1989 Volvo 240 GL Review - Swedish Heavy Metal is a Practical Classic

[@s77mon28]

Geography Teachers, Furies, Drug Dealer's and Volvo's, this video's got it all

[@flyingd217]

You forgot Bigfoot behind the steering wheel...

[@ps36081]

Hasn't mentioned doggers yet

[@anentity8960]

And cockroaches. Post-apocalypse cockroaches.

[@cme2cau]

In the late 80s and early 90s, I had a succession of Volvos. 164, 244DL, 740 GL and 760GLE. The 244DL saved my wife and son in an accident. When they arrived at the hospital (uninjured, just being checked out) the ER doctor asked what car they were in. When my son replied "Volvo" the doctor said "That was fortunate"

[@benjaminsmith2287]

I crashed into a tree in a 72 164. Wondered why it stopped. Car totaled. Me, fine.

[@zzoinks]

I can respect the engineering of the time that went into old Volvos. However I'm a bit iffy on if they're really safe because I don't think they'd do well at all in modern crash tests. If only they had a modern crash test, for science

[@cme2cau]

@@zzoinks 5th gear crashed a modern small Renault into a 700 or 900 series Volvo . The result was sobering, especially to those that thought old cars were safer. Volvos were the best they could be 40 years ago.

[@ChrisPatrick-q6k]

They're really not very safe, any modern car, and I mean even a shopping hatch will turn on inside out in a crash.

[@lars-eriklarsson7826]

@@ChrisPatrick-q6k Why do I see your comments everywhere in this comment section? Are you that eager to try and denounce the strength of old Volvos? Well you don't seem to know alot about your claims 🤣

[@lawrencel1668]

Simple engineering is good engineering. This was the pinnacle of Volvo for me.

[@edim108]

A good engineer doesn't think what they can add, but what they can take out and still keep the functionality of what they're making. "Keep it simple, stupid" was what my professor always told us. These old Volvo cars are the embodiment of that.

[@SamuelVella1995]

I own an 89 240 sedan and it's a freaking tank and I love it. Such a good old Swedish beast

[@douglasmurphy6214]

Got me an 89 240gl i love it

[@yellow-harold8965]

I bought a 240 DL estate when I turned 18 and have had it for the past 5 years now. Wouldn't trade it for the world :)

[@nickautry7332]

@Strictly Original Materials 940s are basically the same, but made up til ‘95. Same B230F Red Block engine that runs and runs.

[@akishot6735]

@@nickautry7332 they are and they aren’t. 240s are essentially highly upgraded 140s. My 240 has the tippy top end off a 940 for better flow, but I still prefer the 240. Both great cars

[@jweb2se]

This is car that all Swedes over the age of 30 have a relation to. They have own one, driven one or been driven in one at some point.

[@bobjohnson205]

Probably have even been conceived or born in one! lol

[@Ohem1]

Yeah I grew up with one such as this and, unfortunately, my dad developed severe epilepsy and let the car stay unused for a while. For whatever reason, he told himself it's a piece of crap and didn't even bother to turn the engine on to judge for himself and instead scrapped it. I think it was just fine and the tires were the only thing that made it look shit, completely deflated. I miss that car, it ran very well prior to his illness and it was hardly audible inside at the time.

[@speedymike3058]

Im swedish and i have a relation to it, im 14

[@rasmuscyrillus2005]

@@speedymike3058 I'm 15 and I just bought a 1986 244 SO 2.3 li engine. I'm in America as well

[@anton.s7740]

@@speedymike3058 i livw in Sweden and own a 240 D24

[@themanipulator1]

I absolutely love these classic reviews. Love this whole series. I just love cars that are different and retro, so seeing you talk about them, 75% are ones iv previously considered is awesome. Keep it up bro

[@johnd4304]

When I was just coming up to 50, I was persuaded to buy a Volvo 240 GL Estate. It was on sale at the main Volvo dealers and was three years old. The lady who had it from new had traded it in for one of the last 240's made, the Torslander. Even though I was coming up for 50, I thought I was too young for a VOLVO. Anyway I bought it, without even driving it, with already 44k on the clock. And by the time I got it home, I was smitten. It's me, and 31 years later, it's still in perfect condition and is totally reliable. It's like your favourite pair of slippers. The joke is that when I bought it it was almost classed as an almost prestige vehicle. But then, for years and years it was thought of as an old banger. Move on to today and just look at the prices. OKAY they aren't worth a fortune but, whereas you could have picked one up for a song- even at the time of this review. Now you really need to be prepared to shell out at least 5k for a good one. I feel that what has happened is that there are now plenty of people who just want a car that is simple to look after and maybe even remind them of their youth. My only complaint is that because it is only 34 years old...I still have to pay road tax..............

[@andersf5464]

You are to be congratulated. (My own complaint is that not all the 240:s are equipped with the nice foot-ventilation-hatch - instead of unessary AC. Don't know which year/model this happened.)

[@Bfoxfield1]

I had a P reg 1976 gold 245 DL estate back in 94 which i paid £100 for and i loved it. On one journey the throttle cable snapped leaving me stranded on the side of the road. So, i walked home, got some washing line, got back to the car and tied it round the throttle body. With the bonnet slightly ajar, i then pulled on the washing line - with my hand outside the window - in order to accelerate. It wasn`t easy coordinating my right hand, steering with my left hand and braking but it worked a treat and got me home.

[@bobjohnson205]

I had a '77 264GL back in '81. When my throttle cable snapped that summer I simply tied open the throttle to about 3000rpm with one of my shoe laces, which was enough to get me up to 30mph. Since the car was equipped with cruise control I was able to drive it the approx. 320 miles home on the highway and through a few towns by simply using the cruise. No washing line for my 264! lol

[@nothinglike1586]

This color is called Glacier Blue. The insanely tight turning circle is my favorite attribute of this car, but Volvo more than compensated for that with insanely wide turning circle of a P2R. Having one of each makes the most sense: go slow but turn tight in a 240, go fast and don't turn at all in a V70R.

[@gosportjamie]

Don't be rude about the handling of those, you can actually go very sideways in a 240 at speeds that won't harm your driving licence, or, for that matter, the car is you happen to get it wrong. They can be pretty easily provoked to light up the rear tyres and go slidey slidey. I had a 1979 244DL back in the '90s, when you could buy then for pennies and it was a lot of fun and was as easy to work on as, well, a wooden door, you can actually get in the engine bay with the engine should you want to. When I had that car I was hit on the driver's side front by a virtually new Ford Sierra whose dozy driver hadn't seen me, despite the Volvo running lights and the fact that I had my headlights on as it was raining. The Sierra went home in a hoover bag, the driver went to hospital with a badly broken right leg and crushed right ankle. I was totally unhurt save a little seat belt rash and I drove home in my Volvo. The sum total of the damage was a cracked indicator lens and a split in the rubber cover on the bumper, which cost me precisely nothing to fix as I had a parts car. Although it was a virtually new car there was no way on earth that Sierra was going back on the road without a new shell. A decade or so later, I put a twin-turbo Rover V8 in a 760 estate...

[@bmw-e30]

gosportjamie Lesson learned--reckon he never ran into another Volvo.

[@ChrisPatrick-q6k]

Swap that Sierra with a modern supermini however, and the tables would be turned.

[@lars-eriklarsson7826]

@@ChrisPatrick-q6k no, it would never. A supermini? For real? These tiny british little tincans on 4 wheels that are apparently labelled as road-legal cars? I cannot take this seriously 🤣

[@ChrisPatrick-q6k]

@@lars-eriklarsson7826 They're not tin cans, they're modern designs incorporating large amounts of high tensile steel and computer designed loads paths and crush zones. Trust me, any post 2000 shopping hatch will turn one of these mild steel antiques inside out.

[@ChrisPatrick-q6k]

@@lars-eriklarsson7826 kzbin.inforzIR0Pi-awE?si=r38L2Zmi3B_VUlfV See how easily the forklift pushes the undamaged B Piller into the car?

[@chrismartinez3160]

I love my 83 240, I've had my car for about 11 years now with 400k miles on it. Still drive driving it to this day.

[@0hjaa3.06]

My 88 240 has just a little bit under 170,000 miles on it😎👍

[@pieterdewit9081]

@ Chris Martinez Keep it well maintained and the Volvo will serve you for many years to come. :-)

[@TrondClemensen]

I have owned 4 of these awesome Swedish tanks. It was my first car, a beautiful 244DL 1975, which I crashed. It was still able to drive me home. What remained of the other car involved had to be swept off the road with a broom. It really teaches you how to drive, it is forgiving up to the point where it slaps you in the face and scares the shit out of you, while still keeping you safe. Don't ask me how I know this... Want to go sideways? Sure, it'll do that for you, at least in the winter. I never had much luck during the summer, not that I ever really tried. The heater can probably heat up a bus, which is great when you live in Norway during the winter. I once measured the temperature of the air coming out of the footwell air ducts, it was around 80 degrees C. It has a turning radius that is shorter than the car itself, and this enables you to squeeze this beast of a car into the tightest spots. It's not pretty but it has classic lines. When I think about it, I think I need to buy back one again. I miss the beast!

[@douglasmurphy6214]

Just got me a 89 240 gl with. a little over 200,000 on it I think I got me a keeper drives well they are safe and I think they have a classic retro look

[@RennieAsh]

I used to park mine in really tight spots lol

[@ChrisPatrick-q6k]

​@douglasmurphy6214 They're not safe today, soft mild steel, no airbags.

[@ReclusiveDuck]

1986, on a roundabout on the A46 at Cold Ashton just north of Bath we were in a Volvo 240 estate which was hit by a 7.5 tonne lorry doing about 40mph. It was raining and the idiot was using plastic sheets as a windscreen (yes really!) and didn't even know we were there until he hit us. We were spun around a full 360 degrees and smashed through a wall, not only did my parents and I survive, we walked away without a scratch. I can think of no other car that more perfectly encapsulates the saying "They don't make them like they used to". Interestingly the end of the wall we hit was never replaced and can still be seen on google maps all these years later.

[@ChrisPatrick-q6k]

Modern cars are much much safer, please don't mislead.

[@ReclusiveDuck]

@@ChrisPatrick-q6k Poor attempt, try harder.

[@hugoaberg1168]

The volvo 240 was designed by Jaan wilsgaard and it launched in 1974, and the last ever volvo 240 rolled of the production line in 1993, which in Sweden makes the last one a veteran car, which means that the newest 240 is not vehicle taxed from 2023 onwards. In 82' it got the plastic more rugged mirror arms and mirrors, the square dash. In 88' both the 740 and 240 got fuel injection, (the choke carb went out). The 740 got a facelift in 90' with all plastic front, from the bumper down, new rear lights, and smaller headlights.

[@MrBeerberg]

My mum had one in the exact same colours for the best part of seven years and it was quite a trip down memory lane watching this video. Cheers !

[@jacobwiersma6146]

objection! i own a '93 5 speed 240 and although the engine is stock, I have in fact gotten it above the 120mph speed limit claimed by the speedometer, and I have also put in my own pioneer head unit. not impossible. oh and yes; it can peg limiter although you suggest otherwise. it quite likes riding limiter, especially when it is sliding on a wet backroad (which it can do, thanks to the LSD that came standard which accompanied the RWD :D ). I think you undersold the performance aspect of the car. all it needs is an IPD sway bar (and maybe an IPD camshaft), and the original designers focus on safety translates to an excellent solid, cheap, reliable platform to build whichever sort of car you'd want! whether it be a stance/showcar, street sleeper, track day car, offroad car, or drift car! i think the 240 is a perfect universal platform for whatever you're into! cheers! -Jake (IG @mnt.240)

[@nebojsabobic6480]

My 240 93 wagon (2.3 engine ),beaten uo because not maintaned good (by prewious owner),did 170-180,without a problem AND on LPG,that was also in bad condition,like,12 years ago they driled a jole in intake and put pioe with lpg there....injectors came later...It has over 400th. km!!aalnd it is still driving,with little investement it would be in good shape,body is with no rust.This car got me so fascinated that I bougt another one and I will drove it till some of us two dies (ahahahahaa I do not have good chances to win ahahahahaah).That one is also 93,but serviced in time and in great condition with 250th. km....

[@declanfallah8112]

What’s your ig?

[@MarkJones-si2bb]

I have an 83 2-door (rare now) that needs some kick. How long would it take a professional Volvo mechanic to install an IPD camshaft? Any risks or related concerns when doing that upgrade? (New seals, ??) I asked my 30-year Volvo mechanic about adding a turbo, and he wasn't for it and had never added one. He said, "Just buy a turbo."

[@jacobwiersma6146]

@@MarkJones-si2bb camshaft swap is a pretty simple thing. It's probably the easiest thing that involves actually opening up the engine

[@MarkJones-si2bb]

@@jacobwiersma6146 Ok. Is that 1 hr, 2, 3 hrs? ... does it add a noticeable improvement?... I'm thinking 10% is 10%, can't hurt.

[@nathanwood1506]

Growing up in Borneo I learned how to drive a manual with the Volvo 240. The clutch was heavy but it was so forgiving being difficult to stall. It had a quirky way to get it into reverse whereby you lift the ring of the shaft upwards and put it into 1st position. I find this method of selecting reverse more convenient than modern transmissions. It was the perfect beginners car that was unbreakable driving through dodgy off roads in the rain forests and challenging mountain roads. It even fared better than the toyota and nissan pick-ups going to these rural areas. Great review!

[@sialraya]

Mana di Borneo??

[@nathanwood1506]

​@@sialraya dari KK

[@burundi-f4o]

🏆

[@hectorvazquez7929]

I have a 1989 240 DL with 465k miles. Drove it from 1993-2015.Very little issues and cheap to maintain. Now it’s driving mostly on weekends or grocery runs. Still runs do this day.

[@stumaclean111]

Memories of my '83 2.1 turbo 240. It was the most comfortable car I ever owned; I currently own a 2004 Jag X-type 3.0 AWD and a 2015 Mercedes E-Class 550 AWD fully loaded. I'd take my old Vovlvo back in a heartbeat!!

[@domy0611]

I'm 21 and I absolutely love the estate version! It is de ideal road trip car. Lots of space, lots of comfort and a lots of character.

[@jackthompson361]

Awesome the estates! My Dad owned a top of the range volvo 265 gle estate in the 80s. Drank petrol like it was going out of fashion, but real smooth ride, and sublime douvrin 2664 cc six cylinder

[@rich_edwards79]

Yep, if there's only two of you, you can throw an air mattress in the back and save on the cost of a Travelodge :)

[@bobjohnson205]

@@jackthompson361 My '77 264GL had the same 2.7 litre engine with the BW55 3-speed automatic transmission. I didn't find it to be terrible on gas, but it would have been better with the 4-speed standard with overdrive.

[@nickautry7332]

I’ve had 3 Estates and 2 sedans. Definitely prefer the Wagons

[@domy0611]

@@nickautry7332 I agree! I have to admit that I’ve sent mine to storage. I’m driving a 2006 xc70 now.

[@TIGERGUTS]

My mum drove 2 x Volvo 240Gl's in the 80s. They were station wagons. It was utilitarian. Just like a huge tank. Super safe for kids. I love em! Dump it on it s guts, 20s, tint the windows and make everything brown velour and wood trim inside like a snow cabin. Awesome!

[@andyevans2336]

Have owned my ‘89 brick since ‘900. Not a powerhouse, but it has enough power to get out of it’s own way. Even if I can’t get better than 24 mpg in town, not having car payments for over 3 decades will ease the mpg sting quite a bit. Plenty of room for a very reasonable stereo system, and the heated seats are a joy on road trips.

[@Sierra747]

I’ve got a soft spot for old Volvos as my first job was at a Volvo main dealer in Chelmsford in the mid 90’s. We saw lots of 240’s back then. I’d keep that 240 completely oem although I might keep the torslanda wheels. Love the original cassette deck too. If you think that doesn’t rev wait till you drive my Sierra lol.

[@CharlieG1331]

I can sympathise with that, I have a 1.8 Sierra Sapphire. Hardly any power but so much fun to drive. I also work at a Volvo dealer funnily enough!

[@FeelTheDrive]

Furries and Drug dealing, didn't think I'd ever see those two things mentioned in a car review 😂

[@andycreek4750]

I love my 240. It gave me some trouble with various things dying out when I first got it, but it's been carrying on well. It's worth it just for getting behind the wheel every day and knowing I'm driving such a safe classic.

[@bid84]

My grandmother has an old Vulva

[@IntimateCabaret]

I’ve driven Volvos for 40 years. I currently have a 240 estate. Brilliant cars.

[@mentepazzza]

I had 2 240 estate, B200 K-J injection and B200 F electronic injection. Now own a 1976 B20 carb. Travelled Europe with them . Never got stranded nor a single issue. Just general maintenance and oil change every 5k miles.

[@andrewx86x]

'Some power'?? You kidding? K-Jet 2.3 produces 100kW genuine! Rev them out and they are really fantastic for the age! Superb motor. Out-drag camrys and accords from the lights! Not bad considering they're over 30 years old! Hitting 150km/h in overtaking lanes is astounding! I've had it at its top; 180km/h. It will do it (at 34 years old) and rev like crazy, yet is amazingly stable. Replace the shocks with Sachs gas sport shocks and it'll handle crap roads and corner with fantastic predictability. 50:50 weight distribution, so it's so unbelievably predictable. You can drive these cars (properly sorted) scarily fast.

[@fossilfueled27]

I own a Volvo 240 from 1992, same engine as this one, same gearbox, same blue interior, only it's a silver estate/wagon. I even found those same wheels from a Torslanda, got them refurbed in satin black. It's done 190,000 miles, which I'm told is fairly low. Values are climbing though. Take a look on Autotrader and you'll see these things creeping past 5 or 6 grand, which is about what you can get a Jag XJS V12 for. It's fun to drive... for all the wrong reasons.

[@V8bgt]

Had a ‘77 245 with a B20 for a few years in the nineties. No power BUT what a magnificent chassis. Best drift car ever in the wet or loose stuff

[@discerningmind]

When Jay commented about the heater, he wasn't kidding. I'm in the USA. A friend has one of these. He gave me a ride a couple of winters ago and I've never experienced a car heater so hot. Since, I've referred to that car as "The Boiler". Incredibly good heat, but I'd caution using too much defroster as I suspect it could crack the windshield/windscreen.

[@jamesfrench7299]

They were built until 1993 and were based on the same body shell that came out in the late 1960s. The interior didn't change much after the 1974 "shovel nose" came out. My favourite variant is the 1975-1977 Volvo 264GL with the notorious PRV V6 motor that went into Peugeot, Renault and Volvo flagships. Also used in the Delorean. The 264GL had a carburettor and the car that replaced it, the 264GLE in 1978 got fuel injection. The 264GLE from the early 80s had the same frontal appearance as your blue four cylinder example, except the grill sat proud of the headlights to make extra room for cooling I presume. I recently spotted a mint example in gold here in Australia. They were an early 80s status symbol of luxury in the suburbs of Australia's capitals! :) I have always admired this body shape (b. 1973) and I think they will always be the enduring symbol of Volvo in my eyes.

[@bispal]

Nice one James...again.....I had one of these. Paid £300 for it, drove it for 3 years and sold it for £150 and it was knackered! Was an auto estate and in the end the gearbox went but the best cars are usually the ones you have very low expectations of and this was one of those. A few years later I decided to get another and went with a 740 Wentworth. 170,000 miles on the clock. I paid £900 for it and had it for 18 months, it never went wrong, it was like a new car and to this day is the most comfortable car I have ever had. If you can put up with 20mpg and the are fab. Also the 740 has a turbo from the Mitsubishi Evo!!!! (though its not fast!) I put winter tyres on it and it was unstoppable. It was written off when someone smashed the rear window and at £700 that could have been it but I refused and bought a 2nd hand one for £150. Eventually I traded it in for Toyota Surf and at 180,000 miles it was still like new!

[@bobjohnson205]

Jay, you should know that just a few years ago the Volvo 240 was named the best built car of all time. Enough said!

[@simonhodgetts6530]

That is a tremendous car - we had one in our family for 14 years and it was immaculate when my dad sold it. It was beautifully built and felt hewn from solid ingots of steel! I’d love one - a GLT estate please!

[@astonbeagle4005]

I own a 1990 Volvo 240 estate in that colour completely stock with 106K on the clock. Perfect daily driver.

[@jtaub9288]

I love those old 240 series Volvos. I was a mechanic back in the 80's and 90's in the Southern California area, and we " hot- rodded" Volvos a lot. The B23FT engines were indestructible. Also made a few off- road ralley 240 wagons.

[@andersf5464]

The 245 is arguably the epitomy of the practical, petrol fueled car. Started 1974 and ended in 1993. (2,8 M built). Dull and exciting. You will know when you have owned one.

[@westcoastseattleboy784]

My first car was a 1990 240DL. Built like a tank and did AMAZING donuts. It put up with all the abuse me and my gang of teenaged friends could dish out. Incredible vehicles

[@subg9165]

3:32 oh so that's why i like old volvos so much

[@erikgranqvist3680]

One fascinating thing about old Volvos: they somehow managed to make the suspension both wobbly and harsh at the same time. Every bump rattles the car something ridicously, while at the same time it has the same firmness of yoghurt. You kind of get the worst of several worlds.

[@r5u26d3]

I had one of these a GLE 1987 until 2017. Absolutely loved it. But after a trip of 100 miles you felt you had been in a fairground walzer. Changed it for a 2005 V70 . What a difference! No more dizziness after a long journeys , much better fuel consumption and the air conditioning! Let’s not get too romantic. Cars improve over 40 years.

[@doctorsocrates4413]

I had one for fifteen years and it never broke down and travelled every part of the uk with no issues.I only paid £200 for her and it was the best motor car i ever had..hard to find now as people appreciate quality.

[@riverstour]

Argh the old Aerobrick, I had a 99 V70 and its a great car, used to use it for regular trips to Scotland and back, got it to 210k miles which for Volvo is running it in! so reliable, cheap to run/service and easy to service, they tend to come with everything loaded on them as well, if you can find a three door version a 242 youre doing well.

[@bigdog594]

For some reason I thought there was a v6 version?I had a 144 and gave it to my teenage son with the proviso that he fixed the brakes,but being 16 he knew best😳He ran up the rear of a car which hit another,which hit another.The Volvo limped from the scene leaving two Japas to be taken to the wreckers.He learned a good lesson there,as paying off the damage took quite some time🤑I always used to say you could fashion a corrolla from the bonnet it was that heavy 😂

[@obeseperson]

I think the v6 was the bertone model, very cool but I’ve heard bad things about the engine

[@Trevorfoggia]

Hi JayEmm, this is the first review of seen by you (first of many many more I hope) and I have just subscribed. Very good review. I have never had a Volvo of my own but have always loved them since my school days. It was fantastic to see a classic Volvo on KZbin. So many thanks.

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Thanks for watching and I hope you enjoy the other videos on the channel!

[@harry-jn7fn]

Nice to hear your appreciation, even if somewhat consciously self-censored. I had one like this and your comments are fair enough as you comprehnd that car-review readers are not all boy racers. I have now "upgraded" to a 1996 VOLVO 960 which is just more of what you have experienced here, but with automatic drive from six cylinders. It does move faster too. Good review for this moment in time.

[@lars-eriklarsson7826]

I also own one of these Swedish tanks, a 1982 Volvo 244 GL. We have been on a couple of roadtrips as we bought it last easter, and I love these old Volvos. They got comfortable seats and all, and they just feel solid and safe. The only bad thing in my opinion is that we don't have a AC on ours, so it got VEEERY warm once we took a drive in the summer. Also, theres a lot of cargo space at the back.

[@ChrisPatrick-q6k]

They're not tanks, any modern car would crush one.

[@lars-eriklarsson7826]

@@ChrisPatrick-q6k If you're talking physically, that is absolutely not the case. Todays modern cars and Volvos have more soft crumbling zones than what they used to have. This is due to the fact that you can be severely injured by the immense vibrations that you soak up in a car crash when the car has harder crumbling zones, (which the Volvo 240 in fact does have when compared to a Volvo v90 for example.) So no, if you would crash a 240 and lets say a v90 head on at the same speeds, the v90 would've taken a lot more damage.

[@ChrisPatrick-q6k]

@@lars-eriklarsson7826 You haven't got a clue what you're talking about. Up to 10 mph maybe, in a high speed head on crash the modern car will crush an old Volvo. Even a Mk3 Golf will destroy a Volvo 340. Pre 850 they weren't safe, it was mostly marketing.

[@ChrisPatrick-q6k]

@@lars-eriklarsson7826 No, I was thinking metaphorically? WT F are you on????

[@lars-eriklarsson7826]

@@ChrisPatrick-q6k I also thought "WTF are you on" when I saw your comment, I had to make sure that you're not talking about something else, because people could argue that more modern cars, for example, "crushes the old Volvo when it comes to safety" or something alike.

[@JWNRW59]

We owned a 1982DL and was that ever a tank. Solid as anything. Decent mileage. Surprisingly good drive feel. The one thing that was a pain was the Zenith carburetor which used to go through fluid like crazy. Easy to maintain otherwise. Space galore. Loved it.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Ah yes, with the wheeltrims from the Torslanda final edition as well! My family had one of these from 1990 to 2001 (it was a 240 GL estate). It was a November 1989 model, and so had a different stereo, and was a darker blue, so had a charcoal interior, but it was very similar. I think ours was a 2.3 litre engine, and had a very troublesome catalytic converter (one of the first cars on the UK market to have one), but I don't think you got any more performance. The boot was even larger, and it had extremely dangerous rear facing seats in the boot (crumple zone). The steering wheel was a bit ugly, so I am not surprised the owner of this one has replaced it. Thanks for this video, James, and my mother was a geography teacher!

[@graemew7001]

I'm 49 years old and have never heard of "Furries" so I just had to Google it.....I genuinely LMFAO!! Volvo's of that type, the 140's and 240's were always called the farmer's cars when I was young, they were robust, practical, reliable and would run forever.

[@martinblizard1882]

The 2.3 litre 240 or 740 are positively my favourite cars. I used to have second hand ones as company cars in preference to new anything else. 350,000 miles in total over 3 cars proved their reliability. I regret selling the last one with 125,000 miles on it at 20 years old. It had so few miles on it as I kept it into my retirement.

[@martiniv8924]

I’ve just bought one, don’t know why but I did 🤣

[@zloychechen5150]

a volvo is a car that nobody needs apart from its owner, and even he doesn't know why.

[@MrJake9998]

Love mine I got it around the same time you posted this. 5-speed, so far lowered it and straight piped it. I get thumbs up from everyone

[@TomBartram-b1c]

The base model Volvo 240DL cost just £6274 in 1980, whereas the cheapest Granada was £5999, 2.3 Rover SDI was £6900, 3.4 Jag £14000, Mercedes 200 £8400, Audi 100 £6690. Good value. Source, my 1980 copy of Whar Car

[@MylesHSG]

I love my older cars. Owned a 1989 Toyota MK1 MR2, a 1995 Subaru SVX, a 1995 Subaru Brat, a 1994 BMW E30 and am picking up another 1995 Subaru Brat on Monday!

[@eeclass20]

Ran a couple estates many years ago, thirsty but very comfortable . If you want to see what they'll do when you tune them a bit, go and search Swedish classic rallying .

[@ArnoSchmidt70]

The actioncam on your head fits you well.

[@jamesfrench7299]

He looks like the Borg got to him.

[@matthewbrace9416]

I have a 240 with a turbo engine fitted running near to 300bhp great fun and reliable car great at towing and carrying my tools road i would be happy to show you the car

[@lexburen5932]

i love 80s cars, old volvos are one of them. i daily drive a nissan cherry 1.5 GL from 1985. i like it because it is different, and people gives thumbs up

[@Whitestorm2]

For those that are interested. The engines in the 90+ RWD Volvos (240, 740, 940) have bottom ends that are good for about 300hp. That figure is also obtainable with just a chipped factory ECU! Fully built they can do WILD numbers. The record as far as I know is 1300hp! OEM turbo models made a very conservative 160hp. Luckily a manual boost controller, better intercooler and slightly bigger exhaust and you can easily make 200hp RELIABLY. Did I mention they also had almost 50/50 weight distribution? Yeah they're pretty good cars lol 😁

[@Juan-yq3fb]

What do you know about the 1988 240DL? Is it the same or different.

[@dushan9392]

Nice one mate. Love your humour and vibe. Keep it up.

[@dj_paultuk7052]

My son who is 19 has a Saab 9000 from 1992 !. Its Turbocharged and proper rapid. And costs less to insure than a 1.2 Clio....

[@chrisdavidson911]

sort the rust out and look after it!!

[@camofpv]

owning a volvo, importing a car from japan at the moment. couldn't miss jdm reg plate here. funny

[@kaga1310]

The coolest car on the planet of all times.

[@robinforrest7680]

When my dad retired back in 1984 it was a choice between the Volvo 240GL or a Saab 900i. I'm glad he chose the Saab@ But I still have a soft spot for the 240 especially the estate version.

[@peterboczan6251]

In many ways Volvo's were like Bjorn Borg. Both are Swedish, both are solid, both are reliable, both are safe, both have good aftersales service and both are a bit on the dull side. ( We had a 1977 244 followed by a 1994 740)

[@mayflowerlash11]

That Volvo 240 is quality in excellent condition for its milage. Note the lack of wear on the seats. The manual trans is a less common and therefore more desirable. It seems to have little or no rust. Those Volvo alloy wheels have some value, not as much as Virgos though. It has a 2.4 litre engine I think and that engine can be turbo charged without threatening its reliability but increasing its power by a factor of two. In turbo trim it is a classic "sleeper". Even if you paid top dollar you have acquired maximum bang for your buck. It is a beautiful piece of engineering and will outlast the nuclear apocalypse. I am jealous, I want it but I live in Australia. Sigh. It is a car designed to last a long time unlike modern cars (200,000 km and dispose)

[@JimmyWelds]

dude one of these came up for sale here a few weeks ago for 13k NZ (6,000 Bongs) and it sold in 7 hours.

[@lewis72]

These 240s were massively old fashioned and out of date even in 1989. Back in the '80s, the Saab 900 Turbo 16S was THE safe car to have. I had one and loved it. As for safety... the 1985 Ford Granada had electronic ABS fitted as standard.

[@dj_paultuk7052]

I had a 900 T16S as well !!, in black of course.

[@lewis72]

@@dj_paultuk7052 Mine was met. silver. It went like stink !

[@jacobbelcher3512]

The amazing thing about the pre-1986 240s is that they didn't need abs. They had a different braking system than the later ones. The later ones had a regular diagonal split system, and the early ones had a trapezoidal system that reduced premature lock under heavy braking. It's a neat system, my 1983 has it and it works really well. Yeah they were outdated even for the time, but there's just something about them that makes me like them so much. Ford had abs standard on a Granada then? Wow, if you wanted abs on a Mercedes you had to get a w126.

[@lewis72]

@@jacobbelcher3512 Not sure how this 'trapezoidal' braking system would have reduced premature lock. How would this system monitor road wheel speed and speed differences ? Yes, my '87 Granada Scorpio has electronic ABS. It still impresses me today. I would have preferred the 4x4 version even more, as that has viscous diffs.

[@jacobbelcher3512]

@@lewis72 It doesn't. It uses proportioning valves at the rear to reduce brake pressure to the rear wheels. Nothing special about that part. The special part about it is that if brake pressure is lost on a front or rear wheel, the junction block has a floating piston inside that slides over and shuts off fluid to the side that lost pressure. Each section of the master cylinder provide fluid to both front wheels and one rear wheel, so that way both front wheels and one rear wheel always have full pressure. This system also reduces the line pressure for the front wheels since there are two lines that go to the front wheels, thus reducing the strain on seals inside the master cylinder. The brake pedal doesn't need to travel much (and you can slam on the brakes just by pressing the pedal with a toe) for the brakes to really bring the car to a fast stop. I guess that is partly due to the brake booster, but other cars are not as responsive as mine is. They went to a diagonal system in 1986 that just splits it to left front/right rear and right front/left rear, but I am not sure they kept the proportioning valves. There's some old ads you can find on Google that talk about that early system. There was a 4x4 version of the Granada? Was it a true 4x4 system or just an awd?

[@ogremgtow990]

I love the old Volvo Red Block tanks.

[@ChrisPatrick-q6k]

They're not safe, modern cars offer much more crash protection

[@mabskha7917]

Learnt to drive in these things. Absolute tank and never dies. These cars are amazing. Also these aren't cheap to buy

[@anthonyprice1574]

I have a 1990 240 Volvo just like this one and its been very reliable over the many years i have owned it. I have also driven quiet a few Volvo trucks over the years and certainly cant find fault with those either from F88s to F16s. .

[@RichieRouge206]

There’s so many tuning and modifying options for these 😎👍🏼🇸🇪

[@hectorperezphotographer]

I daily drive mine and ( I had sports cars, modern japanese cars etc.) and is the freaking best daily I ever had

[@ianhand5006]

I’m 22 years older than you. In 1977, my mate’s dad had a 244GL, which had single point injection and a four speed box with overdrive. It also had a leather interior, tinted glass and a sun roof. His previous car was a Volvo 144 and previous to that, he had a Vauxhall Viva HB Deluxe.

[@mikestinyshedofdreams]

come and test my 240 turbo, its a shabby workhorse but almost double the power of that one.

[@SuperFIFTHGEAR]

I'm 21 and I've always wanted a Volvo 240, but then I'm a bit weird. I reckon it'd have to be an estate

[@thehighwaycowboy2822]

SuperFIFTHGEAR These Volvo's were brilliant cars, I really loved these. Had one myself and adored my Volvo

[@olb-esprit]

I'm 23 and I drive my 245 daily

[@thehighwaycowboy2822]

@@olb-esprit COOL 👍🏻

[@SamuelVella1995]

I'm 23 and I love my 240. Get one, you won't regret it

[@olb-esprit]

​@@SamuelVella1995 Get properly maintained one and then you won`t regret it.

[@1worldgaming18]

i was witness to a car accident with the estate version of this model volvo , it litrally flew after hitting a high ''curvestone'' (6-8inches high) headon one never forgets seeing 1 meter of daylight underneath such a car luckely no one was hurt well a hatchback was totaled but no human injuries :)

[@smiler921]

Another good vid. Still can’t believe you’re 10 years younger than me 🤠

[@rickymuncy7806]

I current have a 09 pontiac which has been a great car but I believe this is gonna be my next car because I know they are easy to work on and super reliable with a lot of space.

[@marcelpatel9017]

When the apocalypse hits, Toyotas will be the only cars that survive alongside this model Volvo.

[@zzoinks]

And old Mercedes

[@Levenstone132]

I had a '69 144 DL forty years ago.All round discs on that too. Had to get it out of mum's lock up so it was dragged away by a Harvey Frost equipped seried two Landrover.Sad day.

[@siennamayh]

First car I ever drove. Around a car park. My mum and dads estate version. He bought it new in 86, had it for 11 years then bought a Ford Probe V6 instead.

[@ryancaunce3142]

Looool everyone's dad had a Ford probe, he needs one on the channel to tell us why!!!

[@mhuk1220]

Love mg ol o 940 turbo. Modded with a big turbo and supporting mods. This 240 is epic cool. Can be made into a real monster

[@Vikingdescendent]

It still looks new!

[@Atozatozatoz]

In 2023, you one can easily differentiate this Volvo 240 from all other vehicles on the roads from miles away whereby most cars nowadays sports almost the same design and silhouette 😅

[@simonfysh6998]

Old volvos were just great and built like tanks. Totally reliable I did over 50k in one no problems

[@vicksdad]

Did 1000's of miles in a 240 GLT which had tweaked suspension and overdrive g/box. Utterly solid and preferable to the XJ6.

[@jonathonedwards6741]

There is a reason this budding trainee geography teacher (as of September 2019) is thinking of a volvo estate as his second car.

[@jonathonedwards6741]

And then dropping something in it because sleeper.

[@spainter1985]

Absolute tank - these things will go on forever and go rather well with with a 940 turbo engine swapped in!

[@spainter1985]

@Henry Discipline True that. All things are relative, compared to it's contemporaries they were very safe

[@spainter1985]

@Henry Discipline I don't disagree that modern cars are safer but things were very different in 1989. Not sure where you're from but in Europe some of the more mainstream competitors were made of paper thin metal without any crumple zones at all, in comparison.

[@spainter1985]

@Henry Discipline It's all in the detail, Volvo were totally safety centric at the time, so there'll be things like large head restraints, collapsible steering columns etc. I would tend to agree with a W124 Merc, possibly not so much with the Granada though. Saying that, the overall design of the 240 (140 series) was already 20 years old when the W124 was launched!

[@spainter1985]

@Henry Discipline Did you mean 1993? In the UK at least they had airbags from much earlier than 2003! I agree in some ways... From the early 00's the safety was nothing too special, bizarrely it was Renault producing all the Euro NCAP 5* rated cars at first!

[@BusThrash]

One fun fact that both the Jaguar X308 XJ and the Volvo 240 both have in common is that when they were new they were both considered THE safest car on the road. A fact I only discovered recently about the XJ, probably the reason they're so reasonable to insure for younger guys like me.

[@zzoinks]

If that Jaguar is the same one my friend had for a short time, it had an impressively short height almost like a special racecar. I swear it was so low down.

[@AVM-Music]

Absolutely adore old Volvos Had a 240glt, 940gle, 960 turbo auto, 850c V70T&D5, S40 I will be getting back to RWD Volvo asap

[@fennograas]

"it is rear wheel drive but it wouldn't do any mad skits any time soon..." I don't think he tried braking lose that rear end because if he did he knew it's very tail happy

[@themanipulator1]

I want one of these. Personally I'm a wagon fan but love both

[@michaeltutty1540]

First off, those wheels were standard on the 93 Classic. They were also a dealer installed option for years before that. The colour is Ice Blue Metallic Clear. I suspect that the one you were driving has a bad catalytic converter, quite possibly caused by an old O² sensor. It should definitely perform much better. My 1990 240DL Estate was bought new by my mother. It is now at 400,000 miles and still cruises at 85 mph all day long. Properly fetyled, they are a great drive with very precise steering and handling. As an aside, the 240 is the only car that can claim there were zero fatalities in one worldwide for 3 years running. They handle much better than given credit for. Rather like a 2CV, they lean, then fly round the corner as long as you keep your foot in it.

[@Scrubworks]

No catalytic converter, no O2 sensor. This car uses K-jet. It's also a 2 litre, so it doesn't have the grunt of a 2.3. The specs on Euro models are different to North American models. In the UK, you could only get those wheels on a limited edition run-out model called the Torslanda that was sold in 92 and 93.

[@michaeltutty1540]

@@Scrubworks Those wheels were available in 81, because our first 240 was a late 81 and we had the accessories catalogue. Our 81 had the 2.1 litre with single side draught Zenith carb with a 3 speed automatic gearbox. At 97 SAE net horsepower is was supposed to be slow, but it would still top out way above the 100 mph mark. It would also rev to and past redline. Easily. Something is wrong with this one if it can't rev to the redline.

[@kamran102]

Nice rims and the blue interior is fab!

[@donphobos]

It is a Volvo, so it must be excellent. I don't even need to watch the review, yet I know that the vehicle has met all the merits and the result of all possible challenges is just the maximal possible amount of points. Since we are talking Swedish excellence of the finest quality. Just queus the music (Avicii or ABBA, as you prefer) and watch the credits, while you are thinking about flatbed furniture from IKEA..... Something rather..... (a keen viewer from Western-Sweden with some automotive connection....)