In 2000 we bought a 1990 240 5spd Wagon for $8000 that appeared to be in excellent condition and had 121,000 miles on it. It drove really well but it was due for strut cartridges and shocks and some bushing replacements. We replaced a number of the rear suspension bushings with poly ones, and put on new KYB Gas-Adjust rear shocks and gas strut cartridges. Then it got a new timing belt and water pump around 125k miles. Since 2003 the car has only been driven on weekend trips, so 20 years later it still doesn't have 200K miles on it (193,300 t be exact).

During the bushing replacement I came to realize there was a lot more rust down there than we had realized at first. The car was single owner but from Minnesota. I did a complete brake caliper replacement a few years later and had to replace several bolts that broke off. From then on I decided to fix an area of rust each Summer if possible. I replaced the front control arms with a perfect set from a NW junkyard with all new bushings installed. There is no rust on parts from the local 240s so one can make good progress with this plan here in Seattle. The undercoating had protected the car from rust from bumper to bumper, but the bits tucked underneath the bumpers were rusty. As I replaced things I treated the body rust and repainted with urethane enamel mixed to match the color. The other main areas of body rust were the rear edges of the rear wheel arches. I did one side (passenger) by grinding out all the rusty metal and rebuilding with metal screen epoxied in place and covered with JB Weld mixed with fiberglass. It looks good, holds the mud flaps nicely, and will not rust again. The other side wasn't as bad and has not been done yet. At this point the rear axle itself is something that still has a lot of surface rust, and so are the bump stop mounts and some other small bolts and brackets under the car. It would not be hard to get a set of trailing arms and axle and transfer the poly bushings over to get yourself a car in about the same shape as you might find native to this area.

In 2017, in preparation for a drive down through Central Oregon and California to the see the Solar Eclipse and the Redwoods, I did the big job of pulling the dash and replacing the heater core and fan and resistor, fixing all the vacuum control lines and protecting them from the heat of the resistor with some hi-temp gasket material and foil, and completely replacing/rebuilding the A/C system. New Nissen radiator in addition to the new A/C condenser. It is back to OEM specs and filled with new R12. Works quite nicely, as do the heating system and vents. In late 2022 I had to deal with a gas leak that turned out to be the rubber hose connecting to the gas tank sensor and fuel pump rotting out. I put in a new sensor/pump and all new hoses.

I am now preparing to sell it and am curious what your opinions of it's value are.
At this point it is still a project car, one that drives well and has had most of the de-riguer big jobs done on it. I just don't have time for this anymore so I am preparing to sell it. It has been in a couple of traffic accidents where I could not afford to get nice body work done so there are a couple of dented corners that are painted but not fully straightened and it needs new hood hinges. It runs/drives very well, looks pretty good, but it is not perfectly straight or rust-free. The windshield is still original and fairly sand-blasted, and there is a crack in the inner glass layer, so the windshield would be worth replacing, as would the rear shocks, which have always been too soft. It is rolling on original 14" wheels with a set of Michelin Defenders with low miles on them, and I have a set of 15" volvo rims, two with studded snow tires and two with brand new General Altimax Arctic (studless) snows. I also have a set of the old style 2-piece wheel covers to use on the extra wheels. It gets 28-30mpg on the freeway where it happily cruises at 80 mph if you want, and it has a 1 1/4" receiver to pull a small trailer or mount a bike rack.