Find or Sell Used Cars, Trucks, and SUVs in USA

1990 Volvo 240 Dl Sedan 4-door 2.3l on 2040-cars

US $4,500.00
Year:1990 Mileage:154529 Color:
Location:

Jacksonville, Florida, United States

Jacksonville, Florida, United States

This is going to be a long write up on this lovely Volvo 240 with 5-speed manual transmission.  So, grab a hot coffee, sit back, relax and enjoy the read.  

Please read it in its entirety if you are interested in the Volvo 240, I am going to tell you everything I know about this awesome and fun-to-drive Swedish brick.  This is a 1990 model - the last generation model in the 1990-1993 range with all the refinements (including ABS and an airbag for the driver).  

Let's get started. 

I am really sad to offer this Volvo 240 for sale because I love it, and it truly is a fantastic one that will probably last forever, but I simply do not need it any more. It currently has 154,529 miles on it (nothing for these tanks), but I drive it occasionally, so it may have a little more by the time you get it.  I know of absolutely nothing wrong with it mechanically.  It is simply that good and tight and wonderful. No leaks or drips.  I looked for a very long time to try and find, specifically, a 5-speed manual transmission 240.  The only reason I am selling it i because I have a 1995 Range Rover Classic County LWB that I was going to fully restore and was going to be without a car for about 2 months….well, my plans have changed, so I am now offering both of them (I have yet to post my Range Rover).  I am simply trying to get what I have in it, and have set the reserve accordingly.  I am not a dealer, just a simple, honest guy.  I would probably be the worst car salesman ever.  So, I'll describe it to the best of my ability.  I took tons of pictures of it, and if they don't make it here in this listing, I am happy to send you the others via email.  Please don't ask me for pics if you aren't truly interested,  Yes, the Volvo 240 5-speed is an ultra rare model, but there are tons of pics out on the world wide interweb if you are just a pic collector. 

It gets great gas mileage - and cruises very comfortably at 80 miles an hour without vibration or pulling or anything.  The brakes do not pull and they stop the car very well.  The cruise control works perfectly (yes, it has cruise control).  The power steering is light and effective - it has an amazing turning radius.

Every single button and knob works as if it were brand new…. the only thing that does not work (they are not hooked up) are the seat heaters - I disconnected them; read on to understand why in the "Inside" section.

That being said, I could not say enough good things about this particular 240.  Indulge me while I continue the details of it.  

First of all, it has had only three owners, not including me.  The first two owners, from what I can tell, owned this 240 for 10 years each - so for 20 years of its life, it was in the care of only two people.  It was sold originally in Boulder, Colorado in 1990.  The next owner was in Baker City, Oregon.  The third owner was the son of the second, long term owner.

The inside.  No funky smells - I am not a smoker and it does not have any signs that any previous owner was a smoker.  Now, what is really interesting about the inside is that, based on what I have found out, one of those two owners must have put seat covers on all of the seats (when I got it, it had them on there).  They were clearly very expensive, thick, heavy duty seat covers that were professionally installed.  I thought they were ugly and took them off…and it was not easy (I had to remove all the seats from the car and basically dismantle them in order to take them off properly).  BUT, when I took off the seat covers, I discovered as I had hoped, that the original factory seat cloth underneath was perfect. When I say it is perfect, I mean perfect - like they have never seen the light of day.  Based on the condition, I suspect that the original owner had them put on the day they bought this 240.  The fun part about having the seats out was I had the chance to really clean everything well before putting them back in.  And, by the way, the carpet is either the best original carpet ever found in a Volvo 240, or it was replaced at some point, because it is perfect as well. NO spots, no burn marks, no holes, nothing. 
 
OK, so that brings us to the plastic.  Volvo 240s are notorious for having brittle plastic that breaks, cracks etc.  As mentioned above, the only crack in the dash is right above the speedo bezel and does run to the windshield.  But, interestingly, where it is, when you are in the car driving, you really don't even see it.  I am sure it could be professionally fixed and not even be seen.  But, worth mentioning.  The rest of the plastic is impeccable - I cannot locate any pieces that are perished - even the door kick panels/door pockets and center console are intact. Again, I tried to take pictures of all of this so you can see it.  There is nothing to hide and when I was looking for a 240, I wanted to know about these things, so I am paying it forward.

Continuing on for the inside.  For the astute observer, you will notice that this 240 has a sunroof.  Let me tell you a little about sunroofs on Volvo 240s.  If you buy a 240 with one, I can almost promise you it is going to leak….check out the interweb blogs and forums and you will find out what I did….they almost all do.  There is a simple "fix" to clean out the 4 drain lines from which the water supposedly drains into clear plastic tubes from the four corners.  So, here's the deal on this 240: I have deleted the sunroof from working.  I have done it in a way that you can easily make it work again, but that is up to you.  The sunroof on this one is not a factory sunroof - it was working when I got the car and operated correctly and was clearly professionally installed.  It is fully electric and slides back and forth into the roof panel just as a factory one would - but it clearly was not a factory sunroof, because the headliner was a cheap clotth deal that someone had put in, and it was sagging and was generally gross.  I pulled all that nonsense down, found a genuine factory headliner with provisions for a sunroof, and alas, it was about 2 inches off from where the factory sunroof hole would have been.  So, because the sunroof had a small leak that intermittantly dorpped water on the old nasty cloth one, I blew out the drain lines, closed the sunroof, pushed it up from the inside so that it sealed well, tested it with my son and a garden hose - no leaks. But, for good measure, I ran waterproof black tape around the eges on the outside so that it would assuredly not cause any problems.  It does not leak.  This tape is easily removable, if the next owner would like to do so….I intentionally opted for this method versus sealing it with caulk or some other unfriendly manner.  I have replaced the headliner with something more suitable, but because it is not a factory sunroof car and the factory sunroof headliner does not match up perfectly, it is covered in a marine grade vinyl, grey in color - looks fine, but no hole for a sunroof, so from the inside it looks like a non-sunroof car.  Whatever - no big deal, just something you could totally leave as is, or redo however you want…the choice is yours.  You're welcome for not being totally inconsiderate and caulking it all up.  

The seats.  I had the seats out and dissasembled in order to get rid of the funky aftermarket seat covers (yet highly effective at making the interior now "oh-so-cherry"). I noticed that the front seats just did not have that factory fresh firm feel from the 20+ year old seat foam). I did my research and discovered that factory leather seats held up much better than the factory cloth ones (what I have) because the leather facing holds everything together better….makes sense when you think about it.  So, I sourced a pair of factory front leather seats, and simply put my factory cloth seat faces on top of the leather seats and put them back in the car.  You cannot tell the difference in look, and the leather seats were the same size/dimensions, just much more support.  This was a wise choice as they are really, really comfortable to me - about a thousand times better than what was in there.  You're welcome.

The air conditioner works extremely well.  It is cold and blows well.  On the trip I mentioned above, I used it the entire way (I live in Florida, and it is still warm here during the afternoon).

The outside.  The paint is shiny with good clear coat.  The only area needing true paint attention is the aforementioned sunroof.  I got an estimate to have it sanded, and repainted for about $150 but chose not to do so, because it does not bother me - but again, easily and quickly fixable.  Down the right hand side of the car, there is a scratch, part of which I have taken out with some rubbing compound.  The rest of it could be done, I simply got lazy and stopped. The car does have some minor scratches and imperfections - it is not perfect as I would describe it, but nice and shiny.  Again - it could do with a professional compoiunding and polishing, and I suspect most, if not all, of the imperfections could be resolved.  There is a very small spot behind the right front wheel well where the offending article that must have caused the blemish on the side (a grocery cart maybe?) has made a ding - again, I took a picture to illustrate.  Overall, you will be happy with the condition of the exterior - I was and still am.

The hubcaps and Volvo sticker centers have been refurbished and look great.  The tires have great tread left.

The mechanics and performance.  I cannot tell you enough how wonderfully this baby runs - it is smooth and silky, the transmission operates well, the clutch is very good - it appears to have the correct clutch travel per the Volvo specs, so I suspect at some point it was replaced.  The 5-speed manual transmission is a very, very fun one to drive.  Although these cars would never be descirbed as fast, I would call it "quick."  Quick as in it goes through the gears quickly, revs freely (and loves to be revved by the way), and motivates down the road well.  You hear about people describing Volvo 240s as if they are slow pigs - the 5-speeds are much more fun as you can wring out a little more umph if you care to….. 

I have changed the oil, the valve cover gasket, the oil filter (and put a magnetic do-hicky on the filter to capture any particles), the spark plugs, the spark plug wires, the distributor cap and rotor, the air filter, the rear differential oil, and the manual transmission fluid - all with the correct fluid reccomendations and high value specs per Volvo. I had planned to do the timing belt and water pump - but discovered that it had been done more recently than not, so decided to leave alone.  

I bought a bunch of parts in anticipation while I was waiting for it after I bought the car, and will gladly send along the following:  I will send along a new timing belt and timing belt tensioner water pump with the sale. I bought these from IPD Volvo in anticipation of making the change, but don't need to.  As well, you will get the special Volvo tool you use to hold the pulley together when you are changing the timing belt.  Additionally, I will send along a new fuel filter which I did not change either as the incumbent one looks new to me - so, again, I left it alone. I will also send along the brand new upper and lower radiator hoses - the ones on it looked so new, I chose not to change those either - but, you are welcome to have the new ones I bought in anticipation of changing.  Also, I will send along the big Bentley Volvo 240 mechanics manual - great resource for the do-it-yourselfer.  It has everything you would ever want to know about these gems.

The engine bay is clean and tidy without leaks or issues.  All fluids are correct and up to their correct marks.  The pictures that I have included tell the story. 

I am sitting here trying think about what else I can tell you.  Please feel comfortable knowing that you are getting a great Volvo 240…with the 5-speed manual transmission.  I have already done all the things that you would normally do to start with a baseline.  These are becoming quite difficult to find as there were apprently so few made relative to the automatics.

I have a reserve set that is very reasonable and market correct for what this is.  I am quite simply trying to get what I have into it, out of it.  I am not a dealer and therefore make no warranty about the car.  Everything I have told you in the foregoing is accurate and truthful as it sits in my garage right now, and when I drive it occasionally to/from work or on that last 400 mile trip mentioned above.  You cannot compare it to an automatic model, as it is just simply a different animal altogether. Please feel free to email me, and I will answer any questions you may have.  I don't know how many pictures Ebay will allow me to post, so if you don't see a picture that you need to make an informed decision, then let me know and I will send you what I have.  I will be more than happy to meet a transporter here in Jacksonville, Florida and see that it is loaded and on its way.  You can arrange shipping very easily, but I cannot help you arrange that - there are plenty of good drivers/transporters out there….just pick one and go with it.   

I was a lucky personwhen I found this Volvo 240 - I feel certain you will feel the same way if you win.  Best of luck!

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