Hello - new to the forum

[Tramp]

Hello, I'm luke, I'm 27 and I live in South Yorkshire, I've also bought a new car and though here would be the best place to talk about it, my new car is a 1984 240DL with 47,000 miles!

So what would make me want to buy a tank like this?

Well my love affair with Volvo started years ago, my grandad had a 740 GL, it was a fantastic car, I can remind him taking me out in it and driving at 40mph in a 60 zone with loads of cars trailing behind us, I used to like pushing the seat warmer buttons and watching my grandpa grow uncomfortably hot in his seat before realising. That car was a great car and he had it for years, one of its best qwerks was that for the first few miles the speedo wouldn't work and I can always remember it havering that Volvo interior smell. I can remember divvying up my grandads positions with my cousin and deciding who got what if he died, of course I got the car! - luckily he didn't die (and is still going strong) but the Volvo did, it failed an MOT on corrosion so an appointment was booked at the scrapyard, he did save me the front number plate before it went.

And to now,

I've always had a thing for interesting cars or cars with character and I've always fancied a Volvo, so last week I was browsing eBay and I found a nice 240 saloon (I've always preferred the saloons - I think they have better lines) and it wasn't too far from me, I spoke to the mrs and put a bid in, I was number one for a few days then I was outbid, I was a little disappointed, but kept on watching, in the last few minutes of the auction I put a bid in and won the auction! I spoke to the seller that night and then less than 24 hours later I was in proud possession of my new 240dl. The 50mile trip home was uneventful but being a novice Volvo / automatic owner I made a few mistakes, I couldn't find the window winder buttons so I sweated all the way home in the Volvo sauna while my wife watched on from her air condition Picasso, I also count find the lumber adjust on the seat - I assumed they were just fixed!

So at home, I tried to fit the whale into my garage I thought it would easily fit, unfortunately it didn't, I had to move some drawers and it squeezed in with merely 1.5" between the wall and the bumper and the bumper and the roller shutter door. - a little tighter than I would of liked!

And to today, I couldn't wait to go out and take a spin in my new car so I headed up to the post office, on my way back home I had a problem, my brakes stopped working! I limped home using my handbrake and my NSF calliper was smoking. On closer inspection. All my dust seals had melted off and my calliper was partially seized on, a friend called around(he has the same taste in cars as me) and we freed off the calliper and worked the pistons until they were free, it appears to be ok now but I'm waiting on dust seals from eBay (my local motor factors were dire) although I'm not going to be driving my Volvo it will give me a chance to sort a few niggles with the car,

Firstly the fuel level gauge and the temp gauge don't work,
Secondly the drivers window doesn't operate


So that's me up to now, and now for the picture

The eBay advert picture


And just after I had driven home


Then squeezed in my garage


Then today out and about


And finally just starting brake surgery


I'm very happy with it!

[Davey240]

Hi Luke and welcome to the forum!. Looks like you have a very tidy 240 there. Sorry to hear about the problem with your brakes but you will get plenty of help and advice on here if you need it. Enjoy!. Regards Dave.

[classicswede]

I would suggest a pair of recon calipers if things got that hot and a set of new brake pads. Take a good look at the flexi pipes as it could be one of those collapsed inside that is acting as a non return valve stopping the pistons retracting.

[Suterman]

Nice one, welcome. I like the Sammy, used to have one of those too.

[Tramp]

Originally Posted by Davey240

Hi Luke and welcome to the forum!. Looks like you have a very tidy 240 there. Sorry to hear about the problem with your brakes but you will get plenty of help and advice on here if you need it. Enjoy!. Regards Dave.

Thanks it's to be expected really new cars always have teething problems! To be honest I was probably far to lax when I went to pick it up, I didn't take any tools just my AA membership card!

Originally Posted by classicswede

I would suggest a pair of recon calipers if things got that hot and a set of new brake pads. Take a good look at the flexi pipes as it could be one of those collapsed inside that is acting as a non return valve stopping the pistons retracting.

Thanks, I'll see how I go it seems to be working okay now but two of the pistons were very tight, they have been lubed and cleaned and the pistons seem in good condition considering, it seems to be working better now, but if it needs a new calliper then it needs new callipers and I'll have to get one,

Originally Posted by Suterman

Nice one, welcome. I like the Sammy, used to have one of those too.

Thanks I'm quite proud of it....it was my first car when I passed my test, Although it's off the road at the moment as it needs some welding, I have too many toys and not enough time!

[Beetledrive]

Nicely saved. My parents had an Estate in the same year and colour. It used to attract comments on how smart it looked.

With some fresh paint on the wheels you'd have a really classy barge

[Antz]

Remember seeing the 244 on eBay.

Seeing the SJ rbigns back memories of mine. It was a 1989 SJ410 van and it was absolutely rotten. Never saw the road but I used it to learn to drive in around my grandads fields. Great fun. I sold it on eBay and it went to Mongolia

[Angie]

Welcome!

I joined this forum after acquiring the Tors nearly four years ago. The wealth of knowledge and freely given advice here is amazing, and people are genuinely friendly, especially to those of us with relatively limited knowledge of these wonderful cars.

I think it's inevitable that there'll be a few teething problems with a car of that age, especially if it hasn't been used much recently, but once you've sorted them out I'm sure you'll really enjoy the car, it looks lovely.

Just re-read your post and seen how low the mileage is, not surprising that there a few niggles to start with.

[Tramp]

Originally Posted by Beetledrive

Nicely saved. My parents had an Estate in the same year and colour. It used to attract comments on how smart it looked.

With some fresh paint on the wheels you'd have a really classy barge

Thank you, that's what I intend, a fully functioning road yacht that will get some attention, be a pleasure to drive and look great. The wheels are on my todo list and I'm toying with the idea of whitewall tyres - I know not strictly original but would look cool,

Originally Posted by Antz

Remember seeing the 244 on eBay.

Seeing the SJ rbigns back memories of mine. It was a 1989 SJ410 van and it was absolutely rotten. Never saw the road but I used it to learn to drive in around my grandads fields. Great fun. I sold it on eBay and it went to Mongolia

Great what makes you think it's a 244 rather than a 240? There was some insurance confusion when I tried to insure this car as they had it on the database as a 244, but I was under the impression it was a 240 as per he rear badge?



As for the Suzuki, Plenty 410s end up in Mongolia as they seem to be a good candidate for the mongol rally with there 1lite engine, a shame really, but on the other hand if they didn't go over there they would probably end up in a scrap yard, these suzuki's can be serious rotboxs!

Originally Posted by Angie

Welcome!

I joined this forum after acquiring the Tors nearly four years ago. The wealth of knowledge and freely given advice here is amazing, and people are genuinely friendly, especially to those of us with relatively limited knowledge of these wonderful cars.

I think it's inevitable that there'll be a few teething problems with a car of that age, especially if it hasn't been used much recently, but once you've sorted them out I'm sure you'll really enjoy the car, it looks lovely.

Just re-read your post and seen how low the mileage is, not surprising that there a few niggles to start with.

Brilliant that's exactly what I'm looking for a wealth of knowledge to guide me through the trials and tribulations of Volvo ownership, I can't help but feel it will be a long term thing as I'm a bit of a hoarder, but I'm going to do my best by this 'little' gem,

[widdop94]

Originally Posted by Tramp

Great what makes you think it's a 244 rather than a 240? There was some insurance confusion when I tried to insure this car as they had it on the database as a 244, but I was under the impression it was a 240 as per he rear badge?

it's an old way that volvo's used to be named, the first number is series, the second number is cylinders and the last number is doors, so yours would be a series 2, 4 cylinder, 4 door. but they stopped using the system later on and they all are just refered to as 240's, but both are technically right