I would suggest staying with an '88 thru '92 4-cylinder Volvo (good examples will fall in your price range). Turbo rebuilds have gotten so inexpensive lately that I wouldn't rule out a nice turbocharged version (non-turbo 4-cylinder Volvos are not very quick...). Our family is split on the "best" series: 240 vs. 740/940. My wife is in "the 240 Volvo is the only real Volvo" camp, while my two sons (15 and 19) and I like the 740/940 Volvos. the 850 has never stoked any of our passions (the two new 850s we spent time with and came close to buying were no better in ride, handling and quiet comfort as our nine-year-old Mercedes 190E 2.6 -- my 19-year-old's current car). We've owned a '78 244DL, '79 264GLE, '81 245DL, '82 245GL, '90 745, and '94 944 (the last of the three digits, by the way, indicates how many doors the car has -- a xx5 is the station wagon). We have had so few problems with our Volvos over the years that my wife will no longer allow any of us to by any American- or Japanese-made cars any more (well, she will allow my 15-year-old and I to buy a late 60's American muscle car as a hobby car, since I foolishly sold my '65 Corvair Corsa recently).

Far more Volvophiles will bad-mouth the V-6 Volvos than any of the turbo-motored cars. Our old 264 was very difficult to work on, never ildled correctly, ate gas like it was going out of style, but never failed to start and run -- even after sitting for four weeks without use, in weather that never got above 20 degrees!) This car was bought by my wife for $200 because she "felt sorry for it," as it was found sitting in the weeds behind a used car lot. I put a total of $175 into it (used brake calipers, cheap brake pads, and a used half of the two-piece driveshaft) and my eldest son drove it for two years without any other work other than oil and filter changes. I think we were just lucky, but my wife swears that all Volvos "are just that way."

My son's are no longer ashamed of driving our two "old-fashioned" Volvos, but I think they like the heated leather seats and CD players more than the fashion statement they make. Their friends (heavy into 4x$ trucks and Jeeps) are always saying how much they like the Volvos after they ride in them for a while...go figure. Your folks are very wise to insist that you get a Volvo. I, for one, think you will be pleasantly surprise with whatever Volvo you wind up with.

(Sorry this "testamonial" is so long-winded)

Good luck in your search!

Lee Lowrey
Greer, SC (where Bubba Makes Wheels -- BMW Z3)
'89 744
'94 964