Learn me 1989 Volvo 240

I don't know if it is a wagon or a sedan. Entire ad is this:

1989 Volvo 245 DL 5-speed manual, $200

Rough body,needs exhaust and 1 tire, but engine seals are only three years old, and has recent clutch. Can't kill this car, 200k+ miles, odometer does not work. Great car for basic work transportation if you're handy mechanically. For additional $100, I will thrown in replacement hood and PS fender in excellent condition

I asked if it runs and drives, other than the tire, and he responded with:
"Yes, runs fine, doesn’t use oil. Needs oil change, I have the filter for it, but exhaust will either need to be replaced or re-welded and re-hung as it is on the ground. Could be minor repair if you’re good at such work. "

Now, I'm not mechanically gifted--the most I've done on a car is change the oil and I put a trailer hitch on the Miata--but is there any way that I can go wrong here?

I am going to look at it tonight, but he will not be there so it will just be looking. If I end up passing on it, I will post details of how to reach the guy.

It's a wagon.

Sine_Qua_Non wrote: It's a wagon.

245- 2series, 4cylinder, 5 doors.

764- 7 series, 6 cylinder, 4 doors.

And so on...

It wasn't that long ago you could still buy the factory exhaust system, including clamps and hanger, less front pipe and cat for less than $200.

Its a great deal on a car thats easy to work on. I say get it and give it to me.... ;-)

Google "Matthews Volvo site" and "brickboards forum" for more info than u could ever use. I bought a fwd volvo w/o knowing anything about them and have been able to do all of the repairs using sites like Matthew's volvo site.

What's your goal for the car??

I've been wanting one to drop a 302 mated with a T5.

Well, ya'll are wrong--it is a sedan. Boo!

Anyways, the exhaust is kaput to the point that I won't even be able to strap it up with zip ties and hangers for the ride home. The rear tire is completely flat, but looks new enough that I wonder if it could be filled up. Fronts and rears are different--fronts will probably need to be replaced soon. The "rough" exterior wasn't as bad as I expected. Surprisingly solid, no swiss cheese. Most of the issues were with the plastic moldings coming off or missing, along with just general age. There was a little rust in two of the wheel wells, and the front fender and hood were in a minor accident (he has the hood and fender replacements for an extra $100).

There was what looked like an intake hose that was on the ground--is there one that runs in front of the engine from the right headlight ish to the left side of the engine? Whatever it is, it will need to be replaced. I didn't get the hood open because it was a little tweaked and didn't want to force anything without the owner there.

The interior... relatively new Blaupunkt head unit. Cloth interior, manual windows, probably manual locks, no sun roof. Front seats have seat covers on them, so they are probably worn through. Couple holes in the floor. That will/would need to be addressed, but it isn't particularly soft and certainly not priority number 1.

And... that is it. I'm thinking hard about it.

mrwillie wrote: What's your goal for the car??

Uh... not sure. Plans range everywhere from winter beater to "put 10 hours of work into it and flip it" to LeMons.

Datsun1500 wrote: It's not a 245 then, it's a 244

Said 245 on the back...

Wikipedia said: 1986–1993: 240 followed by trim level letters (third digit no longer reflected body style), although it is reflected in the engine compartment label, as well as on the label in the trunk on sedans or under the main cargo compartment storage lid on wagons.

I believe they only ever said 240 on the back.

The crappy manual is worth $200, so don't delay! The good manual is the 4 speed with push-button 5th/OD is worth $400 because it will live behind a reasonably stout turbo.

So simple a hipster could keep one running for years.

BUY IT!

The intake hose is just the warm air hose for when the engine is cold. If it's disconnected, it's really no harm. If you do replace it, make sure that the thermometer housed on the outside of the airbox (in front, where the cold air/warm air enter) is not stuck on the warm air side, otherwise you'll fry the AMM in quick order. `89s are... Bosch 2.4? I think. Or 2.2. Anyway, under the hood on the driver's side is a little diagnostics box that stores up to three codes. Somewhere on this here internets is a guide to help you decipher the flashes.

Hoop wrote: The intake hose is just the warm air hose for when the engine is cold. If it's disconnected, it's really no harm. If you do replace it, make sure that the thermometer housed on the outside of the airbox (in front, where the cold air/warm air enter) is not stuck on the warm air side, otherwise you'll fry the AMM in quick order. `89s are... Bosch 2.4? I think. Or 2.2. Anyway, under the hood on the driver's side is a little diagnostics box that stores up to three codes. Somewhere on this here internets is a guide to help you decipher the flashes.

That is good news. I'll take pictures when I go back and post them up here to make sure, but I think that the only things keeping it from driving are the exhaust and the tire.

mtn wrote: I think that the only things keeping it from driving are the exhaust and the tire.

Dude that is a non-turbo redblock. Retrofit points and a carb and the only thing to keep it from running through the atomic AND ensuing zombie apocalypses would be encasing it in cement.

Junkyard_Dog wrote:

mtn wrote: I think that the only things keeping it from driving are the exhaust and the tire.

Dude that is a non-turbo redblock. Retrofit points and a carb and the only thing to keep it from running through the atomic AND ensuing zombie apocalypses would be encasing it in cement.

Fair enough, but seeing as I don't want to destroy the rim, I should fix the tire, and at a minimum pull the exhaust off so it doesn't drag down the road. At least it probably won't be loud enough without it to get pulled over.

If its a sedan, its def a 244. But either way, the wagon and sedan are the same under the hood. Check out fcp euro and rockauto for parts, but they really are simple cars. From what I hear, the rwd one are almost beetle simple, but a lot more sturdy. I know of a guy that supposedly fell asleep while driving, ran off the road and hit a wall and walked away having only a broken ankle. He was driving a 745.

Can't go very wrong with the rwd volvos. I will have one someday.

Went to look at it again tonight with the guy there. First things first... Ya'll are right, it is a 240. Badge and all.

I agreed to buy it. He is going to pick me up tomorrow night on his way home from work.

It started right up--and according the the seller, it was the first time he had started it in 2 weeks. So that is good. It was running a little "rough", but I believe most of that to be from busted motor mounts and an exhaust that stops around the front seat.

Speaking of the exhaust, I brought a piece of cardboard with me so I could get a decent look at it--it has a leak up close to the engine although I couldn't tell where (no flashlight). The guy said it was repaired, but will need to be repaired again. Or not. Then it is missing the exhaust for about a foot from the front seat going backwards. The rest of it I will just pull off tomorrow. Luckily it is not so loud that I'll get pulled over on the way home. He told me it will need new brakes soon, I will evaluate tomorrow on the drive home.

He pulled the carpet out after it got wet and started to mold. I didn't investigate the floor too much, but I will have to learn how to do repair it somehow.

The rear tire--he showed me what he ran over, it looked like a piece of the rusted off exhaust. In any case, I'm going to assume that it is not repairable. I will bring my cigarette-lighter compressor to see if it can hold any air. Thinking about buying a can of fix-a-flat, but not sure how I feel about that since apparently tire techs hate it. If one or both of those ideas fails, the spare is holding air. It had 20psi in it--Not sure what the recommended is, but it will get me the 1/4 mile to a gas station, and then after I fill it up to 30 or 40ish the 4 miles home. Spare is not as old as the car, but definitely old enough that I'm not trusting it for very long--I couldn't find a date code, but the thing was made in Sweden(!), at least it is not dry rotted. Best news from the spare is that there was no rust in the spot where it sits.

I'm jumping for the extra hood (has a bad scratch but no bad rust) and the passenger front fender for $100. The fender has a little rust on a part that attaches to the rest of the body, and they're not the same color as the car, but both are straight.

Other goodies included: Newish Blaupunkt head unit (haven't heard it, assume it works) and a Chilton manual. Woo!

I felt a little guilty about the price--in Chicago (2 hours from here) this is about a $1,000 car. Down here, it is probably a $600-$900 car without the spare parts. I asked him about it, and he told me that he works in claims and checked out blackbook, NADA, and Mannheim MMR, and knows what its worth, but between the missing carpet, rust, exhaust, and tire, he feels that $300 (with the spare body parts) is a fair price. I more than agree

He also said that he had two other folks interested--the first passed, and the second he wasn't going to sell to because it was a woman looking for a car for her new driver 16 year old. He said that between it being a [rough] 24 year old car, manual, and rear wheel drive, that he wasn't selling it to a 16 year old. Made enough sense to me, and works out for me great!

Cross your fingers that I don't get pulled over on the drive home with the license plate from my Miata.

Congrats !! Around here, u can get more in scrap value than what u paid. Its hard to go wrong with a running $300 car.

Oh, and don't tease us. We demand pics and a build thread.

mrwillie wrote: Congrats !! Around here, u can get more in scrap value than what u paid. Its hard to go wrong with a running $300 car. Oh, and don't tease us. We demand pics and a build thread.

I will post pictures tomorrow, but I do warn you that my only camera is my phone, and my phone is a dumb phone at least 5 years old.

Considering the last one I bought (same car but a blue 91) needed a new door and the transmission replaced for $400, I'd say you did alright.

Front and rear crank seals leak like sieves on these cars. They've probably been replaced at least once already since the car is 24 years old.

Hopefully that is what this means from the original ad:

mtn wrote: Entire ad is this: 1989 Volvo 245 DL 5-speed manual, $200 Rough body,needs exhaust and 1 tire, but engine seals are only three years old, and has recent clutch. Can't kill this car, 200k+ miles, odometer does not work. Great car for basic work transportation if you're handy mechanically. For additional $100, I will thrown in replacement hood and PS fender in excellent condition

We had an '81 that blew out front and rear seals. Found out later that the funky/crappy Volvo PCV system would clog and then the seals would fail.

The factory PCV system was upgraded in the mid '80's. (I think) I retrofitted the improved PCV after the second seal failure.

Rog

PICTARS!

This is the worst side. The other side is not much better.

Fender and hood damage. I need to pick up the replacement fender and hood with some rust/scratches, but at least they're straight.

Missing/misaligned trim all over. Gas door won't close. Got a spare gas cap though, which is nice.

Obligatory engine picture. Yep, its there.

Drivers side foot well

Passenger side

Drivers side back seat/under the front seat.

Exhaust pieces. Also, you can't see it here, but there are 2 jacks and the tools included. So that is good, I guess...

Flat tire... That ain't gonna be fixed.

Looks damn good for $300, it's probably worth that in scrap... you can't lose.

What are your goals for this car? For a daily beater just 'glass up those holes and call it good for a few years. As a previous owner of some rusty Volvos of that vintage I can tell you they are STOUT! Like there are 3 layers of good metal still under that rust. POR15 and the patch of your choice will be fine for a DD. For a project go ahead and weld in the good stuff.

There is a problem with your engine pic-I can't see the turbo