i've been shopping around for a good 945, probably between "93 and '95. i've looked in local papers (detroit/ann arbor) and ebay, etc. anyway, canadian volvo guy suggested i look for one across the river in ontario, as i may get more for my money, and w/ stronger canadian inspect. standards a better car.

canadian guy sent me some links but anybody else out there have any advice where to look in ontario? any independant volvo shops where people sell their used bricks? if i pop over to windsor this weekend, any papers i should look for?

since ann arbor is such a volvo town, i just hate to pay $1,000 over blue book for a $5,000 car...

thanks,
byron

(and that last 945 i was thinking about in NY ended up being a piece of junk. mechanic told me to run, don't walk... ;)

Volvos here are a lot cheaper and if they are born and raised here they are rust free..Would you like links to our classified ad?? you may email me.Also, you don't have to mess much w/ paper work!!
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ReySC.. '86 744 GLE (Daily Driver),94 944T 87 244 DL . http://groups.msn.com/Reysc/myvolvophotoalbum.msnw?Page=1

My experience with importing a car into the US from Canada about two yrs ago:

I checked the US DOT and Customs info and found that I would need a letter from the manufacturer stating that the car (VIN# XYZ...etc) met all US Federal emissions and safety standards. The mfgr (Chrysler) wanted to see a copy of my US visa and job offer letter from my US employer, presumably to ensure I wasn't just "curbing" the car in the US. Then they sent the letter. At the border the Customs guy showed no interest in said letter, but i had to fill out an importation doc for the veh. Now the fun part - California DMV inspected all documents carefully, then sent me for a smog test. Smog test machine (hooked by modem to the DMV main computer) said "TILT! - foreign car". Had to go to a far off referee station for special, comprehensive emissions test. They, too reviewed all doc's, with special emphasis on the mfgr's letter. They had the car for over an hour and went over it with a fine tooth comb. About $75 later I had my smog certificate, and a special sticker under the hood saying in essence the car was OK for California.

You'll hear from guys saying that they went through none of this red tape and had no problems, but I've had a couple of ugly experiences with the bureaucracy, and I don't take shortcuts no mo'. Just imagine yourself happily lining up at your state DMV and the clerk says "So where's your form G-19-1A which you must have got from Customs, right?" At that point you have an illegal car.

More good stuff - trying to sell mine in CA and buyers are not impressed with the odometer reading of 220,000 and look funny at me when I tell them it's kilometers and is really "only" 136,000mi. They also don't care for the speedo, which has km/h in nice big white numerals, and MPH in tiny blue ones.

For a guy already living in the US it doesn't seem logical to shop for a car in snow country with rust, gravel-chipped paint and windshield cracks a virtual certainty. If you believe what you see on eBay, Texas is the mother lode of used Volvos, with FL a close second. Go South, young man - go South!
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Bob (81-244GL B21F, 83-244DL B23F, 94-940Sedan B230F)

Why not go to www.autotrader.ca and do a search. They have hundreds to choose from.

Saw an 1996 850 in incredible shape in the London Auto trader today - mint, 66,000kms (41,000 miles) He wants 14,500 or so, which is about $9200 US. Not sure if its on line, but worth a try.

Good idea to buy here. You end up with about 50% off. I believe if the car is 93 or older, you pay no tax as per free trade. Many US dealers buy thousands of cars here because of this, and the safety standards in some Canadian Provinces make sure they have met certain mechanical standards every time they changes owners. The best best idea is likely the Auto Trader Magazine. They have a european car edition, one offered for different regions in Ontario.

Two highly rated dealerships are Volvo of London and BK Volvo in Kitchener, and Lawrence park Motors in Toronto. I hear they have extremely high standards for used cars, but remember you pay about half price. I have heard some bad things about some Toronto dealers, like Robert Motors. Quebec will have lower prices, but it's a long way from you. You might want to try contacting the Volvo Club of Canada, the URL is http://www.canadianvolvoclub.org/. If you contact them they should have some ideas on who has a good brick for sale. Good luck!

I bought a CA 240 in Tucson, AZ 2 years ago. South is a very good way to go, if you can do that, no rust what so ever. The paint is creapy, but I do not care. I bought my 740 a few months ago, an original AZ car, same things, no rust but creapy painting. Now I am looking for the third 240, sooner or later my entire family will be bricking... Good luck to you, Gabe

Hello Byron:

All I can say is good luck! I looked hard for 3 weeks after wrecking my '89 760GLE in February. You can look at autotrader.ca and limit your searches to subregions of Ontario. I ended up looking at a lot of junk with serious rust and mechanical problems in spite of the owners/dealers swearing they were good over the phone. In northern regions you really need to look these things over closely for rust-- I looked at some 91-92 Volvos with serious structural rust!

I'd look to the south if I was buying with USD-- not much rust and far more likely that the AC has been maintained! Also, no hassles with getting the car across the border and all the FMVSS/EPA stuff...

Good luck!

Herb Goltz, London, Ontario, Canada '92 245 w/95K mi

Check Montreal, they seem to have the best prices in Canada.

I agree with Herb Goltz. I have been a mechanic for too many years and find that cars south of Virginia, but not on the coastal towns are the best buy. Most cars up north need a fire wrench after five years to get them apart because of the rust. Tranportation is a little high these days with diesel fuel costs but I'm sure you could get one delivered for a modest price. I had a 98 s70 delivered from Florida to Mass. for less than 400.00 last year. Good luck with your search.