Volvo Question ('83 240 Turbo Wagon)

[The Swede]

At carsurvey.org, I read good reviews about the 240 Turbo.

This wagon is FS, not too far from me:
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/car/372910442.html

I haven't contacted the owner, but thought it might be worth a look.

[Hogweed]

i bought a really nice 1983 240 turbo coupe from the bmw dealer in albuquerque many years ago. they accepted it on trade and then retailed it on their lot as opposed to sending it to the sale so it was pretty nice. had a nakamichi dragon stereo which is still the loudest, cleanest car audio system i've ever owned.
overall the car was good, with the exception of the usual vovlo glitches e.g. cheap, plastic door pockets that break the first time it hits your leg!
i didn't look too closely at the car you're looking at but at first blush the price seems high. looks like it has some work done but i paid $3200 for mine and that was in 1993! i guess they could be a little rare now. let us know if you look at it in person.
gregg

[The Swede]

Thanks, I may take a look. My guess is that a younger person owns it, hence the stereo, tint etc. Looks okay in the pics, but if unless it's been restored, there's bound to be a good amount of rust.

[t walgamuth]

I would say that the 240 volvos are as good on rust as the same vintage mb. Quality wise and engineering wise though they are not as good. The motors and rear ends and trannies are pretty comparable though I think, in quality.

They are kindof crude and plasticy inside for my taste.

My dad had a series of them and loved them. He was doing most of his own maintenance on the up into his eighties, including replacing the front struts!

Tom W

[Jim B.]

Seems a little high priced, but the 240 wagons are great if you want long lived transportation. They will last for hundreds of thousands of miles. they have really comfortable seats, though the interior and dashboard, around the bottoms of the seats and door panels, are kind of cheap and brittle plastic.

www.ipdusa.com The ipd company in Portland, is a good place for parts and upgrades, and have a free newsletter.

They are real safe cars too. I heard some lawyers in Court talking about one that had been wrecked, and they saw it in a garage after.

It rolled seven times, but the passengers were not injured. They thumbed the catches on their seat belts and got out. Even after being rolled seven times, the doors all open and shut, and no glass was broken.

Try that on your Honda Accord or Toyota Camry...

[The Swede]

Thanks Jim,

I emailed the seller, no response yet. Worth a look if it's in decent shape. Volvo's are popular around these parts, so it could sell fast.

[nh500sl]

I think that the car is worth the price if it is in decent conditon. Its RWd, handles well and is economical to driver. These are very sturdy prtical cars that are comparable to benzes in terms of quality.

[The Swede]

The owner got back to me via email. Apparently it has some rust bubbles and also needs some front end work. I'll pass, but it would be a good buy for a grand less.