If you grew up in the seventies and eighties, the Volvo 240 was a car you saw a lot. Volvos never sold in Ford or Chevrolet numbers, but these handsome brick-shaped people haulers were known to last and last. Believe it or not, they are now collectible. If you think about it, these cars were just as much a part of people’s lives as any other, and it shouldn’t be shocking that some folks want to have a second chance at the memories made in their family Volvos. It also doesn’t hurt that these cars set the standard for safety and reliability back in their day. If you are a fan of boxy, yet safe station wagons with some subtle Swedish style, then this 1986 Volvo 240 DL station wagon for sale on Facebook Marketplace in Little Rock, Arkansas deserves your attention. This perfectly presentable Volvo has a low (for a Volvo) 158K miles on the odometer and can be yours for $8,950.
Volvo 240s were a constant in my younger life. I went to a high school where the students self-segregated into castes. I was reminded by an otherwise very sweet young lady that I was lower-middle class, with the indicator being that my parents drove an older Ford Thunderbird. The 1980 Chrysler Cordoba I drove probably pushed me down a notch, but a later Porsche 914 and, at the end, a new Ford Ranger pickup wreaked havoc on my standing. A large contingent of kids came from families of higher means. Their rides ranged from a Porsche 911 to a Mercedes 300 Turbo. The vast majority of them were well on the path to becoming yuppies. BMWs were everywhere, but the more financially cautious families drove Volvos and passed their older models down for their spawn to abuse.
When you think about how rough teens are on cars and how dangerous they can be behind the wheel, then a Volvo 240 is a great choice. Built from 1974 through 1993, the 240 became an iconic car for Volvo. The company wanted to move on from these boxy but safe automobiles in the early eighties. The sales numbers stopped them, with the car even receiving updates in the last few years of its production. The seller of this 1986 Volvo 240 DL station wagon must have held them in high regard. We are told that they are the second owner of this Volvo. It was purchased in California and shipped off to Arkansas. The car has accumulated 158,000 miles during its service life and has been the recipient of a considerable number of repairs and improvements.
The picture above shows probably the most expensive and time-consuming repair made on this Volvo. Every one of the seats was rebuilt to add new heating elements and to replace the foam in the lower sections. New driver and passenger door pockets, an OEM turn signal stalk, a new wiring harness for the back hatch, and new taillights are all among the items that have been replaced. A new, more modern head unit with Bluetooth connectivity and a trailer hitch are improvements added to both update the car and allow the seller to carry their bicycle along. Mechanically, a gas tank, serpentine belts, a timing belt, and a new air conditioning compressor have all been installed. The gauge cluster was rebuilt as well, but the A/C system will need a recharge.
There are a few issues on this Volvo that will still need to be addressed. The bearing on the HVAC fan, presumably under the dash, is making a small squealing sound every once in a while. There is also a rust hole in the rear floorboard that the seller estimates is about an inch in diameter. Additionally, a wiring harness for the rear washer has deteriorated, but the seller has already installed a new motor for it. From there, you will have to track down why the cruise control isn’t working and figure out why the rear defroster turns itself on whenever the whim strikes it.
Perhaps the most interesting part of this Volvo is that it is equipped with a four-speed manual transmission with a working overdrive. While the car’s standard four cylinders of fury will not scare anyone at a stoplight, it is interesting to see a manual transmission in a station wagon. It is believed that station wagons accounted for a third of all 240 production. Does anyone have any idea how many of them were manual transmission equipped?
Overall, this is a very presentable Volvo that still has a lot of life left in it. It makes you wonder if there is still a market for 240s today. While the yuppies have all vanished, there is always a market for solid, safe, reliable transportation. I think it is also reasonable to assume that the market could also use some station wagons to liven up the new car lots. Hopefully, this Volvo finds a good home and will still be racking up miles for years to come.
Have you ever owned or driven a Volvo 240? Did you enjoy the experience? Would you buy a new version? Please share your recollections and thoughts in the comments.
it’s more than just the 4 speed, but the stick makes it
I had to laugh at the “idiosyncrasies” of this Volvo. We had a 740 wagon- same thing; hand me down, survived two teenagers. We laughed that we would need to write an “owner’s manual supplement” to inform the new owner of the odd behaviors that they might encounter- squealing heater, on/off rear wiper at will, buzzing in radio- on and on. A great car with a few old age frailties- a real tank.
My daily is an ’83 240 sedan and I love it. Totally analog, including the working clock that ticks audibly. Want the window down? Turn the crank! With 134k miles it will last longer than I will and already looks better.
“Ask a third grader to draw a car and he/she will draw an 80’s Volvo.”
I became addicted to Volvos in the late 80s after I had my 1st accident in one. (No I didn’t hit my head). My 1st Volvo was a mustard yellow winter beater with rust spots all over it. Every winter I would buy a beater to save my nice car from the brutal forces of the weather and sell it in the spring.
That particular year I waited too late and all was left was the 80 Volvo and a turd brown Ford Pinto. So I swallowed my pride. Can you imagine someone dressed up in a suit and tie stepping out of something this hideous looking besides Columbo? Fast forward that car never failed to start or plow through the snow. Come spring 1st caller money in hand bought it. College kid. Then I purchased a 1985 240 sedan. I Tboned a Chevy Cavalier hard enough to knock her engine half way out and my car didn’t die no damage no dash lights came on nothing. Been hooked every since. Second accident 2010 S80 V8. Hit a deer and knocked it in the air and it landed on my windshield. No broken windshield no airbag deployment no broken lights just a buckle in the hood. Drove both cars home and beyond.
I flew off a cliff coming home from school in a blue sedan version of this volvo. Car was totaled but I was fine.
In 1998 my wife wanted to replace her aging 200,000 mile Olds Custom Cruiser. Poopooing my cautions about high parts costs for “imports” , she bought a beautiful one-owner 1990 740 wagon from a cousin down south.
First issue with the car was a squeaky blower motor… like the blue 240. I thought I was gonna get an “I-told-you-so” moment.
I pulled the motor which looked a lot like on from our Olds. I found the label and it said Manufactured by Harrison Radiator, Lockport, NY! That’s the world headquarters for that GM hvac division. You’d guess that that part, made in a UAW plant, in heavily taxed NY state, shipped to Sweden where the car was built, and back here, might be expensive? Nope. $3.00 less than the one in the Olds!
Then, I bought another used 740, happily ran it up to 285k!
Curious why after all the listed upgrades the AC still needs to be charged? There’s an expensive fix that the seller doesn’t want deal with.
Out of the 3 240 wagons I’ve had from the mid1990’s well into the 2000’s 2 were stick shift. It’s the only way to go with a 240. After the third 240 wagon I moved up to w124 mercedes wagons. I’m now on my third, a 94 e320 wagon with a c-36 AMG motor under the hood. Try to find a w124 with a stick. I wish! But with that 3.6 litre under the hood I don’t lack for smiles per miles, even with an automatic.
I’ve had a few over the years always got a stick always a wagon. Then passed them down to children never new always used. It’s not how many years you been driving it is how many decades
The other day I’m driving my 244 to & from the shop, 4 miles away, heater on & those that know 240s know how prodigious the heat is & sunroof cranked open & its a true 5speed & I’m doing 75 on sketchy tires & its just rolling along. That, my friends is the essence of Volvo 240. No joke, oh and the blower motor squeak repair is a solid 6 hrs.
I’ve been “married” to Volvos, particularly 240s, for decades after totaling my first one and walking away.
Years ago when you could pick them up cheap with minor problems, I’d fix them up for resale. My best customers were folks whose kid just got their license. There was one 240 wagon that spent 8 years in high school, being passed down to younger siblings in two families. This brick survived five new drivers before being killed somehow by an adult.
Our well-worn 740 wagon required divine intervention to pass its biannual California smog test, but it struggled through for many years. When it became eligible for a buy back program that paid way more than it could be sold for, we showed up at the same smog test station, begging them (with a puzzled look on their face) to fail it (a requirement of the program). It worked.