It seems to me Volvos 240s are build like tanks also,The b23/b21 engines last forever ,also the transmissions last as long.Having 4 of them, 1989 249 with 289000,run like an clock ,1993 940 turbo same engine as 1993 240,it had 140000,run good unto hose busted and overheated,1984 240 with 240000,got hit at an bus stop,also ran good.Iam new to these 603 engines.

The 603 rod bender?

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On some nights I still believe that a car with the fuel gauge on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. - HST

1983 300SD - 305000
1984 Toyota Landcruiser - 190000
1994 GMC Jimmy - 203000

https://media.giphy.com/media/X3nnss8PAj5aU/giphy.gif

There are quite a few threads concerning Volvo's on here, and the consensus seems to be that we also appreciate them for many of the same qualities as our MB's.
They might be on a slightly lower rung, but they are still head and shoulders above most cars of that vintage. I had an '83 GL wagon and loved it. It was almost as slow as a Mercedes 240 but had loads of character.
Matter of fact, I was looking for another Volvo wagon when I ran across my first MB wagon. Sheesh, that was 8 MB's ago.......
Great cars, and I wouldn't mind owning another Volvo 240!

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Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

Would my MB metric tools work on a Volvo??

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daw_two
Germantown, TN

Links:
Sold last car --- 05/2012 1984 300D Light Ivory, Red interior
Cluster Needles Paint
New Old Stock (NOS) parts

Past:
3/2008 1986 300SDL "Coda"
04/2010 1965 190D(c) "Ben"
& many more

It depends on who is using them!!

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Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

I slung Volvo parts in the early '90s, and sold more harmonic balacers, exhaust downpipes, suspension bushings, and tailights than I care to remember.

I won't get into the interiors, that fell apart if you looked at them funny.

I am not saying they are bad cars, but they do have issues that can be very expensive to fix.

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Obama has to be popular and has to accommodate himself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom he seeks to reach.

Not to hijack this thread, but that #30 Torx screwdriver is NOT working right now. I am giving away Pea Gravel today.

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daw_two
Germantown, TN

Links:
Sold last car --- 05/2012 1984 300D Light Ivory, Red interior
Cluster Needles Paint
New Old Stock (NOS) parts

Past:
3/2008 1986 300SDL "Coda"
04/2010 1965 190D(c) "Ben"
& many more

Greetings,

I had a 1985 240GL, and drove it for ten years - good service. I always had it in mind to get a 4 cylinder 190 Mercedes diesel, and I did. I see old Sally around every once in a while.

Hugh Sr

IMO... The older model Volvo's had much better engineering all the way around. I have had a few. My last ones were the V/S 70's and the 850's. Great cars, as were the the older ones. But... Something happened (in the engineering department) after about 2000-2001. I rented a new V70 back in 2007 to drive up north and pick up a 1996 diesel VW Passat. This Volvo was painful to drive. Literally awful... The car was brand new with less than 2000 miles. It was noisy, uncomfortable (very bad ergonomics) and the car was all over the road at 80 MPH? Weird? My other ones were rock solid?

Anyway... When I went looking for a second car again (this year), I went looking for a wagon. Originally, I went looking for the oldest good condition Volvo 240 estate I could find. Then I gave up. Then, I went looking for the same in a Mercedes 300TD. I gave up again. Then I went looking for a nice clean Volvo 850/V70 estate below the year 2000 and avoiding 1993. Gave up again. All of these cars are either completely ragged out, wrecked/fixed or not cared for properly in one way or the other.

Basically, I just went used car shopping after a while with sedans and wagons in mind. In the end I wound up with the old 300D. This damn car is so solid. It makes the Volvo look like it was made of Peanut Brittle. Especially on the interior. Anyone that has had a Volvo over the "long haul" knows what I am talking about. The Volvo interiors literally fall apart with age and are VERY expensive to fix. Especially the dashboards.

Which reminds me... I saw a nice old MB 280 SE down the street for sale. I need to go take another look.

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AJ

1985 300D (SOLD)

I have been driving my 82 Volvo Diesel since 91 or 92 (manual trans with overdrive).
I like the car. It is my daily driver. But, as stated above the seats and such are falling apart.
When I got the car the odometer had more than 148k on it and it had hazy gray smoke until partly warmed up; even after the Injectors were rebuilt.

If that is the correct milage my overhaul of the Short Block showed that the Cylinders had too much taper and the Piston Ring Grooves were worn beyond spec. So it wore out sooner than a Mercedes would have. In another Volvo thread it was also said the Engines wear out sooner so it may ideed be true.

So new it is not a car that given the same care would last as long as a Mercedes. But, also it did not cost as much to begin with.

As I said I have been driving the overhauled Volvo since 91 or 92 which is about 15 years; if I had owned this car as a new car I could easily get 25 years use out of it as I am a low mileage driver.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

I drove volvo 240's on & off for 20 years, not going back. They handle like a loaf of wet bread next to a 123 car. Sucking that started ~2000 is probably Ford management, GM did similar for SAAB.

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CC: NSA

All things are burning, know this and be released.

82 Benz 240 D, Kuan Yin
12 Ford Escape 4wd

You're four times

It's hard to

more likely to

concentrate on

have an accident

two things

when you're on

at the same time.

a cell phone.

www.kiva.org It's not like there's anything wrong with feeling good, is there?

Well my thoughts are I like them both!
1971 MB 220D and 1980 Volvo 264 Diesel

I ended up with the Mercedes because I was looking for an inexpensive Diesel Car with an Automatic Transmission.

I would have liked another Volvo Diesel but out here in Southren CA you seldom see one.

My search on Ebay revealed that most of them appear to be owned on the East Coast.

None of the older VW Jettas or Rabbits that I saw at the time was looking had Automatics (I do not even know if they came with automatics).

So I have a Mercedes.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

You could get 84 and 85 VW diesels with automatics, at least from 84 to 86. I once drove an automatic Quantum turbo diesel... and it was miserable. The lill 1.6 that could really can't when it's geared to run 4000 rpm at 60 mph.

-J

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1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

Volvo 240s generally have solid bodies and rugged engines & trannys let down by some glaring flaws. Very cheap taillight circuitry, and Volvo gassers often suffer engine electrical faults in the Chrysler ignition and engine management systems. Too much brittle interior plastic that eventually turns into shrapnel, and Volvo seat-covers don't have the durability of MB-Tex.
Except for suspension, a Volvo 240 feels somewhat more refined than a 240D, but a 240D is less trouble-prone, with no timing-belts to change.

Happy Motoring, Mark

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DrDKW