Someone asked about buting an inexpensive Volvo the other day and I advised him to get something else, because I have seen so many people disappointed by maintenance liabilities. Now, it's happened again.
A friend was given a supposedly "really nice" '84 by his son. Unfortunately it is a diesel. When it finally wouldn't start, after getting harder and harder over a few weeks, he did a comp check and saw one zero and several way low. Assuming the problem was a headgasket, he spent $25 for the special wrench (What the hell is wrong with hex heads, anyway?), spent about a day, and got the head off. Guess what: Gasket OK and one scored cylinder. He has neither the time nor money to rebuild this monster, so there goes another one to the junkie, where it probably belongs!
Mileage is under 150K.
Moral: Stick with gassers if you must dabble with Volvos!
Wilson Corolla 175K Voyager 203K '82 F-150 God only knows
So how much would it cost to rebore and fit oversize pistons? Then have the valves reground and you will get possibly a further 500,000miles from the engine.
Well, it was a bit of a troll, but meant to support the idea that people looking for a cheap driver should stay away from Volvo. The guy is a 60 ish teacher, with years experience maintaining BMWs, VWs, and others, but never Diesels. Unfortunately, he has used his money to help support various family members and can't now afford the rebuild, or even the parts. Yes, he could have made better choices, but he has been very selfless.
I'm guessing a shop rebuild of engine and injector hardware will be at least $3K. Let me know if that's wrong.
Then there is the unknown condition of the auto tranny!
I could have the mileage wrong, so let's let that go.
We're in central NC, so let me know if this dog is worth anything.
Intellichoice used to (probably still does) publish an objective book "The Complete Car Cost Guide". Cars across the spectrum were rated for total ownership costs including depreciation, insurance, safety. The Volvo 240 was one of the highest rated. Even taking depreciation out of the equation for used 240s, Volvos are inexpensive to drive if you stop focusing on short term costs such as new parts (and even more so with all the salvage parts available). Further, if you assign a higher value to safety (in sports requiring helmets, spend according to what you think the contents are worth) Volvos are very inexpensive.
They were. And as a german from lower saxony (but I think they were buildt at AUDI bavaria) Ive shamefully to admit: They are oily troublemakers, spoiling the whole car. An MB engine would have been a much nicer german choice, if Diesels should ve been unavoidable - but perhaps MB wouldnt have liked the idea to sell their biggest (in middle class cars the only) plus to their hardest foreign competitor at a fair price.
My girlfriend that days liked it anyway because it used "less gas", but I guess that was only because it was such lame to drive. She went with it. Since then I liked Volvos again.
Wilson is right on that:
At least 1s and 2s, Ive heard much had changed since then ;-)
For many years Id low tide on my accounts for whatever reasons, but
1 decision saved me from walking all the time and that was to drive Volvos, not at least because of that: From first signs of warning that something goes wrong (no matter if engine, bearings, tranny ...) to the point of breakdown you can savely first circle the planet once more. (at least with 1,2,7s) I dont know any other make that gives that peace of mind with that little costs. People who didnt experienced that driving a Volvo, shurely dont give a shit for minimum service and oil or had just very bad luck.
Expemsive repairs? I dont know, apart from - yes - one shitty Diesel.
If you have not much money but basic skills using tools especially the 2s are really a hit. In germany (and perhaps other countries as well) youve just one problem: The easiest engines for self service (without injection) unfortunially cause the biggest taxes.
But usually there isnt much to "service" anyway. For example I just drive a 88 740GLE (16V) and had _no_ repairs in 50.000km/2years. Ive known from the beginning that there was a slight "rumbling" in the train, a bit rattling brakes and bearing/shocks overall where not in perfect state. But it hasnt significantly changed since than albeit Im not the calmest driver an she goes 190km/h without much trouble. On highway driving 150km/h is usual and you dont "feel" it. At the end of this year Ive to chnage the timing belt, ok. About 400Euro at my garage. But thats it. Gas is constantly under 10l/100km. So what? If it would dissapear in a heap of rust just now, it _was_ already a winner. And its not my first case since 81 - believe me ;-) Its nearly "upper class" riding on very low budged in relation to that. The only car of that age Ive driven and liked a bit more because of its silence, pure power and smoothness, was a MB500SEL. But the seats are still better even in my old Volvo. Show me an _real_ alternative to that and I will think it over!
A last remark: Many old Volvos which may dissapoint their (usually unexperienced) buyers, do that just because their former owners know/feel exactly that they are on their brink and virtually sell "repairs" instaed of a car. Because of the slow degration mentioned above you can stockpile "problems" for years before the car really wouldnt go any further. If u use Volvos over longer periods you know about that. Because people dont really like to sell their (older) Volvos for other reasons than that, you are in fact in danger to buy a heap of accumulated problems - if you dont know about them. But if your "new" volvo is ok at the beginning, you have usually not to fear much trouble for years and many km(iles).
Nice... I am glad we don't have any of the secondary cars my dad bought in the 80s... lets see the Audi Fox.... it was a company car, abused to shit... it ran molds, manifolds, hot runner nozzles etc... to and from the company to other small mold builder/plastics companies, and to larger companies (every multinational company has to start somewhere and use the one company car to carry everything and anything around right?).. next car was a Ford Tempo... we had that one two months, then the Westmoreland PA built VW Golf... a low Kms car that lasted 6 years (from 1985 on to 1991) then needed new brakes, suspension, various engine bits... it was shot in 6 years.... come on VW of America. Then the 90's came. A 1991 Golf.... its still going strong. The 1993 960, same thing. A 1999 Golf in year 2003... it better be still going, its only get 62K Kms and its a diesel.
Of course the Volvo's my family had in that time period were GREAT! 1972
142 - dad's first Volvo, 1973 142 - after he sold his 72 for more money then he paid he got another one... this time with the sport package, 1974
240DL... had this thing for 11 years, oil leaked and the windscreen let in water eventually, but she was a truely reliable craft, this is the first Volvo I was ever in. 1985 740GLE Wagon... got a good 4 year run out of her easily, bought another one in 1989, this time with the 16Valve motor, got another 4 years out of it, got a great trade in from the dealer, and heavy incentives to buy this newfangled Wagon they called a 960. Couldn't pass it up in 1993.... Finally the Volvo we decided to keep more then the previous record of 11 years.
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