This 1985 Volvo 245 DL wagon, for sale on Craigslist in Altoona, Pennsylvania, is listed at $17,500, which is a bit of a shocker when other bread-and-butter DLs can be had for $2,000 or less. Ah, but this is no ordinary Volvo—it was heavily modified—while maintaining a stock appearance.
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The very tidy wagon was sold new in Oregon, where rust is seldom seen, and then relocated to Montana two years ago. The Volvo’s presumably original 114-horsepower 2.3-liter inline four is now connected to a five-speed Tremec T5 manual transmission (there since 2023).
Also fitted were such niceties as a one-piece driveshaft, Koni coil-overs, BNE Dynamics suspension components (adjustable torque rod, Panhard rod, spherical strut mounts, and quick-steer roll corrector), an IPD anti-sway bar kit, 17-inch HRE-style wheels (with Ferrari centers), a Lokar shifter, and a Ferrari 308-style steering wheel. The car is finished in Medium Blue over blue vinyl, and additional features include LED headlights, a Sony head unit, and air conditioning.
So what’s the Ferrari thing about? It’s a Volvo, for gosh sakes. But it turns out these are said to be actual Ferrari wheels from a 308, mounted with Cooper tires. Still….Other features include a lowered stance, front spoiler, LED headlights, and black mirror caps and window trim. Any rust in the lower extremities of the Volvo was cut out, and replacement metal welded in. There is current rust on the lower windshield trim and tailgate.
New maintenance items include the front control arm bushings (May 2023), the inner tie rods and the ball joints (August 2023), the rear brake calipers, pads, and rotors (August 2024), and wheel bearings as well as the front brake pads and rotors (September 2024).
Inside we get a Lokar shifter with more Ferrari (the shift knob and the steering wheel with MOMO adapter), a Sony Bluetooth head unit, a center console, and the air is converted to R134a.
This thing has been driven—there are 342,000 miles on the six-digit odometer. The current owner only added 2,000 of those miles. Drive belts were replaced in August 2023, and the engine mounts last year. While this was being done, the clutch assembly, flywheel, clutch cable, damper, and pilot bearing were also replaced, and the differential fluid was renewed in August 2023.
The vendor adds, “This classic long roof runs and drives great.” The dealer owner is willing to listen to trades. This car isn’t going to be a barn burner—it still has its original engine, but it should be fun to drive, and so much has been done that the high mileage shouldn’t be too much of a concern. Is a turbo swap in this car’s future?
Buy it less than the cost to fix the windshield and tailgate rust and you’ve got a neat wagon.
I love the “Prancing Moose” logo. Take an eco-boost and 6-speed from a current Mustang (Ford owned Volvo at one time, I think) and I think you are on to something.
As a lifelong Certified Volvo 240 nut™ I can tell you that it was 10+ years ago that the Volvo 240 bottomed out on the depreciation curve, and prices have risen steadily since. There’s no longer such a thing as a $2000 drive-able Volvo 240.
This one is pretty nice, although I’d cut about a foot off of the shifter. Of note, the original Saginaw-style (maybe it was actually built by Saginaw?) power steering pump has been swapped out for a later style remote reservoir version.
Cut a foot off the tailpipe so you don’t slice your leg walking around the back.
Nice but not sure if these mods warrant the 20k sticker.
Still looks good with 342,000 miles on it!
Nice, but still seems like a wildly ambitious price!
I use to make an absolute KILLING selling the 3rd row seats out of these in the early 2000’s. Our local bone-yard sold them for $20.00+- and I sold them as quickly as I got them for $200-250 bucks. I must’ve sold a couple dozen of them and because they folded down nice and flat they were a breeze to ship too.
It’s a nice car… But they did everything except for the hard part. All this upgraded equipment and nobody dropped a turbo engine under the hood. The price advertised is what this is worth completed with a newer Volvo turbo Swap. I hope someone gets it at a decent enough price to finish the job.
Had a 84 245 that “looked” just like this did when it was stock. Love the upgrades minus the wheels and stering wheel. Would prefer stock look. Called mine gun powder. No turbo. That brick would hit 120. Took a while to get there though. Hence the name 🤣
How about a Ross Converse 5.0 L Windsor swap, or you could swap an LS-3 in it the way Michael Yount did in his 242 (badged 282) Sedan with A Tremec 5 speed and a narrowed Ford 8.8” rear axle (go to Bring-a Trailer and look up his name).
Point me in the direction of the $2000 varieties please, I’ll take several. Unfortunately, some clean, stock, survivor examples can sometimes sell for this asking price and more. Typically, a decent, average one will sell in the 10ish or so range. “But, it’s just an old Volvo wagon”. And, that’s what they said about 50’s wagons in the 80’s, and so on. Seems crazy, but these are now becoming classics. Time moves fast. This one has been for sale for quite a long time, so it is time to lower the price.
Is that tailpipe that long as a crude, 80’s version of parking assist?