Hey guys,
Sorry to keep comming in here posting messages about my indecisiveness with my '84 Volvo but unfortunately this car has left me with some tough descisions to make. Long story short for you people who have no idea what I'm talking about here; I've been obsessed with Volvos for about the past 8 months in which I've spent over $2500 between an '84 DL and an '86 240DL....I bought my '84 for $350, and ditched it a couple of months later for an '86 because the all the brakes were sticking horribly. (Oh god I just should've replaced the brakes)..Anyways, I furthered my "Volvoitis" by buying this '86 for $300, but I ended up sinking $520 into a whole new fuel system, which still wasn't that bad. But then the '86 decided it had enough of me or whatever, and decided to run quite inconsitantly (Towed 4 times-25 miles each tow), and with that wonderful inconsistantcy and smoke billowing out of my speedometer cluster (Oh yes, I said smoke billowing out-this car was an electrial nightmare)I gave up with my '86 since it was a 5spd. and my '84 was an auto.( I like the autos better). I decided about a month and 1/2 ago I was to revive the '84. I put $450 into making the car run, and yet all of the brakes need to be replaced, and now it needs a fuel sender. I normally wouldn't care about replacing these things, but this car is covered with rust. There's a nice big 'ol rot hole in the rear passanger side door, and some nice rot comming along all around the wheel wells, the nose of the hood, and rust just about everywhere else. I'm really worried that perhaps taking this next step to replace the brakes and fuel sender (In which I would have to take some more money out of my student loan, not that $50 a month to pay back is a lot.) is just a bad descision. I live in Rhode Island and we get a lot of snow, so body rot is a big problem over here-it's not like I can do a botchjob and get away with it for a couple of years. I'm worried that I'm going to invest more money into this car for its brakes and fuel sending unit, and it's just going to need so much in cosmetic repair that I would have just flung that money out the window to make this car run ok for a couple of months. It's not that I don't want to do the work on the brakes, I'm a college student and I don't have time, or a warm enough environment where I would be able to do a brakejob. So I was just wondering would it be a better idea to save up a couple of bucks and buy a better Volvo a couple of months down the road? Or should I go for it and fix this car up? I figured if the major problems stop (such as the fuel sending unit and brakes) that the car would be OK to drive for a while with all of the rust on it...Please guys, I need your help! I have a severe case of Volvoitis, and I miss driving my baby!!
Thanks!
-Eric.

One option would be to upgrade to a newer car from the sunbelt, no rust issues. This time of year, a lot of "donor" (tax write-off) cars are coming through liquidation auctions. I go to school in MA and found my 89 with rebuilt title (new headlights, core support, and hood) for dirt cheap that was factory serviced in NC. the body condition is the envy of most new englanders b/c it looks showroom fresh compared to 'native' bricks of it's vintage.

I thought I was alone in this weird obsession woth volvos, especially my volvo. last week I was browsing through the classifieds and was dreaming of another 240. found an '83 turbo 244 for $500, called and seller said it's nice and ready to go with black leather...sounded like one of those too gtood to be true ads, and then reason got the best of me and I didn't pursue it. there is an '86 244 in good running condition for $500 also. I'm still not sure if I should call or not. I want me a volvo farm like someone here has. alas, space, money, and the fact that I don't need anymore cars. it's weird, the 240 model was a car that I never really dreamed of owning. it was an accidental love for this car that I once thought was ugly as heck. if you really like the '84 and can't bear to sell it, invest in it! yeah, "invest" makes spending money seem alright. you might be happier in the long run.

I also have a 1984 240.

If the main issue is money, maybe finding a newer, well-cared-for 240 would be better in the long run. You live in a part of the country where Volvos are more plentiful than here in Ohio, so you may have some good options in the near future.

If you really want to keep your '84, get the brakes fixed by an independent Volvo or foreign car shop. The fuel sender can wait. (My first Volvo also had a bad fuel sender, so I did what the others recommend - use the trip meter as a gas gauge.)

Does everything else work okay on the '84? Does it have the original engine wiring harness? If so, that is a big repair in the near future. My harness finally died a few years ago to the tune of a $1200 repair bill.

I also am battling rust. Your rust sounds more progressed than mine. I think that too many Volvos die of rust; they still have good engines and trannys but the owners couldn't take the rotted body any longer. If you want to keep this car, you'll have to do something about the rust; otherwise the holes in the floor and wheel-wells will get bigger and bigger, allowing more rain-water and salty snow to come inside the car and causing more rusted areas. I treat the rust myself using POR-15. The end-result is not professional-looking but the rust is either removed or contained to a point. It's a never-ending battle especially for those of us who live in snowy regions, but you can save a car by keeping on top of it.

My situation may be different than yours because my car has always been in the family and I know it's complete history and mechanical condition; therefore it's worth going through the trouble of repairing the rust. If you have recently purchased your car and are not familiar with its past, you may have some unfortunate surprises in the near future.

Newer 240s have better corrosion protection than the ones we have, which may be another reason to consider buying a later-model 240. You'll still get the quality and reliability but also the bonus of a better wiring harness and maybe ABS and air bags.

--
Mike F - 1984 244 DL - 241,000 miles - Undergoing reconstructive surgery with POR-15

I sympathize, I have an 84 which is very rotted. See BB ads.
I am selling parts off it so if you would like to pull the in tank pump assy, go for it ( I have the tool for the bung nut. But as others mention, fuel gauge not working is no biggy. AND are you sure it's the sender? Maybe just the wiring?
BUt having said that, If the 86 is not rusty I would invest time and money in that (I prefer std. trans), in the end a non rusty Volvo is worth a lot more than a rusty one.
I'd drive the 84, and actively troubleshoot the 86.
--
89 744&745-16v's 4+OD, 91 245SE auto, 84 242 Ti 4+OD

I wish I could drive the '84 and troubleshoot the '86, but one car's life had to be sacrificed for the other's life..haha..I had to kill off my '86 to make my '84 run!!Not to mention my '86 is sitting in some junk yard with its whole fuel system missing! I'm pretty mad at myself for getting rid of the '86, but the '84's engine was far superior to my '86s...

I'm with Alex. A 20 year old Volvo is going to eat your lunch in repair and maintenance costs unless you're doing your own work. A weekend mechanic can put $500 into a $300 car and get some more miles out of it. A shop will charge you $1500 to do the same work but every time something simple breaks (fuel pump relay for example), your car goes on the hook and back into the shop. There's another $200.

You don't really need a fuel sender to drive the thing. If the odometer works, drive 200 miles, fill up and repeat. What part of the brakes do you need? just pads? Pads and calipers? All four calipers? Pads, calipers and rotors? One axle or the whole car?

I had to rebuild the front end in my '70 blazer during the winter once. I rented a 10x20 storage unit and did it in there. They even had a light bulb which I removed and put in a 1500W heater and drop light. I'm sure the manager wouldn't have liked to hear that but it worked and I got out of there in 2 months.
--
Volvo Farmer:

20 Volvos '58-'91

To be honest, I don't even really know what the brakes need. . . . All four pads stick and make the "I need my rotors re-sanded" squeal. It just makes me sad because this '84 has such a good engine in it!(It takes about 2 minutes for the engine to completely warm up...yeah-2 minutes.)But I really don't care if I have to drop a couple of bucks for the brakes, I just want to run this car for like 2 months without having to worry about something major breaking on it!!!Fortunately I have a great daily driver, so I have the luxury of sitting back on this forum and playing out all of my cards here!

Consider yourself fortunate ... I went through college driving PINTOs!

Is the 86 a rust bucket also?
I'm sure you could get some interest in that if it is a manual ...
--
Happy Motoring Miguel '86 244 and '87 245

Why not use the 84 for your "winter beater" ? Fix brakes, don't worry about the fuel sender...add gas every 200 miles, part out /sell 86 to add to fund for newer Brick come spring. Keep a look out for local Bricks......I have yet to pay over $700.00 (my 89) for a 240.

Enjoy.

If you can't or won't be able to do your own maintenance on your Volvo, you may as well just get a newer car. The RWD Volvos are old enough to need lots of minor attention. When you're paying $90-$100/hr, it becomes a very expensive propsition.

--
alex

Eric,
Save up and get a better one. If you can somehow get one outside the rustbelt it would be good. Even if you find one with higher miles, if it was cared for properly, it would still be a good car. If you want one with better overall wiring, 88-93 is the way to go. 240's are great, but they do take some maintenence and repairs, so try any learn whatever you can about them to keep the cost of owning one down. They are very cheap to own if you can hook up with a good wrecking yard and aftermarket German/Swedish parts supplier. I say German because the Germans make a lot of aftermarket parts for Volvo's. Good Luck!