1991 Volvo 240 from North America - Comments

My volvo is attractive and usable, but hopelessly outdated car. I am a backyard mechanic with nearly 30 years experience and also I think the king of cheap and old junk cars. Bought my second Volvo last month for $800 with 172,700 miles. I love the retro-classic look with the gold exterior. Almost immediately after letting the car sit it would not start. I traced the problem to the #6 (fuel pump) fuse that looked good, but did not make contact at the end.

You will not find this problem without physically removing the fuse and careful examination. Using a circuit tester may not catch this.

I suspect a lot of Volvo starting problems and related electical problems could be solved with better fuse end contacts, but this year and model used obselete fuse panel design. This to me is unacceptable in a quality luxury car. I think they stopped this in American cars 40 years ago.

It is helpful to pinch the copper fuse contacts to increase contact tension at fuse ends. Volvo has reasonably cold air, but compressor makes noise.

I suspect A/C and electrics, taillights wipers have no guts etc.,. are unreliable on this car. Check ebay for cheap parts. I chose to replace front seats which bend toward the center of the car. Taillights are always a problem on old volvos and you are better to buy them aftermarket on ebay.

Ignition switch seems very worn and does not "snap" back from start to run so I try to avoid leaving key in the start position. when shifting to drive it is easy to put the car into second by mistake so a conscious effort here is needed also.

Car runs rough at low idle and probably needs adjustment. To me this is a tempermental car whose engineering is clearly divergent. Still it is inexpensive, roomy, safe, cool looking in its way, doors hood and trunk seem solid and fit well.

Plastics are better suited to cold climates (I am in Phoenix, AZ 100 to 120 degree temps). Car seems to work in the heat and has not yet overheated. I have checked OEM parts and they are pricey. Found great values on fuel pumps if you need one (this car has 2) at PartsAmerica (checker Auto). I recommend a low temp thermostat / my next purchase.

Update: This car has now overheated. I suspect slow coolant loss but it does not show up in the oil. Anyway, I am now suspecting head gasket may need replacing like the first Volvo I had. NOTE: watch for pitting in the aluminum head water ports. a quick fix is to coat porous areas in the water jacket (where you can reach) with JB Weld on your finger to get it into pitted areas to protect against further pitting.

If you are into nostalgia or hooked on old volvos buy one but dont depend on it.

Seats, A/C, electrics are crap.

Dont drive in places you cant walk home from.

If you are interested in a cheap and reliable car an old Volvo or ANY European car is NOT what you need.

Corners well, good in rain, and seat belts work.

I think you are not realistic about high mileage Volvo. Sure, things went wrong, but that is to be expected on a high mileage car. I do not agree with the part that Volvo's are not reliable (only Eurepean car-maker, who's cars are reliable). You have one of the most reliable cars ever built, yours has probably been neglected or abused by a previous owner.

I agree- I have had a 240 for 2 years now (229 000 kms and 17 years old) and have had nothing serious go wrong. I think the author of this review was ripped off and ended up buying an old bomb. Always pays to check a car well before buying.

My previous cars were Toyotas and Holdens- and these were less reliable than my Volvo.

Volvo will serve you well IF it has been looked after.

I think you got dealt a terrible hand. I own a 1977 242 and it has let me down once and that was just the fuel pump. Given the electrics are lacking.. but even then you learn the idiosyncrasies. if something doesn't work spin the fuse til it does, if not then replace the fuse. the a/c's in volvos were always crap, but think about where they are from... Swedes don't need cold air, they need heat so why bother. the seats get old and fall apart. I found nothing weak about this car. I have been in many situations where this car has held up unusually well.. as if it is otherworldly. Learn the way of the volvo and you won't have a problem.. took me a few months, but now I've got it down.

I don't think it's fair to buy an $800 high-mileage car and then fault the entire brand for the worn-out condition of that one car. Much of your review is of flaws you "suspect" but haven't truly diagnosed. It should be expected after buying an $800 car that you'll have some work to do to get it into good running condition, regardless of manufacturer.

Fair enough to remark on what you perceive are design flaws, but not fair to say "don't buy a Volvo unless you can walk home" just because your junker gave you problems.

Thanks for the tech tips, though.

Some of your statements in your review are not correct.

-There is no reason a lower temperature thermostat should be required in this car. My 240 has been everywhere from Arizona to Florida to Yukon Territory with the factory-spec thermostat. Lower temperature thermostats do not SOLVE problems, they HIDE problems until they eventually leave you STRANDED, which you seem to have found out, judging from your remark about not driving your Volvo further than you car to walk. On another note, thermostats that are rated cooler than the one that your Volvo is supposed to use offer no advantages, but disadvantages abound, such as shortened engine life and poorer fuel economy.

-As another commenter has already stated, the A/C on these cars is not the best. One thing that can help is to lightly tint your windows. Another item that can help your A/C cool better is to make sure that your temperature control adjustment turns the heat all the way off. Volvo designed the cooling system to let some coolant circulate through the heater core, so as to not let the heater core corrode. I have mine adjusted to block all coolant flowing through the heater core. I turn the heat on about once a week in the summertime to allow the coolant to circulate out of the heater core. I would suggest visiting www.brickboard.com to learn how to make this easy adjustment.

-Your Volvo seats are not the sturdiest. The reason behind this was that in the event of an accident, your seat was designed to COLLAPSE and ABSORB impact, instead of passing this force on to your person. Hence, the seats are not as sturdy as what you may expect. Driver and passenger seats can be interchanged, if you are having trouble finding a replacement.

Since 2001, I have owned two well used Volvo 240 wagons. The first, a 1986 wagon, had 168,000 miles on it, manual transmission, with an electronic push button fifth speed over drive. Even though it was shabby looking at this point, it was dependable. The A/C had long ago ceased to work, and when you hit a bump, the glove box would fly open. But run it did. I eventually got rid of it for two reasons: Vermont winters had turned this car into a rust bucket. Unfortunately, toward the end, its undercarriage was rotting away. The other issue with this one (and the '91 I currently own) is the fan blower motor went. With the first Volvo, I tore the dashboard apart-the blower motor is buried deep in the bowels of the dash on a 240, gave up and ended up giving this car to a friend. The blower went in my current one about the same mileage as the '86, but, I toughed it out, and successfully performed open dash surgery, and replaced the blower.

My 1991 240, like its predecessor, was a wagon with a 5 speed manual shift (but without the annoying push button fifth.) It's A/C, heated seats have never worked on the past five years I have owned it. Unlike the '86, it has minimal rust, as it started out its life being galvanized (I believe this was started on the '88 models.)

During my second year of ownership, I had to get the rear end rebuilt, and its alternator replaced. For a while last year, I was having intermittent starting problems. After a false diagnoses which resulted in a 300 dollar fuel injection/gas pump relay, it turned out to be pitted fuse holder #6!

But, despite these things, I just love this car! It has a simple elegance to it, and it feels like a comfortable old pair of shoes that you know you should replace, but just can't bring yourself to. It turned 200,000 miles in May. (I bought it in Aug. 2003 with 146,000 miles on it.)

The rear window wiper quit working a few months ago- I need to rewire it through one of the rear door's hinges. The cruise control needs a tap on the gas pedal for encouragement, the drivers door handle is getting harder to open, the rear seat no longer will go down. The seat's lumbar supports-don't. But it just keeps putting along! If money were no object, I'd have it restored! When I first had it and was doing more highway driving, I'd get about 28-29 MPG on the highway, going about 65-70 MPH. Around town, maybe 23-24, not too shabby for a boxed shaped car! I'll probably keep it until something major goes on it.