How much money to put into a 1993 240?

I have a 1993 240 wagon, which I love. The body is sound, without any
rust problems. But there are several things that the car needs to
have done to bring it fully up to speed, to the tune of just north of
$2000. My question to other 240 lovers is, now much money would you
put into your 240 wagon before you'd feel like you were throwing your
money away? The thing is, even if I decided not to do the repairs and
instead get another car, I'd just start shopping for another 1993 240
wagon. So is it more prudent to just invest in the 240 I have?
Feedback would be welcome. Thanks.

 

IMO as much as it takes, as long as the body is solid and the car isn't
rusty. 1993 was the last year they made the 240, so *any* 240 you find
will be at least that old. The things that wear out or break on any 240
will likely be worn out or broken on another one, and it's not
unreasonable to drop $2K taking care of all the neglected maintenance on
any older used car you get. Don't worry about the cost vs the value of
the car unless you intend to sell it. Generally speaking a car is not an
investment, you are paying money to have transportation. Look at it this
way, the cheapest new car you could get, some crappy Kia or something
would cost at least $8K. Put half that into fixing up a nice 240 and
you'll have a FAR superior car. Buy a brand new car in the same class as
a Volvo and the value will drop more than $2K the moment you drive it
off the lot. You don't have to dump a fortune into it at once, just make
a list of things it needs, prioritize, and then peck away at it a little
each month and you'll have a car that keeps getting nicer with age. Take
good care of the cosmetics because those are getting hard to find, the
mechanical bits are still readily available. If you keep it long enough
it might even be a valuable classic some day. Few cars are as
recognizable as a 240 wagon.

 

What work does it need, who said 2000, how many miles on it, does it
burn oil? If it was a dealer then my experiance is the price is 50% to
high and 50% of the work is not always needed. A local independant is
best. But if its just brakes, tires, struts, belts, hoses, oils,
plugs, then just do it as on any used car it will be the same and its
just regular maintanance. On a car that old with many miles a
compression test is a good idea to know what kind of engine life is
left

 

I just went through this self-discussion. $2000 is $167 a month. Can
you find a new or low-mileage used car for a payment of $167 a month?
If you're going to buy another 1993 245, you'll still probably have to
put $2000 into it...

I fixed my 1990 240 instead. And have a bit left to do among things I
know about (new strut mounts, replace the hood release cable which broke
at the lever end, replace a few trim pieces in the interior and on the
body around the bumper).

 

i recently had to shoot Dagmar (my 1976 245) -- well 7 years ago. it
was traumatic. the mechanicals were all doable, but he had become
"special". if the interior & exterior are all good, keep it, but
realize that you have reached the point when cost of operation will
just rise. there have been no Volvos built since 2000, but some of
those are really nice & cheaper than a Kia. i stole my 2000 r from a
toyota dealer (would a realota dealer have had better security?). he
had no idea what he had & i was first. sometimes it pays to get up @
4:00 am.

i know this is emotional. get a newer Volvo for transportation.
private sales of cars are cheap right now, but here are some thoughts.
put your 240 out to pasture. drive him on weekends & slowly restore
him. he WILL become a classic. give him to a younger friend or
relative & when they wrap him around a tree just be happy they were
driving a Volvo.

 

With most other cars I would have said ' better the devil you know' if it's
not too bad.
But with a 240 I say 'better the angel ( ugh - couldn't think of a better
word in this context ) you know'.

If the bodywork is good as you say there is no question as to what you
should do.
Consider yourself privileged that you have such a good car and spend what is
needed ( over time as you prioritise what is needed ).

I have 2 x 1988 240 GL's and both are daily drivers for my wife and myself
and I've had each several years.
Most parts are easily available and there is a good fount of knowledge on
them on the Internet, especially Volvo forums.
I do most of the repairs ( not many needed ) and maintenance myself with
very occasional use of a mobile mechanic across the road for things I need
help on.
If you are not able to look after it yourself find yourself a GOOD mechanic
or car enthusiast to do it for you.
They are quite easy on the maintenance front - buy yourself a Heynes or
Bentley manual - your occasional use of a mechanic would have a guide to use
then.
( Dare I say it ) - get yourself some overalls and a good tool kit too -
their cost will be refunded many times.

Here in the UK old Volvo's ( esp 240's ) are much cheaper to buy than in the
US.
Compare 240 auctions on eBay.com ( USA ) and eBay.co.uk and you will see we
are quite fortunate here in the UK where ( to many, many misguided souls ) a
240 is thought of an old man's car.
Also petrol is much more expensive here which reduces their appeal. But
petrol is only 1 part of the cost of car ownership, TCO is what you should
look at.
Though they have seemed to be rising in value somewhat recently.

My first 244GL which I bought in 1982 was a 1977 model and I paid £1800 for
it privately.
It was an Auto with leather interior and sun roof etc and was top spec in
1977.
I had it 13 years with just 1 expensivish repair in that time and sold it in
1995 for £180 still running well.
I bough a different Volvo, one of the non Swedish ones ( those cars are
different ), a 360GLT ( don't think you had them in the states ), then a 440
Xi ( again non Swedish ).
They don't last like the 240's do.
I sold the 440 and replaced it with a 4 years older 240 in much, much better
condition, that was a good move.
The 240 Auto I bought in 1994ish to replace the 440 cost me £250 ( that's
not a misprint ) and was in excellent condition.
I had to replace the headlamp reflectors but the remaining expenditure over
the following 6 years was just for regular maintenance items.

May I suggest you join the forum at the UK Volvo owners club ( it's free and
there are many international members ).
You will find any help you need there by just posting your query. ( I'm
c_lee on that forum ).

If it has good bodywork as most do - keep it.

I think I should stop now, I'm sounding like a fanatic.

 

Used cars in the UK seem to go for peanuts in general, not just Volvos.
Beats me why they devalue so quickly over there, but then American cars
do that here, at just a year or two old they tend to be worth a fraction
of their original cost.

As for the fuel economy, a well maintained 240 with a manual gearbox can
do better than 30mpg (US Gal), it compares favorably with many modern
cars, especially for a midsize luxury car.

 

It's weather & salt. CA has neither. my last two volvos were assembled
in Halifax & Ghent. i have driven a 360 but not in the US or CN they
do not meet the safety or EPA standards. the 240 is already a classic,
but so is the 544 & the 1900 & wouldn't drive either day to day. the
best actual Volvo that you can still buy is based on an 850 platform
-- e.g. an 850 or v70. still cheap, luxurious (hell i have a race car
& until i rip them all out she has all leather seating & a seven
speaker stereo. wicked pissa.)

uk cars are also cheaper beacause no one else drives assbackwards.

 

Thank you! That sounds very reasonable to me (and not just because
it's pretty much my same thinking!). I finished $1100 of the repairs
this week, and will start chipping away at the other $1400 or so over
the rest of the year. If I can keep the body up, I think it'll be
worth the investment.

 

Thank you all so much for your input, which is valuable. I'm not the
kind of person who would ever do the mechanical work myself, but I do
have a good garage I trust -- Rolf's Foreign Auto in Evanston, IL, if
you want to look up their reviews -- and they've taken care of all my
240s. (Wow, I'm watching TV as I do this, and a Target commercial
just came on with a mother dropping off her kids at school -- in a 240
wagon! Target is anti-SUV! I now love them forever!)

Here is a list of things Rolf's thinks my car needs to have done.

1. Timing Belt Job (Replace timing belt, tensioner, front engine
seals; replace broken upper timing belt cover) – $588
2. Replace valve cover gasket -- $98
3. Replace upper and lower radiator hose (add fresh fluid, bleed
system, check for leaks [none found]) -- $49
4. Replace cracked A/C belt (no charge)
5. Front pads and rotors - $449
6. Rear shocks rusted and leaking - $340 for both
7. Transmission needs to be serviced – $130
8. Brake fluid flush – $135
9. New spark plugs – $79
10. Steam clean engine compartment due to oil leaks – $78
11. Air filter needs to be replaced - $52
12. Upper/lower radiator hoses have soft spots - replace - $135
13. Fan shroud broken – check replacement part price
14. Lower Splash shield broken - check replacement part price

Of these, I've already had done #1-4 which, with parts and labor (and
minus a $100 coupon I had), came out to a combined total of $1041.18.
The rest of the prices listed, #5-12, is their estimate of total price
to have these items done.
I'll get the rest of the list done by the end of the year, and pretty
much in the order they're listed, starting with #5, the front brakes.

Thanks again to everyone for your input. I really appreciate it.

Patricia

 

I did...
http://www.yelp.com/biz/rolfs-foreign-car-repair-evanston
6 of 8 say they're expensive, and I think I agree.

Maybe I'm just used to doing my own work (and I don't know their
hourly rate, so I can't really comment on the big-dollar jobs), but
some items do stand out as a little.... "extra"-pricey.
Example: #11 - Air filter - Maybe $10 + 30 seconds to install?

And isn't #3 the same as #12?

 

An important item, timing belt replacement needs to be done every 80,000
miles IIRC.

He already had the belts off for #1 so it makes sense to do it then.

#9 seems pricey to me. Unless there are problems like a plug being
stuck in the head, this takes about 15 minutes. This price should
include new plugs and wires IMHO.

That's way pricey. $15 for the filter and about 15 minutes labor.
Unless he's also replacing the airbox thermostat, which takes another 15
minutes or so. If the preheater hose is still connected and the airbox
thermostat hasn't been replaced, it should be to protect the air mass
meter.

Duplicate of #3, so already done. I wonder why was it $49 at #3 but
$135 here (except maybe as part of the labor done for replacing the
timing belt).

Brakes are good. ;-)

And may you and your 240 wagon have many more happy years together. My
1990 240 hit one off those chunks of time this summer where lots of
stuff wore out or broke in short order and needs to be replaced- but the
car drives better than ever now! 27 mpg from Door County WI back home
to Minnesota a couple weeks ago.

 

The 240 Auto I bought in 1994ish to replace the 440 cost me £250 ( that's
not a misprint ) and was in excellent condition.

Erm - that was a misprint - the year was 2004 but the price is correct and
that was what I was refering to re misprint.
The misprint was on the year.

..

 

Really puts into perspective how much I save by doing this sort of stuff
myself. It'd probably cost me $500 to do everything on that list, not
factoring in the value of my time.

 

I don't think their prices are *too* out of line, besides, sometimes you
get what you pay for, and I don't see anything on that list that smells
of BS. An air filter for a 240 is ~$15 for the part as I recall, and
changing it takes a lot longer than 30 seconds, figure 10-15 minutes. I
usually have to unbolt the air mass meter to disconnect the hose and
then sometimes it's a fight to get the cover on and off with the
radiator hose in the way. It's not a huge task, but the price is not
excessive for a business, there's a lot of overhead beyond what the
mechanic gets paid.

 

yeah, i never did understand the placement of that air filter cover.
you can sneak it in but i think i fixed the problem by renewing the
hose w/ something non-standard. something that no licensed mechanic
would ever think to do because of the liability.

as a retired general contractor i'm intimate w/ the costs of doing
business. if you don't include p & o you soon become an ex general
contractor. if they stand behind their work the prices seem fine.

 

Well, I'll give you my address and you can come on over!

 

Many of the items on your list you could (learn to) do on your own.
They're not terribly technical or require special tools or knowledge.
My sister does most of the maintenance on her Saturn... Well, dad did
help her with the spark plugs, and I helped dad figure them out.
Creative (silly) design, that Saturn 4 cyl.

And don't let these guys fool you. An air filter is a half hour job and
at least a scraped knuckle or two... on my '83 anyway. Maybe it's easier
to get at on later models, I dunno.

 

Doing your own auto maintenance/repair is fine if (1) you have the
knowledge; (2) you have the tools; (3) you have the space. I strike
out on all three. I don't have the knowledge, though I could, of
course, acquire it if I wanted to spend the time (I really don't); I
don't have the tools, which I could also acquire if I had the money
and patience (which I don't) and, most importantly, since we don't
have a garage and our cars are simply parked in the street in front of
our house, I don't have the space. It's really far less hassle (and I
also think less expensive in the long run) to take the car to skilled
mechanics who, while perhaps comparitively expensive, also have an
excellent track record for success, and who, on the odd times they do
get something wrong, will work their backsides off to get it right. I
think the trust factor alone is worth anything extra I might spend.
(And I'm saying this as someone who just paid $200 to a garage that
said they gave my car a complete lube job, oil change, rotated my
tires, and fixed my A/C, only to have me drive away in a car with all
the hinges bone dry, all the fluid levels low, all the tires in
exactly the same place, and the A/C not only blowing warm, but missing
the condensor fan!)

 

Car maintenance isn't for everybody. I could learn to hunt and get my
meat that way, but it's not something that appeals to me when I can just
go pick it up at the supermarket, even if I pay more. I enjoy working on
my car but I can understand why someone wouldn't.