Hello all,

As stated I am a new member. I am looking at buying a 240 wagon in Wisconsin. I have 2 to chose from. The first has 160K miles looks ok from pictures. Price is $1100.

The second is a 92 240 ad says little rust new fuel pump relay. This one is $1350.

Is there anything that should be a warning sign to stay away? What should I be looking for when test driving?

This will be a second car.

Will I be better off buying a newer 960 for $1600 and 137K miles or for that matter step up to a V70 X/C for about $4500?

Sorry for all the questions but you guys and gals seem to know your stuff.

 

a 960 is a completely different beast than a 240. 240 (or 740/940) are much easier to self-service, the 960 is a much plusher ride, relatively loaded with luxury features, quiet, smooth, powerful, but also much more complex to maintain with driveway mechanic skills.

on the "whiteblock" engines (960, 850, v70, etc), if the timing belt breaks, you're at a minimum doing a valve job, if not replacing pistons. on a red block (240, 740, 940), except for the fairly rare 16V engine, timing belt breakage just means a tow home and installing a new timing belt, which on those engines is pretty darn easy.

early 960's had some issues, some of which were resolved with recalls (updated timing belt and tensioner).

 

Here are the 240's in question

Volvo Wagon '92 - 240

and

1992 Volvo 240 Station Wagon

Thanks Eric

 

well, test drive them. hopefully, the engine is cold when you get there. check the oil before starting, I actually prefer to see somewhat used oil (but not black) in a old car, as opposed to fresh brand new as an oil change might hide an issue. see if the coolant is clean and yellow or green, make sure the coolant in the overflow bottle doesn't have an oily rainbow sheen on top. the overflow bottle should not be dark brown, or the plastic is in danger of failing (not really that hard to fix). check the condition of the various hoses. look for excessive oil leaks around the valve cover to head, and head to block (under the manifolds) as well as around the water pump. the engine compartment wiring should all be in good condition without signs of sloppy amateur patch jobs. tire wear should be even. take a flashlight and inspect the brake rotors through the holes in the wheels, the 'wear' surface will leave like a flange on the outside edge of the rotor but this flange shouldn't be more than about 1/8" higher than the smooth shiny braking surface or you're in for a brake job (actually pretty easy to do yourself on these cars). brake pad inspection requires removing the wheels, but pads are inexpensive and quite easy to install so I wouldn't probably bother pre-inspecting on a car like this unless the owner was selling for top dollar, just figure on inspecting it shortly after buying, and replacing the pads if needed.

when you turn on the key before starting it, all the dashboard warning lights should light up as a self-test. after you start it, they should go out. there's a yellow 'bulb out' warning that's annoyingly fussy, frequently on older cars it will light when the lights are on, usually indicating uneven power to the rear parking lights, or it will light with the brakes, meaning uneven power to the brake lights. sometimes replacing lights on both sides with new bulbs of the exact same will 'cure' this, sometimes its a funky wire....

it should start on not more than 1 or 2 seconds of cranking without any gas pedal. it should idle smooth right off the bat. when you drive it, feel for any clunks in the suspension, any play in the steering. excess pogoing after going over a dip or bump (means you need new shocks, backs are easy to install, fronts are mcpherson strut cartridges and harder). Assuming its an automatic, if you accelerate strongly in 2nd gear when it shifts to 3rd while you're still on the throttle, the shift should be firm, and not slushy, but not clunky either. brakes should stop firmly and without any pull to either side. if hard braking results in 'pulsing' or throbbing that shakes the car or steering wheel, you probably will need new front brake rotors and pads sooner rather than later. when you're cruising at a steady speed at 45+ push the button on the side of the shifter (again if its an automatic), and an OD yellow uparrow light should light on the dash, and you should feel it shifting from 4th to 3rd. push the button again, the light should go out and the transmission should shift back into 4th.

I like white, but that car definitely has some rust holes starting, this will only get worse with time. the white car appears to have a VERY nice interior for its age, thats a big ++... make sure the seats move smoothly fore and aft, the seat belts retract consistently without too much hassle. glove box door covers on 240's have a tendency to fall off, I glued mine back on with some silicone adhesive, and its stayed put for 10 years. 240 door pockets are fragile junk, so dont be surprised if one or both are cracked or missing, IPDusa.com sells a nice cover kit that glues on top of the door pockets to reinforce them.

 

everything peice said.

definitely hit some bumps and listen for thunks and rattles.

pay attention to any smells. these cars will leak oil right onto the exhaust, and at this age the catalytic converter and o2 sensor could be going.

the outside and inside trim falls apart, as do the front seats.

check the wireing in the rear hatch - it goes right through the hinges and breaks after time.

Test the rear window washer/wiper.

Test the AC. most of these cars dont have working ac.

 

and then, buy it anyways if you don't care about those things

the only things that are difficult to fix is the interior, if its trashed, it will never be nice again, and the AC, which is a showstopper if you don't live in a moderate climate and can tolerate '4-40' AC (tahts where you roll down 4 windows and drive 40mph )

suspension repairs can be expensive if you don't do them yourself (I spent $2K getting my 745T upgraded to better than new, and having my mechanic do all the hard labor, but I fixed the biggest problem on my daughter's high mileage 240 for the price of a wheel alignment by changing the inner tie rods myself)

transmission repairs, ditto. the AW70 automatic transmissions used on these cars are really rugged and reliable, but eventually they wear out, sooner if they aren't maintained by occasional transmission fluid flushes and filter cleanings, and a rebuild can cost $$$$. its actually the same transmission that was used on early 80s high end Toyotas, such as Turbo Supras, Celicas. and toyota pickups (AW is Aisin-Warner, Aisin is Toyota's transmission company, its based on a previous Borg-Warner design)

 

changing the sway bars and bushings is relatively easy and makes a huge difference in driveability and reducing clunks. takes about 4 hours and $350 if you DIY.

AC is fixable for about $300.