By David Hajian

21 May 2023

As I've been gradually restoring my own Volvo 240 to factory condition, I've been meeting lots of other 240 owners and seeing their cars. This 240 was found in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and donated its radio to my car. My car had an aftermarket unit installed sometime ago, which never really fit properly, so I decided to restore it back to its original unit. After scouring forums and many classifieds, I eventually found a complete 240 stereo set for a decent price. This 240, however, has quite the story.

There's an old saying in the Volvo community: "All old Volvos are only worth $500,." Even a Facebook group dedicated to finding cheap Volvos in honor of this saying was established in 2020. Sure enough and true to form, Luc M. purchased this '89 240 for the grand total of $500. 

The old Swede had been sitting street parked for sometime, and had picqued Luc's interest. He decided to ask its owner if he could purchase it, and to his luck, they agreed. At the time of purchase, it wasn't running, but for a $500, who could complain. The car only had 42k original miles on the clock, and its dark blue interior was near mint. 

For any 34 year old car, and especially one purchased for $500, some work needed to be done. For general maintenance, Luc repaired the brake system and suspension. The only part of the car repaired by a third party was the exhaust system, as Luc didn't know how to weld. An aftermarket exhaust was installed, giving the Volvo a nice burble, much to Luc's liking. An aftermarket stereo and speaker system was installed, in which I purchased the original Volvo CR-172 radio and speakers from Luc's 240.

In the future, an aftermarket tachometer will be installed, as the 240 didn't come stock with a tachometer. Until then, Luc will be continuing to enjoy his 240 and wrench around on it. They're great cars to learn mechanical skills on, and who can beat an old Volvo for only $500.