Bit of background: I presently own a 1993 BMW 3-series, with about 210,000km on it. Over my time of ownership (3yrs), I've slowly come to the realisation this vehicle may be challenging and expensive to keep on the road.

This brings me to my queries. I'm looking at present at something in the 2/7/9xx realm.Obviously Volvos won't be afflicted with identical issues to my Bimmer, although I'm curious about the failure rate of some components and relative cost of repair... Its a bit of a laundry list, so please bear with me

- Cooling System:
"Been there, done that" with the Bimmer. Replaced WP, thermostat, thermostat housing, hoses, radiator, fan clutch, expansion tank. The system isn't known for longevity...
Will a Volvo be similar, or will lower parts cost negate this?

- Cracked Heads:
Seems this is inevitable on a Bimmer, even with extreme care. Maybe its overblown, maybe not. I know mine had an overheat once in its past (not me) although there are not yet signs of an issue. Any similar issues noted here?

- Engine Computer & Associated Sensors:
I'm aware of the harness issues on the 240, and the apparent use of Bosch or Regina 'systems.' Are the computers prone to water-ingress, random failure and are the associated (OEM) sensors very pricey?

Reason I ask - I recently inflicted the "Flooded Computer Syndrome" upon myself whilst washing the car, as its located in a compartment adjacent the cabin intake plenum. My vehicle is one of the lucky few with a Siemens computer, with the associated parts costing at least 20-30% more than the far more ubiquitous Bosch... A crank sensor, for example, is AU$275, Cam sensor, AU$150 - if you can even find them. O2 is somewhere between those two from memory.

There's the laundry list done. Obviously, I'd love for everyone to "**** in my ear" as we say in Australia. Fact is, I'm getting fed up with my current vehicle and don't feel quite ready for a 2000s car and their electronic doodads and nannies.

I've read a bit about the usual "common faults" with the Volvos, and it doesn't seem anything too serious or even expensive. Anyone found caveats with their vehicles?

If you've made it this far into my post, thanks for taking the time to read! I appreciate the resources here on the forum, and have read many threads in recent time.

 

As an e36 BMW owner, I know your pain especially with the cooling system. There's a lot of plastic components and its a system that is generally disregarded by most owners until its too late. Flooding the DME is common, be sure that you have all the screws in place and I've seen some friends make a separate gutter over the compartment to re-route any water.
The Volvo 240 has its share of common issues that are seen over and over again on the forums. Big one so far that I've experienced are the brake lights. Its a completely different system from the BMW so I was caught off guard. There's plenty of information available to diagnose and fix it.
I wouldn't give up the e36 for the Volvo, get a reliable 240 and keep it so you have something to drive when the e36 breaks...again.

 

well others will chime in no doubt but one known weak point on the 240's is the blower fan motor. if it is making noise/screeching etc expect not too long a life left. it requires the removal of the entire dashboard more or less to replace. a big job

 

Cracked E36 cylinder heads are more and more common, I think its just the result of lots of heat cycling and age.
Also, the buffered temperature gauge does not help the situation. When your temp needle is at the 12 oclock position, there's like a 40 degree variance without the needle moving. By the time the needle hits the 3/4 tick even though its not red, the motor is already overheated to the point where the cylinder head is probably warped. Some owners remove the buffer but the realtime movement of the needle would probably confuse most people who aren't enthusiastic about their bimmer. They would just see a wonky needle moving all over the place, especially in stop and go traffic.
The Volvo B230 is a solid motor, the BMW M/S5x series are as well but definitely require more maintenance but that's expected, its a motor. I'm sure plenty of B230's can go hundreds of thousands of miles and be fairly neglected, the BMW would not. With that said, all of my cars are what most people would consider high mileage but with routine maintenance I don't foresee any issues.

 

Get a 940, as late as possible, well, '94 is best, you won't have these issues.
BMW is dead to me since the E30, E28 era... Know them well, loved them ones, hate them now.

 

Thanks everyone for the suggestions & consolations so far. Space is at a premium here, as is my willingness to spend money on a second car, so its really a one vs the other equation.

Seems like the best thing to do will be to just watch the forum and see the types of issues that crop up over time.
Although it looks as thought the Volvo's will handle a little more neglect - which is probably an issue as you'll think the car is okay but discover heaps of nickle and dime issues that require work. I guess any secondhand car will have some things here or there that need work, and this won't be an exception.

 

I would agree though and say that the old Volvo will probably stand up to more neglect than the Bimmer. If kept well lubricated and maintained, it should be a very problem-free ownership.