Faults:

New clutch.

Drivers door handle.

Rebuilt gearbox.

Starter motor.

Flame trap.

Fuel pump.

Over 7 years that's not bad.

General Comments:

I got this car with 450000 kms on it for $500, and found a good pair of Tasco binoculars in it, worth about $200, so it was an awesome deal.

This would have to be the best car I've ever owned. It's still on original engine, which hasn't even been rebuilt.

Its not the fastest car in the world, but it's fun. The five speed works nicely, and gives good power, keeping the revs around 5000.

I added stiffer springs and sway bars to it, and they help it handle a lot better. It corners better than my VE Commodore work car.

Uses a fair amount of fuel; about 16 ltrs per 100 kms when driven sort of slowly, but plant it on every start and rev it right out, and it drinks over 20 ltrs per 100 kms.

Faults:

The dashboard and other plastic panels in the interior have cracked or are on their way to.

The chrome trim on the back left door, above the fender, and above the bumper has peeled off.

The car takes a good minute or so to start.

The radiator developed a leak around 172000 miles.

Power windows, power locks, and exterior door handle all don't work on back left door.

Seats have worn badly.

General Comments:

The engine runs very strong, has power behind it if you push it to about 5000+ RPM.

Transmission runs very smoothly.

Other than back left door, all power options work great.

The car has a very good feel for the road, some people would complain that the suspension is bad, but it is really tuned more like a German sport car suspension where you can really feel the road.

Overall the car runs strong for how old it is and how many miles it has, despite its numerous cosmetic problems.

Faults:

Something in transmission is chipped, causes huge clunks at random. Gearbox would need replacing to fix this.

Intermittent setting on windscreen wipers never worked.

Tyres have a habit of falling off the rims when maneuvering to avoid accidents (has happened 4 times so far).

Rear seat belts do not retract properly.

Engine takes almost 2 minutes of cranking and throttling to start on cold days.

Idles very, very rough, even after tune-up.

Numerous interior plastics are simply falling apart.

Driver's seat foam/springs collapsed.

Driver's seat lumbar support collapsed.

Electric antenna no longer goes up and down.

Glove box latch broke, unable to open.

Hood release mechanism faulty, takes a lot of effort to open and extremely difficult to close.

Car will not run with less than a half-full petrol tank, runs rough for a while and then starts to cut out.

Large clunking noises from rear of car when starting/stopping/turning.

General Comments:

For a Volvo at 165, 000kms, this car is pretty much just run-in - and a real disappointment.

Ride quality is terrible, it shudders and jumps over the slightest imperfections on the road. Passengers absorb every bump, not the suspension.

It really goes when pushed, it can hose almost any other car built in the 1980s including a few V8s. It handles nicely, only gets upset through corners when you throttle or brake much too hard. A really fun car in the wet. Revs out to 8000rpm, although redline is at 7000 - screams like a banshee after 4000rpm and really takes off!

Lots of interior space for such a small car (240s look big, but they're really not that much bigger than 3-series BMWs).

Comfy seats all round, apart from driver's seat which has worn out.

Overall, could be a nice car if built to last, and suspension is the worst I've ever seen in a car. Just a big disappointment really, the shiny, expensive-looking exterior hides a very badly built vehicle.