Old Volvos of Connecticut

David: I needed to get some trim pieces for my Volvo 240, as a few pieces of trim had gone missing over its 33 year lifespan. Being a car that has also been driven over 270,000 miles and originally from South Carolina, I bet a lot could've happened to it within 1990 and my ownership of it. Read more about my 240 ownership in The Volvo Journals for more. I sourced a small Volvo salvage lot in Waterford, Connecticut, which is a small, rural town located close to Mystic. There were four 240s of various years and trim levels, and all of which were owned by an older man, Steve. Unfortunately, due to health problems, Steve no longer had as much access to his cars as he used to, but decided it was his time to pass on the baton to other 240 owners to keep their cars in peak condition. Steve thankfully gave me a phenomenal deal on the trim, and I can't thank him enough for doing that, as well as letting me document the cars I took the parts off of. 

I also traveled further south to Morris, CT, as I accidentally purchased 240 sedan trim, which is slightly different from wagon trim. I met another older 240 owner, Neil, who also didn't want to charge other 240 owners a lot of cash for essential parts. From him, I was able to obtain the trim not on my car, including the rocker panel, driver's door, and the correct rear bumper trim. Again, I can't thank Neil enough for the great deal on the trim pieces. 

In this entry, you'll get to read about some of these Volvos (and a GM product) I saw on my various trim expeditions. A more in-depth entry will be written in the Volvo Journals page.

Above: 1987 Volvo 240 DL Sedan

This navy blue Volvo graciously donated its front bumper trim to mine. While a tad dirty, according to Steve, this was the best running car on the lot. If he could've kept one of the cars out of the four, it would be this one. With a little bit of TLC, I'm sure this old 240 could shine up nicely. 

Above: 1986 Volvo 240 DL Sedan

This 240 donated its rear trim to my car, until I realized that the trim was different for sedan models and wagon models! At least I wasn't scammed or tricked into doing so. Anyways, this was probably the most beat up 240, as it seemed to have a lot that needed work done. I don't believe this car was in good mechanical shape, as I don't remember Steve mentioning if it ran or not. 

Above: 1983 Volvo 244 Turbo 

Now here's something worth noting! This isn't your average 240 sedan, its a turbo sedan! The last 240 Turbo featured on ONEC was Josh's 244 Turbo sedan, which you can read about here: 1985 Volvo 244 Turbo. This turbo sedan isn't as clean of an example as Josh's was, but nonetheless, a 240 Turbo is ultra rare and seeing one in any state is something enough on its own.

Above: 1983 Volvo 245 Turbo Estate

If a 240 Turbo sedan wasn't cool enough for you, here's a 240 Turbo wagon! These are ultra rare and less common than a turbo sedan. 

Steve was really nonchalant about the fact that he had two 240 Turbos, nonetheless a wagon. The fact that this was casually sitting in Steve's lot made me want to purchase it even more. I know I already have my own 240 wagon, but another one as a project car wouldn't be that bad, right?

Above: 1993 Volvo 240 Estate

This was Steve's driver quality 240, with the Virgo rims installed from the 245 Turbo. He doesn't get to drive it as much, but is still keeping it up in good shape. 

Above: 1985 Chevy C-10 Custom Deluxe Short Bed

A bit different from a Volvo, this was another driver quality vehicle from Steve's personal collection. While rusty, it still runs and drives!

Above: 1993 Volvo 240 Estate

This 240 was part of a different 240 salvage lot, in which I sourced the correct bumper trim for my car. This is a 1993 240 that has been off the road for several years, and left to collect moss. Like Steve's and my 240, the owner, Neil, had Virgo rims installed on this car, but those will be kept for himself. Neil has his own personal 240 that he's slowly restoring using a few parts from this car, and another 1992 240 parts car that was not photographed.

I really like the bumper stickers on the back trunk. While I don't think I'll do that to my 240, I really like how it looks. To me, it tells a story of the car, and adds character to it in a personable kind of way. From this trunk shot, you can get a glimpse of the places this old Volvo traveled, and what its owner may have been like and interested in.