Just got home after a 2 hour drive in our “new” 1993 Volvo 240 wagon. It’s a decent car for sure, but it has some quirks that I would be grateful for some opinions before beginning any maintenance. I’ll try to be somewhat detailed, so thanks for being understanding while wading through my lengthy description.

1. The rear suspension is jumpy. What I mean is, when driving down the freeway and encountering any bumps (large or small), the driver seat has to absorb the bouncing that the suspension transmits into the car. Lots more than any other car I have owned. Your whole body literally bounces along when driving over rough patches of road. When I looked at the car’s stance after I got home, I could see that the back end sits slightly lower than level (no cargo inside). Is it possible that the rear springs are weak, causing the jumpy ride? Just what are the symptoms of weak springs?

2. The engine “thrum” is definitely louder than I expected. At 60 mph, it is far more noticeable than any wind noise heard inside. The entire exhaust system is new aftermarket with under 2K miles. Is there anything that can be done to eliminate this annoying engine exhaust sound?

3. Windshield wipers clunk like crazy! Is this caused by worn linkage and can be easily fixed? Or is this a major project to fix? Where is the linkage accessed?

4. The car has 185K miles and the valve lifters seem to clatter excessively. I can even hear them clatter inside the car when I accelerate, at freeway speed already! Can they be adjusted (I realize they require re-shimming) until they are quiet? Or do they still retain a soft clatter when adjusted according to factory specs? Anything that should be checked for excessive wear when doing the adjustments? Any special tools required?

5. The rear suspension does have some minor clunks in it. Might this come from axle end play? I suppose it could be a loose shock absorber, which I will check when putting it on the lift, but years ago I had a car with axle end play which sounded similar to this. I haven’t read anything on this forum about this being a problem in the 240, so thought I should ask about that possibility. The TABs were replaced by the prior owner, so I am ruling them out as the cause of the clunks.

6. I have read lots on this forum about the virtues of various brands of struts/shocks. What I’m curious about is, how are new OEM Boge Automatics supposed to feel when driving the car? How does an upgrade to a gas shock like Sachs Advantage feel when compared to the Automatics? Simply firmer, or do the Automatics soak up the little road bumps better? I’ve never really read a good comparison of how the driving experience changes when upgrading shocks/struts on these 240s, other than the ride is firmer. Before spending the $$ on new gas shocks, I’d be interested in hearing more about how the driving experience is affected. FWIW, this wagon will only be a daily driver, not driven aggressively at all.

Well, that’s about it. Any helpful suggestions are very much appreciated!