I have a '91 240 wagon. Odometer stopped working 146k and have since then been cross country so probably around 150k miles. New brakes rear. The car starts every time I get in. I can haul up to 7 bales of straw. It’s safe. But the wiring is funky. Stereo turns off and on randomly. Occasionally stalls for no apparent reason.
Some people swear this is the best car ever and at 150k a baby by Volvo standards. Sometimes I ponder moving into the modern era with a Honda crv or ford escape. I do live in the city and though i go to the country or periodically haul stuff sometimes i feel like I’m driving a boat. Should I pursue a new car or just live with my vintage lady?
Things don’t sound too bad from here. If you like the car, keep it. If you want something else and can reasonably afford it, get something else. If safety is a concern, definitely get something else. Volvos have the safety reputation, but a '91 Volvo has long ago lost any edge it had and anything made in the last five years will be vastly better in terms of safety.
It’s not nearly as safe as a modern car. It was designed many years before 1991. Volvos that last a long time are the result of owners’ care, not something special about the car. Keep it if you like it, but don’t do it because of the ‘Volvo myth’.
If you want a newer car and can afford it, now is a good time to look. Since your Volvo runs, you can continue to use it while you find another car; you are not in a hurry. If you can afford about $10,000 or more, there are a lot of good choices. Let us know how much you can afford, and we can help you better. If you do decide to get another car, I would just sell your Volvo t the highest bidder. You won’t get more than a few hundred for it anyway. You would be lucky to get $300 as a trade-in.
Thanks for the tip @db4690. @lion9car Stalling randomly as in the other day I was pulling out of a parking lot and it stalled. Hasn’t happened before. But the electrical system is a but on the wacky side, making me feel sometimes that I don’t know when it will fall apart.
As for those recommending scrapping, I paid 3500 3 or 4 years ago. I regularly have people asking me if I want to sell. In Chicago they are popular. They run forever and are cheap to fix. Thats my dilemma. It runs, it’s cheap to fix, it costs me nothing to own. That being said I’m going to tally the cost of repairs since I’ve owned it.
@jtsanders as far as new car, I’m looking at a Mazda cx5 in part because I can get a manual transmission which is hard to find in a new/newer car. Also, I’d probably go with a lease at this point in my life (dwindling number of kids to ferry, down to 1 dog–maybe next in a few years I’ll opt for the fiat 500!
@Malinki if the car looks reasonably good, I would get this latest problem fixed and keep driving it.
It’s paid for, so in that sense it’s cheaper than buying a new car and possibly making payments.
Don’t scrap it. You’ll get peanuts. A private party sale will get you more money than the junkyard will give you.
Your old Volvo is pretty much worthless as a trade in. You should sell it privately and see if you can find someone who values your old 240 and will pay you more than it’s book value.
After you’ve sold it, then you can see if you have enough money to go for a new car.
If its reliable and repairs dont break the bank, just keep driving it. It`s worth very little on a trade. These cars were very boxy and had a lot of inside room.
I sense the OP has an emotional attachment to this old Volvo and values it as if others feel the same way. Put a for sale sign on the car and if someone shows interest in buying it see if you can make a deal. Basically the car has -0- value, but if someone offered $3000 for it, I’d take it in a heartbeat.
I wonder if your stereo cutting in and out and the stalling of the engine are caused by a defective ignition switch. This would relate the two problems.
I feel it’s time to drive a safer car. As illustrated, in a crash with a modern car, you will have the force disapated on you. It’s no longer a fair contest. Everyone in a newer car is more of a threat to you then in the past. A texting teen in a new Civic could drop you like a bad habit and walk away. Let Uncle Turbo have it. He’ll put it the field out back and use it for target practice.
Keep the 240. 91, I don’t think have the infamous bio degradable wiring harness, so the wiring problems are not that bad to take care of. 240 wagon is a dog of a car, bur it’s a faithful companion, and god, that thing was so well made, read over built. I loved mine so, had about 350K miles when the drive shaft went, and didn’t have money to fix it. I should have kept it.