I am selling my beloved 1985 244 GL Volvo. I purchased it in 1997 and it has been the most loyal and dependable car I have ever driven and owned. It has traveled up and down both coasts multiple times and across the country without a hitch. I can count on both hands the number of times it broke down in the 16 years I've owned it, one of which was simply a blown fuse. Most recently (this past summer) I encountered an intermittent issue that has rendered her only slightly less reliable than she has been all of these years. On very hot humid days, she conks out after hour(s) on the freeway and then driving at slower speeds. The first time it happened, my mechanic replaced the main fuel pump. In the shop, it did not fail, incidentally. He did this as a means to troubleshoot the problem. The second time it happened, a bottle of dry gas did the trick. It made me wonder if excessive moisture may have been to blame the first time she failed. The third time she conked, the fuel pump relay was replaced. Please keep in mind that months went by without any problem between the three above-mentioned incidents. The new fuel pump relay may have permanently remedied the problem.
This is a good strong car. It accelerates like nobody's business and the ride is extremely smooth. The mileage I've put on the car in the last 4 years has been highway travel back and forth from New York to CT on weekends. She was in California from 1998 - 2010, so was spared salt damage during those years.
I have kept meticulous service records since I've owned her. You will inherit them all if you would like. The car was bought from an independent Volvo dealer and repair shop in Westport, CT in 1997. It was serviced and repaired only by Volvo specialists in Westport, CT, Boston, MA and Los Angeles, CA.
The transmission was replaced in 2003 with a rebuilt one. The engine is original. I estimate she has 250,000+ miles. The current speedometer/odometer are not original to the car, so the mileage that appears on the odometer is not accurate. The original odometer stopped rolling about seven years ago. The original speedometer failed two years ago and my mechanic replaced it with a 'new' used one, nipping both speedometer/odometer problems in the bud. When I bought the car in 1997, it had approximately 114,000 miles on it.
The blower motor has been on its way out for years. When turned completely off, there is no audible sound. I only use 1st setting for heat. On 2nd and 3rd settings, there is a bit of an annoying rattle. On highest setting, the rattle is not apparent but the fan itself is loud at this high speed. The heat in this car is like a sauna in winter. In fact, I barely slide the temperature fader to the right. The A/C does not function. Do not even try to turn the A/C knob to the right, or the blower motor will start rattling!
Things to note:
Some cracks in the driver's side door pocket; Front speaker on driver's side door was removed because it hindered power window operation; Seat belt housing covers behind rear seat have been heat/sun damaged to the point of disentegration (see photos); Front headlight has condensation behind the lens; Trunk lock was 'jimmied' by someone looking to steal contents when we first moved to NYC - it does not look pretty, but lock still works; Interior roof is far from white and quite dirty; When it rains REALLY hard (hours/days of downpour), the sunroof gasket is compromised - some water drips on passenger when braking and making turns; Passenger seat headrest has 'chunk' missing; Right rear shoulder belt does not function; Plastic 'grill' above center of dashboard is broken - some minor cracks on dash itself; Undercarriage rot, according to my mechanic, has not gotten any worse in the past 4 years of being on the east coast; Paintjob has been worn/dulled on the roof and the hood; The trunk exterior paintjob has a few blemishes; There is a noticeable rust spot above hood near fresh-air vent on the driver's side; Rusted out area inside trunk on right well underneath carpet liner (see photo); The vehicle has been in only one low-speed accident at a 4-way stop. The body shop in Los Angeles, CA did such a seamless job, I don't remember which rear door was hit.
This car is a tank. With the exception of undercarriage rot that needs to be addressed and some minor fixes detailed above, this car is in acceptional shape for its age. This car is NOT a parts car ready for the junk yard. It has LOTS of life left. Volvo built these older ones to last. The car is parked in Southbury, CT. It has NY plates currently, which will be removed upon its sale. The NY state inspection sticker is valid until June of 2014.
Thank you for looking!
Volvo 240 for Sale
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Auto blog
Wed, 02 Jul 2014
You know what we haven't posted in a long time? A very weird, car-related video. It's high time we address this failing.
As strange videos go, this one is truly bizarre. The two-minute clip focuses on the Volvo V60 R-Design, although you're not going to be learning anything about the car. Instead, you're going to be focused on the weird narrator (and the cat decals on the windows).
It's like someone taught the Swedish Chef to speak English, but with a ridiculous accent and a script that's been fed through Google Translate. The result is a weirdly cerebral voice speaking in a manner that borders on gibberish mixed with information about the car. We're particularly fond of, "In accordance with Volvo tradition... the car... is... of course... furnished, with an inside." "Floor bibs," in reference to the floor mats, was an office favorite, as well.
Thu, Jan 10 2019
Consider this an official invitation to hop on the wagon bandwagon. There's still tons of room because, well, it's a wagon (and market share is still extremely small). But according to new data, the segment is growing. According to a report from Bloomberg, using data from Edmunds.com, roughly 211,600 Americans purchased wagons in 2018. That is technically down from the 237,600 sold in 2017, but wagon sales in the U.S. are up 29 percent from where they were five years ago. It's also the third year in a row that wagon sales broke the 200,000 mark. The sales trends have been somewhat representative of the availability of wagons. New models have debuted during the past 5 years and therefore offer more opportunity at more brands to buy wagons. In addition to more modest cars such as the Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen, several luxury and performance brands are offering wagons today, such as Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Porsche, Jaguar, Volvo and Buick. (Bloomberg's headlines make the point that "crossovers are for the Kardashians," and wagons are just, well, classier.) This uptick in brand-name availability, as well as extremely well-executed design on most of the wagons currently available, has helped increase the segment's desirability. That, and its ability to better accomplish the same tasks at hand while standing out from the crossover and SUV crowd. Still, the posted numbers represent a small fraction of the total vehicles sold. According to the data, wagons only held a 1.4 percent market share in 2017, the segment's best recent year. Wagons hold a steadfast place in America's past, and they're writing an interesting new story. With the downturn in traditional cars, they may continue to create an unexpected narrative. Related Video: News Source: Bloomberg, Edmunds Audi BMW Buick Volkswagen Volvo Wagon station wagon
Wed, 30 Apr 2014
This year Honda Yuasa Racing brought a station wagon back to the ranks of competitors in the British Touring Car Championship (its drivers currently sit in third and fifth place in the Championship). In 1994, however, Volvo was the first team to run an estate in the series that's one of the best for delivering close racing.
Rickard Rydell and Jan Lammers drove the duo of 850 Estates prepped by Tom Walkinshaw Racing, lining up at Thruxton and proving that the rumors of a wagon in the series weren't a joke. The team used that year for development, getting the 2.0-liter, 290-horsepower, naturally aspirated five-cylinder engine ready for the next year's proper assault. The team's best finish over the 21 races was a fifth place, and they took 14th overall.
Rules changes led Volvo to switch to the 850 sedan the following year, but all the right noises had been made with the wagon. Rydell drive on to a third-place overall finish in 1995, three years later he claimed the Championship title. You'll find details and reminiscing from Rydell in the press release below, as well as the full video with scenes from the glory days.