1985 Volvo 244 GL 2.3 I4
Summary:
Tough, reliable brick
Faults:
Back lights work, but tend to have a mind of their own.
Seats are ripped.
Engine/tranny leaks.
General Comments:
I picked up this car for $350, did a full tune up and it runs great. When I got it, it overheated 3 times (thermostat stuck closed) and did no damage (compared to my LT1 Firebird that overheated once and destroyed the intake). It has a surprising amount of power for a big wagon with a 4 banger and 262k miles.
This thing does leak about 1-2 quarts of oil between oil changes (I run Lucas in it and I have noticed a big decrease in oil leaks). It really does bother me. I just have to keep a couple quarts of oil and check it weekly (I owned a aircooled VW so this is not new). I have driven this car 15k miles so far, and the only thing I have done is basic maintenance, and this is my daily driver.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 8th September, 2009
31st Aug 2012, 22:05
Although these cars are built like tanks and are mechanically indestructible, the electrical systems leave a lot to be desired. We had 4 Volvos in my family (2 940s, 1 240, and 1 740). All of them had electrical problems. Usually minor but annoying problems, with the exception of the 240. The wiring for the interior lighting shorted out. I was in the car, and all of a sudden a small cloud of smoke billowed out from the top of the dash, and all the dash lighting went black. I never got it fixed. For some reason Volvos have a lot of problems with the exterior lighting going out. No clue why.