Heater vent loose on left side.
Radio/tape poor.
Water enters boot (trunk) during very heavy rain.
This is my third Volvo of this model range over the last 13 years.
The first was a 1981 244 GL manual and cost me 4 tyres, a clutch master cylinder, and a fuel pump over 7 years -not real bad eh?
The second was a 1980 244 GL auto and over 5 years required only a reconditioned auto gear box, a battery and 4 tyres.
The current car is a 1985 244 GL auto and was purchased in mint condition from the original owner. It, like the others, is used for long distance, high speed cruising on Australian outback roads. It is comfortable, ultra reliable, cheap to run and maintain, and easy to do routine work on. No problems with this car as yet.
2 points about 240 series Volvos:
Luxury car that is cheap to buy and run (most people don't like the "Volvo Driver" tag so they are often unwanted in the market place.)
The radio/tape provided are very poor - all three of mine have been useless.
I live in Australia as well and have to agree with your observations. These cars are generally very reliable and drive very well on our often rough roads. Keep the shockers and tires in good condition though.
And the Volvo radio/cassette is rubbish, mine used to play AM and FM at the same time for some reason. I threw it out and bought a cheap radio cassette player, which works fine.
Owned a 1984 Volvo 240GL. Very reliable car which carries the saying VOLVO FOR LIFE. Only changed the timing belt recently and done a respray. Other than that this 1984 VOLVO GL is a great car to drive giving the heavy feeling, easy to handle and safety.
Australia: I own a 1985 240 GLE that has done about 290,000km. Excellent value for money - it is solid, well-built, comfortable and very cheap to run, except for petrol consumption. The car averages 7 km/litre in town and about 10 km/l on the highway. I have been told that this is normal.
The near-absence of repairs means that overall running costs are low. Low values ensure low insurance premiums and no unwanted attention in car parks! The air-conditioning has been upgraded to take the new gas but that has to be refilled every year. When newly done, it is reasonably effective.
An excellent, durable car that is quieter and smoother than many new mid-range cars.
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