(first posted 5/31/2014) “Character. Grounded in substance not rhetoric, character is earned not claimed. As with people, so too with automobiles, character reveals itself, slowly, over time through a demonstrated commitment to a defining set of ideals. Gustaf Larson and Assar Gabrielsson founded Volvo on the core values of quality, durability and reliability. The harsh Scandinavian environment demanded it. Our Volvos delivered it.” So began the 1993 Volvo Sedans brochure, the very last brochure in which a good, old reliable friend, the 240 Series, would make its last stand.
Yes, the end of the era of the rear-wheel drive, boxy Volvo was just starting its several-year process, and the 240 sedan and wagon, the mainstays of safe, level-headed folks in Göteborg, Toledo or Vancouver were ending production. If you wanted solid mechanicals, comfortable seats and a lot of usable space, this was your last chance to hurry on down to the local Volvo dealer and snap one up.
It really is remarkable how long the 240 lasted. The very first one came out of the factory gates in mid-1974 as a ’75 model, and even that car was a refresh of the 140 Series which dated to 1966. Despite having its roots in the late-’60s and mid-’70s, the 240 remained a very safe car, and these final 240s also had anti-lock brakes and a driver-side airbag in addition to its many other safety features.
Even in its final iteration, the 240 was a rather simple machine compared to some of its contemporaries, but still quite comfortable, with those famous orthopedically-designed bucket seats! They could be fitted with seat heaters as an optional extra, but final 240s were well equipped compared to just a few years earlier, with CFC-free air conditioning, AM/FM stereo with 4 x 20W amplifier and four coaxial speakers, power antenna, power windows, central locking, heated power mirrors, and a rear window defroster all fitted as standard. A tool kit was also included! A normally-aspirated, 114-hp 2.3L inline four provided motorvation, as had been the case in all 240s since the discontinuation of the 240 Turbo after the 1985 model year.
The luxury GL had been discontinued after 1989, with only the 240DL appearing for ’90. Then, in 1991, the 240 became just “240,” with no DL or GL suffix. But then the GL surprisingly reappeared alongside the plain old “240” for the 1992 model year, complete with power windows and leather upholstery. To say that this jumbling of models and equipment from year to year was totally confusing would be an understatement! I’ve no idea why this hither-and-yon was undertaken, unless someone in Volvo marketing had gotten a little too far into the Akvavit supply…
Confused yet? Good! Me too! But by 1993, all the craziness had died down, and you had your choice of the 240 sedan or 240 wagon. Of course, dealer-installed accessories were still available, which included things like rubber floor mats, CD changers, and fog lamps. The lacy-spoke wheels seen on our featured CC were just one of several factory accessory alloys available–and much more attractive than the standard full wheel covers.
Inside, the 1993 cabin was much like the 1983 cabin, and not too drastically different from the 1973 144. But the chair-height seats and ample glass area were welcome. And space around you too–no gigantic console to make you look like you’re sitting alongside a kayak, for instance.
Did I mention glass area? Well, I’m going to again. Attention car makers. I do not want loophole-style windows on my 2014 automobile. I want lots of glass, so I can SEE! If I can see, you will not need to put a bunch of stupid, temperamental cameras all over the car like chicken pox, because, ya know, there will be GLASS! GLASS, to SEE out of! Get it, idiots?! Good. Now where was I?
Ah yes, the 240. So, why was such a tried-and-true workhorse like this being put out to pasture? Well, it was getting a little long in the tooth, and upcoming crash standards as well as soon-to-be mandatory passenger-side airbags were going to not be the easiest things to add to the venerable Volvo, and in addition, it had a replacement waiting in the wings: the front-wheel drive 850GLT. While the 850 was larger and more expensive than the never-available-in-the-U.S 400 Series, a lot of the FWD engineering–going all the way back to the Daf acquisition–from it was utilized. It essentially replaced the 240 in the North American lineup. Though the 850 was a bit more upmarket car in the States, detrimmed 940s took up the slack between a loaded 850GLT and the outgoing 200 series.
While perhaps not as common as they are in Oregon, there are still many 240s in the Quad Cities, but a fair number of them are worn-out kidmobiles, given to Junior when he goes off to college. But I was struck by the excellent condition of this emerald-green one downtown in May of 2013, and had to stop. It is not perfect (note the missing trim below the grille and headlights), but it is very, very nice, and probably in the top 10% of QC 240s condition-wise.
Plus, I love the wheels, though they may not be the easiest to keep clean, with all those little recesses. I recently saw the car in traffic, and a man in his 60’s was driving it. I am sure he bought it new, just as I am sure the car will be there for him as long as he needs it!
As I walked back to my own V50 wagon, I was struck by how much Volvo changed between 1993 and 2003. No more RWD, no more boxy shapes and staid styling. Now it’s all about styling, and dash, and turbo everything. I like my wagon very much, but I will tell you this: I’d like it a lot more if it looked more like one of these 240s.
So W123 or 240?
W124.
I put a wanted ad on craigslist for a W123 240D a few summers ago, and 100% of the responses were…. for Volvos! Ugh!
Interesting how the 200 series Volvos were able to stay in production for 18 years and still appear fresh and sell successfully. Most sedans that stay around in their same basic shape for similar amounts of time in western markets just become relegated to being fleet cars or old people cars, or they already were. (Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham 77-92, Checker Cab 62-82, Ford Crown Victoria/Mercury Grand Marquis 92-11, Jaguar XJ 1968-2009?)
I don’t think you could say they appeared fresh after the mid-1980s if not earlier, the non-flush side windows and seal-mounted windscreens were outdated by then.
It does surprise me how many of these vehicles have power options like seats and windows since I tend to think of them as a no frills car. Surprised the tooling was not sent to another country and used for another 20 or so years.
Depending on where you live Classic Volvos are very rare. When I left Ithaca, NY to go to Sacramento, CA in 2012 I went through PA, OH, KY, TN, MS, AR, TX, OK, KS, NM, & AZ. I saw Classic Volvos in Ithaca, one in Ohio (I think), and a smattering in Santa Fe and that pretty much was it. Classic Volvos do seem to be creeping back into pop culture though because I think some Disney Channel show has one and Katy Perry had one in a music video.
At one time Ithaca was ground zero for Volvo 240’s on the east coast. In Maryland where I live there are many of them still rolling around(Mostly the 86-93 kind) However before I got my Volvo 240 a few years ago, I hardly saw any and now they are all around. Perhaps it was that after I got my car I paid attention to the Volvo or perhaps they are making a comeback?
I dislike all the newfangled nanny gadgets and complicated infotainment/control systems of new cars. Frankly I am also put off by the size and ‘heft’ of new vehicles. So I will not be buying a new car any decade soon, unless ‘stripper’ models are still available, however, strippers are not my style so I will be restoring older cars till the end of my driving days… Luckily I can wrench my own cars. I just finished restoring a 1997 BMW 318ti… semi-economical, great handling small car!
Nearly bought a 240 Wagon instead though and that maybe my next project!
Very nice example, her owner must be proud of her!
I’m a W124 driver but I always liked the Volvo 200/700/900 series. I’ve played with the idea to buy a Volvo but the interior design and quality, and parts availability here in Hungary is much better for the Mercedes. A Volvo 240 with Zebrano wood trim could have made my decision more difficult. 🙂
A quick check of available “Volvo 240” on evilbay reveals high mileage models; 90% in the rust belt northeast.
Some people in the Northeast will buy a Classic Volvo (or other vehicle) from places like CA, TX, CO, UT etc) and keep it as their summer vehicle. As far as I know every Northeast State does not require emissions testing for vehicles older than 1996.
Here is a perfect example. Just get a 49 State Cat Con and you are set to go.
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/4490482664.html
Isn’t this the car that taught a whole generation of superb Scandinavian rally drivers how to drive FAST on snowy, winding and narrow tracks ? You know, take dad’s or mom’s 240 out for a spin at the age of 16 or 17 ? Maybe Ingvar can shed a light.
Here’s a whole collection of sliding and drifting 240 bricks on Swedish back roads:
NZ had thousands of kilometers of twisting gravel roads, thats where we learned to throw cars around not in Volvos but in nearly anything else with rear drive, Anglias Cortinas Escorts Humber80s Vauxhalls, really if a car cant be driven like that I wouldnt want one.
Yes. But was your DAF CF a 6×4 grain tipper and does RR stand for (Fuller) Road Ranger ?
6×4 and towing a 8wheel trailer most of the time carting grapes to wineries year R/R means Eaton Fuller road Ranger manual thankfully I do not like autoshifts.
OK, thanks !
“The 850 replaced the never-available-in-the-U.S 400 Series, and it was going to more or less replace the 240 in the North American lineup, with detrimmed 940s to pick up any slack”. The 850 to replace the 400 series? Am I the only one who thinks that this a slightly odd claim? The 850 and the 440/460 were two entirely different classes of cars, with the 400 series being a narcosis-inducingly dull alternative for Euro-midsizers such as Golf / Astra / Escort / Megane / 306 etc etc etc, whereas the 850 was rather aiming at the Audi-crowdie.
The 850 was closer to the 200/700/900 series than the 400 ever was, but it was no longer RWD like its predecessors. In North America, it replaced the 240 as the entry-level Volvo. We never got the 66/300/400 series in the U.S.
No you’re not the only one.
The 850 sold along side the 400 series here in the UK for several years. I don’t think it was in any sense a replacement for them, rather a replacement for the ancient 240.
You’ll have to forgive my North American pespective. I always thought the 480s had a lot in common with the 850 engineering-wise as well as visually–especially the later 460 sedans (image from lov2xlr8.no). Thus, it was easy for me to assume the 850 was its successor, having never experienced the 440 or 460. I have updated the text.
This one was the successor of that one, the 1st gen S40 and V40. The picture below shows an S40 T4.
Perfectly understandable if you’ve never seen one Tom: the facelift they gave the 460/440 toward the end of its run was to bring it visually in line with the 850 after all. They’re much smaller cars though.
Not sure if this post is the best to ask it in, but what’s the deal with the Volvo logo on the grill sometimes being in the center and other times near the edges and stuff? Was it a yearly change or what?
I’ve always wondered…
For whatever reason I have always been in Mercedes-Diesel County. The 4, 5 and 6 cylinders, since the days of the W115. Big Volvos were driven by dentists, doctors, architects etc. Just like Saabs.
A friend of the family had one though, more than 30 years ago, it was a 244. Light green with a tan interior. And it was built like a tank, honestly. Certainly on a par with the W123 back then.
Set sentiment aside, the later FWD 850 was a massive success with its 5 cylinder gasoline engines and (Audi’s) 5 cylinder TDI. The first gen S60, ditto. These days a lot of new S60, V60 and V40 models on the road. Especially the V40 is all over the place.
Great find Tom! One of the best looking 240s I’ve seen in some time. Not only its great condition, but that beautiful emerald color and those alloy wheels. Most 240s I see these days are much more broken in, to say the least. Light blues and earth tones are also much more prevalent than elegant emerald.
Yup! A quick check on “Volvo 240” on evilbay brings up only higher mileage models, well worn to the saddle, almost all in the rust belt of the north east USA.
I remember when Volvo went front drive an article in a newspaper, remember those? stating they were using Mitsubishi front drive architecture for the new models, I recall the remarks by the writer being quite incredulous as Mitsu at the time was building the Magna in Aussie quite possibly the worst car you could get, though in reality the Magna is only a rebadged FWD Sigma which wrent all that bad.
Gorgeous car. I’m a person that loves simple, timeless styling (this, the MB 240, the BMW 525).
Methinks if Volvo went back to boxy styling with 4-6 cylinders their sales would double…
“I want lots of glass, so I can SEE! If I can see, you will not need to put a bunch of stupid, temperamental cameras all over the car like chicken pox, because, ya know, there will be GLASS! GLASS, to SEE out of! Get it, idiots?!”
So true. I had a ’75 Opel Rekord which had so much glass that you didn’t notice the lack of a right rear mirror ’cause you didn’t need it.
And I am more at ease driving my 5.39 m long Caprice than my father’s 3.90 m long Honda Jazz thanks to the Caprice’s big greenhouse.
On the downside, why did Chevrolet put such small rear mirrors on such a big car. The right one is basically useless.
Nice to see they finally moved the stereo! It was at the very bottom of the centre console in front of the gearlever on my grandparents’ 164 and 264; ejecting a cassette (remember those?) was impossible in when the lever was in Park, and although technically possible when the lever was in Drive, successful tape removal required a degree in advanced calculus to angle it just so.
Owned a 240 GLE auto for 11 years.. it was my favourite car ever and gave everything you could want from a car -superb comfort and build quality,reassuringly solid safe and well enginereed etc.I agree with the author the airy six window styling and the simple unobtrusive dashboard/console made for a spacious airy interior unlike the claustrophobic designs of today.The auto was incredibly smooth too.I wish I had kept it and if I could find a low mileage one today I would buy it.They don’t make Volvos like they used to….
The old faithful 240 is still represented well in my area–as they don’t seem to rust here, or at least not badly, they just keep going. Pretty sure one of the local examples is a ’93 240 Classic, which would be one of 1600 in the US market. Need to take a peek inside the next time I pass by and see if it has the dash plaque (if not, then it’s probably a ’92 GL).
Went to look at one with my Dad in the early 90’s when he was looking for something to replace the ’83 Escort which had recently suffered a grenaded engine. Burgundy estate, I think an ’88 or ’89. I wanted him to buy it, and our mechanic gave it an enthusiastic thumbs-up, but it was more than he wanted to pay.
I currently own a 1993 volvo 240 se in dark green in pretty much perfect condition except for the center council. It completely shattered from the heat here in Las Vegas, but other then that everything works id say 7.5/10 and thats with a lot of work put into it. If youd like pictures just let me know.
Looks just like my car! I have a teal sedan, 1993 240 Classic edition, #620. I was thrilled to find it, and thrilled to drive it every day. (I also have the matching teal 1993 240 wagon at home, which is our “mule.”) I was especially excited to have one of the numbered final production cars. It’s a good looker, too. In fact another driver actually waved me down at a stoplight this morning to tell me how much she loves my car, that she had one just like it in 1992, and how much she regrets ever giving it up. I don’t blame her! I’ve been driving only Volvo 240s for about 20 years now, and I can’t stand the thought of driving anything else. I purchased the Classic sedan from a man on the east coast who had been the mechanic at the Volvo dealership when the car was purchased new. Years later he purchased the car from that original owner, and has been babying it in his garage ever since. I think he liked that he was passing it on to an appreciative owner who knows its value.
I have been driving a 2000 Cross Country for nearly a year now and I love it. It’s a box with plenty of glass, useable space and not gadget filled. My only dislike, being a coffee drinker, is the cup holder. But recently, I’ve gotten a hankering for a 240. First, I thought wagon, but I’ve always liked the upper half of the sedan. All that glass. I wasn’t very fond of the large headlights, but they have grown on me. So, I’ve been window shopping. I live in northern Vermont, so I’m looking at cars from at least a few hundred miles south of here. It’s amazing how just 400 miles can make such a difference in vehicle condition body wise. I say window shopping because I already have too many cars and will only have room for a 240 if something goes. I have a candidate. My 240, when I get one, will be for summer use only. I prefer that it be a 5 speed, but an AW70 (or 70L) is certainly welcome.
I HAVE ONE FOR SALE:
1993 VOLVO ORIGINAL CLASSIC #974 OF THE LAST 1600, BURGUNDY COLOR, MECHANICALLY IN PERFECT CONDITION, VERY POWERFUL AND VERY FAST. INTERIOR IS ABOUT 95%. EXTERIOR NEEDS CLEAR COAT.
UP FOR SALE $6000
I ALSO HAVE THE LARGEST STOCK OF USED VOLVO PARTS IN THE COUNTRY.
(516) 717-1017
SAM
A car I have wanted to acquire over the last five years. Have yet to find a decent 5 speed one yet and the numbers are seriously dwindling on Craigslist. I’d give my wisdom teeth for one. Wait, I never had any wisdom teeth? Well, that explains that.
I wouldn’t mind one with a manual either. My younger sister’s first car was a ‘75 240 4-door sedan that she bought in 1990 with the 4-speed stick and electric overdrive. It was in good shape and nice to drive as well.
The 4-speed with the overdrive works fine, it’s just as simple to use as a true 5-speed. Don’t even have to use the clutch for 5th gear.
My brother-in-law had a 240 wagon in the same shade of green back in the early ‘90’s. When him and my sister moved to the U.S. in 1995 he had to sell it because of the different emissions regulations, and it was a sad day for them as they really liked it. To this day, the old bricks are still a regular sight here in Ontario. Great cars.
Growing up we had a Green 140 wagon followed by a Silver 240 Diesel Wagon. Later we had a red 1983 Volvo DL, manual 4-speed with the push-button overdrive on the top of the gear level. Those Volvo’s were my father’s favorite cars, even if the Volvo Diesel did “smoke out” anyone following us on any kind of hill or when we were attempting any kind of “at best leisurely” acceleration. The red 240 ran forever, with minimal maintenance on my part. I tend to think of the 120/Amazon, the 140, and the 240 as part of one giant evolutionary continuum, sharing many of the same basic good traits. There are still lots of 240’s around here, though they are starting to get ragged, and I think it’s ever more difficult for them to pass smog, as it was always a bit on-the-edge with the red 1983, the Chrsyler-derived “lean burn” system they used to get a bit better fuel mileage also meant they were always on the verge of failing the NOx spec.
Great cars. Get one with the manual door locks and roll-up windows, they will run forever. Well, most everything in them. Not the heater fan. The mechanic I had do a little work on the 1983 every once in a while once said to me “You see, they built the 240 Volvo AROUND the heater fan. You have to completely disassemble the car to get the heater fan out”. He was right.
Really practical cars. Easy to see out of, easy to drive, they have such a tight turn radius that they almost spin about their vertical axis. My 6-foot-4 husband didn’t fit well in the front passenger seat of my ’85; his legs and elbows get boxed in on three sides (door armrest, glovebox/dashboard, floor shifter) so he felt uncomfortably caged. Kind of baffling; the Swedes aren’t known for being short, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
(In 1991 my folks whittled down their new-car options down to a Jetta or a 240. Their choice of the Jetta wound up being very much the wrong one.)
Even now in 2020, driving anywhere in the greater Lexington, KY area, you can’t go more than a few minutes of driving without seeing a Volvo 240 as they sold really well here in the 80’s. An apartment building I lived in the early 2000’s there were three of them in my parking lot, all well over 250,000 miles and still looked and ran great. The trick is finding someone willing to sell theirs. A friend of mine trashed the pan of her automatic transmission in her ’87 240 while following a large dump truck that was losing some of its load and had no choice to but hit a large rock. I put a used pan on for her and found the car a delight to work on. It reminded me of everything I love about 67-76 Plymouth Valiants.
I worked in libraries for 34 years, and for a long time it seemed the 240 sedan but mostly wagons were the official car of librarians before they got replaced with early Saturn wagons and then by Suburu wagons.
Legend has it that these bricks are just as reliable as the Mercedes 123 series?. Here in Portugal they sell for €4-€12,for a Turbo, Ouch. Popular second to the Mercs for wealthy back in the 80s.Bmw.?. To sporty for our rough roads and fragile.
As I look at the interior space and visibility, I think Volvo could do a lot worse than to bring back the 240. It was the car that made Volvo in Australia. Locally-assembled, they were a viable alternative to our local Big Three. I had a mate who was a window cleaner who used one as his work car, with a rack on top for his ladders and brushes..
I realise they couldn’t just dust off the old plans though. It would have to be a retro-style homage/re-creation type of thing, so as to include things like flush side glass and bonded-in windshields as mentioned above. And there’d have to be room for all the added safety gear our legislators expect nowadays. And take away a bit more room for all the luxury stuff buyers seem to expect; it has to fit in somewhere. But if the body engineers do their sums right, they could surely maintain the space, visibility, and general livability of the old model. Especially with a management directive to the stylists to keep it looking uncluttered. They could scale it up and mount it on the running gear of the S60. As Merc, BMW and Audi release four door ‘coupes’, Volvo could start a new trend: a return to practicality!
Hmm. Volvo to release a retro-style 240 just as retro has just about died out as a thing? That sounds like Volvo! Go for it, guys…..
We had his and hers 240s, mine a white automatic, hers a baby poo manual.
The auto was mated to the usual, for Europe, power sapping 3 speed BW 35, which made for sluggish acceleration and 22 miles to an imperial gallon. The manual was a much better proposition. Tough as old boots, extremely comfortable for cross country trips, and very reliable and simple to work on.
We gave one of them to the Firestation behind where we lived. The firemen, when they weren’t busy playing basket ball or rescuing the dummy from the hose drying tower, liked to practise chopping up cars for simulated rescues. They were ecstatic to receive the Volvo, a real challenge. We watched the hydraulic shears struggle to slowly dismantle it. A truly magnificently over engineered car.
got my 93 wagon in that color! looking so desperately for the center console armrest that you cant seem to find anywhere! the OEMs dont do it!
Someone down the street has a 1993 or so Volvo 240. It appears to be as solid as they come, now 28 years or more since it was first put together. It still looks to be a daily driver.
It is thirty years ago today …
On May the 7th 1993, the last Volvo 240 rolled off the assembly line. Here is a Video on the farewell celebration in the Torslanda plant (Gothenburg / Sweden):