Faults:

Burned out bulb in rear turn signal, clock and radio not working.

General Comments:

I bought this car my short commute to work, for $900. It has had a long life, but still starts first attempt every morning, even here in the Philadelphia winter. Seats are comfortable (seat heaters still toasty!). At over 200K this Volvo still has lots of life left.

Faults:

Front sway bar came loose.

Air conditioner compressor noisy.

General Comments:

The Volvo 240 is the second Volvo I have owned (1st was a 740). I am very satisfied with this car. Despite having travelled 215000kms it still performs perfectly. It is not the most modern car, but the simple and individual styling ensure that it will never look dated (unlike most Japanese and Korean cars).

Maintenance costs can be expensive if more than regular servicing is required, but this is to be expected of a car that is made of quality components. If maintained correctly the 240 is an extremely reliable car.

The interior is really spacious and the estate will swallow almost anything. Again, interior styling is of a high quality and very efficient layout.

For the amount it cost me ($5000) I don't think I could have bought much better - I really like this car. When buying, make sure that the car has been maintained well - mechanicals and body. Treated well the 240 is one of the best. Treated poorly it can drain your bank account fast!

Faults:

Replaced: exhaust system, rear hatch lock, new timing belt, alternator, fuel pump, radiator, and rear bumper.

The car was slightly rusty when I bought it, but that quickly turned to major rust over the last 4 years. I live in the Northeast where winters are severe, so I suspect salted roads have contributed heavily to this problem.

Suspension is about to collapse, it seems, but this is likely due to the very poor condition of the driveway where I live (I rent, so I can't easily remedy this!).

These cars are not cheap to fix. Replacement lenses for the lights are astronomically priced. Fortunately, I have the world's best, most honest and decent mechanics who service only Volvos and Saabs, and they've gone out of their way (many, many times) to help me find the cheapest solution (used parts!).

General Comments:

I love this car and am sad to see her go, but she's become too expensive to maintain. I've always felt very safe and comfortable driving this car, and haven't cared a whit that it accelerates about as quickly as an orange. Rear wheel drive has given some difficulty in certain winter scenes, but with good snows it's manageable (whereas my ex's hoity-toity BMW 3 series couldn't spin it's way out of an ice patch if its life depended on it!).

In the immortal words of folksinger Greg Brown: His old Volvo didn't die, it just completely rusted away...

Of course... I AM about to buy a 1993 240. What better endorsement is there?