I have like the looks and style of Volvos for years, but have never owned one. I am looking at a 1990 240. It has 135,000 miles and the original owner is selling it. I don't know much about these cars. Any advice would be great. Are they good cars? What trouble areas should I look for?

Ask the owner for all the service records. Take it to a trusted mechanic and have it checked thoroughly. Run a Carfax to see if there were any accidents. Check NADA, Kelley Blue Book and Edmunds for prices. If everything checks out OK and you and the seller can agree on an equitable price, then go for it. Check the 240 forum for particular problems, etc. with the 240's.

Before transferring title, make sure it passes smog/safety inspections. I'm not familiar with KS inspections. In my area there's a concerted effort by the state to get these older cars off the road.

The engines and drive trains tend to last forever on late model 240s. What kills these cars are rust. Have your trusted mechanic put the car on a lift and check the undercarriage for rust & corrosion.

After all that, buy the car. They ain't making those 240 bricks anymore.

Welcome to the forum.

Thanks, for the advice. I looked at the car and it is in amazing shape. Paint is perfect, interior spotless. It was a one owner car (I confirmed this with car fax). The little old lady (literally) had stacks of service records from all the way back to 1990. It had only one problem. The rear brake lights did not work -- but the "third" light did work.

Any ideas on how to fix it?

Is it a wagon or sedan? What is the asking price?

it is a Sedan. I went ahead and bought it. They wanted $2200, I got them down to $1400.

I'd say you got a good deal. Welcome to the world of flame traps and temperature comp boards :)

Clearly I am a newbie. What the heck is a flame trap?

Yes - very good.

Don't be put-off by all the problems you read on auto forums, because owners mainly report faults and problems - very rarely do they tell you how happy they are with their vehicle, they just take that for granted.

I am getting very excited. I pick the car up Friday morning. I am sure I will spend the weekend washing and waxing and having a great time.

Flame trap-a plastic thingy in the crakcase breather hose to prevent flashbacks etc. they NEED cleaning, else u get oil leaks, popped seals, bad running etc-but very easy to clean, and cheap to buy if u break it. Just HAVE to remember it when it appears to be off tune. Go thru service records-see when last tranny oil change and filter-if <30,000mi-MUST be done NOW! expect odometer failure abt 160,000mi-gear wheel gets old-crunmbles-replacement s avail. Ask here! Also check for replaced water pump & themostat/housing, coolant (MUST have 50% Ethylene Glycol, and be replaced EVERY 6 mths), last oil change, etc etc. Do full service if anything suspect, 90 model has LED indicator at back of engine bay for EMU fault codes (I think). The Brick is reliable, don't panic about the clicking piston slap-they often do 300,00mi with it and still run ok. Be fussy about oils and coolant, many parts are still cheaply substituted, and we have ideas too. Manual models are rare, and get slightly better mileage, but 28mpg seems the norm for yours. Common probs are Overdrive failure and bad starting, usually both caused by poor servicing or old parts. V do have some inherent probs, but nothing enough to not drive one.

WARNING: Volvo Driver's Disease -- highly infectious -- caused by over-confidence in safety features - operator becomes inattentive and careless towards other road users because he thinks he doesn't HAVE to be afraid of a crash, because he won't get hurt. Whilst there is some truth behind this belief, it isn't an absolute guarantee. Nevertheless, the attitude invites the sickness.

Symptoms: Poor driving skills, resulting in receiving abuse from other justifiably irate road users. Further well-deserved degradation in public opinion of the marque, and its owners/drivers.

Cure: Stay alert and consciously drive to avoid accidents and be actively courteous to others Complacency will cause rapid re-infection.

You mentioned Overdrive problems. The owner said that sometimes the overdrive doesn't work, i.e. the arrow stays lit and it won;t go into overdrive. It worked when I drove it, but they said sometimes it does and sometimes its doesn't. I was reading a thread on here about that. The thread suggested that i first check the fuses and then replace the overdrive relay (which is behind the glove box). Is that correct? If not can it be the overdrive solenoid or the actual switch on the gear shift. It is an automatic by the way.

That is correct. The solder joints tend to crack inside the relay.

My suggestion at first would be to enjoy your new (used) car. :57:

NB OD light off == OD possible OD light ON == OD IMpossible!!

BTW Welcome to the world of Volvo's-it's an interesting place-look up acident fatalities by makes & I think you'll be impressed at how safe you'll be-statistically. Here in Oz we've not had one for 7 yrs, I believe. We may be few, but that's still pretty darned good.

:haha: I had to read this several times before I got it :P and it still reminds me of " CDEDBD Ducks "
I'm having an off night I guess...

" CDEDBD Ducks "??? What th'?? me no underconstumble....

I have NEVER bought any vehicle just because I liked it, or because it looked good. It HAD to do what I wanted done, for as long as possible. I hate Red cars, but I own 2, because that's what was on offer. I dislike Yamaha compared to Honda m'cycles, but I own 4 of them because these in particular are designed with slightly better features than the Honda-even tho' the execution may be inferior - the overall result should turn out better. The disadvantages are still there, but I can live with them, as I'm not totally bloodyminded or one-eyed, and neither do I ride hard enough to push the boundaries of traction, braking or mechanical safety. There is, however, in the automobillic world, much utter trash I just wouldn't own, and would avoid driving if I could. The V isn't my favourite vehicle, it's a practical solution for my transport needs. I'd rather something lighter, cheaper and less complex, but it does the job, and it was affordable & available when I needed it. I plan to keep it until I can no longer justify it to myself, and a viable alternative appears-I don't see that happening soon.

I got the new Volvo and spent Saturday getting it all detailed. I love the car! It looks great and runs great. I am excited to see what kind of mileage I get. The only problem it has is a problem with the brake lights. I knew about the problem when I bought the car. The tail lights have this goofy printed circuit board that powers the bulbs for the taillights, reverse lights, turn signals and brake lights. Part of the taillights work, the turn signals work, but the brake lights don’t work (except the third high mounted light). Evidently, the printed circuit board goes bad on these cars when they get some age. I used contact cleaner to at least get the taillights to work. I found new complete taillight assemblies on ebay for less than $50 per side. So, as soon as I get that installed everything will be perfect. It really is a nice car – especially for $1400 with all of the service records, cold air, and great paint.



It is definitely smaller than my previous cars. My shoulders touch the door frame, but I will get used to it.