The strongest motor was the 95. The 93-94 are next. The 90-92 are after that. The 88-89 fall below those, and the 85-87 are the weakest of all. There are plenty of reports of the weakest of all the B230s running 300,000 miles, so you may have nothing to worry about. The manual trans disappeared after 92. The multi link rear axle adds some weight and complexity, as do Nivomat shocks. The fancy auto climate controls are also a source of occasional problems. All cars from 92 on had an auto locking rear, which helps traction in winter. The sedan body style was revised favorably in 91-93 (depending on whether 940 or 740/760). Brakes also got better in 1992.

My vote would be for a 93-95 940 non turbo for simplicity, durability, and reliability, and a turbo if you want to trade a bit of those qualities for more fun (turbo means more heat and that means more wear sooner and an expensive part that will eventually need to be replaced). I would stay with the base models, with fewer options. You won't suffer relative to your 88 240. Look at lots of cars, and definitely have a possible purchase inspected by a Volvo expert. I am a big turbo fan, but I am willing to pay more in repairs, maintenance, and gas to have the fun. If performance is not an issue, I recommend the non turbo. And leave the 16Vs alone (they were sold here only 2 years and require more maintenance; less experience and knowledge and lower volume of repair parts and more complexity means more expense).

Philip Bradley