Volvo 240DL
The Volvo 240DL pictured here was a loyal partner for nearly a decade--a period of time in which the Volvo covered more than 200,000 miles, took part in two cross-continental moves, transported us and our friends to countless enjoyable endeavors, and generally became an omnipresent part of our lives. It was my wife's first car, and endured as our primary vehicle even as more modern replacements came and went.
With more than 350,000 miles on it when we sold it, our 240 lived up to the line's reputation for ground-breaking durability. The build quality was high, the construction was tank-like, and it took every beating we handed out.
So, given all that, I'm a little ashamed that I never really warmed up to the Volvo and wasn't all that sorry when we eventually sold it. I can't avoid the feeling that I've failed some fundamental personality test. So, if I could just vent a bit ...
- While our Volvo was incredibly durable, it wasn't necessarily all that reliable. I'd believe that car could drive for another few decades if maintained properly, and probably survive a near-proximity nuclear explosion. But it also cost us a ton of money to maintain and left us stranded more than once when its components gave up.
- Its burgandy paint, never particularly attractive, didn't stand up very well the pollution, heat, and humidity during the six years we lived in North Carolina. After one summer, the shine mellowed rapidly into an ashy, coagulated mess.
- Various components in the engine compartment were just loose enough to vibrate, meaning that they resonated at a variety of frequencies as the engine revved up and down. This gave the drivetrain the aural polish of a two-stroke motor.
- The car made up for that lapse of refinement with an almost utter lack of power. Brand-new, the four-cylinder engine pumped out 114 horsepower. After more than 300,000 miles of abuse, I'd be surprised if it generated anything close to that lofty figure. This, when powering a two-ton steel safety cage, resulted in a car able to drive out of a paper bag only if that bag is properly moistened.
- The most disconcerting effect of this power shortfall was its inability to hold its speed when climbing hills of even moderate grade. Even full throttle, a downshift, and an energetically squeezed steering wheel wouldn't keep hills from slowly sapping the Volvo of its forward progress. The Gran Turismo 4 racing game has a Volvo 240 Wagon in its comprehensive vehicle selection; but even that virtual 240 couldn't hold its speed when racing full-throttle along the uphill backstretch at Laguna Secar Raceway. Now that's realism.
- The transmission functioned primarily as an expensive transmission-fluid-to-nature distribution system. As soon as we sealed a leak, another would pop.
- Some guilty party--we blamed my brother-in-law's high-school friends--took the opportunity to break just about every plastic interior piece, giving the interior a warmth and atmosphere reminiscent of a supermarket in a paticularly rough part of Moscow.
- The air conditioner didn't actually cool air, but it made up for that fact by functioning as a highly efficient engine-overheating device. Of course, once the engine began to overheat, we'd have to turn on the heater full-blast to draw the hot air away from the engine.
- The Volvo didn't come with cupholders, so my wife's grandfather built a handbuilt cupholder that sat in the center console. It was a beautiful piece of work, but unfortunately it sat right on top of the toggle switches that activate the seat heaters. This meant that, depending on how the cupholder was sitting, the seat heaters were switched unobtrusively on much of the time.
- The non-functional air conditioning, usually-on seat heaters, and North Carolina heat and humidity turned that car into a sauna. Those poor front seats absorbed untold gallons of sweat. The Volvo was, hands down, the hottest car I've ever driven.
- Some low-life decided to break a window (worth a significant percentage of the worth of the entire car) to steal the $30 CD player in the dash. I don't agree with stealing expensive stereos out of luxury cars, but at least I can understand the motivation. But stealing a worthless CD player out of our worthless car ... that's a cry for help.
The Volvo's most damning crime in my eyes was that it just wasn't particularly interesting. It wasn't quirky or a great performer. It wasn't pretty or ugly enough to be interesting. It was just there and drove us around--albeit in a sweaty and slow fashion, trailing transmission fluid the whole way.
I do owe the Volvo for one thing, though. I was once pulled over for speeding in the Volvo, but the troooper let me go once he got a good look at my car. Based on the pitying look on his face, he probably didn't think my car was capable of speeding.
The top picture is the Volvo just before we sold it; the second is an early picture of the Volvo when its finish was still somewhat intact. The third picture is the forlorn hole left when the CD player was stolen.
--Chris H.
kaiser on August 28, 2008 at 05:59 AM
i was just wondering if any body would know why my windows and deforst stoped working at once any help will be weel appreciated
1990 volvo 24 dl
Thank you
P on September 03, 2008 at 01:41 PM
I recently purchased an '84 240 DL two-door sedan (yes, two-door) from the original owner for $400. I fell in love with the car at first sight and I now believe that the 240 series was God's gift to car enthusiasts like myself. This Volvo is heaven on wheels- it's solid, safe, and most of all, a lot of fun to drive with its 4-speed+OD manual. It's currently got 203k miles but it feels like it has less.
I'm now finding myself driving the 240 a lot more than my other "prized" Volvo, a '96 850 with only 86k miles on it (currently in storage). Mr. Hafner, I disagree with your statements about your own 240 sedan, as they were probably made due to the fact that the vehicle was neglected. I, on the other hand, maintain my cars to the highest standard- i.e., beyond what the book calls for. I change my oil every 2.5 months whether it needs it or not, wash the car every week whether it needs it or not, and drive it like a gem. Since I've had the 240, I instituted my own personal policy of not driving it over 40 mph or revving the engine past 2500 rpm. It's a 2-door, and '84 was the last year that one could get a 2-door 240 so I'm treating my recent acquisition as if she was a newborn baby.
Chris Hafner on September 03, 2008 at 06:29 PM
P: "Mr. Hafner, I disagree with your statements about your own 240 sedan, as they were probably made due to the fact that the vehicle was neglected."
Hmm. Well, we didn't take great care of the paint, but we certainly spent enough money on maintenance. We used only Volvo specialists to maintain it, and they were all very competent (and expensive).
But if your regimen involves not driving the car over 40 mph or 2500 rpm, well ... yeah, we didn't live up to that. Because, you know, we needed to *use* the car. I'm sure if we had just parked it in a garage, or driven it only in our neighborhood, it would have given us less trouble.
P on September 03, 2008 at 07:12 PM
Mr. Hafner,
Sorry if I offended you with my earlier comments. I do hope that you are not upset with what I said, but it's just that I love my car so much, I love it like my goddaughter! I shower it with love and attention, and yes, I do use a Volvo-only specialist when it needs to be worked on. The car could use a new paint job, and a little body refurbishing, but I'm going to save my money for that. I plan to do a total restoration of the car, piece by piece, year by year.
I have spent a bit of money to get it up to snuff- just last week I had to put over $700 into it for a tune-up and other things that needed to be taken care of. But yes, I do treat it very delicately, just like an old man. I want my 240 to last an eternity!
Chris Hafner on September 08, 2008 at 03:48 PM
Sorry, P - you didn't upset me, didn't mean to imply you had. I did think your bar for babying your car is awfully high, and we definitely didn't clear it!
kevinb on September 09, 2008 at 02:58 PM
I have had good luck with my volvo 240dl 1987. I got with 108k and I drove to 225k, with no major repairs whatsoever. I did have minor electrial issues, but hey. the ac ran cold and the heater was great in the winter. it finally gave out du to rust and at 225k I didnt want to press the luck
daninplattsburgh on September 27, 2008 at 06:33 AM
I had a 99 caddy deville that i bought for 10 G's. blew a head gasket, most dealerships will not repair it and will only replace the engine with another one. this is a 4 to 5grand job. Being on a tight budget i looked for a good reliable car for about a touhsand or under. friend of mine recomended volvo and picked up a 92 240 wagon. It has about 300K on it and still drives well. I have had it for about a yr. Was so impressed with it I bought another one 6 months later. this one was a 87 volvo 240dl wagon. had 147K on it. I got to say i think they are the simplest designed cars and tremendously well built. I do drive both of them daily. Long story. but again if anyone is out there looking for a cheap reliable vehicle these old volvos can do really well
Merc on October 07, 2008 at 01:09 PM
I have an 89 240 DL with 275k. Runs great, still burns rubber on the back wheels, but man does this car DETRACT the chicks. Its gotta be the most ugliest design ever and the engineers who decided to put plastic moving parts against metal must of lost their jobs, because EVERY plastic moving part is broke.
daninplattsburgh on October 11, 2008 at 11:41 AM
lol yeah plastic and metal dont mix. but as for the design.....you notice that the rectangular cars are coming back??? Dodge Nitro, Ford Flex, Scion Xb....not sure why but here it is.
Tim Otters on November 09, 2008 at 06:33 PM
I don't know why you all are dissing the 240's. I have owned one of several, since new from 1980. Its a 1980 242 with the manual steering and 4-speed trans. This car got over 30 mpg on the highway and would easily travel into tripple digit speeds. The engine had over 350,000 miles when I replaced it with a Turbo motor. I did all maintainance on it myself, which basically meant tune-ups. It never left me stranded and I used it more like a truck than a car.
My brother did own a 1978 242 and it displayed some of the situations that I read above. The problem was the automatic 3-speed trans and a "vacumm" leak that was not diagnosed. It regularly got 17-20 mpg and would not climb hills at all. Until I found the vacumm leak then it got 25-26 mpg and had plenty of power to climb hillsm, but it would downshift a lot.
My 1980 242 now has been transformed into a ultra-high performance car. It has over 300 hp and 400 lb-ft. It doesn't have any problem climbing hiss and it also gets over 27 mpg!
Tim Otters on November 09, 2008 at 06:37 PM
(Typos corrected)
I don't know why you all are dissing the 240's. I have owned one of several, since new from 1980. Its a 1980 242 with the manual steering and 4-speed trans. This car got over 30 mpg on the highway and would easily travel into tripple digit speeds. The engine had over 350,000 miles when I replaced it with a Turbo motor. I did all maintainance on it myself, which basically meant tune-ups. It never left me stranded and I used it more like a truck than a car.
My brother did own a 1978 242 and it displayed some of the situations that I read above. The problem was the automatic 3-speed trans and a "vacumm" leak that was not diagnosed. It regularly got 17-20 mpg and would not climb hills at all. Until I found the vacumm leak then it got 25-26 mpg and had plenty of power to climb hills, but it would downshift a lot.
My 1980 242 now has been transformed into a ultra-high performance car. It has over 300 hp and 400 lb-ft. It doesn't have any problem climbing hills and it also gets over 27 mpg!
Jason Carpp on December 03, 2008 at 12:26 AM
I'm sorry to say that I've never owned a Volvo 240 series cars. I've always liked cars that were durable, safe and dull looking. That's why I've always liked Volvos of this model.
VolvoBug on December 11, 2008 at 08:28 PM
Volvo builds the best cars. Period. I had a 240DL with over 300k miles and it was still running strong. Happened to land a pristine 1996 850 turbo for $2500 through a friend, and this car is a pleasure to drive. Fast, sporty, the styling is definitely Volvo and it has amazing comfort. Best cars on the road. Anybody who says different doesn't know what they are talking about!
LoveVolvo on December 15, 2008 at 04:40 PM
Owned a turbo 242 that was a blast. We eventually yanked the motor out and put a mustang V8 in it. It was so much more fun to blow by other mustangs with a heavily bored and revised V8 :)
on December 16, 2008 at 02:06 PM
I had an identical 1986 240dl. I had 192,000 on it and it ran perfectly. It did require a substantial investment to keep it running so well, but that car was awesome. Comfortable heated seats, I added a decent stereo system, and I found the bhp to be adequate (merging was never a problem, and I once had it going 120mph on rte 3 south). That said, the AC never worked, the engine did shake and shimmy, the paint dulled, the interior plastic broke everywhere. Despite this, it maintained a somewhat dignified appearance.
ilikepie911 on December 19, 2008 at 11:08 AM
I gots an 88 240 auto, and am here to comment on certain things about 240's. I understand some of em rust pretty bad, go rust proff it.. its made of metal what did u expect obviously its gona rust! The a/c never works..fault with 240s.. but you guys have to take one thing into consideration.. its like 20 YEARS OLD!!!. And you all say its slow.. what are you comparing it too... luxury v6's? or the 1990's accords/civics/tercels/e30's. Granted it is horribly slow on the highway but from 0-80km/h i can at least keep up or overtake many base model cars.. 240's are torqy engines 3-5k max power. Reliability..again its 20 years!! stuff is gona break And! you all say its heavy WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING! do your damn research! there only 2800-3000 pounds!!! There great cars and their fun (and don't think i've devolped a taste.. i'm 19 and i looove cruising in that). Mine is relatively low mileage at 224k km's but in comparison to my friends civic's n 240sx's it holds its own. So far i only had to replace the timing belt.. and eventually rear shocks and the seat ( a MAJOR problem with 240's all the seats get screwed). And last! gas mileage... what do you expect from a big 4 cylinder with only a SOHC! Its pretty much the same as the old 80's celica's or s12/s13 200/240sx so you really can't expect civic mileage but i get 18-20 city which is about the same as the 90 accords.
Thanks for reading and sorry for slightly ranting :P
patrick on December 24, 2008 at 07:09 PM
i have a 1991 240 Volvo and it runs great it have a few problems but nothing i can't fix
NJ 240 DL Wagon on December 28, 2008 at 06:11 AM
I have a 1988 Volvo 240 DL wagon. Owned in for the last ten years. It has 218,000 miles on it. I agree, it is not a terribly attractive car and the AC and the factory radio are weak. But everything else has been pretty good... Easy to work on and parts are reasonable. Admittedly, the car doesn't handle like other newer cars... the skinny tires, tall profile and the drag coefficient of a barn door keep our traveling speed down. But that is not the point of a 240... The car cruises comfortably all day on the highway and goes around town with no fanfare, If you want something more, this is not the car for you.
Our 240 wagon was eventually relegated to Home Depot/hauling duty as a 3rd car and has tackled some pretty tough loads with ease. (We got a 940 as our daily driver at that point.) The car has been both reliable and durable (except for the annoying fragile interior plastic) We have the same brick red paint. With NJ fall-out, a coat of wax. 3-4 times of year has kept it shiny. Either your car was repainted or you never gave it a regular waxing... It is a shame because with a quick coat of wax the red shines pretty well after 20 years. A few spots of rust have formed around the windshield due to a replacement some years ago. But other than that, no other rust.
Not sure what the attachment is, but despite the homely appearance and the slower pace-setting she brings on, we still have her. Alas, we'll need to let her go soon. I recently picked up a used Saab 9-5 wagon... (with a recent $1900 service, bill this could be a big mistake - it is what I paid for the 240 10 years ago!.) The 940 wagon will take the place of the 240 and so life goes on...
Jackson Dixon on December 28, 2008 at 05:19 PM
I am 14 years old about to have my permit. I bought a 1989 volvo 740 gle wagon and I drove it illegaly lol!!! When I first got the car it was in bad shape but I put every cent I had into it. It was a great car, with the large amount of 255000 miles i put about 3000 on it in a period of about 6 months with my mom. I traded it today for a 1986 volvo 240dl and I love it. I like the body style better than the 740, but that was sure one hell of a car. I have had my new car now for less than 20 hours and had a flat tire, and my radiator hose bust and had anti-freeze go every where. So i miss my 740 but the 240's body is in better shape than the 740's. The only thing the 240 needs is a bearing for the heating and the air-conditioning and a new tire and that hose. The car is an 1986 with an amount of 156000 miles, so pretty much it is just a baby. My aunt a 240 wagon and she drove that thing into the ground. When it finally quit, it had 780,000 miles!!!!!!! I hope that my volvo and the one I traded lasts that long but I guess it depends on how you take care of them. I really like this page and I have learned alot. Thanks..... Call me plzzzzz!!!! 1-423-745-6990
Greenwood on December 30, 2008 at 08:29 AM
Brick on wheels. I owned a 1990 240 DL. God help you whenever you were on snow or ice. Sir Isaac Newton and the "Body in motion" laws applied to this beast. One thing I can say is that this black beast instilled primal fear into all those other Japanese vehicle drivers whenever our tank came speeding towards an intersection. The bulging eyes and obligatory "path clearing" was the most enjoyable part of ever owning our Volvo.
megan on December 30, 2008 at 06:24 PM
hey, all you haters out there can suck it. I LOVE my 1987 volvo 240 dl. It's always been there for me; it's a completely solid car, and good-looking too, even after 22 years of faithful service. (Older than I am!) I will drive it forever. So long as I make the minor repairs to it as need be, I honestly believe I'll have it the rest of my life. I love it.
Ian Competent on February 20, 2009 at 11:30 AM
I've owned three of these now - plus a 740 - and I just don't ever grow tired of driving them. Powerful they are not - but they handle well, have decent torque, turn on a dime and just feel really solid. The one I own now is a 1990, midnight blue with a manual transmission. I get about 22 mpg in town and 28-30 on the highway. It has 356,000 on the odometer and shows no signs of quitting. In fact, it drives significantly better than my girlfriend's Jetta - which has about 200,000 less km on it and has been very well-maintained. Anybody that says that you have to get a running start to get the car up a hill - there's something mechanically wrong with your car, possibly dirty plugs or valves. I live in a very hilly, snowy city and don't have any issues clearing hills.
These are very polarizing cars. I understand that they are not to everybody's liking but I think that they look great and, as long as you find the right mechanic to work on them, they can keep their quality for a long, long time.
d on August 15, 2009 at 08:36 PM
just got an 88 240 dl, took it up the lcal mountain pass here in Idaho. ran like a champ. my guess is you are not able to handle a car without electronic this and that. you got a pretty mouth boy, let me here you squeal like a pig.
allen on August 26, 2009 at 08:07 AM
i just bought a 1983 242 turbo 2door 4 banger. i love the car it needs some work the people who owned it before me decided to take it out in the gravel and drift it so the tires need to be replaced and the suspension needs work no big deal since i wanna lower it a little anyways and put 19" rims on it the A/C doesnt work of course its an 83. the car hauls ass off the line because the turbo is small so it gets that boost fairly quick. it doesnt like turns if i make any turn at speed it just slides but thats ok i like doughnuts and the smell of burning rubber i do not have a radio for it but im putting a CB in it so sound is not a huge factor for me its shotfall is that its a 4speed witch doesnt seem to be enough for me i always want to put it in 5th gear but its not there my friends alway laugh at me for it
allen on August 26, 2009 at 08:12 AM
ps i only paid $100 for it the guy was asking $350 but i offered him cash and he wanted it out of the driveway so it was a steal even with the problems.the boneyards here in the richmond va area have tons of volvo 240s you take the parts off your self and the prices are decent i got both taillight assemblies for a total of $26.50 headlights for 2.50 a piece and the ignition cylinder for $5.00 with the key it only took about and hour to pull everything but putting the cylinder on my cars took about 4hours due to mounts on the 83