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My own 1990 Volvo 240 DL is a nightmare. I personally talked with 3 other Volvo 240 owners that dumped their cars because the car is very poorly designed, unsafe (believe it or not) and constantly breaks down.
Sample size = 4. Statistically insignificant.
I don't even know where to begin!!!
1. The car was made with RWD instead of FWD. Have you ever tried driving around in snow or even thunderstorm with RWD??? It is very unsafe.
Only unsafe for those who do not know how to drive properly.
2. This model car is notorious for leaking gas from the filler neck (goes down to the gas tank). Do ya think that's safe???
Quote from a reliable source, please.
3. No air bags? They were around at the time, but I guess the Swedes were too busy making meatballs (one of the things they actually do well!!!)
4. Difficult to diagnose!!! Stalling problems are common on the road. Experienced Volvo mechanics have problems with diagnosing the exact problem of the stalling, so they just end up changing out half of the parts.
5. Volvo parts do not last!!!
6. MANY electrical problems, mostly under the dashboard.
Never had one.
7. Small design flaws like the odometer will break if you use the tripmeter while you are driving. Why would anyone want to do that???
8. In general, figure out how long changeable parts last in a typical car, and divide by 2. That is how long the Volvo parts last. And they are expensive!
In conclusion, if you want one of these cars, you better have a lot of antacid and a large bank account.
Actually, I am on my second car (a Volvo again) since I graduated from college (That was a long time ago. Ronald Reagan was early in his presidency). The 240 'bricks' were build like tanks, very simple design, and would go forever. (original clutch after .25M miles). I finally bought a new one (this time an S80), which now has .25M miles on it, but have learned that when American car manufacturers buy another car company, they very successfully ruin it. (Thank you, Ford).
OK. So you're experience is different from mine and those in my circle.
But you are not seriously saying that Rear Wheel Drive is as safe as Front Wheel Drive when driving is inclement weather conditions??? Also, air bags, anyone???
I don't believe that you could find one professional driver that would agree with you!!!
Secondly, you are telling me YOUR personal experience, which according to your rating system, would also be statistically insignificant.
It is well-documented that the odometer breaks when using the tripmeter while you are driving.
Look at Brickboard.com and you will see all the problems associated with the Volvo 240 series.
Come on there is a difference between the 1974s and the later 240s.
I had a 1984 and in 1990 she had 160,000 had never let me stranded. I was in an accident with 2 other cars and the front end ws completely smashed in. She still started and ran and I gave her to a friend who fixed the front end and drove her to 250,000 until his wife whined that she wanted a brand new car.
I miss my 240.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Retriever
...and, contrary to a popular misconception, these cars were not even reliable when they were new.
How do I know that?
Because I had the misfortune to buy a '74 Volvo, when it was still showroom-new!
Despite maintaining it BETTER than the mfr specified, this thing was the absolute worst piece of automotive crap that I ever owned. To put it in perspective, my next car was a 1981 Chevy Citation--one of the notorious "X" cars. Despite some mechanical problems, that Chevy spent far less time in the shop and cost me far less money to keep running than that piece of Swedish junk.
Among the issues with that Volvo:
Oil burning began at ~60k miles. By 70k miles, it burned 1 qt every 600 miles.
Shortly after the warranty expired, the transmission began leaking. After three attempts to resolve the problem, the trans shop wound up just refunding my money. As a result, I had to add 1 qt of trans fluid ~every 600 miles. (At least the oil burning and the trans leakage was sort of coordinated!) Between the amount of oil and the amount of trans fluid that I had to carry in the trunk, I couldn't take much luggage on vacation trips!
The electric fuel pump would burn out about every 12-13 months, stranding me on the road several times.
There were so many electrical problems that I lost count. The most serious one was a bad ground (that nobody could locate) that led to very dim lights, no gauges, and reduced engine power until the engine had warmed up fully. On a really cold night, that meant driving with poor lighting, little acceleration power, and no gauges for about 20 minutes. Lots of fun.
The paint was completely chalked after ~ 1.5 years.
In truth, the only good things about the car were the seats and the brakes--which were both incredibly good. Other than that, a total piece of crap.
As I tell people, "I owned a Volvo--ONCE!"
OK. So you're experience is different from mine and those in my circle.
But you are not seriously saying that Rear Wheel Drive is as safe as Front Wheel Drive when driving is inclement weather conditions??? Also, air bags, anyone???
I don't believe that you could find one professional driver that would agree with you!!!
Secondly, you are telling me YOUR personal experience, which according to your rating system, would also be statistically insignificant.
It is well-documented that the odometer breaks when using the tripmeter while you are driving.
Look at Brickboard.com and you will see all the problems associated with the Volvo 240 series.
Quote:" So you're experience is different from mine and those in my circle."
I will wager a sizeable sum that my circle is WAY larger than yours.
Quote:"But you are not seriously saying that Rear Wheel Drive is as safe as Front Wheel Drive when driving is inclement weather conditions???"
I most seriously am saying that. It depends on your definition of 'safe'. Getting stuck would tend to be less dangerous than not being able to stop. With a RWD, when you go over a hill, and it is slick ice, you can downshift a gear or so, have the rear tires drag somewhat, and still be able to totally steer.
Personally, I hate FWD... oversteer, etc. (FWD Indy cars? well, in the 1920's).
Quote:"I don't believe that you could find one professional driver that would agree with you!!!
You can believe whatever you want, but shall I direct a few professional (really professional) drivers to send you an email? (well, if I can convince them that you truly believe what you are saying, and not have them laugh).
I run AWD with studded snows... my only concern is that the stopping distance (at 40mph) is about 40 feet shorter than those that don't run this setup. At least I won't be at fault.
Quote:"Secondly, you are telling me YOUR personal experience, which according to your rating system, would also be statistically insignificant.
My sample size is a few thousand.... not exactly insignificant.
Quote:"Look at Brickboard.com and you will see all the problems associated with the Volvo 240 series."
Been reading it for over a decade.
Best story I had was, in the middle of winter, a person hit some black ice (due to lack of paying attention to a truck turning), crossed two double yellows, hit me almost head-on, (they had a land-yacht Buick). Did almost everything I could to not burst out laughing. Totalled her car, I drove home.
Over the years, I've owned 3 240's and my wife has owned 2 more, amazing to find a woman who enjoys the old 240's as much as I do.
My first was a 78 244 that I bought in 88, originally it was equipped with a 4 speed. I bought a 245 for the OD transmission, swapped it into my 244, about 3 weeks later I was T-boned by a Nissan Pathfinder. The impact caved in the passenger side of the car. I drove the car for a couple weeks until the insurance paid out, then swapped the OD transmission back into the 245, along with the unrusted front fenders. OK, so the 244 was green and the 245 was orange-we called it the Lazy Pumpkin and it was my DD for years, covering 100+ miles a day. Dead reliable, comfortable, not as economical as I would have liked for that 100+ miles a day, but it did well enough. I towed with it, carried all manner of stuff, and it was a great winter car. If you have trouble getting around in a 240 in the snow, try better tires and practice.
Fast forward a decade or 2, the little woman and I are looking for a weekend ride, and based on our collective experience buy another 240 wagon with the 4sp OD. And even though I have a V50 T5 AWD as a DD, I still get a big smile on my face when I tool around in the 240, taking a load of trash to the landfill, filling it full of lumber, or skis, or snowshoes, or motorcycle parts, or whatever fits. 222K miles, and it still fires up in -10 degree or worse weather. Maybe not the most styling of rigs but if I needed to I could happily drive 240's indefinitely.
OK, I admit it, the 240 has a horrible electrical problem. The clock simply will not keep time at all.
i have volvo 240 sedan ordinary 2000 cc motor can ichange the gear to automatic
You can, but it's a lot of work and it's best done with a donor car. You'll need to swith the transmission, flyhweel to flex plate, driveshaft, pedals, speedometer, etc.
Old Volvos were/are way overrated IMHO. Yes you CAN kill them - or rather they can kill themselves. Dad had a 1970 Volvo it went to the junkyard in 1979 from rust, with many expensive repairs along the way, and only 89K on it. My brother didnt learn was still smitten and bought an 80s sedan. He had many problems and eventually had to sell at a large loss as it was too unreliable.
Just my experience but it soured me forever on Volvo.
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