Hello everyone

I'm thinking about going the volvo route. In particular, I'm looking at an '88 240 sedan with 110,000 miles on it, a manual trans and 2.3 liter for $2000. So far I've only seen a picture of the exterior but it looks immaculate. I know next to nothing about volvos so I was wondering what I ought to look for when (or if) I take a look at it. Would this make a good daily driver? I regularly drive four or more hours almost every day, and am interested in having a reliable, somewhat economic car. I'm attracted to the volvo because it looks sharp and I've heard so many good things about them. Moreover, a friend of mine drives a station wagon, and I'm very impressed with it. So I'm looking foward to hearing what you guys have to say. Thanks.

 

Aren't you interested in a 1995 volvo 940? with only 51k miles on it? its blue

 

Maybe, at this point I'm not ruling anything out quite yet. But I am looking for something with a manual transmission, because I get bored on those long drives! Just for the heck of it though, where are you located? I'm willing to consider just about anything (although I really like the looks of those little 240's!)

 

Well i live in Central America, but the car is in wonderful condition. I doubt that you would ship the car all the way to the states

 

240's are wonderful cars and i'll swear by mine. However, $2000 is a little pricy to be asking for even an imaculant '88 240. KBB prices it at $1500 in excelent condition...and no car from 1988 is in excellent condition. 110,000 is low milage for one of these but it's also the milage where a few things start no need attention. Getting a 240 fixed in the shop can be financially daunting at times but it makes up for it in the infrequent amount of times they end up in the garage. Plus, 9 times out of 10 you can usually find replacement parts or good substitutes on line (and in particular, links from this forum) for less. The most expensive thing i ever ran into on my 240 was replacing the whole brake system. All together it just over $1000 for fittings, lines, pads and rotars....i could have done better but that was before i found this forum. Evidently the steering racks are problematic, though i've had mine for over 250000 miles now and it's just starting to go bad. I'm still on the original, albeit rebuilt, alternator too.

As far as a comuter? Eh....depends on what needs service. If there's something wrong with the engine you'll know by the end of the first tank of gas. My 240 gets about 23 mpg....i guess that's average? If there's something off about the engine if sucks gas like it's going out of style...which i guess it is considering the prices latly.

I say take it for a spin and be liberal with the test drive. If something breaks, don't buy it. If she turns out cherry, offer $1500 and hagle a bit.

 

I have an 88 240 and it is simply the best car I have ever owned. I have over 240,000 trouble free miles. I do all my own work though. A volvo can be an expensive car if you do not do your own work. For example my air mass sensor went bad, dealer wanted $435 to change, I bought used one from www.car-part.com for $20 plus shipping. Two years later it is still working. One time car would not start and I finally figured it out but it took me two weeks, it would not take me that long now though--- I have gotten better at troubleshooting. I do not mean to give the impression that the car has been problematic other than routine maintenance the car has been trouble free for the most part and I have driven it 12 years. Mine is a manual too!