Volvo 240 2.0
 

Hi there,

On the hunt for a first car... Dad and I have decided upon a 240 2.0/1.9. So if anyone knows of any for sale, give me a shout. I'm located near Salisbury, Wiltshire if that helps. Budget of around £1000. Cheers!

Tim

if you wait for the right one you'll get a nice motor for a grand.

I might do yes, we shall see what pops up. There's a nice 240GLE on Gumtree for £695.

Tim

Just got a quote back, I'll start looking for a 2.3 as well. Open to 2.3's for sale..

Tim

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C480603
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C480186

I think that's the one Terrortech is selling in the for sale section.

Good choice of first car! ...and good luck with your search!

I did get into contact with an owner of a 240GLT, 1988 yesterday. It was advertised back in January by 'Mike and Eds', so, we'll see where that goes.. Silver with black leather interior. Just waiting on receiving photos..

Tim

I'm 6'7 ish, and my late grandfather had a Volvo 245 for about 15 years when my Dad was growing up. Dad told me he used to hold the steering wheel between his legs whenever they went on holiday and clean, pack, and light his pipe all at 50/60mph. That was all being done whilst towing a 16ft dinghy, 2 canoes on the roof, 2 children, 2 dogs and a campertent in the boot.. There's a good pub story for you!

Tim

Had a chat with insurers, best bet to go would be with a GL or a GLE.

Had a GL estate when I was 17 (8 years ago). Was a beast. All my mates had Saxos and Fiestas which may have been quicker but none of them could stick it full broadside on a roundabout.

My day of glory was when one of my mates who took the ****, called me up because his garage had collapsed and they desperately needed a hand taking stuff to the tip. I was the only person with a car big enough. HA!

All my friends have 1.4 FSI's and Ford Focus', however being brought up round classic cars all my life I've always liked the idea of a Volvo, well, a 240 actually. It's got that modernness about it but also that retro look, always wanted one though - built like an outside toilet aren't they?!

T

Tim,

Good choice, and you should easily get a nice one below £1000.

Seen this? £300 and needs maybe £500 spent to make it very nice.

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=202652

If you want to see a collection of sporty modified 240s, try to come to the Retrorides gathering at Shelsley Walsh in August. Mine will be one of several on a stand that Antz has organised.

John

My budget for a car alone is just over £1000, so I'd be happy to get a good one below that. Gives me some spare cash to perhaps bring the car up a bit when bought.

I have seen that one yes, more of a project than a car that can be driven straight away. Although I would be interested it's a bit more work than I can handle at this current moment.

I did see a GLE on Ebay for £800, needs a tiny bit of work however so I'm going to let it pass. The car has to get past mum's approval first too! Mostly aiming for a GLE or an early GLT in my case.

Tim

Cant go wrong with a GLT. I wanted a GLT originally but a GL came up at the right price.

Least the GLT hss eletric windows all round, black trims which look better, alloy wheels and hopefully, leather and not the horrible blue velour.

The only thing with GLT's is they seem to be pushing £1000-1500 for a good one but nothing stops you buying a GL and adding the trims and wheels to it.

In the end they will all need a bit of work. I paid £1000 for GLT two years ago and it still needed most of the lip below the tailgate repairing as it was none existant.

Are the GL's any good? There's a few for sale online, just wondered if they were as good as the GLT/GLE which I intend on going for.

If I find an early enough GLT I'll go for it, but I can happily settle for a GLE. Only a first car so!

Tim

Nothing wrong with a GL at all. Electric front windows but manual rear, cloth interior, 2.0 engine which isnt as fast as the GLT but gets the same fuel economy. They arent bad cars.

They arent as well specced as a GLT (GLT has thicker roll bars and lower suspension) but because everyone wants the GLT, you can usually get GL's cheaper. Defintiely worth a look. I wouldnt pass up on a decent GL if one came up and in any case, you can upgrade the suspension with performance parts that take it well beyond GLT spec anyway. IPD roll bars, DVS braces, lowering springs, polybushes etc.

The only thing I didnt like about my old GL was the chrome headlight trim and grill so I fitted some black headlight trims and grill from a GLT/Torslanda which smartened up the front and added some GLT alloys. The front seats were knackered so I threw in a pair of Alfa 156 front seats too. Set of lowering springs with DVS braces and it even staretd to handle well for a big bus.

They arent as well specced as a GLT (GLT has thicker roll bars and lower suspension) but because everyone wants the GLT, you can usually get GL's cheaper. Defintiely worth a look. I wouldnt pass up on a decent GL if one came up and in any case, you can upgrade the suspension with performance parts that take it well beyond GLT spec anyway. IPD roll bars, DVS braces, lowering springs, polybushes etc.

Whatever spec you find, you wont be disappointed. They are all great cars.

What would you recommend to bring a good GL up to spec? I've had the offer from a friend of fitting black Weller alloys, he owns a powdercoating shop and would happily do them for me if needed. There are a few other things I want to try, don't fancy cutting springs so who would you recommend for lowering an Ovlov? I assume the GLT is the faster version, but for the same fuel economy as the GL I'll intend to go mid-range with the GLE.

I intend to give the car a good service once bought, so perhaps that's the time I can fit a few things that'll improve it and make it more modern.

Tim

Theres lots you can do, it just depends how far you want to take it.

My recommendation, whatever spec you buy would be to replace the springs with a set of 40mm lowering springs from spax or Kilen. After that check all the suspension bushes as they will probably be shot (usually are from age) and repalce any with polyurethane ones. Add a set of lower chassis braces from DVS Performance in Australia and thatll get you going.

After that you need to be looking at IPD anti roll bars from partsforvolvos to really tighten things up.

Wheels. Bin the 142 steels. Get a set of larger wheels. 15" or 16" will take away tyre flex and improve handling. Just remember that PCD is 5x108 and a RWD offset so you need to be looking for about an offset of 20, or youll need some big spacers.

Good quality brake discs and pads.

If the seats are knackered, they snap and bend towards the middle which is dreadfully uncomfy. Sling them in the bin and go round your scrapyard to get some better ones. Make some rbackets to fit them on standard runners and bobs your uncle.

Have a look on here:

www.dvs.net.au
www.partsforvolvos.co.uk

Think I'll give those sites a check out soon - looks good what they offer. I did have a look for other 40mm springs, Lesjofor any good? Seen a few on other Volvo forums that they've been used, look neat.

Did the GL's come with a 5 speed box or was it just a 4 speed?

My GL was a 1990 and that had a 5 speed box.

Not used Lesojors whatever they are called. Only used Spax and Kilen. I found Spax to be a better ride than Kilen but the Kilens were already on my 240 when I bought it.

I'll keep my eye peeled for any GL and GLE's around the later 80's then, even though I think the GLE stopped in 86? If I'm correct.

Had a look on the Spax website, they're £205 but I did shop around a bit and found them for sale at £185. Would the best plan say, buy a £500 240GL and use the rest of my money to upgrade it?

Tim

my tuppence: you will always have to spend money upgrading/fixing issues, so if you can get an honest example that is sound & cheap and then spend the money to fix it, at least you know how it has been done rather than taking someone else's word it's been done.

e.g. if you were to buy the GLT for sale for £300, pay someone £300 to weld the arches and then pay another £400 sorting it out to your spec, you would have a car that's cost you £1k that has been sorted by you, to your spec.

A £1000 car will probably need the bushes/dampers/brakes/arches doing at some point anyway, but has cost you £700 more to start with

Assuming the base car isn't totally hanging, they can be upgraded and repaired easily and for not much cost, as long as you can swing a spanner

BTW I have no affiliation with the vendor, just using it as an example!!

Agreed

Whatever you buy , any car, you must accept it needs work every year.

A lot of people I know will buy a car for around the 1K mark then moan when it needs mot work. I try and remind them that they could have took out finance at £200 a month for years and that spending money on an old motor is a better option, and even if it is more hassle is a damn sight cheaper than buying newer. Doing the work yourself is where the real savings start, not to mention the feeling of satisfaction gained.


IMO with 240s bodywork and general condition (interior too) is as important if not more so than milage and paper history as all you'll do all the routine stuff eventually on it anyhow

Oh no I'm not complaining about doing any work, I'm a bit of a grease monkey as it is so. I mostly do my engineering on vintage aircraft and tractors (recently just overhauled a Ferguson 1953 TE20), so a Volvo is modern compared to what I'm used to.

I'll give it a service where needed once bought, and as these cars are gaining in price like all classics it only seems sense to buy them when they're affordable and keep them at a reasonable standard as I intend. I can do all the engine work fine, I agree, the key is in the body. Can't fancy having a rotten one but as you say the 240's are important.

Does the mpg differ between the GL and the GLE/GLT seeing as they are 300 odd cc's bigger?

Tim

Tim,

Replying to a few points: Lesjofor lowering springs are good. (They are Volvo's OE spring supplier)

Similar fuel consumption between 2.0 and 2.3. My 245 turbo started as a 2.0 GL, and the B200E was livelier than I expected and pretty good to be honest. But a 2.3 is a bit nicer to drive, if you can get one.

If you're intending to modify the car, a GL can be a good starting point because they're less desirable and hence bargains can be found. DLs sometimes even cheaper, but beware, they are only 4-speed.

Another option is an SE, have you looked at those?

But, if you want to avoid the hassles of insuring a modified car, I'd hold out for a GLT, which is a nice, quite sporty drive in standard form.


John

Did a few insurance quotes for a 240GL with suspension and break changes and it's only £1800, so only a £100 increase on a stock 240 to insure.

I did intend on buying a GLE, the only GLT's I can insure at reasonable price (the later GLT's are about £2100 to insure) are the earlier ones which are about £1800 fully comp.

I can wait around for an early GLT or GLE to pop up on the market, don't seem to be any around lately. The GL or GLE is perhaps the best starting point, it'll be my first car so don't fancy anything too 'sporty' perhaps. If you do know of any early GLT's for sale though I wouldn't pass up on the opportunity!

Tim

"it's only £1800, so only a £100 increase on a stock 240 to insure."

EeeeeeeeK!!!!

The 2.3 actually gets better economy than the 2.0, even according to the owner's handbook. Mostly it's because it's so much torquier you don't have to hoof it to get around.

At this point I'd say it's better to look out for a car with a solid body, no rust and good paint than anything else. Mechanical hiccups and ragged interiors can be fixed up easy as you like, there are lots of spares and knowledge and these cars are incredibly easy to work on, but rust and paint are a time and wallet killer on any car.

To be honest, I'd recommend against the GLE. It gets some more of the plush options, but none of the 'sporty' ones, and the B230K engine can be a real dog. It's fitted with the infamous solex-cisac carb which nobody knows anything about and no spares are available for, Renix electronic ignition which there are no bloody spares available for and hardly anyone knows anything about and a unique cylinder head and pistons which aren't compatible with any of the other redblock engines should you need to swap the head. the B230K also suffers from a pain-in-the backside EGR system, air injection system (pulsair) and a spider's web of vacuum hoses that none of the other engines had to deal with. Basically it was Volvo's attempt to make an 'economy' engine in the 80s, which like most other manufacturers only succeeded at increasing complexity unnecessarily.

I'd say go for a GLT, or see if you can find a late GL or SE with the 2.3. Late 2.3s are much rarer than the 2.0, but you're getting the best engine fitted to the 200 series in the B230F in terms of economy, and with a few tweaks you can easily equal the B230E in the GLT in terms of power.

£1800 for a 17/almost 18 year old is cheap insurance for a first car!

I'll keep a look out for the GLT's and the late GL's. I don't think anymore GLE's will pop up on the market perhaps par the Purley one which has sold, but I'll keep my eyes peeled. Checking carandclassic, Autotrader and Ebay for the odd 240 that tickles my fancy..

I do know the GLT's seats are far far comfier and offer a bit more room than a GL as I've found! I'm just under 6'8, so it's all much better to have the room. I plan on changing the steering wheel for perhaps a smaller one, so.

Cheers for the advice chaps by the way, really appreciate it! If you know of any 240's on the market soon, give me a shout please.

Tim

Don't worry too much about the legroom issue. The seat can be easily modified to slide a little further back, and with more work it could be made to slide a lot further.
At least some of the earlier 100 cars (very similar cabin to the 200) had the option of huge front legroom. On my 1969 164, the driver's seat would slide right back until it touched the rear seat; I am 6' 5" and with the seat right back my feet couldn't even touch the pedals...

John

I'll be selling one of my 240s after the weekend. I've a choice of two and they're both in really good shape.

You're very local as well.. Only 25 minutes drive, I go to Winchester quite a bit so. Saw your post about the TW125's too, you need a BSA mate! I'll pop you a message and we'll forward this.. Hope they're saloons.

*EDIT* Won't let me send a message, 30 posts or something needed beforehand. Confused.. Please email me at thecornishes@tiscali.co.uk with any info/photos of the saloon you have. Cheers!

Tim

Try keith michaels for insurance, got mine fully comp for 295 alll mods declared