One of the few cars that I always keep a few of, especially, the wagon. What an amazing vehicle. I never get tired of my 245s, ever! They are durable and very economical. I can't say enough for the 240 which are disappearing quickly. Hang on to that gem. I LOVE IT. I appreciate your time and efforts.
I think the view from the driving seat of the volvo 240 is so good no blind spots even when reversing and for a car of its size it has a great turning circle
The Volvo 240 is actually indestructible if you take good care of it. The best engine is the 4-cylinder, there are many who have driven more than 300,000 km with it without any problems. It's a shame that such a quality is no longer built today.
You're the motor minute kid! Hilarious. My daily is a 1988, grey 245, m47, blue vinyl with Virgos. Nearly identical to yours. I had a 1980, smurf blue 245, m46, blue vinyl, with Virgos in high school and I didn't appreciate it at all because it was slow. I liked everything else about it. I'm 45 now and think my 245 is the coolest damn thing on the road. I'm glad you see it for what it is, a true icon.
Yes! WOW yours is exactly the same as mine (same year too). Yes it is slow. I have driven my fair share of super fast cars and I don't see the point around where I live. Nowhere to speed, stop sign after stop sign... Better off to drive a unique, iconic car. Still fun to drive in it's own way! Thanks for the comment.
Thank you! Yes, they are simple and durable. Most of the 240s around here are still being driven by their original or long-term owners! Shows high customer satisfaction.
The reason why i drive one, is because its rwd, its a great platform, looks great, easy to work on, has primitive fuel injection so not everything revolves around the ecu, its a classic, and safety is just an added bonus lol.
Why choose to drive it? - comfy, fun to drive despite being a bit sluggish, unique, solid metal and paint, bullet proof engine, cheap to repair, great highway cruiser at very high speeds even after hundreds of thousands of miles (mine had 300K before some teen girl crushed it from the back in her dad's work truck), and no car payment. *I have Lexus and Toyotas, just can't find a car that rides as good as my old 1990 740 - that B230F ran so well that my friend's have asked if the engine died at times. I think part of the reason it rides so well is due in part to the full frame.
Back in times Volvos and Saabs truly were a high end and expensive cars here in Scandinavia, i always envied kids whose parents drove Volvos. I always admired those bricks, and now I drive it, i have had V70's but no, they are not anything like rear- driven 240/ 740 or the 940 that i now have. Great review , i could not add anything more for what you're sayin about this great machine. Thanks and Greets from Finland, and plenty of safe miles to you! :) Oh, btw , my previous 240 and 740 had a common problem, after years of driving the motor stopped running like out of nowhere ... Ok, i changed fuel pumps but it did not help really good. Then i changed the gas pump relay .. and the problem was solved. Both of those relays were originals, so no wonder ;)
Love this! I recently just got my first 240, an older one from 1978, but shares all the same components with yours. If anything, it just echos everything you said even more being it's a decade older.
Doesn't drive a bit like a brand new car. There are no annoying beeps, you can actually feel the road through the steering wheel, you hear what the engine's doing, you can drift it
I'm a big fan of the 240 im rember being in my 20s and people saying to my why would you want to drive and old volvo 240 but I didnt care I like the car 17 years on and I'm still drivering the the 240 and now people think its cool 😎
I have 240 1990 station wagon, 433000 kilometers behind and still going strong. Best car that I have owned, easy and cheap to maintain, it feels that the engine can go forever when you change the oil at the right time.
your review is more than excellent, I have a 86 240 DL sedan with almost 1 million KM on it . The B230F engine is about unkillable, the handling and ride is much better than anything available today , the versability and the reliability of the car is unequalled An important fact is that the car is very easy to diagnostic and to work on
keep it running. do all the maintenance . Parts you need are at Swedish Car Parts, FCP Euro, IPD Volvo , all online. Get the hayes repair manual and fix it yourself, learn how.
RockAuto also has a good selection of quality aftermarket parts, but FCP Euro and IPD Volvo carry some genuine Volvo parts. Don't forget the dealer. Very often the dealer prices beat the prices from the online part suppliers and you can't beat the quality of the genuine Volvo parts! Btw, I've been driving these cars for over 40 years. So, I know all this from decades of experience. :)
As a 240 owner it makes me excited to see young people who are you into the 240 the car should live on and I'm very very happy to see Youngblood driving the Volvo 240 so thank you very much.
@@americanchallenger I've owned my car for 12 years now. I've done a few small things to make it a lot quicker and a lot more fun to drive, I found a b cam from the European model installed that and gave it 16 valve injectors I also remove my belt driven fan and put in an electric fan which freed up some horsepower. I changed to ipd sport suspension and she handles like a Porsche. There are a lot of things you can do to make your 240 distinctly yours, mine just hit 300,000 miles but I know I can get at least another 500,000 out of this motor. Thanks for the response!
Nice video! I've been driving old Volvos for a little over 20 years. The 240 wagons (but not the sedans) all came factory equipped with limited-slip differentials, so with some good winter tires you'll be amazed at the way your 240 wagon can travel on snowy-icey roads. All 740 and 940 sedans and wagons came with the limited-slip differentials. Also, I think the 740s and the 940s handle a little better than the 240s. But it's easy to beef up the suspension with after-market sway bars, shocks, and struts. I'm currently on my 4th Volvo, it's my first 240 and It has 134,000 original miles on it. If you do the maintenance religiously and drive them respectfully, these old Volvos will last a LONGGGGGGG time!
It is a beauty.Always loved the power assist steering feel, nice on tight spots, and corners...firm along the roads....wonderful driving experience...fits in any area, a completely ubiguitous brick.
When I was born my dad bought my mom a 1994 Volvo 940 SE. It sounded exactly the same as yours and was probably as comfortable. I miss that car. Now I have a 1998 V70 GLT
Yours is very nice, the wagons are so cool and it’s in great shape. I’m kinda partial to the sedans, got one in white. It’s surprising how reliable and durable these things are. Haven’t done any major work with mine, just fixed some electrical issues and she’s great. Plus it’s just so cool driving one of these.
I recently put the larger sway bars on my 90 wagon. They came standard on some early turbos. Less roll for sure, and better handling, but a bit more road noise and little less of the floating on a cloud feeling when cruising. Its' taken some getting used to, but I think I'll keep them.
I have a 740 from 91 and its great. The 90s 740s has the same dasboard and everything as the 940 so its really nice. Altough i do like 240s i wouldnt daily one when i know there are 7/940s out there . But nice vid man and that 240 is looking good !
@@americanchallenger we did but sadly after driving it for a few it broke down and we got a refund :( very sad but it was because of a poor alternator the seller got so we’re hoping it can start up again and work like before.
great great great, and the oem hitch and great brakes prove capable for towing as well, small boats, motor cycle trailers you name it, some pull their volvo race car behind their volvo wagons hehe !
I did tow more than 3000 pounds from New Brunswick, Canada to Arkansas, U.S.A. and from Arkansas to Albany, N.Y. by 1982 Volvo Wagon with luggage in the back, two bikes and boxes on the roof rack and wife and three kids, the car handled very well and without sweet. Amazing cars.
i know first hand what you mean about durability. I just got a 240 wagon from my cousin who had it for the last 10 years and did nothing but oil changes sometimes. It doesn't even leak fluids either. Just a lot of suspension parts and other various broken things to replace. Including the speedometer gear which broke at 220k miles, before my cousin even got it!
Hey I am about to get my Novice licence in late September and really love the look of Volvo wagons. I am a biker and love camping so thought the wagon would be perfect. I found an amazing condition 1982 245 DL wagon with 290,000 kilometres on it. I know volvo engines can last a long time however I am worried about it. How many miles do you have on your wagon and is it something that I should take into consideration considering the near perfect condition of the wagon I am looking at.
I drive a 1996 volvo 960 t6 24v rwd and I love it and people can't understand why I drive it all the time and is extrealy reliable for how I drive and miles and I have other car friends that don't understand me until they drive it and how goofy and fun it is to just drive. Nice vid
I bought a used one when I was in the Navy. I kept it 7 or 8 years. I wish I hadn't sold it. I decided that my next car will be a classic 240 Volvo wagon.
I really enjoyed your video and I like how well you are able to describe this great car! I live in Gothenburg, Sweden and there's still some old Volvos on the road here, but mostly 740 and 940. I drive a 1975 Volvo 264 GL converted to Diesel (D24) and a 1992 Volvo 245 GL for my daily driving. I really love them. Been doing a lot of work to restore the 264, and I have a restoration project on a forum ongoing. Unfortunately everything is in swedish, but I have posted a lot of pictures on the work: www.garaget.org/forum/viewtopic.php?id=328202
I went to the Volvo museum back in July 9th of 2018. I love the old Volvos. It's too bad Volvo isn't still swedish owned and they aren't still making the 240. I love the 240!
Excellent review. I'm a Mercedes aficionado myself and currently daily drive a 1981 Mercedes 240D sedan with 345000 miles on it. You think your Volvo is slow... I'm sure you could manage to get a hood length in front of me in the distance of a city block :) Seriously though. The first intelligent review of one of these I've seen on RU-vid that's not someone wanting to screw it up with a bunch of pointless mods. Makes me think it's a car worth looking for myself.
@@bobjohnson205 I did not. Don't even have the Mercedes any more sad to say. Now driving a Chevy Spark... Life gets in the way sometimes. I see a couple of these around still though. So perhaps in the future it's an option.
@@bobjohnson205 It did. But the car is surprisingly good for what it is. And being in Phoenix the most important thing is its brand new with brand new AC, which I've come to realise is all that matters here. In time I will upgrade but for now I'm fine.
240 power, varies. An injected B230F is as you say adequate, however the carby version I had was horribly slow. Prius can run 17s in the quarter. 240 is more like 19s. The prius feels slow because no shifts. Having said that, I only find it inadequate passing up hill at high speed and towing at high speed in hilly terrain.
The sound of the creaking interior plastic has set in a Pavlovian desire to be behind the wheel of my 240! Quick question re: your ignition problems- I had ignition problems myself and had to get a whole new ignition assembly. Around the time the problem showed itself and ever since the repair I've had a weird issue where when backing out of a parking space, or making a tight turn to pivot out of a parking space, I experience a weird thing where the car moves at a snails pace and then slightly lunges back into regular speed. Did you experience anything like that related to your ignition issues? Great video. You've got a new subscriber!
Hmmm... interesting. I've never experienced anything like that. My issue occurred in hot weather going up a hill at highway speeds, and the car began to die. So your issue only happens at low speeds, and your car shows no sign of trouble at any other moment?
americanchallenger I’ve had zapped power making right turns after being held up by traffic leading to the turn, but otherwise it’s just limited to low speeds. I only suspect the old ignition problems because my mechanic said they had to remove the steering column to do the job, and I’ve heard similar problems can come from improperly messing w the steering column. Who knows! With an almost 30 year old vehicle there will usually be an odd quirk or two
Volvo: "We need a new car design!" Volvo designer: "Where is my pencil and ruler?" But really tho, I love the way the 240 looks - so simple, boxy and chunky, yet somehow so elegant. I think it looks better and has more soul than most modern cars.
I dont get why so many americans want crossovers when wagons are so practical. I love the saab 95 wagon but would love to have 240 wagon like yours as well
My 240 is an 88 GL, euro spec (french dude here ahah) Damn I wish I had these sexy trims, I have thicc black trim and its kinda ugly imo.. wish mine had the chrome like yours ! Its a sedan, runs great ! Im 19 and peoples always seems to be surprised that yeah, I daily a 31 yrs old car ahah. I have Bilsteins B6, ima swap the Swaybars + add strut bars and lower chassis tie bar + whole suspension bushings renew, damn I can't wait.. The only issue i have with the 240.. the b200 engine.. its fine, runs great but its gutless for the amount of fuel it drinks.. my small city car have the same power but drink almost 3 times less than that + the leather interior is wrecked. Avoid the leather really.
@@americanchallenger hmmm the relia..what ? Sadly, its not true... Mine is a K Jet .. damn K Jetronic Ignition and was never taken care of. If you ever had to deal with bad K Jet you know what I mean.. long live the 240 tho
How hard is it to find replacement parts? Specifically essential or mechanical parts to keep it going? I hear a lot of contradicting things about this. I’m debating on buying one as my daily driver.
In the U.S., it's very easy for 86+ models. Some parts can be more difficult for the older years. I have never had an issue finding any essential parts. Many are still produced by volvo, and if not there is tons of options from high quality aftermarket suppliers.
If you can find a '93 in good condition and no rust you get the benefit of abs and driver airbag. This was a very nice video and I very much agree with the comments.
@@americanchallenger Awesome man, thanks for the reply. I’m actually in the process of buying one now, waiting for the bill of sale today. It’s a 91 wagon, same colour as yours.
Do you still have that volvo? Such a nice car you have there. Ive been looking for good 240 for a while. I want summer car for my self. When winter comes car goes to garage and waits new summer. Those cars are overpriced nowdays in finland. Most of them are so beaten up and raped, you cant make it look good anymore. So it's up to luck if you can find not too expencive and overall good condition car.
Yes, of course I still have it! They are still fairly easy to find in good shape here, but they are getting more expensive. My suggestion would be, buy a beat up one for the winter and a nice one for the summer. As you know they can be great winter cars. Strong heat, heated seats, and very good in the snow!
American cars have been using disc or combo of disc and drum with dual braking circuits for decades. No American car of similar vintage used drums exclusively.
heheh watching you "stand" makes me think you had to go pee and were trying to hold yourself so you do the pee-pee dance alternating your feet to keep from peeing your pants. other than that, your video was great. I agree with most of your points you mentioned. I have a 2014 Toyota Corolla S in great condition and live in an apartment with 1 parking space. If any of those factors were different I'd be trying to find me a 240 or 740 or 940 or 145 (I actually like the 145's the most because of the round headlights and the curvy rear end that tucks in on the bottom side of the fender).
