 Volvo 240 wagon

From what I have gathered from doing research online these are decent/good prices given the condition of the car. Like I said, I am not looking for a fixer upper, but I do plan on doing regular maintenance.

I have talked to the owner of the blue 1982 and he seems to have kept it very well maintenanced since he has owned it(2nd owner), and overall seems like a volvo enthusiast.

The 1989 has less info about it, and the fact that the odometer was broken when it arrived at the dealership makes me worry it could possibly have far more milage then the ~$120,XXX the odo says. But the car is 7 years younger than the other, which could mean it will last longer?

Anyways sorry to ramble, what would you choose? Are either of these a good deal? I appreciate any responses!

Edit: the owner of the 1982 also told me the heater works but not the A/C, so thats something to take into consideration. Not a huge deal for me, but the other volvo is stated to have working A/C.

 

an 82 is probably a B21F motor (2.1L, K-Jetronic CIS injection), while the 1989 will be a B230F (2.3L, LH 2.4 EFI injection). The 82 probably has a 3-speed BW55 tranny (unless its a 4 speed or 4+OD manual), while the 89 will have the much more robust AW70 3+OD automatic.

the AC on a 240 was never very good even when new, and I'll bet even that 89 has weak AC if any.

 

The '82 looks much nicer than the '89. The upside of the '89 is the LH2.4 fuel injection system. Not to badmouth the k-jet - it is a very reliable system when the vehicle is used on a regular basis. Its just that it is getting hard to find parts for the k-jet and even harder to find someone who knows how to work on it.

I agree with Pierce on the AC. I used to have an '89 wagon that I could never keep the air conditioner working even when the car was 3 years old. Tell you the truth, the price on the '89 looks a bit too high to me. It is missing trim pieces and looks a bit beat for that price. Then again, I am known to be a bit careful with my money. My '91 sedan looks similar in condition and I paid $1k for it.

Just my 2cents

 

Thanks for all the replies! I think the blue 82 might be the way to go, anyone have any objections? Is it overall a decent price? How much of a difference would the different engines/fuel injection systems make in day to day driving? I am not looking for amazing performance, just getting from A to B in a safe manor.

 

Overall, the '82 looks like the nicer of the cars. The interior looks great. Really, the k-jet injection system is most reliable when driven on a daily basis.

Determining the price without looking at the car is very difficult. However, I usually check out the suspension bushings to see if they have been replace (they should have been based on the age of the car). It should start right up and idle smooth and steady arount 600 RPM. It should drive straight without pulling, no clunks, it should also brake straight & true on hard stops. Check all of the interior functions. Make sure the blower motor works on all speeds. If it doesn't, it is something like an 8 hour job to replace/fix. In a shop at $80 an hour, that is a lot of money.

If you're not mechanically inclined, take it to a shop and have it checked out. A shop that specializes in volvos would be best. If all this checks out, then the price certainly seems reasonable. Remember though, this is a 30 year old car we're talking about so there may be some issues - any of which can lower the price.

Good luck

 

Can't afford to buy both?
They are both well kept examples of 240's. That '89 is only short of a trip to the yard for some trim parts, body is sound. A deal breaker would be a noisy cabin fan motor or a leaking rear main seal at those prices. If they have those problems, tell them the repair is expensive and drop some $$$. I'd say go for the '82 because of the wiring harness not being an issue, and because it's a clean classic.
Keep it nice, please. Maybe even keep if off the road.