I currently own a 1993 850 glt and I am wanting to get rid of it. I recently found a 242 in great shape unsure of the miles and havent talked to the owner of the car lot yet but the car is in great shape I would call it MINT. It has 127,000 miles and the ac still works. they want $3500 for it and its beautiful. Now my question is what to look for as far as problems and what are the most common problems? Is this car reliable as my 850 or more? It has a turbo how can i tell if the turbo is good? Will it run if the turbo is bad? Just anything I need to know before buying would be helpful. Also is $3500 too much with that many miles? Thanks in advance. If you want to reply to me by email its gaspingforbreath@msn.com. oh yeah its a 5 speed.
Mat

well, mine's for sale

Craigslist Ad

about your pm to me. all old volvos will have problems. look at my ad, it lists all the work ive done in the last year to it to get it to the shape that it is in.

Well here it is. Its an 84

Well its more than a year later and this car is still there for sale, moved to the back lot and still in superb shape inside and out. I spoke to a different man about it this time and he says he took it for a 700 mile trip and it was a great car and showed no signs of any problems. My concern is that they got the car more than a year ago and its been sitting. What would I most likely been looking at? He said 2400 bucks this time.

As an owner who let a car sit for 3 years, I will say that if there are any problems associated with that, then they would probably be evident right away. I'd say to pop in on them unexpectantly on a cool/cold morning, and ask to start it up. I'd then ask to take it to an authorized mechanic/volvo dealer. It is well worth the insurance on a 24 year old car. This STILL does not mean parts won't start falling off of it in a couple months. Some of them could be 24 years old, ya know........

By the way, is that a 2 door. If it is, Id say snatch it up!!!!!!!!!!!

If it has sat for a year I would be concerned about the condition of the fuel pumps. The other things to look for are all the rubber items on the car which degenerate over time as much as use. The bushes on the "dog bone" stabilizer bars on the rear are particularly prone to failure. Check also for crumbling insulation on the engine wiring harness. I second the suggestion of getting a mechanic familiar with 240 turbos to look at it. A blown turbo can be expensive to replace.
Although this is a Southern car also look carefully for rust. Look under the floor mats and under the spare wheel well.