I agree with both Jim (Mr. JimKW) & Jimmy (Mr. RedTurbo)'s opinions. You should not hurry to buy another car. If you can get away with repairing your current Volvo and drive it for a while, you could also save money until you've saved up enough for a better Volvo and all the peripheral costs.

>I guess the high price is because cali drivers are morons.
I think it's universal. I usually don't trust those who say "I'm a good driver". None of them knew much about driving or maintaining cars. A true good driver knows that there are circumstances that are out ofhis/her control/abilities.

Sounds like your parents are really decent & loving. I've seen many spoiled younger people, whose parents bought their kids brand-new Subaru, Audi, Mercedes, etc... There is a Japanese axiom that says "CEO's (be it president, executive ,etc...)children are guaranteed to be idiots". To this day, I believe it's true for 99% of the time.

Anyway, keep us posted. If you need assistance repairing your current Volvo, let us know (or post questions in the vehicle-specific section).

Best wishes,


JPN

 

Thanks for all the help guys, I truely appreciate it. Only problem I'm having with the 240 right now is the idle, it very rearely slows down to the point where the car almost dies if I'm at a stop light. I just gassed it a bit to keep it alive. So far this has only happened a couple times, hasn't happened for about a week now. Other than that, I want to get a good sound system in the car. I work at BestBuy so I get a huge discount on installation and equipment, any suggestions? I'm totally glad I at least have a car to drive, it may not be fast, but it's damn reliable, although I wish I had a clean looking 850 turbo that I can mod out, hehe.

 

Hello Italiano,

I can see your parents raised you right, many people, including people who are much older than you are, don't seem to have the least common sense and don't seem to know how to say thank you. I'm a Japanese, and common sense and public manner seem to be dying away in both the U.S. and Japan.

As to the idle problem, it could be anything. When was the last time it had a good tune up? Idle problem is one of the most common & complicated problems, and once a whileit requires testing equipment to figure out the problem.

I'm not familiar with 240, but you could perhaps start from the following basics:

1. Air filter (may look clean on one side but the other side may be contaminated)
2. Throttle body (check the throttle plate area for accumulation of carbon, etc...)
3. PCV system
4. Fuel filter (sometimes neglected)
5. Fuel pressure @idle
6. Spark plugs
7. Plug wires
8. Distributor cap & rotor
9. Electronic Engine Control problem (can you pull codes?)
10. Idle control system problem

If the service history of above parts is unknown, it is a good idea to replace/service them, they are usually not too pricey. I would also try dumping a bottle of Techron fuel system cleaner in the fuel tank. Some people use it with half a tank for richer concentration. I usually use it with a full tank.

Also, try posting questions on the 240 section. I believe there are 240 experts there, who can give you more accurate diagnosis/advice than I could.

Best wishes,


JPN

 

Also try car audio forums for better info for audio mods. An excellent site is mp3car.com. volvospeed also has a great audio/video forum. If you have a grand you can buy a carputer.

Regards
Axel

 

Thanks again guys, I'll check out those websites. I definitely need to get new wipers, and I'll try that techron stuff for the engine, I may as well do whatever I can for hte car while I have it, even though the previous owners didn't care.

 

Sony Xplods are crap. Don't get those.

I believe best buy carries Kicker brand. Those are supposed to be good.