Volvo 340 GL Questions

I have been looking for a Volvo for a few weeks now, mostly a 940 estate. My hunt took a curious twist this morning though.

I spotted a very tidy 1988 940 GL with 44k on the clock this morning in a local dealers yard. It has had one owner from new and is offered with a full years MOT.

The dealer in question doesn't have a great name locally, so I thought I'd do a bit of homework first.

I should add that a 340 wasn't even on my list until I spotted this one. So, the questions...

Firstly, reliabilty, what are 340s like in terms of reliability? I travel a 300 mile journey with my family regularly, so it must be up to this.

Comfort and space, are they big enough for a family of 4 plus luggage?

I read somewhere that the 1.4 engine was a Renault unit, is this right? Are parts easy to obtain?

Is there anything specific on these cars that I should look out for?

Does a price of £425 sound fair?

Sorry about all the question, I just want to know as much as I can before I take the plunge.

[classicswede]

The 340's are good for the miles.
In the past 3 years mine has covered nearly 100'000 miles. I've not had to do any major repairs most of the work done has just been mods for improving the car and making it the way I want.
Not sure about the price. If it is VERY good then I would say yes - try and get it down anyway.
The 1.4 and 1.7 are both renault engines. The 1.7 imo is the better of the two.

Thanks for the reply, I went ahead and bought it. I picked it up on Friday and I'm very happy with it. Plus I got the price down to under £300.

It's actually a 340 DL and the mileage is currently just under 41,000. The owner was an elderly lady, now passed away, who owned it from new. The interior is almost immaculate. The bodywork is reasonable, but there are a few unsightly areas where the red paint has faded/been polished away and white is showing through. There is also an area of rust which will need dealt with below the windscreen.

I've put just over 100 miles on it since I bought it and it's very very comfortable to travel in.

Some photos.

[classicswede]

I'm chuffed you wnet ahead and got it.

It looks quite good in the pics - with a little work it will make a very good little car for you.

Might be worth you checking out www.volvo300mania.com

[shimon340]

Hi Dai!

How you doing? Hope your well.

I've posted a message to you on V3M. Its a cheeky question so apologies for that but hopefully my pm will explain, hope all is ok!

cheers

shimon