Welcome to my page devoted to the Volvo 240 Series. I have information about my Volvo (which is what led me to do this page) along with links to other pages and information about the 240 Series cars. There are a number of great Volvo websites, and I am putting together information about the 240 cars on one site. I would love to hear from you, especially if you want to make suggestions about sites and other information to put on this page. Email me at brownmi AT ecu dot edu.

                  What follows on this site:
                My 1986 Volvo 244
                Volvo 240 History
                Buying A 240
                New and Used Parts Links for the 200 Series
                Service, repair and technical information for the Volvo 240
                Personal home pages of other 200 series owners
                Volvo Corporation, Volvo Interest and Volvo Club Sites

The Story:
I have wanted a Volvo for many years. I almost bought a 1972 145 in the 80's. I kept checking the papers and the used car lots around here, but the few Volvos that were available were not 240s and were, frankly, overpriced. One day when I was driving down one of the main roads in here in Greenville I spotted this forlorn 240 sitting in front of a windows and doors store. I saw it a few more times, and noticed that it didn't have license plates on it. I got the wife to call the place and see if it was for sale. Turns out the windows and doors guy was partners in a car brokerage, and his partner was willing to sell the car. He quoted $4500 for it. I went and looked at it, and liked it. We did some preliminary negotiation, and I took it to an import shop here to have it inspected (cost $45 and I recommend this service to used car buyers). The Volvo mechanic said that it was in basically good shape but needed to be brought back up to par. After bringing the inspection slip to the broker we settled on $3000 plus my old faithful 1985 Dodge Omni (which, to its credit, had 130K miles on it without having a single major repair). I was happy to get the car, as I look much more like a college professor in a Volvo than a Dodge Omni. However, I think that I could have been more assertive in negotiation and probably gotten a better deal. In retrospect I would like to have taken more off the price for the repairs that I need to do. Since that time I have read the "What to Consider When Buying a 240" websites (see below) which had a lot of information that I wish I would have known. If you are thinking of buying a 240 you should visit these sites. So I have my long-awaited Volvo, and have done a lot of work on it.

Spec's:
Purchased by me in August 1996; the car had two previous owners.
A 1986 244 DL
B230F Engine with M46 4 speed + OD
Original paint which is in great condition (no rust except in a few nicks under the hood)
Inside is cloth, but only fair condition. The driver's side seat is worn, and there is some staining on seats. 
It does have significant fading of interior parts due to the extreme sun in this area, accompanied by the ever present dashboard cracking.
 

Work I've done on the car so far:
Water pump replaced by mechanic in 1996 (about $125).
New ball joints put on by mechanic (about $150).
New exhaust system from cat back by muffler shop (about $125). In 2006 had to have the catalytic converter replaced ($250).
New overdrive or forth gear switch (put it in myself, it is surprisingly easy if you have a lift, the switch cost me $30).
Changed brake fluid, transmission fluid, filters myself (cost of misc. parts).
Evacuated air conditioning system, changed a leaking seal, and converted to r134 (cost about $40 for r134, oil charge, and seals, plus $20 for evap/dryer).
Replaced a cracked rack and pinion boot ($32 parts).
Cleaned out the idle air control motor, which was "stuck" because of "gunk" from blowby (sprayed throttle body cleaner inside and pressed gently on the rotor with a screwdriver to free it. It works great now).
Cleaned throttle body.
Detailed the car inside and out.
New tires and front end alignment.
Changed the power steering fluid and the differential fluid to synthetic fluids.
Cleaned and resealed my "cloudy" headlights. Used Blue Magic Plastic Cleaner and Scratch Remover followed by Blue Magic Metal Polish (both available at Autozone and Advance Auto). Eventually bought used lenses from ebay ($30).
Replaced the rear bushings.Did it myself at the Community College Auto Shop. Used a rented bushing tool, which was well worth the $35 it cost to rent it. Email me if you want to know where I rented it from or see below for a link to directions on making your own).
Replaced the shocks and struts (although my mechanic thinks they were still OK). Cost: $120.
Put on a $29.99 Remote Locking system. Works great! Not to difficult to put it in, either. Bought from J.C. Whitney with a motor and linkage from a junked 240.
Stripped and replaced the bare harness wires to the alternator and oil pressure sender (the rest of the harness seems to be in relatively good shape).
Replaced the front and rear brake pads. Eliminated that annoying Volvo brake squeal. Used the Repco pads from RPR.
Replaced the seemingly not-functioning fuel prepump. Got a $40 one from Autozone.
Put on new taillight and turn signal lenses. A cosmetic repair that really improves the look of the car.
Finally broke down an put in an aftermarket radio (sigh.) 
Had to put on a new master cylinder. 
Replaced the radiator with an all-metal replacement radiator from a local radiator shop. Sold me the radiator for $102 and I put it in myself (lifetime warranty!)
.

Work I still need to do:

Thinking about putting in synthetic manual transmission fluid.
Still need to see if I can rehabilitate the stained seats (I'd like to have new vinyl or leather seats).
Fix the retracting antenna so that it goes all the way back in :o(

Thanks for visiting. I hope you'll visit again soon. I'll try to add more stuff as time goes on. Please email me if you know of any additional Volvo 240 series information for me to put on this page.
Also visit my Homepage.
 

VOLVO WEB-RING
The Volvo Ring This Volvo Ring site is owned by  Mike Brown Join Now • Ring Hub • Random • << Prev • Next >>
Join the Volvo Webring.

The content contained herein reflects the views of the author (Michael B. Brown) and is not considered an endorsement by East Carolina University. Last updated on January 1, 2008.