I think I posted this in the wrong place the first time around.

My wife and I just picked up an 88 240. Only has 38,000 miles on it. Has stock exhaust, interior is nearly new and runs like a new car. Zero rust on anything, ie, undercarriage and body. The front clip has been replaced, and whoever did the paint did a fairly good job blending in to the doors. When we went to look at it I was skeptical so brought no money figuring it was a scam or something. Turns out it was legit, the real deal. Made a deal for the car, paid too much for it, and it is now ours. This is the third 240 we have owned, and should go for another 20 years. Good to be back in a brick.

Finally had time to go through the car after picking it up. The thing is an amazing time capsule. All of the original paperwork was in the glove box. Window sticker, owners manual and all of the neat info packs that Volvo included with their vehicles back then. The original Volvo On Call medalians (2), leather luggage tag and the order form for more On Call items, order forms for service manuals, etc. There is a receipt showing the original owner ordered several Volvo manuals for maintenance work on the car, however they did not come with the car. Not sure what happened to them, but it is the widow of the man who sold it, so my guess is that they are in a box somewhere in an attic or basement.

Inspecting the engine bay, the original accessory belts are still on it and in excellent condition. Not dry, no cracks. Assuming the timing belt is the same, but will inspect.
Not a single leak from anywhere on the engine. There is a service receipt showing the rear diff was leaking, however it no longer is so I assume it was fixed. The fluid level in the diff is fine.
Shocks and struts are original and function properly. No leaks or weak springs. As said before, I am unable to find rust anywhere on the car and it looks showroom fresh. Hate to use it, but that is why we bought it. It is to be driven daily, and is a whole lot more car than a 20 for 30 thousand dollar used current model.
Not often one comes across a true survivor like this, especially a 240 as it is a workhorse and most were used that way.

 

WOW! You sure got lucky. That sounds like a fabulous find.

 

Front clip was replaced? I'd have it professionally inspected, you don't want to be going down the freeway and, you know... A repair of that type is a serious undertaking.
Did you run a Carfax? It'd tell you a lot about the history you may want to know.

 

This is the third vehicle I have purchased with prior front end damage and I knew what to look for. What I have finally determined the front passenger fender was repainted and blended into the door. The cowl under the windshield was painted, but the hood was not. The front bumper, headlights and grill were all replaced. Kind of weird to paint the cowl, but not the hood. The fender that was painted is the original fender as the fender mounting bolts are all original and have not been turned. The door that was blended is original and there is zero body filler anywhere to be found. Magnet test shows that if there is filler, it is super thin.

The radiator, mount behind the bumper are all original and not damaged. I am really unsure how the damage was made, but for sure the lady hit something because of the new bumper, lights and grill, and the buckle in the hood. Does not dog track, and runs down the road perfectly. Drove it 150 miles home doing 70-80 mph without a problem.

The car was a find alright, and I told my wife that it was a once in a lifetime find. She told me to buy it as soon as we saw it in the garage (heated garage at that!). This will be her daily driver starting summer 2020 as the Toyota is getting old. By the way, the Toyota Matrix she drives has been a perfect car. Never been in the shop and it is coming up on 15 years old. Never had an alignment, rear brakes are original, shocks original (need to be replaced with 225K on the clock) and even the wiper bodies are original as I just replace the rubber. Never had a car before the Toyota that was hassle free. Too bad Toyota and the other makers have gone to the CVT. No way in heck will those trannies last to 200K. Just don't see how it is possible. It is the sole reason we decided to skip buying a new Toyota and go back to the good ol' 240.

 

What you describe is not a front clip but some paint work here and there. A "front clip' usually refers to grafting a whole new front end section and is a major job rarely restoring a car to its previous condition; these days it's generally cost prohibitive and the insurance company will just declare the car total loss.
If those miles are correct, it does sound like a very nice find!

 

yeah, we had a '71 TR-6 which was a 'clip', the front end of one car was grafted onto the rear of another. it was easier in the days of full frame cars. the graft was just behind the front suspension. it was very well done, that car was my wife's daily driver for around 10 years without any problems other than the usual british car stuff

kinda amusing, we'd already had the TR-6 a few years.. I was less mechanically adept back then, and we'd been unhappy with the mechanics we'd brought it to for routine service, til I got wind of this old British car guru in Sand City (near Monterey, CA)... brought the TR6 to him... he popped the hood to check things over, did a double take and started poking around under it, and said, "wow, I welded this thing together in 1973" (this was in the early 80s)... hah hah. when he had it on his lift a couple days later to do brakes and stuff, he said he totally inspected it to see if it was going to need any rework, and said, nope, its still as solid as the day it was made. He was a real character, big bearded hippie dude, who drove a TR-8 rover 3.5 v8 powered 'wedge'. very competent but not cheap.

I have seen 'clips' on unibody cars like 240s where the front subframe from one car was grafted onto the unibody of another, using the fenders of the front donor, and engine from whichever was in better shape. This was more economical to do when the cars were still nearly new, so worth something. typically, the car that got the 'clip' suffered a front end impact that bent the suspension enough to make it not worth fixing as-is, but left the rest of the car in perfect shape... the donor would be a car that had been nailed hard from the rear end but still had a straight intact front... ideally both cars were the same color so all body parts matched without repainting.

 

The TR6 is my favorite Brit sports car. The design details are so very correct. As a kid there were two neighbors that had them. Remember riding in one for the first and only time. Small, low to the ground and zippy around the corners. Lots of fun!

 

38k on an '88?!? That is a definite find. I thought I did good with 137k on my 1991!LOL..sounds like a winner. There are two 1990 wagons around me that look pretty clean and are for sale...just what I need, more cars! On your car, the front end work seems like a cosmetic fix, maybe they hit a deer and took out the parts mentioned. I am saying that not hit hard enough to damage suspension/core support etc and no drivability issues.

 

Then again, speedos on 240 being what they are, makes me wonder... that's why I'd check Carfax, records, etc, if one cares but if it's a nice car, who cares?

 

I had my doubts about the accuracy of the mileage, however the condition of the interior is literally perfect. No wear on the driver's seat or steering wheel, carpet is flawless, all fabric is in top notch condition, pedals look nearly new and the kick panels have no marks on them. No cracked plastic or mismatched colors, the door bins are without cracks and match the color of the other plastic in the interior, and the undercarriage is completely rust free. Even the suspension bits have no rust on them. The trunk still smells new. Not a mark in there. Looking at the service records, the trail of service indicates that the mileage is correct.

We paid about 2K too much for the car, but figured it was near new and justified the cost. Hopefully repair bits will still be available for the next 20 years.