1980 Volvo 242 Reviews

Manual transmission rebuilt at 130,000 miles.

Never had the engine open, no valve jobs.

Repainted once at 180,000.

Part of the family - 28 years of faithful service. My wife and I bought it new as our first car when we were married in 1980. Our 2 children rode in infant car seats in the back, and then learned to drive in this car.

I still drive it regularly, and it has 276,000+ miles on it, although the odometer works occasionally.

Any car that you can drive for 28 years has been a good investment.

I've had absolutely no problems with engine, transmission, cooling system, or suspension over the years it's been driven. Normal repairs for maintenance & wear and tear.

There have been only minor electrical problems -- replaced the alternator and checked the wiring in 1992 and it's been humming along ever since.

The odometer/trip meter started sticking at 122K miles in 1990, reads 187K now, even though I know I've driven it at least 325K and probably more, based on my annual driving average in this car.

The gear box (still the original) is just now starting to show signs of wear (pops out of 4th occasionally when I'm coasting downhill), but considering the miles on it, quite impressive it's held up so well.

What a tough little car. Solid road feel -- I can really toss it around corners, even now. VERY comfortable to drive on long trips. But with the little 4-cylinder engine, I do notice enough power-loss when the A/C is on, that I turn it off when driving in mountainous terrain.

It is still on the first engine, and does not need a rebuild yet! My mechanic is just amazed, calls the engine "solid as a brick." My regular and preventive maintenance is a key, I expect, but it is just an incredibly well-made car. I see no reason why I'd ever need to retire it.

Not a spot of rust anywhere, and it has not been garaged.

I love this car. It is simple, utilitarian and therefore, there are seldom any issues. I don't believe any cars today are built this well, including my Jaguar.

Minor electrical. Seatbelt light comes on even if I'm safely buckled up.

Driver armrest came loose some years ago and needed re-attaching.

Car was kept outside, so the paint has oxidized somewhat.

I bought this car brand new, and it still runs as well as it did that sunny day 25 years ago. True, the mileage is very low, as it's usage has been split with other cars I've owned. Nonetheless, while it's a tuffy, and rather spartan by today's standards, I find the drive solid, the seating comfy and cozy, (the lumbar support is much better than any car I've driven since.)

Turnsignal light switch needs to be replaced.

Reflector is a bit worn out.

The car has a new carburetor and air-filter box as used in the 2.3 litre engine (1986).

The car handles well and uses little gas.

There is room for improvement in the engine department, which will be done.

Interior is 99% in original shape! Though, I have swapped to leather rear seats. I will maybe use C70 or 780 front leather seats.