I don't have much experience with Volvos. However, my son is interested in a
1987 Volvo 240 DL. I check into it and really liked the car. It has 232M on it already, and according to the mechanic who was recommending it the maintenance was up to date. I test drove the car and it seem to have a rough idle. He claimed that this was normal for these cars. So I am asking the 240 community if this is factual?
I've owned three 240s -- an '81, an '87 and now an '89. None of them had a rough idle. I have to say, there are so many really good 240s available with far fewer iles. Why not check out the eBay listings? I've purchased two of my
240s via eBay and was very happy with both. I would aim for something a little newer than the '87 and with fewer miles and no worrying troubles at the outset. You should be able to get something better relatively inexpensively.
The idle shouldn't be particularly rough, probably has a vacuum leak or needs a tuneup, throttle body cleaning, etc. Good car, but count on spending a few weekends fixing up little things.
Of course what some people consider a rough idle can be normal for a Volvo. The engine in that Volvo will never idle as smoothly as a Toyota V6 if that's your comparison, but the idle shouldn't be objectionably rough. The only way to find out for sure is to try out other similar cars to compare.
Thanks, I found all the comments helpful.
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