Volvo 240DL - best car in the world(?)

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I've seen a 240 where the rear indicator lens was cracked at the top and was 3/4 filled with water submerging the bulb completely. It still worked flawlessly!
My first car was a '84 760 Turbodiesel, a very good car indeed, particularly the engine but Volvo bought that engine from VW who used it in the LT35 van. It was almost as good as the Mercedes 280TE (W123 model) that replaced it.
 
Strange thing to do removing the turbo.
With it that engine was powerful, frugal and surprisingly silent. Most thought it was a petrol engine!
I got mine to 125mph, at 80mph it returned 50mpg and I frequently drove off in 3rd without noticing.

But a friend of mine just sold his '83 Mercedes 240D with over 800k miles on it. It aced every annual emissions test.
 
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I'm a Volvo fan too, my first car was a '74 164E, great engine, next was a '86 240 GLT, blew the engine and put in a used Turbo engine, added an intercooler and turned up the pressure, had some of the greatest fun in my life when my swedish tractor ate a Porsche 911 with a yuppie in it....

Now drives a V50 2.4, will stick to Volvo's for a long time, especially after I got twin boys.

Soren
 
vehicle test

Here are a couple of vehicle tests that many cars can't pass. Lay an 8"x8" railroad tie on the road (20cmx20xm) across your path. Put on your seat belt. Clear the area. Get your car up to 60 mph (100 kph) and drive across the railroad tie. Stay in your lane. See how far you can go without replacing any tires. A year? No alignment required? okay.
On 3/4" glare ice (2cm) at 10 deg F get your car up to 25 mph, 40 kph. Pull a Volvo 240 out in front of you about 60' or 20 m away. Stop without spinning. Still have a whole car?
Participate in a 15" per hour rainstorm. (40 cm/hour). Drive in water over the drive tunnel of your car. Do not stop until at work and then after work, home. You may change the engine oil, transmission fluid, differential fluid, brake fluid, coolant afterwards. Start and drive the car the next day. How many years life did you get after that.
At 25 mph (40kph) run over a bottomless pothole 1' in diameter that exits to the river bank. Still driving?
At 40mph miss T-boning a car by driving over a 5" (12 cm) vertical curb with all 4 wheels locked up. Drive on to school and then home. You may pause to knock the dents out of your wheels with a 5 lb sledgehammer and air the tires back up. With these "repaired" wheels, how smooth is your car at 60 mph (100kph)?
I have done all these in my '59 Ford. I'm still driving it.
 

AKN

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Hi,

On the positive, Volvo 240 is easy to repair and has a long lasting engine.
However the car is deadly boring to drive, no reward at all on the road (assuming standard chassie tuning).
The engine does only run reasonable decent at 2000rpm, over and under that vibrations, and lots of it.

Not so positive from me being a Swede but I'm at least honest.:D
 
Hi indianajo

A testament to the strength of the vehicle and a timely reminder not to accept a lift from you!

Hi 4fun

There is no obligation to defend something just because it was made in your country. I would be having to defend the Austin Allegro in that case. I would however pay money to see what happens if you crash it into big things.

If you think a 240 is an unrewarding drive, try an Allegro. Some even had a square steering wheel to add to the experience.

John
 

AKN

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Hi John,
You are right, no obligation. My sentence followed by a smiley were meant as a mild response to yours similar statement in post #3.
I have never driven an Austin Allegro but I can sort of imagine what it would be like.
And I do not think that 240 is an unrevarding drive, I know! ;)
 
Allegro....948/1098/1275 cc A-series Leyland engine... 3 main bearings supporting a rather marginal crankshaft.

Same engine as my old AH Sprites... which come to think of it ran more reliable than my Volvo 240 until the volvo received a Penta Marine transplant.

And the little "bug-eye" Sprites were just FUN!

Cyclotronguy
 
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