getting ready to buy rear shocks, what's the general consensus on the board for replacement shock brands and should I replace front and rear? I have a 1991 244 with a bit over 100K thanks! don

If you have stock suspension and want as close to OE feel, I have been happy with KYB gas adjust. I tried the Boge OE replacement and there was a constant jittering sound like golf balls rolling around, at low speed, because the diameter of the mount was every so slightly too large for the bolt. That was a couple of years ago and they may have remedied that but be sure you can return them if you go w/Boge.

Shocks depend on your driving style and preference. Several years back I bought a used 1987 244 5 spd that previosus owner equipped w/ HD struts and shocks. My kids got car sick from the motion but it handled well. Changed them to stock and all was well.

Although you don't mention performance, I think there are better ways than shocks to improve handling like larger sway bar and polyurethane bushings and maintain a decent ride and comfort.

If you're interested in KYB, I have a pair of rears that were on the car for 3000 miles - not a good match with my overload springs. They're in perfect condition. E-mail me if you're interested.
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No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public - H.L. Mencken

Curious - what IS a good match with your overloads, Smitty? My rearend seems a little bouncy now that I've put the wagon springs on my sedan and I was thinking (but not hard, because I really can't afford it now) about stiffer shocks in back. Thankfully, the Sachs gas struts seem well suited to the stiffer front springs.
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'93 244: 'A' cam 4 deg. advanced, 25/22 sways, custom heim endlinks, poly bushings, and a lot more styling customization than I care to recount.

Well... not sure I have the definitive answer for you.

I started with Boge Turbo Plus, but had a failure and Nick at fcpgroton replaced them under warranty with Sachs Advantage (at the time, the same shock but made in Germany and not Turkey, IIRC). Those were fair with the overload springs, but with no load in the back the rebound stoke was pretty sharp when going over something like a speed bump. Potholed New England back roads made for a lot of noise in the back, and discomfort.

About 60K miles later my rears were mushy, and I called IPD to get their recommendation for rear shocks with the overlaod springs. They recommended the KYB Gas-A-Just in a heartbeat. Got a pair and put 'em in - and ye gods, it was WORSE! Normal transients on a smooth road, no problem. But I had since move to AZ, and this state is in love with freakin' speed bumps, so 2-3 months of that was all I could take.

So I pulled the KYBs out and put in a set of the Bilstein Touring - all 4 corners. I have not experienced the noise with the rear that apparently everyone else on the Brickboard has. The speed bump problem is reduced but hasn't gone away; I now accept that as a compromise I get for having the stiffer springs in the rear. Overall, I'm quite pleased with the Bilsteins.

One thing that IPD was not able to tell me specifically was the spring rate of their OL coils. The stock springs were just too soft for any sort of load (like 190 pounds of labrador retrievers), but the OL springs seem to be too stiff if you don't carry a load all the time. The seat of my pants says it's probably 30% stiffer then stock, but 15% stiffer would have been more along the lines of what I need.

I think the wagon springs in a sedan is an ideal combination... just a modest increase in stiffness. I'll make you a smokin' deal on a pair of KYB's if you want!
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No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public - H.L. Mencken

Oh Boy, you opened up a lot of controversy with that question.

While many go with High end shocks, I just went to NAPA and bought OEM type replacements and they fit fine and function fine.

From Reading the Posts over the years, it seems some of these High end ( Big$$) shocks do not fit correctly and rattle.
I'm sure you will get a lot of opinoins with this Thread.
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'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.no.net/ebrox/Tony's%20cars.htm

If the rear needs replaced, the front probably does too. But the front is a much more involved job.

Sachs Advantage are good, I have some. KYB's Gas-a-just are good for the rear. Either should be plenty stiff enough if you have a stock suspension.
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'93 244: 'A' cam 4 deg. advanced, 25/22 sways, custom heim endlinks, fully converted to poly bushings, HD springs front, wagon springs rear.

I found for my driving style and taste the Bilstein HD's to be my favorite. Best price that I found was at shox.com. If you are a more conservative Volvo owner, a less performance oriented shock (Boge, etc.) will probably work just fine.