About a year after I bought the car, the engine began to cut out unpredictably, which turned out to be an electrical problem.
Most of the plastic in the car (e.g. dashboard, map holders) has cracked, from being in the sun for fourteen years.
The rear left tail light blows out far too often.
As an eighteen year-old, I feel the car is underpowered, with only 120 or so horsepower and 3,000 pounds of steel to haul about.
The handling, however is superb. The weight of the steering is good, and it is direct and communicative. Body roll can be a problem if you desire performance driving (few do from Volvos).
It is utterly reliable, safe, seriously overbuilt, and a joy to drive.
I owned a 90 Volvo 240 DL sedan. This car was extremely reliable. It started strong and ran great. The car I owned was purchased from a mother who only drove it to the store and back so when I bought the car it only had 125,000 miles on it.
As said before the car is under powered for a teenager looking for high performance. That is not to say the car wouldn't get out and go. The car has good acceleration on the interstate. Will move right along at 95 to 100. There wasn't even any shaking at that speed.
The best thing about this car is its safety. I was driving home from school with two friends in the car. I came to a stop and the car behind me hit me at about 40 miles per hour. None of my passengers were hurt and no doors were jammed, not even the trunk. I was hit by a Chevy Lumina (what a tank). I was even able to drive the car home safely.
I think this was the Best car I will ever own.
I now own a 92 Volvo 940 turbo sedan. (excellent car)
A Classic. Bought a white 240 DL used with 76,000 miles on it for $14,000 in 1996. Had it serviced only by Volvo mechanic at dealership. Had to replace timing belt and "main computer" in engine for $1,000 and fuel pump relay. Still, this has been my favorite car; even people with much newer more expensive Volvos at the service garage at the dealership offered to buy my car because it looks so classic. This was Volvo's car of the year when it came out -- a.k.a the "tank". They don't build 'em like this anymore. It's not sporty, but is possibly the safest car ever made and looks classic as well. I will never sell this one, even though I have since owned two other cars. Volvo mechanics love to work on this car. No matter how old it gets, I never feel embarrassed driving it -- it has taken on that classic car image almost like an old Rolls (almost!)
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