Update on my 1982 DL purchase
#1
08-04-2009, 10:29 PM
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Update on my 1982 DL purchase
Hi all,
Long post here, with nothing earth-shattering to report. Just thought I'd share an experience that fellow Volvo lovers might understand.
Original post at https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-240-740-940-12/value-1982-240-dl-28494/. To sum up, I was first attracted to the car because it was extremely low mileage--109,000 original miles for a 27-year-old car! It was a "little old lady" car, and she maintained it insanely well, both on the outside but especially the interior. She even got the cloth to cover the dash, so it wouldn't crack in the sunlight.
After she died, it went to her grandson, who drove it for a year and then sold it to his friend. The friend drove it for about a year also, and that's who I bought it from. Final price: $1,350.
Seeing as how I really needed a car, but only had about that much to spend and didn't want a car payment, I thought I did pretty well. I could have bought a newer car, but it would have had higher mileage, and would not have been a car known to join the Million Mile Club. I think anything else I would have bought would have to be replaced in a year.
The bad news is that the grandson had a girlfriend who got mad at him at keyed the driver's side door. This was a huge blemish on otherwise still-beautiful paint job. Also, the tires were pretty much completely bald, and the brakes were bad, and got worse as I started to drive it daily. And the front struts were shot, so any little bump in the road sent me bouncing.
Fixing all this meant more $$$, which I just didn't have. But, I saved up, and over the past few days, I got a lot done on it.
First, I "fixed" the keying on the door with the help of a find in the glove box--the old lady carried around a can of Volvo touch-up paint! Touch-up paint is not really meant for a job like that, but it's better than the big black marks the keying left. It looks blotchy up close, but from any sort of distance, you can't tell they keying was there at all, and overall it looks good.
So I got a new set of tires, an oil change, the struts, a front-end alignment and the brakes fixed. The front rotors and calipers had to be replaced, in addition to the new pads. Total damage: $1,142 for parts and labor.
But, I don't regret it at all. It is UNBELIEVABLE how well this baby drives nowl It accelerates like no four-cylinder has a right to. It really hugs the road, goes in and out of traffic with ease, and corners like a dream. Braking is tight, and totally quiet. (I had read that a lot of 240s from this era have noisy brakes, even when working right.)
It really feels like a brand new car, but not just any car. It just feels so perfect. "The perfect driving experience" is the only way I can describe it. I guess this is why we love Volvo so much.
Now I still have to fix the AC. It needs a new compressor and clutch. Looking at parts, freon and labor, it will be around $600. Time to start saving again. But even in Missouri heat and humidity, the love I am feeling for this car is enough to keep me cool for now.
I totally want to maintain this baby until my 4-year-old daughter is old enough to drive. She already wants to drive the "Sporty 240"! She tells me I will have to sit in the back when she gets to drive it, because she is tired of sitting in her car seat in the back!
Anyway, thanks for sticking through my story, and I'm sure somebody else out there knows the love I am feeling right now!
Long post here, with nothing earth-shattering to report. Just thought I'd share an experience that fellow Volvo lovers might understand.
Original post at https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-240-740-940-12/value-1982-240-dl-28494/. To sum up, I was first attracted to the car because it was extremely low mileage--109,000 original miles for a 27-year-old car! It was a "little old lady" car, and she maintained it insanely well, both on the outside but especially the interior. She even got the cloth to cover the dash, so it wouldn't crack in the sunlight.
After she died, it went to her grandson, who drove it for a year and then sold it to his friend. The friend drove it for about a year also, and that's who I bought it from. Final price: $1,350.
Seeing as how I really needed a car, but only had about that much to spend and didn't want a car payment, I thought I did pretty well. I could have bought a newer car, but it would have had higher mileage, and would not have been a car known to join the Million Mile Club. I think anything else I would have bought would have to be replaced in a year.
The bad news is that the grandson had a girlfriend who got mad at him at keyed the driver's side door. This was a huge blemish on otherwise still-beautiful paint job. Also, the tires were pretty much completely bald, and the brakes were bad, and got worse as I started to drive it daily. And the front struts were shot, so any little bump in the road sent me bouncing.
Fixing all this meant more $$$, which I just didn't have. But, I saved up, and over the past few days, I got a lot done on it.
First, I "fixed" the keying on the door with the help of a find in the glove box--the old lady carried around a can of Volvo touch-up paint! Touch-up paint is not really meant for a job like that, but it's better than the big black marks the keying left. It looks blotchy up close, but from any sort of distance, you can't tell they keying was there at all, and overall it looks good.
So I got a new set of tires, an oil change, the struts, a front-end alignment and the brakes fixed. The front rotors and calipers had to be replaced, in addition to the new pads. Total damage: $1,142 for parts and labor.
But, I don't regret it at all. It is UNBELIEVABLE how well this baby drives nowl It accelerates like no four-cylinder has a right to. It really hugs the road, goes in and out of traffic with ease, and corners like a dream. Braking is tight, and totally quiet. (I had read that a lot of 240s from this era have noisy brakes, even when working right.)
It really feels like a brand new car, but not just any car. It just feels so perfect. "The perfect driving experience" is the only way I can describe it. I guess this is why we love Volvo so much.
Now I still have to fix the AC. It needs a new compressor and clutch. Looking at parts, freon and labor, it will be around $600. Time to start saving again. But even in Missouri heat and humidity, the love I am feeling for this car is enough to keep me cool for now.
I totally want to maintain this baby until my 4-year-old daughter is old enough to drive. She already wants to drive the "Sporty 240"! She tells me I will have to sit in the back when she gets to drive it, because she is tired of sitting in her car seat in the back!
Anyway, thanks for sticking through my story, and I'm sure somebody else out there knows the love I am feeling right now!
#2
08-05-2009, 11:45 AM
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Regarding the brakes, I have heard that "brake moan" or "brake groan" are a pretty common thing for old 240s. My '91 wagon does it and my good friend (who knows more about Volvos than I do) told me it's part of the deal when driving a volvo - no need to fix it b/c it's too expensive and not actually a sign of anything bad going on. I think it has to do with resonant frequencies and other such physics mumbo-jumbo. If the brakes make any higher pitch noise or feel weird at all, then I think a brake job is in order, but otherwise, think of the groaning as your car's own special way of telling you that it's as happy to be your car as you are to be the driver!
I'm no expert, but that's my 2 cents. And yes, I know the love you're feeling right now!
I'm no expert, but that's my 2 cents. And yes, I know the love you're feeling right now!
#3
08-05-2009, 11:54 AM
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I know the way you "feel"... I got an 85 240 3 months ago and loved driving it. Unf. I sold it 2 weeks ago because I thought I had found a "deal" on a 240 wagon. That fell thru and now I am kicking my self for selling the beloved 240. I am currently in the market for a 240 wagon and hopefully I will find her soon... Good Luck with your 240. Wether it's a 240 or an 850, I think we all feel the same way about our individual Volvos!
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