Hi everyone.

I have not been able repair my '87 240, so am now on the hunt for a new car. Looking for a wagon, preferably 4-speed. Must be road-worthy, and ideally able to pass a safety without putting in too much $$ or time. Prefer 240/245 but would look at a 740 or 850 as well. I am in Lethbridge but would happily come up to Calgary to take a look at a car. Price range: up to 3 grand.

If people prefer to contact me off-list you can email me at robin.hepher at gmail dot com or call me at 360-2727, area code 403.

Thanks!
Robin from Lethbridge

an '87 is one of the most reliable 240s/volvos ever built!

Keep in mind the newest 2/7/9 you're going to find is 16 years old and subject to older vehicle hiccups. I just rebuilt my cylinder head, heater core and front suspension in the last 10 months. Did alot of work myself but still spent more $ than the car is worth, but I figure it's worth it to keep it going another 10 years.

Wagons in good shape are tough to find, and all came with at least four speeds (automatic) or 5 (manual, 4spd+od), though manuals are even rarer.

What's wrong with your 240? Rust issues as well?

Thanks for the info, Meatball. My 240 is up on jackstands with the tranny *almost* out (one nut left - you probably can guess which one). My plan was to swap in another M47, but haven't been able to find one. The tranny failed catastrophically so I can't see having it rebuilt (unless someone on the board has advice to the contrary) - and I can't find a used one anywhere. That's why I'm giving up. I don't have a garage, so I'm not really interested in the larger project of trying to fit an M46 in there. Too much lying around on a cold driveway, wondering what to do next.

The 240 is not in bad shape otherwise, and I would love to keep driving it if I could. I expect to be tinkering on a car of this vintage, for sure. My skills are such that a brake job or head gasket is no problem - but this bigger, awkward stuff gets me down.

I prefer to stick with a manual (I was thinking the 4-speed + OD), but beggars can't be choosers.

I tried to test-drive a 5-speed '88 740GLE today, but it stalled as I was leaving the lot, and we weren't able to get it going again. It's a 360,000 km car, but rust-free and no sign of leaks or drips. But that car is a sedan, and I prefer the wagon for appearance and for hauling duties.

Being a Volvo noob, I wonder if anyone would have an opinion on this model/year, or even on this particular car:

http://alberta.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicle ... Z327479289

Thanks in advance!
Robin

Nice car, you should go look at it. If it isn't flashing all sorts of warning lights at you, and if the interior isn't rattling apart, $2500 isn't bad. I wouldn't want to do a clutch on one... There's got to be a trick but it looks to me like a major job.

That car caught my eye when it first listed as turbo wagons with a stick are rare and desirable to me. Few things that gave me pause from the pics and description:

- Seller selling after only a year b/c it's time for something different?? Could be but sounds lame to me...
- Hood is severely pitted with rust below grill, could be wrong but looks like > 265K to me??
- Stickers all over tailgate suggests younger owner(s) = driven harder, I like grampa owned cars...

Like Matt said, if it checks out $2500 obo is a great deal but I would want to see proof of mileage and have a PPI done by a mechanic that knows 850's. Someone else might know for sure but I think the mileage on later 850's is stored in the ECU??

Oh, yeah, that too: at least in '94 850s the ODO is the conventional style and they suffer from 240-like reliability. My wife's didn't work for 3+ years before I fixed it, i'm only estimating it's current milage.

I thought they were all mechanical but that the ECU also stored mileage somehow, just not sure what year that started though. I don't think a lot of people realize how flaky the 850's odometers are, not as bad as the 240 but not good either.

Hi,

I would be sort of interested in selling my 94 940 Turbo wagon. Its red on black leather. It has almost every accessory including Galaxy Rims. Summer tires on it are good. I bought it from a customer at work and was going to drive it for the winter then sell it, but we've been doing fine with 1 car and it is just sitting at work. It has a new water pump, timing belt/seals, headgasket. It is an automatic though. The customer was the one who bought it new, he always maintained it at the dealer (where I'm a tech), and he did all work that was recommended. He ended up splitting a hose, over heating the engine and blew the head gasket. He decided that was the last straw since he was moving that weekend. He was just going to send it to a junk yard when I jumped in and bought it. Anyways, if it is something you'd be interested in, let me know.

Jordan

Hi Jordan,

That car sounds pretty sweet, though I suspect it would be out of my price range. Still, would love to chat with you about it. If you could send me your phone number or email to me at robin.hepher [at] gmail dot com, I'll get in touch with you.

Thanks so much!
Robin

PM sent. Thanks!