Between 1966 and 1993, Volvo’s bread-and-butter car was the stolid, safe and reliable 1966-74 140 Series and updated 1975-93 240 Series. Available in two-door sedan (through 1985), four-door sedan, and station wagon variants, they found favor with buyers wanting “a car to believe in” as Volvo’s tag line stated in the ’80s. But all good things must come to an end, and the new front wheel drive 850 was in line to replace the venerable 240. But not before one last fling.
Volvo knew that the 240 was much-loved, and to celebrate the car’s life from 1975-93, a final-edition Classic model was introduced. Available only in April and March of 1993, the Classic was very well equipped, and added niceties such as lacy-spoke alloys, wood trim on the instrument panel, color-keyed side-view mirrors and grille, and a color palette limited to Ruby Red or Dark Teal Green.
The special model was available in either sedan or wagon form, and only 1600 were available–the last 1600 Volvo 240s imported to North America. It truly was the end of an era. I was thirteen when this announcement was made, and it was like losing an old friend. My first car memories were of Dad’s brown 1979 Pontiac Bonneville and Mom’s blue 1977 245DL. We also had a maroon 1981 DL two-door sedan, silver 1984 GL four-door sedan (CC here) and cream yellow 1986 240DL wagon. They were familiar, they were a part of the family. And now they were going away–for good.
When the Classic was announced, my dad had recently gotten a Nautic Blue 850GLT sedan with Taupe interior and five-speed manual, but a friend’s dad got a Ruby Red 240 Classic sedan at around the same time. I would see that 240 from time to time in town, and it was easily spotted due to the special wheels and trim. Not to mention it was one of only 800, as the 1600 Classics produced were divided 50/50 between sedans and wagons. Sadly, Mr. Mueller was in an accident a few years later that totalled that lovely burgundy sedan, but he walked away without a scratch.
The 2.3L, SOHC “redblock” engine appeared, as always, under the hood of the final 240s. The final version included Bosch LH-lambda electronic fuel injection, producing 114 hp at 5400 rpm and 136 lb-ft of torque at 2700 rpm. Wagons were as capacious as always, too, with 41.7 cu. ft. of space with the rear seat up and 76.0 with the seat folded. Four wheel discs with ABS was standard as well.
I saw this car in my uncle’s neighborhood in late summer of 2012. We were on our way to the car show, but I saw that grille and ordered Dave to stop! I knew what it was, you see. One of 800 wagons, with near-20 years of attrition at the time, meant this was a real find, especially to a Volvo nut like me. And yet, I only now sat down to write it up! Such is the nature of the CC writer and how pictures can “age,” like wine or Scotch. But better late than never, right?
From what I’ve read, the Volvo 240 series was also available with a diesel engine. How reliable the diesel engine was, it’s difficult to say, since it wasn’t on the USA market long enough for anyone to make their own decision about it.
Pre 2001 Volvos have Volkswagen-Audi diesels. A 2.0 liter straight 5 and a 2.4 liter straight 6, later on the Audi 2.5 TDI straight 5.
In 2001 Volvo introduced its own straight 5 diesel engine, the D5.
I think they were reliable, but they weren’t common. And from what I gather, it was kind of agricultar in its nature, being sourced from the LT-line of small trucks. In the 70’s and 80’s, if you were looking for a diesel, you bought a Mercedes, or perhaps a Peugeot. Even in Sweden. The VW-powered diesel Volvos were mostly fleet sales. Like the company town I grew up in, the iron-ore mine had a ban on gas-powered cars going through all the tunnels, so the company only allowed diesel powered cars to go through. And I remember most of the company cars being the then very unusual 240 GLD6.
In the mid ’80s my uncle bought a diesel 240. I was in junior high school. He then moved across the country and I didn’t see him again until I finished college. He still had that Volvo. It’s one data point, but hey.
Ah, another one that got away. We were new-car shopping in Shreveport in ’84, tried a used Volvo 240 6 cyl. diesel wagon with 5-speed (or 4-speed w/ OD?) at a used car place. Gold exterior, tan vinyl interior, immaculate condition, only 80,000 miles-supposedly it had been owned by an officer at Barksdale Air Force Base (they flew B-52’s then, that would wake you up on your way in to work when one of those took off over your head on I-20). Smooth but rattly-sounding idle, tight steering and suspension, slow to accelerate-minimal smoke, it was a good one-but it was clear that once it got up to speed you could point it in the direction of the other side of the world and it would take you there. But we had a truck, needed an in-town sedan, so it got away. Now, I really would snatch it up in a minute. I keep looking…
@Jason (in case this doesn’t format properly)
I know 240 Diesels existed in the U.S., but I can’t ever remember seeing one. I did come across a 760 Diesel a few years ago, though, and it had north of 200k miles. Looked to be in pretty good shape, and it was a 5-speed/sunroof car, too.
The 2.4 six cylinder VW diesel was just an Audi 2.0 L five cylinder or 1.6 L VW four cylinder with one (or two) more cylinders. As such, it sounded just like them: quite noisy on cold starts, and still rather noisy after warmed up. These were the first generation VW/Audi diesels, not the later direct injection ones.
We had some friends that had a 245 wagon with one. Like all these engines, it got the job done, albeit rather leisurely. Because it was an inline six, it actually ran smoother than the the five or four. But it was noisy. Reliability must have been about the same as the five or four, given that is used all the same basic parts and technology.
There used to be some around here; I saw the last Volvo diesel wagon here a few years back, sporting a BIODIESEL sticker. But I haven’t seen any recently. They were never very common even when new.
Someone at work has one
The Volvo 760 2.4 TD was the only car in Europe that came close to the Mercedes W124 turbo diesels when it came to build quality, durability and towing capacity. The cars had basically the same clientele, but Volvo never could keep up with the Mercedes diesels in terms of sales numbers. No one could, as a matter a fact.
I have so many memories of this car, both on a personal level and just seeing them everywhere as a kid. In high school, one of my best friends drove an ’89 model, blue with navy vinyl interior. It was the traditional “first car” for everyone in his extended family. All the college stickers payed homage to each of its previous drivers. After well over 200,000 miles it finally croaked out. Here’s a picture of its final moments.
I remember seeing plenty of Volvo 244 and 245DLs between the time I was in the 4th grade and the time I graduated from high school. I thought they were better looking than the Toyotas and Nissans that were sold at the time. 🙂
very strange, why Americans like this very old Volvo
in my Russia have such cars are called a barn or a cart
we have more like BMW, Toyota and other auto,
but I personally prefer the American luxury “full size” cars and muscle cars 🙂
These old Volvos were built like tanks and can be made to go fast on the cheap (LS swap or turbo upgrading), like a Lada, per se.
-An American.
let me disagree on the fact that cheap cars – repair everything, and it is very expensive Volvo, American cars are much cheaper, but the truth consumption of gasoline great
but I agree that Volvo is TANK
Volvo = quadratisch, praktisch, gut ( as in the German advertising)
To translate Roman’s German advertising: “Square, practical, good”. Yep, that pretty much sums it up!
Well, I think the body on frame american cars are more like a tank. I have seen a Chevrolet Malibu demolish a Volvo 240 in a head to head crash. So if it’s the thank nyou sought after, you’ll find it in almost every american fullsize car with BOF.
But, the Volvo was a solid car, slow, thirsty and reliable. We had one home for about 5 years, a blue sedan, when I was a kid.
I like vehicles that were built like tanks. I’d rather drive a tank than an aluminum sodapop can.
In America, old Volvo 240s are rare and their boxy styling is unusual. To some, they’re so square they’re hip. While BMWs and Toyotas are very common, and their styling looks pretty ordinary.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_to_Be_Square
yes…tired of these same cars faceless and similar to each other auto
…but and where is this band Hip_to_Be_Square?
Very 80’s but is strangely relevant to the 240
“In America, old Volvo 240’s are rare” ??? Just curious, Don, where do you live?
The 240 stopped production in 1993, making the newest ones over 20 years old. In my area there aren’t many 20+ year old cars on the road, the few that are on the road are either some rusted out Japanese sedans or dented up American work trucks. Compared to more mainstream cars like Civics, Corollas, Camrys, even Prii and Tauri, they are pretty rare.
They were common here in San Diego up until about seven years ago. Many of their adherents went green and scrapped them in favor of hybrids. Now, I almost never see them. There are more Dodge A100 vans on the streets of Pacific Beach.
They’re everywhere here in Mass
Depends on where in America. In Richmond, VA, particularly in the neighborhoods near downtown, the things are still everywhere. Maybe it’s just that college kids, hipsters, and creative types all like old Volvos?
There were a lot in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area of North Carolina also. Maybe it is proximity to universities.
Volvos like this were never a big mainstream success — they were more what you might call cult favorites.
I think what made cars like this (or the Volkswagen Beetle) popular with a particular category of Americans was that the cars are NOT stylish or trendy. There were minor changes over the years, but a Volvo looked like a Volvo regardless of the latest automotive vogue. Buying one of these was a way of saying, “I am a sensible, rational person who is too intelligent and discriminating to be sucked in by silly fads, fashion trends, or planned obsolescence.” It was an anti-fashion statement.
I’m not sure if we got the ‘Classic’ in oz. I like the turning lights and grille on this one. There’s one around Melbourne that looks like its fully specced including roofrack. Is this the green you were talking about?
North Shore Valiant Don
The color looks right, but it should have the special alloy wheels. I just picked up a very nice green one with 150k miles. No. 12 of 1600.
I think there were also a couple other special editions. I stumbled across a “240 Polar” in Europe a while ago. Not sure what “Polar” signified, but it had the same font as the US “Classic” editions.
my perfectly Chrysler New Yorker 1997
You mean Chrysler LHS, right? Anyways, very nice car for Russia.
There was a broughamier version called New Yorker for the first couple of years. LHS was more “euro” in its vibe.
Yes, but the New Yorker was dead and buried by 1995, and decomposed by 1997.
Btw, I think the pictures don’t do justice to the color. I’ve seen a few Classics in person (both red and green), and the paint is much deeper and more lustrous than any other Volvo color. They’re almost like Cadillac’s old “firemist” colors.
The final year for the redblock engine in any form – in the U.S. at least – was 1995, in the 940, which was offered in both NA and Turbo form.
To this day, I’m still a little surprised and upset that Volvo didn’t offer a limited-edition 940 that year to commemorate the redblock’s long life. That model really deserved a proper sendoff. I know a bunch of people with ’93-’95 940s that have well over 200k miles on the cars and trust me, they aren’t getting rid of them any time soon.
как у нас говорят: “на вкус и цвет товарища нет”
да, кстати, не по теме ещё скажу – я металлист (I’m Rocker) и очень люблю группу из Л.А. – W.A.S.P. с 1987 года…был на их концерте в Москве, когда они приезжали в 2006 году (билет на картинке). Так что, дух той самой, свободной и нормальной Америки я ценю с давних пор, это же касается и автомобилей. Спасибо.
brrrr – in english now:
as we say: “tastes differ”
Oh, by the way, off topic I say – I Metalist (I’m Rocker) and love the band from L.A. – W.A.S.P. since 1987 — was at their concert in Moscow, when they came in 2006 (ticket on the picture). So, the spirit of the most free and normal America I appreciate for a long time, the same applies to cars. Thank you.
I never kept track of the various numbers attached to Volvo models. I do know that I stopped thinking of them as Volvos when they went fwd and Ford.Now I guess they are Chinese so I’m really lost. Guess I’ll just stay that way. I expect I’ll feel the same way about SAAB if something ever comes back wearing that nameplate.
I owned a volvo that was rwd and had one of those 4cyl engines. The literature I read said that you could change the bearings etc without pulling it from the car. I think that qualifies as being easier if not cheaper to work on. Shorts from the dissolving wiring harness meant I wasn’t going to keep it. Was after a commuter, not a hobby.
Tom, you found a good looking car.
to Tom:
(again)
PLEASE sell your Miniature Curbside Classic: 1994 Chrysler New Yorker!!! (by Brookfield Collectors Guild) – this will be a gift for my son’s birthday! It is only that model, but can at any scale. Delivery by DHL, eBay or another way to Russia. Payment on receipt (VISA card). My e-mail: ewroman@mail.ru. Roman “W.A.S.P.’er”.
The reason is simple: I have the same car, exactly New Yorker, 1997.
…Or please tell me where can the same model to buy or order. Thanks in advance for the answer.
Roman,
I am very attached to my NY and can’t sell it, but there is a very similar one on eBay right now, albeit in silver. This one is an LHS, which means a little less chrome and bucket seats instead of a bench seat.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1994-CHRYSLER-LHS-DIECAST-PROMOTIONAL-MODEL-rare-/131201831226?pt=Diecast_Vehicles&hash=item1e8c3d113a
Here is a similar Chrysler Concorde also currently listed. These are rather rare, but they do occasionally show up.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Brookfield-Collectors-Guild-1993-Chrysler-Concorde-1-25-Diecast-Dealer-Promo-Car-/221448794076?pt=Model_Kit_US&hash=item338f606fdc
Concord’t need
thank you very much, Tom!
I will look on this NY (Concord’t need)
You’d think at some point in the design process, Sven would have mentioned to Ingvar that the headlights were getting a bit overlarge.
There’s a green Classic sedan in showroom new condition that’s always parked at a garage near my office. Great looking car, and the color really does look so much better in person. The old 242GTs and 245GLTs have always been my favorite 240s, but I think the Classic is the best looking of the breed!
Fun fact: The Classic was the only 240 to ever get real wood trim on the dash!
There are two Classics in my neighborhood in RVA, both emerald green, one wagon and one sedan. Sadly neither is in great shape, the sedan having some body damage and the wagon with faded paint and stickers covering the tailgate. I think it’s safe to say they were *so* low-key that a lot of 2nd/3rd/Xth owners don’t know the rarity of what they have.
Great write-up Tom!
Volvo added some funny upgrades to the 240 in its final year:
-Piston squirters for cooling
-Power, heated mirrors
-r134 AC
-Round-tooth timing belt and gears
-Updated fuse box (from bus to blade fuses)
-Output shaft bearing rather than bushing in the transmission
I say funny, because I find it strange that they went to the trouble to engineer all those things into the car for the final year.
I just stumbled on this write up and was thrilled to see it, I’ve got a non-classic ’93; didn’t know they made a classic edition. Not to be pedantic but mine has the old school fuses
I remember the 240 well, but I had NO idea that the “Classic” was actually issued, although I now know I’ve seen a classic in the flesh. The hipster appeal of these has become so strong in the NYC area, I thought the hipsters driving the Classic that passed me on Route 1 a few months ago had actually had the “Classic” nameplate made as an affectation. It seemed like something they would do, so I never would have thought it was an actual edition released by Volvo!
Learn something every day.
probably living in America want something more exotic like that European/Japan luxury cars – for example Acura (Honda), Lexus (Toyota), Infinity (Nissan) but European want something American. Stupidity. But it is the reality.
lol & lol
Roman, I am a bit eccentric, as I have both a Volvo V50 and Lincoln Town Car Cartier. I love them both, but they’re about as different as two cars can be! 🙂
It really depends on where you are and your age and social class. In some parts of the U.S., there was a lot of deep-seated hostility toward foreign cars except among the richest class of people. Also, a lot of Americans who buy Japanese cars are after reliability rather than exoticism. (Once upon a time, there was a perception that German cars were more reliable than American cars as well, but not really anymore.)
My mom would not consider a Japanese car nor a Volkswagen (Hitler’s car) but 3 of the 4 cars she owned in nearly 60 years were Volvos, so Sweden’s neutrality helped find one loyal customer.
If you were a kid in the late 1970’s to late 1990’s in the USA, then chances are you drove one, rode in one, knew somebody that drove/rode/owned one or at least saw load of them on the road. To me nothing says 1980’s-1990’s more then this car. when I went to middle school in the late 1980’s the parking lot was full of these cars at pick up time.
They were safe and sturdy cars that were not fast at all. In fact one could almost say they drove like a tractor did. Here is a pic of mine next to my folks much more newer Sable. I use mine for Home Depot or junk yard runs.
When I was a teenager in the 90’s, My friend’s parents had a dark blue ’84 240 Turbo. I remember all my friends packing into that car and cruising around town. Good memories.
Here’s something you might find interesting. I never drove a 240 EVER until about 2000-2001 when a 1986 emerald green 240GL wagon showed up at the Toyota dealer’s used lot. It was complete, if a bit worn. And it had the multi-spoke Corona alloys, which I love and which were on the silver 1984 GL sedan Dad ordered brand new. The seats were as comfy as I remembered, but that non-Turbo four felt rather thrashy and noisy compared to the 940SE I owned at the time and the V70R Dad had. Granted, it was 15 years old at the time and had well north of 100K, but I was still a little surprised. Maybe deferred maintenance and a rotten exhaust system? Or maybe I was spoiled by more recent Volvos. Who knows?
Having done two, twenty month terms of AmeriCorps NCCC the AmeriCorps decal on the window is nearly the coolest thing about this car. I do not think I have ever seen a Classic 240, but boxy Volvos are all over Portland.
I really like the 240 wagon. The thing that has always bothered me about them is the sedan rear door frames on the square roofing. Couldn’t they have spent a few bucks to put a door frame on that actually fit the car, instead of painting the frames black and hope no one will notice? It just always looked like a bad, obvious place to be cost cutting on what was a pretty expensive car.
I’d still like one though.
That bothers me too. The solution to the problem is to reduce the height of the rear cargo side windows so the top corners meet the top corners of the rear passenger doors. They did that with the late 50s early 60s Rambler Classic wagons.
My L.A.-based family owned five Volvos in succession (240×3, 960, 940) 1978-2011. Here in Santa Cruz, 240s are driven about a million miles until they disintegrate… Much like Portland.
Santa Cruzin,
What year was your 960? My dentist has told me on numerous occasions that I have first right of refusal on his ’95 wagon when he gets rid of it.
I like to think of the 700/900 Series as a 240 with all of the stupid quirks ironed out (i.e. rust issues and flaky fuses).
Are 240’s actually disappearing off the streets of Northern California? After seeing Don’s comment that they’re rare where he lives, I was planning to counter with how many I saw yesterday. But in 150 miles of commuting from Santa Cruz to San Jose and back in the last two days, I saw just three. Two of them within blocks of my house.
I saw a guy who had bought one of the last 240 sedans as a collector car and had only 3000 miles on it after 10 years or so. He said he would not drive within 100m of the car in front to avoid stone chips and you could eat off the engine bay, it was pretty ridiculous but it was working in terms of preserving the car.
While I’ve never cared for the large European style headlamps used at the time, overall, I thought the Volvo 240 series cars were the most attractive of the cars that came out of the 80s.
I remember reading an article in May of 1993 about the discontinuation of the 240 series. I was 17, and practically in tears. I was really saddened by the news.
Still see a lot of these Volvo wagons running around here in Portland. The guy across the street has 3 of them !! They seem to last forever. I remember Consumer Reports did a comparison on the cargo capacity on a Volvo wagon and a full size American station wagon. It was about the same. With a full size- American wagon it was all about style. But Volvo shows us that you don’t need a full size American wagon for cargo capacity. It’s amazing how space efficient those Volvo wagons are.
Hey this was a really fun blog to read!
I am selling my sweet old 1993 Classic blue/green wagon, complete with it’s number on the dash. I didn’t realize that there were only 800 of them though…I thought there were 1600! So I really love this car and want it to go to someone that will appreciate it and fix it all up nice and pretty again. It’s had $3,000 worth of work on it over the last 3 years, and the engine was actually running so well that it purred! Then I threw a valve going over the mountain passes between southern Oregon and northern California. Boy was I bummed. It’ll cosy about $1400 to fix, which isn’t so bad considering the fact that this classic car still has a lot of life left in it! I’m not a mechanic and couldn’t afford to keep dumping money into her, so I need to sell her this summer. It’s in Ashland Oregon.
Anyone out there looking for this rare gem? If so call Cara at 541-973-3716
I never liked the body style of the Volvo 240s, specially the wheel arch in the rear, I ‘ve owned a Volvo 850 R and really loved it, Volvos are really dependable cars as long as you maintain it properly, handed it over to my daughter and voila, she ignored the dash light on coolant, overheated and stalled, sold the car and bought this “93 Volvo 240 Classic sedan with only 61K miles on the odometer, didn’t realizes that the 240’s are bigger than the 850’s. Its a solid car, slow but it gets you there. doors are heavy or should I say the car is heavy, runs very smooth and easy to maintain, now I don’t need to go to the dealer to have it maintained like the 850.
FYI, grabbing the exact car in the pictures Saturday for a song because…people have started loosing the ability to work on cars. I TRIED to walk him through the fix, even offered to come to his place and fix the issue, for the cost of parts, and let him drive it for a few more weeks before deciding to sell it to me. In the end, I am towing it home Saturday and adding it to Volvo and non-Volvo project car collection. Have not had a 240 in 6 years and just wrecked my 940. This will be my 7th red block and 8th Volvo.
I had a93 classic wagon. I loved every drive in it. Solid and reliable . Mine saved my life when a car t-boned me . I sure do miss it. Thanks for the memories .
I have a 1991 240 Dl blue green wagon that I am thinking of selling. I bought it used with 3000 miles on it from a caterer, who needed a bigger car, she only had it a few months. I love it, I have driven it for 31 yrs. never a problem. It could use new bushings and shocks but otherwise pretty okay mechanic wise. Needs a new heater/ac. I never fixed these items, thinking it was on it’s last legs because of it’s age. But it just keeps going, going and going. It is a very safe, durable tank.
My 18 yo granddaughter wanted a 1993 Volvo 240 wagon for her first car. We were able to find one that had one owner and 85K original miles. She loves her station wagon. She wants to keep it as it is but would like the radio and cassette player original to the 1993 240 Classic Limited Edition. I would like to find one for Christmas for her. I would greatly appreciate any Leeds on obtaining one in good working condition.