I have absolutely loved my 1982 Volvo 240DL wagon since my parents gave it to me over 20 years ago.

I have been blessed with a grandchild and my family feel a newer car will provide more reliability and safety for this precious one. I have to agree on the reliability factor as repairs need to be done very 4-6 months it seems. My daughter, his mother, is afraid of the car breaking down when he's in it.

What I love most about this car is the visibility. I am astounded at the lack of visibility in todays cars! How do car makers get away with this?

I'm hoping Volvos retained their excellent visibility for a few years anyway and would appreciate knowing what years those were. Once I get a list of Volvo wagons with good visibility then I'll look into reliability.

I would like to stay with the wagon to have space for my garden soil etc., and also because the hatchback is better for my back than leaning into a trunk.

Thank you for your help.

 

I think the 940 wagon, 1991-1995, was the last with the really good visibility. Starting with the FWD 850, they went down hill. Also the newer engines used in the 850 and all the later models, are far more complex and harder to fix.