Stephen Henning wrote:
I can't speak for the lowering springs, I do have the upper and lower
chassis braces but the swaybars made the biggest difference. You don't
have to spend a lot of money, the bars were at least at the time $250
which I think is pretty reasonable. I also installed a set of wagon
springs in the back that I got from a Volvo in a salvage yard. Shocks
and struts wear out over time, why not replace them with something a bit
better when they do? Swaybars cost less than a set of tires and fix 90%
of the problem, it really doesn't take a lot of effort or money to make
a 240 handle well but if you tried driving a mildly upgraded one you'd
never go back to stock.

Mr. V wrote:
Of all the Volvo's I've owned, the only one that I found fault with the
ride was the 1984 240. It had a tendency to pitch slightly from side
to side under certain road conditions. More annoying than anything
else and I understand it was a trait of the car. Under most conditions
it was a more than acceptable ride. And others like the 740, 960, S80
and V70 have (had) very comfortable controlled rides.

Stephen Henning wrote:
IMO Volvo have been going downhill since the 240, the newer cars appear
better, but the reliability has been going down. Having said that its
not that bad and it applies to most cars, most people don't want to pay
for a car that lasts 20 years and looks out of date after 5 or so.
Which is handy for those that do appreciate a well built car.

My 940 has plastic pedals which causes me to crunch gears occassionally
because the plastic has worn a slot in the pedal and pushrod. 240s and
740s had metal pedal. The sun roof also leaks because the seal is on
sideways on glass and not on vertically like metal sunroofs. However it
has done 133K miles and not given any real trouble, except when I tried
a top speed test (140MPH) with turbo turned up to 11psi, even then it
struggled on with a cracked turbo and just needed water every so often
(for a few years). I have always abused my Volvos and the Turbos are
the most sensitive, but still pretty robust and relatively cheap to sort
a turbo.

The 940/740/240 can take considerable abuse and still hold together
running gear, interior, exterior etc, but the only 850s I've looked at
were in terrible shape with broken window mechanisms, broken bits of
interior, dodgy engine management, sloppy suspension brakes etc.

If you are looking at cars >7 years old I can't imagine anything cheaper
than a 940 to maintain, 850s just don't last, but then no cars do these
days. 940s etc will basically last for as long as you want them to with
a galvanised chassis you just have to replace service items mainly and
turbos say every 150K.

My 1995 940 Turbo estate 133K miles (Bilstein rear+Springs on purchase)
- Excellent condition, V quick, no rust, clutch pedal linkage and leaky
sunroof (fixed).
My previous 87 360 saloon 200K miles - had a dirty coil once and was
hard to start, then alternator bearing wore out at 180K miles, and a few
burnt out swtiches and corroded rad at 10 years old, amazingly reliable
car never ever broke down.
Sisters 96 940 Turbo Estate 100K - Excellent condition after a new oil
pump and eventually turbo, previous owner had never changed the oil.
My Partners 97 BMW 323i 80K - Several engine break downs, suspension
overhauls -plastic ball joints! - broken rear springs, knackered shocks,
failed ABS sensor, corroded alloys, rust showing on rear.

I wouldn't hesitate to say a 940 would be cheaper to maintain than a BMW
or an 850.

--
Tony

740s have plastic brake and clutch pedals too, at least those with
manual gearboxes. Still, at 280K miles, I can't say I've ever had a
problem with the pedals though it did strike me as odd they're plastic.

James Sweet wrote:
The IPD swaybars get you 90% of the way there. The only mystery to me
is why Volvo didn't put stiffer sway bars on the car from the factory.
They don't degrade the ride in any noticeable way and dramatically
improve the turning stability and cross-wind performance of a 240.

John

My 940 has adjustable metal pedals...it was a rare and optional
upgrade. I got the custom edition through European Delivery...you were
given the opportunity to choose options from a rather extensive list. I
also have the heated steering wheel, the heated rear seats with a
center console rather than the useless (for me) booster seat, and who
knows how many extra airbags.

On 10 Oct 2006 03:52:24 -0700, "Robert" <kraft.fhs (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote:

upwards.... LOL

Nevertheless, I love my 940. This time it is in the garage to fix
distribution belts and so on.... Hope to see here tomorrow in great
shape again :-)

220.000 km - 1992

Greetings from Belgium

Chris