I wouldn't worry about the mileage as much as I would the year of the car. The 87 had some flaws, and as the others have said the wiring harness is the biggest problem. If the car is a perfectly kept one owner there should be a huge stack of maintence records, look through them to see what's been replaced and to see if there are any recurring problems. Some repairs to look for, timingbelt(twice), O2(3-4times), struts/shocks, ECU, AMM, various relays, sensors, engine seals, etc. If these haven't been replaced it's overdue on the timingbelt and O2 and the others will come up eventually. If there are no records I would assume that nothing has been done and the price should reflect this. If the wiring harness hasn't been replaced, walk away unless you want to install one soon. If you plan on driving and keeping a 240 with the most minimal maintence, look for a 91-93. There are some deals out there.

I agree with the previous posters that you should try to find out if the wiring harness has been replaced. Also, see if it has new shocks and struts and other things that break around the 150,000 mile mark. Sometime people have stretched the life of worn-out parts long enough for the whole car to be sold, but I'm guessing that if this car is meticulously-kept and being sold at a dealership, then the necessary things have been replaced.

The wiring harness is the big thing. If that's been handled and it's a "perfect-condition" 200K mile 240, then $1500 is a good deal. You won't have major problems with it every few weeks.
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'89 244 GL -- 111,320 miles (see profile for info on car)

sounds a bit pricy to me, also, but i just bought one with 217000+ miles on it, but i gave it a lot of thought, too. at first, the owner was not willing to negotiate on the price, but, a week later, a call comes in, and , it's him,he's ready to deal!! my thinkin was, a lot of folks looked at it, and between the obvious problems to be fixed, and the high price tag, they all too, had reservations. i've spent a lot of time fixin stuff on this car for my daughter to drive, so, if you're gonna do it, yes, be wary of a few things that may have to be done right off the bat,OR, you may have nothing to do as far as maintenance, beyond maybe an oil change, etc. also, do you do your own maintenance, repair work? if you do, and you can get hin to come down on the price, then i'd say you've probably come across something that is a better deal than say a corolla, or similar, which is gonna be at least that much, and, you won't get half the car you will get w/ the volvo. anyway, this one i purchased doesn't blow oil, and, had been maintained, up until the last guy got hold of it, i was able to get a few receipts and stuff from his girlfriend when we made the deal, thankfully she had kept some of them, as they had a few things done on it professionally. good luck! louis

FYI - my 90 had more problems between 180-200K than 200-252K. After I got some problems sorted out during that "bad" period the car has been remarkably trouble free since 200K!! Never expected it to be so good with this many miles!

My Jetta was totalled at 281K and still ran well, but normally something was breaking every few months. Especially as the miles got higher. The 240 goes long stretchs w/o repairs. For example, last year I put on new front brake pads, 2 tires, flametrap hose, oil/filters and that was it!

Moral of this story - don't be afraid of a well-kept high mileage 240. I do agree with the previous poster. Buy the newest one you can afford. 88 (newer wirng harness design) and up are good, with the 91-93's being particularly desirable. I wouldn't buy the 87 unless the wiring harness has been done....


G'luck!



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90 244DL 252K - original engine/drivetrain :)

BUT because it is an '87 I'd be wary of the rotting harness syndrome!

I have an'86 and '87 (bought before I found the brickboard!)that suffer from this.
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Happy Motoring! 86' 244 "Grey Mare" '87 245 "Grasshopper"

My initial thought was that 1500 might be a little much. however, upon looking at it...yeah. It's worth it. the engine's mileage isn't what a brick owner has to worry about so much as the condition of the rest of the car. i have a 240 of the same year that wasn't as well cared for with more mileage and I'll be honest-I love it. It gives me problems every once in a while but nothing expensive and nothing I can't handle (and I consider myself a pretty novice car mechanic). If you can afford it and really like this car, I say go for it.
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⏣ 244, 232 K] ⏫ 945, 170 K] ⏣ 245, 315 K (RIP)]