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I'm starting to get a bit weary of the nearly constant attention our '93 with about 170k miles needs. At the moment it needs the front struts and mounts (POS aftermarket argh ....) replaced, the auto tranny bushing and seal replaced as well as one or two taillights. Hardly a month goes by when something or another doesn't need replacement. So far none of the things has individually been terribly expensive, and I do the work myself so my out of pocket costs are not too extreme. If I were paying the local $100+/hour book shop rates I'm sure it would have been financial insanity to keep the car going.
Last week I had to replace the temporary spare because the thing literally self destructed from age.
So, when do y'all give up?
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When someone takes the keys from my dead cold hand.
But, luckily I have the keys to the other 240 in my other hand,
which I will take with me.
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Maybe you should have read the original poster's latest addition to the thread. It really makes your comment slightly less than tactful.
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Thanks all for the information sharing in the past, but I'm probably done with the 240 forum here. Last week we got the definitive answer on when to give up on a 240: When some idiot driver t-bones you and does over $10k worth of damage. Luckily the driver (my daughter) and her passenger seem to have gotten through it without major long-term injuries, but they got beaten up badly. The 240 is not terribly well designed for side impacts by modern standards. For example, the lap belt anchor on the B-pillar gave my rather short daughter a nasty whack on the head. The best of modern vehicles have moved the safety engineering bar well beyond the ground-breaking engineering efforts embodied in the venerable 240.
I don't have the time or interest to buy and refurbish another 240, so it is time to move on ... and just when I had everything working right, including a brand spanking new OEM Volvo taillamp :(.
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God only knows how many times I eyed that anchor point picturing the exact same scenario your daughter experienced. Even considered ways of padding it somehow but never placing it priority mode. Thanks for the reminder and glad to hear your daughter is fine.
Consider selling off salvageable items on ebay if you can.
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The only thing that is not worth the time and effort to fix is rust. Everything else will nearly always be much cheaper than new car payments if you do the work yourself.
That being said - life is short. If you don't like the car anymore, get something you enjoy.
I taught my kids to find a car that they take pride in, and enjoy taking good care of, but not so nice that they avoid going places they want to go, because there is not a nice enough parking spot to protect their car. We were at a wedding reception downtown the other night, and a friend was visibly nervous and left early because he had to park his custom Corvette on the street.
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They last as long as you fix them. It's all payments, just if you want big payments or little ones. My friends have 4 and 500/month payments. I have 800 in my 240 and have a 760 T that I have put 156,000 miles on myself. I gave 6,000 for it in 2000. Not a single major repair in all that time. It has 297,000 on it today. I am just waiting to post the 300,000 photo of the od on here soon. My 17 year old daughter drives so keep your fingers crossed for me!
I'll take the little payments.
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I'm in the process of rehabing my 1990 245 after 2 blown head gaskets I replaced the motor... I paid $675 for this car and the motor was free from a 740 with low miles...I have learned a lot from this car.
I should be done with the rehab buy the end of summer then next spring I'm going to drive through an oil change like a long long trip out west and back...I was injured in an accident 2 years ago and these cars and my kids (away at school)and pets are the only thing keeping me sane... Retired Mad man...
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I give up when I find a newer, better and cheaper one. This averages about one new car about every six months to a year. Right now there are 9 in the fleet for 7 drivers including the parts car.
I scan the ads a few times a week but over the years I must admit the # 1 condition old 240/940 are getting harder to find.
On the up side, the market for my used ones seems to be stronger than ever, teenagers love them down here
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When I consider that in the last 20 years I probably spent less to maintain my 200 then it is costing my friends to keep their 'new' cars on the road. I say I have a ways to go before I contemplate a replacement Wallet-drainer.
The '89 Volvo is the families 'new' car, everything else I own is older.
--
'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
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LOL, I guess my question is silly in the context of a place like Brickboard. It is almost like going to a Beatles fan site and asking at what point people finally get tired of hearing the same music over and over and over :).
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"So, when do y'all give up? "
You've been around long enough to know you're barking up the wrong tree in asking that question here :-)
Look at all the signatures of folks with 300k miles or more..
Spend the $500 to get these current issues sorted out, then maybe spend another $500 on a good checkup and repair of any other things that might pop up in the inspection. If you have money left over, spend it on something fun for the car that will make you fall in love again...
--
-Matt I ♥ my ♂
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Give up when parts are no longer available---or---your feet touch the ground while sitting in the seat.
--
73 ES, 91 240, 98 S90
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This is a question I ask myself about twice a year, especially as I get older and getting under the car is less fun, and I know winter is coming which means repairs in the cold. But I'm grateful to be young enough (51) to do them and plan on keeping mine for as long as I can. I'm taking the bumpers and trim off and fixing the rust spots and getting a cheap Maaco paint job this month. As a second car, it's irreplaceable, still useful for long runs - my drive to work is 70 miles. This car still does the job with an occasional breakdown every now and then. The car was hit by an SUV and survived it. I drilled into the block, perforated it, and taht was 3,000 miles ago. My daughter is learning to drive in it and is going to inherit it. I've learned to live with the constant problems and stay just ahead of what absolutely needs to be done. Look at it this way: Our fathers, or at least my dad, he didn't repair his car by replacing parts. He rebuilt the parts, fixed them up, and put them back in his car. I believe doing this kind of work makes a man strong inside. I want that feeling to last the rest of my life. I would keep the car and wrestle with the shocks and don't let the coil springs take your head off. Good luck.
Cuddy
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Hey John,
I understand how you feel. I say 'its always something' in regards to the cars. It can be annoying at times. That being said, its how these cars are. I think durable describes them better than reliable. I don't mean this in the matter that the car will strand you, but in most people's minds, 'reliable' means nothing goes wrong with the car. As you can attest, this is not the case. However, I see folks with newer, lower mileage cars that have equally annoying (or worse) problems. Often, these problems are harder and more expensive to fix than those of our cars. This makes me feel a bit better when I'm annoyed. I'd be inclined to keep the car until it rots apart myself, assuming its not totaled in a wreck first. Like others, I would keep the car for parts afterward. (I have one.) I think these cars lend themselves well as a second car, so if you have a issue that needs attention, you can take care of it at your leisure. Not everyone can afford that luxury though.
Best regards, Jon 'Uncle Olaf'
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someone claiming to be fnahrgk
on
Sun Aug 23 02:21 CST 2009 [ RELATED]
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And when the body is too rusted to repair it still has use as a parts car. If you get rid of it someone else will fix the small stuff and get a good value for the money ride. And that is ok too.
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like redwood chair said, when its so rusty it's not safe to drive anymore...
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When the floor pans rust out completely.
--
71-145-S
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I hate/loathe car payments. I also really, dislike crappy cars I can't work on.
If a tornado drove 240 through an oak tree, I might give it up.
If my 240 took a direct hit from a cement mixer, (while saving my life) I might give it up.
If my 240 self destructed and turned into a burning hulk by the side of the road
(with 300,000 miles on it) I might give it up.
If someone offered me enough $ for my 240, I might give it up
If I'm ever too old to drive I might up my 240
My son has "The Bug" now. I watched him figure out how to replace a window motor,then a headlight and dimmer switch. We did a tune up yesterday. And a couple of months ago he did his first timing belt replacement, calling me once or twice to confirm how something ought to look. He does the brakes and belts. He paid 500$ for the car and I seriously doubt if you could take the car away from him.\
If I ever learn to teleport, I might give up my 240
It's not just another car, it's a relationship
Figure out what you would pay for a new car, then what you pay for shop labor for incidental repairs. That alone should frighten you into keeping your 240.
If not tell me what you want for it. I could use another car for my daughter.
Paul
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Agreed. Only rust has made me give up on a 240. Everything else can be made good as new with a little investment. However, there is usually no sense in completely stripping a 240 to weld in new metal. And one rust has taken hold it just seems to keep cropping up in different places.
All the things you mentioned are normal wear items. Once you replace them with new parts, you are set for another decade or so. Eventually you will replace almost ALL of the wear items on the car and you'll have a nearly new car.
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On a 240, the correct answer is NEVER! Let's keep these classics running forever if we can.
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I've asked myself that question several times - like others have said earlier:
Pros:
1. Parts are still cheaper than a car payment, higher insurance and registration.
2. Car quality - ride, looks, etc beat almost 90% of what's on the road.
3. Most stuff is fairly easy to fix.
4. Brickboard -what a resource. Other cars don't seem to have this good of a forum.
Cons:
1. Finding good quality parts.
2. Finding the time to install them.
3. Dealing with the inevitable breakdowns/PITA problems on a 17 year old car.
I think things would be alot easier if I didn't have two of them about the same age, so they can be frick and frack the problem childs (i.e. window switchs) - how many times have I cleaned them things?
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"1. Finding good quality parts."
This is getting to be a bigger and bigger problem. Lots of the usually reliable aftermarket parts brands are getting out of the 240 parts business. Boge bushings, for example, seem to have almost completely dried up.
Volvo also seems to be stocking fewer and fewer 240 parts as they get long of tooth. With the newest 240s now 17 model years old it isn't likely to get better.
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Hey guy,
I hear you, I respect you, I understand what you mean.
But, I just turned 65 and I still havent found another car that makes more sense than a "classic volvo. That is as long as I dont want car payments, I want to fix it myself, cheaply, and like doing it.
When I bought my first volvo(67-122s)in the early 80s, my feeling, at the time, was: where have they been hiding this. It was like the car was made especially for me. I was blown away by the way the swedes went about making an automobile.
I know others have made better cars, but not one that makes me feel that the maker had respect for me. Like they knew I wanted a car that performed well, is tough, relatively safe, and also easy to fix.
As the classic volvo gets longer, and longer in the tooth, i keep looking around to see what to replace it with. Something with the same attributes as the classic volvo, and I dont see anything. All I see are cars that are more expensive, and non are engineered with the same respect for me that the swedes displayed.
My answer to the question "when to give it up" (1)when ever you feel its right for you to do so, and (2)for me whenever I cant find one, or I can know longer fix the one I have. Also (3)If someone reveals the identity of another, more modern car that has the same attributes as the classic volvo.
I wish you well. Follow your own heart. That, I think, is the best thing to do.
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I inherited a 93 244 DL when my inlaws became to old to drive. It is in very good condition. That being said. It cost my wife about $1300 to repair the air conditioner. Then about $800 to repair the rack and penion system. Then I retired and began doing the repairs. Repairs; alternator ground wire $3.00, new tires $ 160, Just recently, Stalling when hot $600 (Replaced 2 fuel pumps, filters, fuel pressure regulator, ignition wires, distributer cap, rotor, spark plugs, PCV parts, water pump gaskets, crank position sensor (The real Problem), Cleaned the engine thoroughly Air mass Meter, Throttle body, Idle Valve ).
I am replacing the rack today >$200. Two new tires soon after. This car runs really strong after the money I just spent. Not bad after 8 years of ownership.
It is 16 years old, 149,000 miles, My wife wants it back after I replace the rack assembly!!! I will get our 2001 Honda Passport back (it runs like new!!). Hmmm!!!
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When you stop getting that warm fuzzy feeling when you figured things out and fixed it yourself. Or, when a younger one comes along and winks at you.
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