I have been a Volvo owner exclusively for the past 15 years. And a reader/ poster on this board for many years - at least 5 - 6 years.

By a wierd set of circumstances - I am now in the possession of a 94 Cadillac Sedan DeVille - with only 75,000 miles.

Now here is the rub - what kind fo Volvo could I purchase for about $5,500 USD??

Compare it with a newer body style Cadillac - comfortable room for 5, even 6 if need be.

VERY QUIET - at any speed -

Air suspension that automatically adjusts to vehicle speed and load.

A car that delivers 27+ mpg US, at speeds of 75 mph.

And around town mileage is reasonable if one's foot is not into it.

I looked around, and for the same money - a late '80's, high mileage 245, or 240.

I have spent so many weekends maintaining , repairing, fixing my Bricks.

Not to say that I ahve not enjoyed them - but surely there is more to life then doing another repair job!!!

Now - for the positive - my '87 245 with M47 tranny, outfitted with 215/75R14 Walmart Wintermark MAgnagrips (a most excellent snow/ice/mud/gravel/highway/ all season tire) is a great winter runner.
But at almost 500,000 kms (300,000 miles) I am starting to question the reliability of it.

In the past 18 months I have replaced all the brake hoses, and most of the brake lines, complete front end steering components, ball joints, heater core, water pump, exhaust system, metal patched the rear wheel wells where the rear seat belt anchors were almost rusted loose, - basically made the car rock solid
- then last week the weather dipped below -15c, and the heater fan motor starts howling, and there is a bit of an electrical burning smell.
Shut off the fan - let it cool, smell is gone - sometimes the fan runs quiet - sometimes it howls.
SO I take another afternoon - dremel tool in hand - remove the endplated of the turbine fans, remove the fans, and check out the motor.

No slop in the bushings - add some spray grease into the bushing packing - and test run it - fan runs quet, and runs out longer - less friction - I figure I have it whopped.

Next morning - temp is below -18c - fan is howling - with intermittent operation - warm bushing enough so that it runs quiet.

I must say - I ahve not started to fix anything on my Cadillac - and there does not seem anything untoward yet.

For the money - and the peace of mind - the only thing I might lose is the great chats at this board.

Yes I could visit once I have no bricks - but then with little in common - I would eventually drift away.

So till then - I stillhave two bricks - and a Caddy.
Caddy is saved for long trips.

And I still appear here frequently - because I want to - and because I could not afford to put my Bricks into the shop to fix what ails them..

That is my rant for the night

God night all

About 40 years ago I bought a 1951 Cadillac for $40. It was a funeral coach
and it came to me without engine, tranny, radiator and wheels.
I managed to lay hands on a '58 Buick 364 with 14:1 FACTORY pistons and
a dynaflo tranny. It was quite a job putting it together with the limited
funds available at the time ($5 was a big deal for me in those days).
It was VERY interesting to drive since the engine put out more than twice
the power of the original but was geared to a top speed of about 85 mph.
It was also somewhat of a problem because the starter would only crank it
when cold because of the extreme compression ratio. I finally sold it to
an impulse buyer who insisted on driving it home the day he bought it
(we worked all day to get it going) and I understand that he drove it into
his yard and the latest report (5 years later) was that it had not moved
since.

I understand modern Caddies are more comfortable, economical and reliable.
Unfortunately they seem to be out of my class since the most expensive car
I have ever bought was $2750.

Still me,
--
George Downs, The "original" Walrus3, Bartlesville, Oklahoma

I still always wanted to drive a Cadillac with a Standard transmission.

THEN I might consider not driving my Volvo for a while...

I'd probably end up having to come back after I put a few 100K miles on it though... With my daily drive these days, I need something I know for a fact won't ever fail me.

My dad sold me his '90 Cad for $2000. At 120k, it felt closer to the graveyard than my '90 244 with 240k on it.

I drove it around for a while. Then the transmission started becoming slow to engage. Estimated repair cost: $2500.

So I sold the Cad for the same $2k I paid for it.

Humble interpretation: Older Cadillacs are easy to find with low mileage, due to the nature of the people who drive them. However, do not expect a long life from these cars. A $5000 Volvo could last you 10 years.

But have you ever seen a Caddy in a roll-over? Good-bye roof!

Well... Let's see. I paid $600 for my 1991 245 with 59k miles on it. I've since replaced the tires ($225), the exhaust system ($95), the front turn signal lenses ($30), and the splash pan under the engine ($5). I sold the 3 factory hubcaps that came with it, and got a set of the earlier stainless caps and rings for the same money. I detailed the heck out of it, and it looks and runs every bit the part of a low-mileage late-model 240. It also gets 28 MPG at 75 MPH on the highway. Really good deals do exist on late bricks when you look for them.

I like the Northstar Cadillacs, but wouldn't ever be able to trust one as my primary long-distance transportation like I do the Volvo or even my wife's Cabriolet. I can easily work on either of those cars, not that I have to now that all the POs maintenance failures have been addressed. That's what I've found with 240s. Most of the real problems with them at this point seem traceable to things that should have been fixed long ago by somebody else, and weren't. Since a 240 will, in general, drive for a very long time with lots of small problems, as will many other cars, people will ignore the little stuff till it all adds up and they can't drive the car any more. That's not really the fault of the car, rather a failure of the owner.

Yes, the Caddy has more power, and probably has a better interstate ride. However, let us know how much you love it when the inevitable transmission failure occurs. GM didn't engineer anything on those cars for easy replacement, and mechanics do make a living working on them.

BTW, I've owned somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 cars. Out of those, the most reliable ones have been the Volvo 240s, and the 1st and 2nd gen Toyota Tercels. I still have a 1986 Tercel wagon with 235k miles on it, that my MIL is driving for a while till her car gets resurrected. It does use more oil than I'd expect from a 240 under the same circumstances, but when I bought it at 200k miles from the original owner, it had been given literally *none* of the normal maintenance that you'd minimally do to any car. The spark plugs, plug wires, all 4 struts, everything but the timing belt, were all original. It had a dead miss from a bridged electrode on a plug, and the shafts on the rear struts had worn through the sides of the strut housings. Now it's a great car, and will go anywhere. I drove it on 2 2000 mile round trips this year alone. I've had 4 of the Tercel wagons now, and just like my 240s, I'm always looking for another one.
--
1991 245, 61k miles, looking for a 5 speed 92-93 245 cheap.

FYI,

There is a very good Cadillac discussion board at www.caddyinfo.com
--
1988 240 DL 163,000 miles

eom

Last April I sold the 740T and bought a 92 Lexus LS400. Best damn car I have ever owned. I can't believe it drove any better when new than it does now. And believe it or not, many features were similar enough to a Volvo to make me want it initially. Rear Drive. Simple mechanical layout. Big seats. Great heater. I can get in and out easily. Excellent visibility. Tops in crash worthiness. Tough car, overbuilt in many respects. It is my very first Japanese car, after about 20 Volvos. My daughter has an 82 244GLT I built for her. I am glad she is in that car.

Lately Volvo has built few cars I like, or can afford. I have seen the kind of oil leaks the white block 5 banger 850's can get - like the entire oil sump, and rear main seal. Horrible, highly expensive. Nearly every 850 needed a new AC evaporator, and the sight of the entire dash in the back seat during that repair makes a 240 heater fan seem like a spark plug change. I won't do them. I have seen early 960 blocks split along the cylinder head deck from one end to the other. Horrible, beyond expensive. The 99 S80's now have a very bad reputation. Honestly, Volvo built cars that suited me from about 1960 to 1994. After that I am not so sure. I have never rebuilt a B21 or B23 for wearing out. Best damn four bangers ever made. Not smooth, not quiet, but tough like anvils. I have rebuilt many B230FT's and one B230F for piston and crankshaft problems. The pushrod engines don't count - I have rebuilt maybe 40 or fifty of them, but only because they achieved huge mileages and deserved to be rebuilt because the body of the car was still so good.

The Lexus cost me the same as a good two year newer 940 Turbo wagon.

The domestic guys can still build the big cars right. I drove a 94 Caddy for a while, borrowed. It was a nice ride. Pal of mine likes Crown Vics and Merc Marquis. A bit cushy for me, but nice cars.

I will repair Volvos for as long as I remain standing I guess, or until the last 940 leaves the road. I will probably own more of them. It is just that life is short, and like some of you, I intend to experience other cars too.

The LS400 has to be almost legendary for reliability.

Rear drive, solid V8 with amazing durability stats. Good ride, lots of power, fairly austere interior with all the right accessories, and none of the foo foo things that typically break all over the place. Long timing belt change interval, quiet, and the only clinker was the old air suspension, and that only when it broke (higher mileage usually). All in all, the LS is a fantastic car.

I've been poking around for one. We'll see.

Try to find one with a new climate control display Chris, as that's one of the few failure points. Also the power steering pumps can leak, so many have been replaced. And that's about it. Nothing else seems to go wrong.
I still look at the tach pulling up to a stop, thinking the engine has stalled. In fact it is not quietly, but absolutely silently, idling away, steady at 700 RPM.
Good luck in your search.

I have to say I understand... I traded an 88 Fleetwood for my 760 and a couple of wrecked 244's. It was just about a year ago that I took the Caddy on a road trip from Abilene Tx to Northern Maine, and back...I love my Volvo's but there are few things in this life that feed my spirit like a road trip in a land yachet. Red velour seats, larger than some folks sofas, Symphony sound, and there...right there...in the middle of the floor....the center of attention....a CUP HOLDER...
Bret


P.S. And an ash tray that does not have to be closed to put the car in park...
--
rust free in west Texas

A 960 with Nivomats would probably come closest to comparing to the Caddy. More low end grunt, better highway mileage than the turbo'd fours.

It's all about comprimise.

But like the Caddy, your 960 would €be a bear to maintain.

An NA 940 would return favorable mileage, and still be super simple to fix, a 940T would be simple to fix and get you the performance. A 944SE would get you the nice turbo engine with the nice rear suspension.

- alex

when can you fit 3 people across the front seat in a 940??

I love Volvos as a sporty utilitarian vehicle.

But luxury includes spaciousness - in my world.

And with two teenagers in the house - space in the rear seat is a must.

The Volvos will remain for now - as commuting vehicles -

And - no, I am not out of love with them - just raised my hand one too many times at an auto auction..........

I think I could get a really nice 850 for that amount and maybe even a decent 940T, I have nothing against Cadillac,but most of the newer FWD ones seem to slump in the rear after a few years.

hi my wife has a crown vic. its been pretty reliable.rides nice 220 hp. all the bells and wistles.25 mpg highway. plastic intake manifold holds alternator, cracked not good cant find one at junkyard and afraid to change out . too much stuff i can not name. 613.00$. 3 volvos pretty good, parts i can name.and replace. i would like a CLK 430 or a M3 but i forgot to make enough money for one of those. any way its all good! b.t.w. i get more of a feeling of accoplishment from fixin my car than i do going to work. go figure!

Funny thing was - I went to the auto auction looking for a mid - 90's Crown Vic or Gran Marquis - came hom with the Caddy!!!!

As far as a feeling of accomplishment - I find that it varies - depending on the work I have at the time. If I am into a work project I love - I get frustrated that the Volvo needs repair, and is taking me from the work project - If I am not that busy with work - then I feel the same sense of accomplishment you speak of.

What chezzes me off the worst - is that after two vehicle wrecks, the other driver's insurance offers me a pittance for a car that cost much more to replace - so it is an '86 245 with 350,000 kms on the odo!! Try and replace it in 10 days for the small amount the blue book shows.....

Funny how Volvos are priced high when you are buying, and low when you are selling/replacing one...

I'll second the work comment!
--
85 245 M46 187K, 92 245 A70 113K