We had 3x 240 estates all from new, a 1973, 1976 and 1979. Loved them all. Drove all 3 from north west UK down to southern Spain and back on holiday. Never a problem.
You forgot to mention the Choke that is visable in the bottom of the picture at 11:38. You had to pull that one out get the car to start during cold winter days. It increases the fuel/air intake to make it start easier, but if you forgot to push it back in after a while, it would consume twice as much fuel during your trip. My first car was a 1986 Volvo 244 with carbureter and the exact same instruments as this one. Good memories!
What a cracking example of one of my favourite cars, having owned a total of four estates (most had over 200,000 miles on them) never had a breakdown, the only problem was rust. I always preferred the the auto box over the manual, I can still remember how comfortable those lovely leather seats were, and how easy they were to service.
i done all my servicing on my A reg 83 240 Estate B21 engine oil filter change with Halfords crap oil to flush out any swarf & replaced with Castrol GTX after a couple of miles spark plugs etc antifreeze replacement (Bluecol) i used it neat .. spark plug at the rear next to the firewall was a bit of a pain but got it with a double joint box spanner.. air filter was easy too, gearbox with overdrive was filled with red brake fluid. bit of a pain with my mate outside the car with a funnel and long tube to the box.. through the engine bay.. I did not do the hub shoes and disc brakes though my mate done that at Kwik fit. fuel injection filter was my mate also. (euro car parts ) grease on the throttle linkage wheel etc etc.. bonnet release trumpet handle greased my car had 723,000 on it timing belt changed every 5000 miles. Alloys were cleaned and coppa slip slightly smeared onto the rear of the hub to stop the alloy sticking to the metal Hub , only one thing i hated about the 240 was the fuse box on the passenger side was prone to water ingress in the winter ?? My F REG 740 2.5 had its fuse box in the ashtray compartment which was a bit of a pig to get too but free from the elements Great Cars built like tanks!!
Love a 240 estate. The car of my childhood. We had an 88 GL which had the stereo instead where the fur lined cubby is and had gained electric front windows and padded front headrests. Still had the twelour though but a more subtle grey! We didnt have the built in rear seats in the boot but we did have a dog guard. Said dog used to delight in doing laps of the boot too. For some reason ours hated the damp and sitting outside overnight and was often a bit of a pig to start. Thankfully it had a warm garage so most if the time all was well. Great to see one again and so good to see they still have the loyal following
I'm in the same boat my friend. I can't imagine enjoying to drive any car more than my 240. The day that I'll have to park her for good will be an utter tragedy.
When the Mazda 121 came out in the 90ths I was interested for a while, it looked like a meatball! ;) But checking it out I found the opening in underneath the bootlid was so tiny you could slide a briefcase down..... maybe... 🤣
@@furiousdriving my dad was into diy so always preferred an estate for his company car. Only problem was his grade was based on a 1.6GL cavalier or Sierra hatchback. To get the estate you had to drop down to the L spec which meant no toys.
I had a 1989 240 GLT Auto estate from 2009 to 2018. Bought it for £350 and sold it for £500 with 2 months MOT left. It was very reliable B230E K jet mechanical injection. It was my daily driver for 8 years until I bought a 1996 Volvo 940 Se LPT Auto estate, B230FK engine. 240 covered 76,000 miles with me over the 10 years. Sold as needed work and had 2 other cars, heater fan dead and rust hole in door sill. Bought 940 as couldn't believe how much quieter it was, and wanted AC and ABS. When you think Volvo you do think of the 200 series. Rust is their enemy. The car you drove looks a lovely example but basic. Probably has the same B230K engine as in my previous volvo from 2002-2007 a 1986 740 GLE. My first car. Loved fitting an electric sunroof motor and switch from a 940 and fitting 240 GLT "Virgo" Alloys to it. Still own the 940, my work vehicle. Just run in at 205,000miles.
My parents had 240 estate from 1983 to 1995. What a cosy car it was. I remember the holidays with it to the UK, France and Norway. Or taking the dogs out with it to the beach. It was built like a tank. My parents replaced it with a Citroën XM break, which I also drove for years. Furious many thx for posting this trip down memory lane. Happy holidays to you !
Had a 1989 240GLT Auto estate for 10 years. Paid £350 in late 2009. A reliable load lugger and daily/only car for 8 years until I bought a 1996 940 SE LPT Auto estate for £250 Sold the 240 after 10 years for £500 with 3 months MOT. The last 2 MOT's needed the outriggers welded. £70 and again a few years later for £150. Main reason in changing to the 940 was the heater fan worked. The 240 one had died 4 years earlier. Above 30mph got a bit of natural convection from it but with fan like a nuclear reactor meltdown. I like my 940 more, but the 240 is what people think of when thinking of a Volvo. That 240 is super clean and seems very rust free.
It's very interesting seeing the European-spec 240s versus the US-spec ones. Here, the estates/wagons were only offered with vinyl upholstery in the DL and leather in the GL and GLT/Turbo cars. The cloth is a nice look. Interesting you panned right over the mirror controls without seeing them - those tiny joysticks mounted under the park brake lever. What an odd place Volvo put them. If a purchaser opted to add them on to a car with standard manual mirrors, then the controls were on the center console along with the defrost, air conditioning and other switches. My family had a '78 245DL estate, an '84 244DL sedan and my '82 244GL (sunroof and electric windows all around with velour upholstery here in the US). They were wonderfully reliable, solid cars, and mine served me well during my university years. A side note - one of our family friends was rear-ended in her '88 245DL estate with 7 people in the car, including two kids in the rearmost seat. As you mentioned, the rear compartment was very well reinforced on these cars, so nobody was injured, although the damage was extensive.
I had a 245 DL in 1979 when Volvo went to square headlights with washwipe, from the up to 1978, round headlight version. It had a Rusty brown colour and a cool number plate, DGV 245 T. That rear facing seat was a very expensive extra but well worth it. The kids would fight to get a place in it ( I had three kids). I bought loads of expensive Volvo extras, including a bloody great roof rack. That year took it touring round Sweden. Just fantastic. Over 15+ years I had many Volvo estates including a 760 ( wow , serious wallet emptying at the petrol pump. The one I loved the most was the original 240 DL.
Happy Memories, we had four between 1974 and 1981.(All Automatics) M Reg 240GL Red Estate R Reg 240GL Red Estate S Reg 245GL Orange Estate W Reg 245GL Met. Blue Estate. Great cars.
My mother had a 1990 Volvo 240 GL Estate from two months old until 2001. It had a number of niggling faults, mainly electrical, but the good old red block engine really didn't give any problems at all. Love the upgrade to the GLT wheels on this example.
@@furiousdriving , when you got in those rear facing seats, I was eight years old again! You are right, once you get to a certain age, they stop being fun and start to become a bit rubbish...
Those rear seats are really a throwback to the Volvo 940 we had when I was growing up. Fairly sure they're near enough the exact same, I have absolutely no idea how anyone managed to fit in them all the way around Scotland, but somehow it worked. Can also confirm that the back of the car was exceptionally safe. Also really hope to see a Volvo 480 at some point, as ive got my eyes out for one of them, and they have the same fantastic Volvo following but on a much smaller scale more niche scale.
Ahh yeah the 480, can't say i seen one of those around in ages here in Sweden, quite a cool car, same with the old 164 V6 or the ever amazing 240T in graphite grey, man that car was sexy with the special rims.
My first car was a 245 (the estate) Turbo! The only made these for two model years I think and it was the world's first mass produced estate turbo. Mine only had around 140K kms on the clocks, but unfortunately I had to sell it when failing MOT because of lots of rust issues. The turbo has a turbo gauge in the dash in the blank spot. At the time I read that ten percent of the cars in Sweden was a 240 (not even counting the other models in the volvo line up), that's an astonishing number! Today you still see them, but rarely in the winter since they're mostly entusiast owned.
There was an addon for the low ressesion to the right of the dash, a small box with a lid to keep coins for parking. The Airmix is just a bypass valve for the middle outlets bypassing the heatercore, so mostly it was on hot during winter and cool during the summer. The upper slider regulates a coolant valve by the feet of the passenger, and if the rug is damp there then the valve is leaking. It also has an eter tube from the valve into the heather to even out the set temp in the coupe, changing the heater fan was the least fun thing to do as I think Volvo started with that and buildt the car around it! ;)
What a beauty and you did a great review on it Matt. Can't wait for you to meet a 140 to do a review on and watch you trying to park it without power steering. My father was a main Volvo dealer from mid 70's to late 80's. He used to put a 2" x 24" sticker along the top of the rear window with the slogan "Volvo for Safety, Quality and Reliability". Cars imported into Ireland were of poverty spec so radios, floor mats and mud flaps were an extra except for the 300 & 240 GLS/GLT/GLE models. Those lower feet vents open a flap inside the wing allowing fresh air into the cabin. They are carried over from the 140's … as were those door handles, heater controls.
They were indeed the weapon of choice for 70s and 80s antique dealers complete with a full length roof rack. The dealer I used to buy stuff from used to buy a new one every year and he put a large board on the flat floor to stop the chests or drawers from damaging it. Sadly the antiques trade has gone the same way as the old volvos and few shops are left. I think the old antique dealers must have used them as coffins!
furiousdriving : At 14:32 You can adjust the electric sidemirrors with the two little switches between the seats in front of the emergency-brake handle.... When the ignition is turned on..
Crossovers combine the worst aspects of driving a sedan with the worst aspects of driving a SUV, all while looking dog ugly. I couldn’t stand driving my fathers 2015 Explorer Here’s to hoping they lose their popularity, they already seem to be developing a stigma among people my age. (18-25)
No one expects the Swedish inquisition. Our main weapon is surprise. And meatballs. Our two main weapons are surprise and meatballs. And Abba Our 3 main weapons are surprise, meatballs and Abba.
That fuel pump relay is a super common issue, i know a lot of people who used to have two spare ones in the glove compartment, volvo 740 had the same issue on some models aswell
@@oljefri yes the soldered joints go dry , I got it apart and resoldered all and was great fix , I was broke down on Isle of Wight and got her home ok intermittent fault , the worst kind , Steve.
@@1961kickboxer I never thought about popping one open, me and a friend had to hotwire the fuel pump one time to get home, problem was that we didnt have any wire, so we ´´borrowed`` some from the aftermarket electric radiator fan
Nice. Lovejoy had one I think in the first series of, well Lovejoy in '86. Lovely machine. A nice big sunroof and original stereo is all that it might need.
My dad had a 1979 265 GL (six cylinder, 2.7L automatic fuel injection) back in the early 80s. Silver, leather heated seats - it was such a beautiful car. Compared to what he had before it was like a space ship.
The single carb B200 A engine in this is lucky to put out 80 Bhp. (ooft!) The Dual carb has a bit more (B200 B) with 105/110 BHP and the later fuel injected versions are around 130 Bhp in 2.0 Litre form. The 2.3 GLT saloon you drove, had 130BHP (I looked it up!) Went on to evolve 16V and Turbo units in the 7 and 900 series, although the 240 Turbo had fun in the Group A in the early eighties. I can imagine a 50 BHP difference in a 240 estate would be huge!
There was an equalizer to mount in the upper cubbyhole, and later also a DIN radio mount later on, also you could mount extra guages in all five possible places. The vents on the outer legrooms are only cool air, it opens to the same area as the vents between the hood and the windshield. But lovely during the summer, heat for the feets are from the middle and under the front seats for the rear passenger. If you close the outer vents and spray water down the air intake water will fill the sills under the doors and drain out through several intentional holes, making flushing the sills from birchseeds and such doable! :)
The 240 estate is possibly THE iconic car of the Volvo brand 😍 absolutely love these things - such a lovely car and in stunning condition too! Deadlining - love that haha. Great review Matt!
So glad i came across this video. My Old Man ran one of these from 1985 to 1993. It was immaculate. I have so many memories of Family Holidays around the UK in it. Best car ever. My Wife is still worried about me winning the Lottery because she knows i would sink £1000's into one...
Great vid! Been driving one of these for nearly 30 years. I found your mirror controls. The camera scooted past them. Would you believe, down low between the front seats either side of the handbrake. Very cool spot for them. Very random too. lol
The switches in the centre dash are heated mirrors and heated rear screen. They did come with adjustable mirrors and the switches were in the panel by the hand brake lever if they were fitted. The top pocket would have had the standard radio fitted and if it was the basic one the speaker would have been fitted under the top dash grill. Where the radio is fitted now would have been the pocket. We used to have to fit speakers to the doors after cutting out the hole in the door card first, all the wiring was in the door from factory.
Stunning GLT alloys My mum had a gold GLT estate back in the day,and as a kid I enjoyed trying to wash it just to look/ feel the alloys (I know) but I loved it.
They really are a proper work-horse with just enough technology, but not enough to scare home tinkering and maintenance. Great video and review of a stunning example.
Almost passed out when I saw how much the asking price is ! My parents had a 1974 145 auto for 30 years and IIRC it was around 3 grand when new. Who'd have thought that a 240 estate would appreciate so much ?
My grandfather had a 1989 F-reg 2.3 240 DL estate with a carburettor and a choke. I remember 1st being low and 2nd being high making that change bigger than you expect and slowing you down.
Had a old 240dl estate bought for £700 went all round Scotland 5 up with a camping trailer never missed a beat. Never used any oil even though done three hundred thousand miles . Went to go to work in it one day would not start ,i thought funny she always starts lifted the bonnet someone had pinched the battery . Had it 5 years with new battery but rust killed her in the end ,great cars the old ones .Friend has one of the xc 60 's is it the four wheel drive one had nothing but trouble and cost them 45k new in 2014.
The 80s and early 90s were a golden era for Volvo quality. Over the years, my family had two 240s, a 760, 940, 960, and a V70. The V70 was nowhere near as good as the 3-digit model series... it was very expensive, the interior materials wore out quickly, the LCD screens didn't work well in the cold, it was generally less reliable, and it ultimately made my family switch to Honda. The modern Honda Accord feels more like a spiritual successor to the 240 than any current Volvo does; it's durable, no non-sense, and safe. The 960 got me through most of university, but it was too expensive to fuel up for a student, so it got replaced with a Taurus (whose transmission failed) and then an mk1 Focus (which was a phenomenal car).
My old man had one of these SKY358Y in GLE spec with cruise control carb was forever needing work to keep it running right remember having fun with the after market monroe adjustable rear shocks
The Strombergs, SU and CVG carburators allways wanted some ATF oil in it's dampers to keep them calm, and for all but the SU, an extra membrane and a screwdriver was handy to have in the glove compartment, otherwise you might end up having to idle home! :)
I used to be able to sleep flat out in the back of mine with the seats folded down and it was very comfortable with just a thin foam pad. Fabulous car.
Still drive my ‘84 GL 240 Estate with the same GLT wheels. Odo has 390k miles. They are becoming very rare here in Los Angeles. These cars are about enjoying life and smelling the roses. You drive a different car if you want to go fast or keep up with traffic. If you are a new driver looking for a first car, you better know what you are doing if you get one.
Volvo introduced daylights with these and everyone laughed. Now everyone has them. Great car. Legendary design. Early 200s with round lights and big bumpers, 244DL
Absolutely love these particularly the late ones. Dark metallic blue estate GL with the blue velour interior with the the dished hubcaps is my favourite spec.
I drove two saloons : a B200E injection manual and a B230K carburettor automatic. The former was nimble and agile, the latter a slow drunkard. Two completely different cars with that great build quality in common. ANd yes, they do get under your skin
Great video, Matt. Love these cars. I've never driven one with the 2 litre. Our 81 had the 2.1 with a single Zenith carburetor. My 90 has the 2.3 litre 4 cylinder with multipoint Bosch fuel injection, backed up by an Aisan-Warner AW71 automatic with overdrive. I do know Arthur is not the fastest in straight line acceleration, but man, does he carry speed on the corners. This one, being an estate, takes a different size of tyre. It came with 285R14 tyres. On Canadian assembled cars, the tires were Goodyear Polysteel. The 92/93 wagons went to a 195/75R14, which is also difficult to find. That wagon, on Virgo wheels, should be running a 205/65R15. Volvo offered a plethora of auxiliary gauges to fill that one blanking plate and the cubby on the middle. The large tach was a dealer installed option. They also offered a tach the same size as that small clock. I could not tell what tire is in the spare well, but if it is the "Special Spare" it needs to be tossed. The well is able to swallow a wheel and tire that matches those on the car.
I think the spare was a standard steel rim, I didnt look what type the tyre was. I was surprised to see a carb on this, I thought they were early cars only
@@furiousdriving they had these K models with an "electric carburator" that was not the most reliable system, there where aftermarket Weber carburators that many switched to, I'm not sure which model was installed in that one!
One of the finest cars ever. I drove one to Stockholm via the Nurburgring 10 years ago and it didn’t miss a beat. The car driven here needs a new viscous clutch on the radiator fan and either an engine or gearbox mount to straighten the gear leaver out. Lovely condition otherwise.
Fun fact about the B200K. If the timing belt snaps whilst the motor is running the entire engine will break! Pistons right up into the head since the compression area is in the cylinders not the head. So make sure to get your service done.
Love the video, spent many a childhood trip in the back of these, we had an almost identical one in metallic green on a B-reg new, replacing a 240DL with the egg-crate grille, my dad swore by them as tow cars. Electric windows were a novelty back then which our GL had along with electric mirrors - was the switch between the seats? Early Volvo's had automatic heated seats so just came on without a switch I remember
Beautiful example. I love the old 240. I have had a 245 wagon, (to us in Aus.) a 740 like Matt’s, a 264 GLE and a 240 wagon with 5 speed manual. Full credit to whoever prepares these cars at Stone Cold Classics. Obviously a lot of work gone into this.
I love these volvo videos you keep doing, I'm not going to complain its another 240 as i love them. I had a 245 DL, the older and lower spec estate of this one, which was a late 1970s version, back in the early 90s. The person who owned it before me used it for transporting their dogs for walking and to dog shows so it had done starship mileage but it still just went on and on. I sold it to someone who lived around the corner to me and they had it for almost another 10 years and it only ended its life when another car scraped it in a car park and it was written off. These things are built like tanks and as reliable as clockwork. I love your reference to if a Velour and a Tweed mated and their offspring would be this material. I would say it would be a Veleed as a Twelour is southern hemisphere lol. They are so very comfy too, i must admit i like the cloth trim in these more than the leather as usually in the summer the leather gets really hot but they are both very nice to sit in for long journeys. The doors too are on a kind of spring hinge that can make them shut very hard and if your fingers are in the way, that can hurt. I speak from experience, i thought i had broken my finger when it got trapped in the door and had to go to the hospital just to check, luckily i hadn't but the doctor said "never mess with a volvo, you will come off worse every time" and its true. Great video as always
Witham Garage at 4:38. I live in Grantham and said garage doesn't exist any more. It was demolished in the mid-1990s and is now the site of Asda car park and Sankt Augustin Way.
I remember my Grandma having a white 240 estate and it was my favourite car of my childhood, more so than my mum’s mark 3 and mark 4 escorts. When my Grandma finally replaced it with an 850, I was one sad 9 year old. Would love to own one of my own.
We had one of these in the very early 70's with the rear facing seats. As kids, that was great fun when we used to go to the beach....Hull to Scarborough or Bridlington. We even went to Sweden and Norway in it ! Odd for a ten/eleven year old to remember the plate , but I think it was VKH 818H
"K" in the end of the motor code means it has a carburettor and "E"/"F" that it has fuel injection (mechanical or electronic). The grill inte center of the dash is not a ventilation grill, it's for a speaker. The manual ventilation in the foot wells are just that: unheated ventilation. It lets in in unheated air and works as a poor mans air conditioning. They were brilliant on warm summer days, when you opened them up alongside a tiny gap i the backseat side windows to get the whole cabin ventilated without the drag. The heated air vents to the footwells were hidden in the center console. The rear mirrors are electrical ones, so there have to be a switch to control them somewhere, but I don't remember where. Ingvar Kamprad is the name you are searching for ;)
The 740 was never intended as the successor of the 240, the 850 was. The 700series was designed as a move upmarket, with focus on the export market. The (then very expensive) 760 appeared in 1982, when finally in 1985 the 740 GL appeared as lowest spec model, it was priced about equal to the highest-spec 200series, the 245 Turbo. The 850s development was delayed, it was originally planned to have appeared a few years earlier, in 1989 I believe.
Well furious driving didn't you crack open the egg shell of memory lane for everyone here today,I got my first Volvo 40 yrs ago and it was the first year they offered a 242GT with the manual 4spd wO/D what brilliant car as you said they get under your skin and they are until today as my daily drivers , I live in Winnipeg Manitoba Canada where it is currently - 25 celsius 78% humidity a lovely frosty morning and my current 1989 240 DL dk metallic with over 333k started like it has everyday since i bought it 11 yrs ago, its not the prettiest car , there's nothing that has the heat or the quality of heated seats that it has, this car in the winter months actually gets average mileage of 24-25 MPG which is normal for these 240'S , this my 4th 240 model and never had one under 400k and it just astonishes in a very positive way and get many stories , i do most of the servicing myself and always have over the years, all the quirks that the commenters spoke of here shows what we have in common a love for a brick or bricks in some cases , I also went to work for Volvo for a few years back in the late 80's and they all had that thing under the skin just like i did and some of them lived, ate,breathed and slepted Volvos in particular 1 mechanic named Mike Baraschuk who just recently retired in 2020 with over 50 yrs in Volvos, no one in our province had his tenure or experience with these cars, he is an universe of knowledge when it comes to Volvos , I recently was at the petrol station and an old guy driving an old 80's Mercedes 300E i think it was a gas model and got out and said your brings back memories of his first Volvo 240 GL Saloon and said to me to this day it had the best seats of any car he has owned and told me his extended ownership of more than20 german cars of all makes/models and the only seats that match the volvo were his current Benz, so it only took Mercedes 40 yrs to make a seat as good as Volvo did 40 yrs earlier with heating in them i have to add , you can still get most mechanical/electrical parts you need for these cars ,its just smaller exterior/ interior parts are a little tougher to find i always keep an eye out for them , like everyone here said its good to keep a few spares on hand, i ran into an old teacher of mine in his 70's and still drives his 88 740 Turbo Estate manual with get this over 700k on it and runs well and still looks amazing for that amount of driving and it has always been dealer serviced which has allot to say for that place, living testament I'd say, thanks so much for the review and a well rounded one at that, much the same way i did it when i worked for Volvo Canada back in the day, I never did like the 740's the 940's yes much better cars all round, you have a new subscriber 👍
Wow a classic Volvo estate is there anything better? Laughed out loud when you invented the Twelour or Veleed :-) And even more when you said "ooh a 5 Touring that's lovely" :-) :-) I guess that was an E34, great things. Volvo seats have always been the best in the business. I don't know how they manage it with every generation but those seats are so immensly supportive and comfortable. Would be interesting to see if the Polestar 2 has as comfortable seats as, say, the V70.
Early coffin nose 240 (only short production), 240s were carburettor until 1987, where they changed to k jet mechanical injection, bringing LH injection in 1990 for electronic injection. The base model DL came with a carburettor from start to end of production.
Awesome. I have driven a 240 DL saloon and it really wasn't planted at the rear because the track seemed narrower than the front. I loved the seats and the driving position was very commanding. The visibility seems much better on this estate because I found it easier to park the longest Transit than the 240 saloon. Those big bumpers were hard to judge and a towbar behind protruded like a double rear bumper. My Dad told me that the brakes hauled the thing up like nothing else he had ever experienced like dropping an anchor ⚓.
@@seancooke4127 two circut, three point hydraulic discbrakes with 12 pistons in the calipers. Vented discs up front on the more powerful versions. They did work, even if one circut leaked you had brakes on both front wheels and one of the rear wheels.
Regarding the blinking saftey belt reminder when hazard lights is active: My grandfather had a 240 and he didn't like wearing seatbelt. He discovered that you can put the hazard switch in a halfway on-position. That blocks the saftey belt reminder light but also the indicators. Not a problem if you drive alone in the forest. The turning radius is great. You can easily make a u-turn on normal street in sweden. The 140 is even better.
@@Bratfalken If i remember corectly there is an advertisement video where they brag about it. Not sure on what model but when searching I found this: www.dandad.org/awards/professional/1992/press-advertising/27640/how-to-improve-a-golfs-turning-circle/
NOW your talking! From my 164 to my 240GLT Estate, whilst not high performance cars, they gave me everything I could have reasonably wanted in a car. The estate had the largest load capacity of any European car, and this is a remarkably well kept example. At 48K the engine is barely run in! The design is a timeless classic, and if Volvo still made them, I'm sure they'd still be selling in respectable numbers.
The blank plate below the clock had an economy gauge as an option (or mine did anyway), the quality of the interior materials in these things was unbelievable, I had a 14 year old 1981/2 (X reg) one and it looked like it had never been sat in! The earlier cars were 4 speed with overdrive and the 2.3 was a lot more willing than the example you have there ;)
I'm in love. I've always wanted one of these but no way it'll get past the gaffer and I have tried, believe me. Dad had a 1983 240gl in white, with the extra seats in the back. Great fun to be in. One day, one day....
I went to look at one of these with a friend back in the dim and distant nineties . It was for sale at a place the sold stuff that had been repossessed or impounded by customs and the fuzz. The exterior was immaculate, the interior wasn't there! It had been stripped by Customs looking for drugs and was just gone. Nothing left, dash, door panels, seats, trim, everything. Apparently her Majesty's men had kept all the bits for evidence. Needles to say, my friend declined the offer and bought a Merc 190E instead. That konked out on his journey back to Kent from Essex due to the cam chain breaking! Ouch.
My uncle had one of these in the late 90s early 2000s. Funny blue colour with a blue interior on a D reg. Only paid about £50 for it. Went very well for such a big car
I had the 245 it was a lovely car, I run a gardening business at the time and you would be amazed at the stuff I got in it, and I also used it to move house not many modern cars could do that now, they not a fast car but if you put them on the motorway get up to 70 eventually it will stick at that no matter what gets in the way Wind hills whatever
I don’t know if anyone said this already but I believe the mirror controls are those little knobs on the center console on either side of the handbrake
This and the W123 TE's are definitive European Estate cars. Back in the 80's there was local to me a Burgundy 265 GLE with the number plate 265 GLE. This seriously impressed me a teenage car nerd, I wonder which came first for him the plate or the car!
I've been driving Volvos since 1988 (3 x 300, 900, 2 x V70 P80, V70 P2, XC70 P3, V90 CC SPA). The only thing I don't like about the 240 estate is the rear door heads. My favourite was my XC70 P3, but the 940 estate was very close. Older Volvos are built to last. Tanks. But I love this Swedish brick.
Some years ago I had a 240, and a Vauxhall drove into the back of it at a bus stop. The Vauxhall front end was basically written off, and the rear lens was cracked on the Volvo.
I recall driving a fuel injection one in the mid 90s once. I was surprised how slow it was and how slow you had to go around corners. Although very safe for a 70s car would not expect 240 to be safe by current standards. The s40 was only 4 star in 1997 euro standards test which would may be 1 star on todays.
the mirror controls are the little nubs next to the handbrake. the cubby could be swapped for a gauge pod and that extra space could be another gauge. they offered ton and tons of dealer option gauges. i'm working on one now that has an oil gauge ambient temp gauge a clock an economy gauge and a volts gauge. ive never seen the side light warning lamp we don't have them on american cars
Most options on these cars were dealer installed, including air conditioning until 1992. With space for up to 5 auxiliary gauges, Volvo offered 8 or 9 individual gauges, including the small clock when the Rev counter was installed, also at the dealer.
@@furiousdriving those are actually one of the stock places for the heated seat switches at 14:33 you can see a little nub pointing towards the radio. There are two of them and they are itty bitty joysticks for the mirrors. Here’s a pic of a power window console but it’s the same setup images.app.goo.gl/4XssUCy7LCCkxfvP6
We had 3x 240 estates all from new, a 1973, 1976 and 1979. Loved them all. Drove all 3 from north west UK down to southern Spain and back on holiday. Never a problem.
A perfect example of 'don't build them anymore like that'. Indestructible. The proverbial Swedish tank...and what a lovely one it is!
Well said Daniel!👍
You forgot to mention the Choke that is visable in the bottom of the picture at 11:38. You had to pull that one out get the car to start during cold winter days.
It increases the fuel/air intake to make it start easier, but if you forgot to push it back in after a while, it would consume twice as much fuel during your trip.
My first car was a 1986 Volvo 244 with carbureter and the exact same instruments as this one. Good memories!
I think if you get run over by a Volvo 240 estate, a paper cut from a headlamp wiper is going to be the least of you worries.
Beautiful condition. The colour & depth of the paintwork is factory fresh.
Truly amazing go a 35 year old motor
What a cracking example of one of my favourite cars, having owned a total of four estates (most had over 200,000 miles on them) never had a breakdown, the only problem was rust.
I always preferred the the auto box over the manual, I can still remember how comfortable those lovely leather seats were, and how easy they were to service.
I own an 86& 93 classic& both are fast but the 86 with manual& upgrade cam is damn fast!
i done all my servicing on my A reg 83 240 Estate B21 engine oil filter change with Halfords crap oil to flush out any swarf & replaced with Castrol GTX after a couple of miles spark plugs etc antifreeze replacement (Bluecol) i used it neat .. spark plug at the rear next to the firewall was a bit of a pain but got it with a double joint box spanner.. air filter was easy too, gearbox with overdrive was filled with red brake fluid. bit of a pain with my mate outside the car with a funnel and long tube to the box.. through the engine bay.. I did not do the hub shoes and disc brakes though my mate done that at Kwik fit. fuel injection filter was my mate also. (euro car parts ) grease on the throttle linkage wheel etc etc.. bonnet release trumpet handle greased my car had 723,000 on it timing belt changed every 5000 miles. Alloys were cleaned and coppa slip slightly smeared onto the rear of the hub to stop the alloy sticking to the metal Hub , only one thing i hated about the 240 was the fuse box on the passenger side was prone to water ingress in the winter ?? My F REG 740 2.5 had its fuse box in the ashtray compartment which was a bit of a pig to get too but free from the elements Great Cars built like tanks!!
Love a 240 estate. The car of my childhood. We had an 88 GL which had the stereo instead where the fur lined cubby is and had gained electric front windows and padded front headrests. Still had the twelour though but a more subtle grey! We didnt have the built in rear seats in the boot but we did have a dog guard. Said dog used to delight in doing laps of the boot too.
For some reason ours hated the damp and sitting outside overnight and was often a bit of a pig to start. Thankfully it had a warm garage so most if the time all was well.
Great to see one again and so good to see they still have the loyal following
the only car a dog can get tired running around the boot
I absolutely adore my 240s. Hope to continue driving them until fuel & spare parts become completely unobtainable.
Electric conversion
@@edwardmullan2724 No no and no again.
@@bertiewooster3326 yeeeeeees, embrace the electrons.
Cng conversion is answer
I'm in the same boat my friend. I can't imagine enjoying to drive any car more than my 240. The day that I'll have to park her for good will be an utter tragedy.
From when cars were practical and you could actually get something in the back.
Estates will always be better than SUVs
@@furiousdriving you should see the boot of my Alto, I can probably fit a single peanut in it.
Like a dead body, perhaps?
When the Mazda 121 came out in the 90ths I was interested for a while, it looked like a meatball! ;) But checking it out I found the opening in underneath the bootlid was so tiny you could slide a briefcase down..... maybe... 🤣
@@furiousdriving my dad was into diy so always preferred an estate for his company car. Only problem was his grade was based on a 1.6GL cavalier or Sierra hatchback. To get the estate you had to drop down to the L spec which meant no toys.
I had a 1989 240 GLT Auto estate from 2009 to 2018. Bought it for £350 and sold it for £500 with 2 months MOT left. It was very reliable B230E K jet mechanical injection. It was my daily driver for 8 years until I bought a 1996 Volvo 940 Se LPT Auto estate, B230FK engine. 240 covered 76,000 miles with me over the 10 years. Sold as needed work and had 2 other cars, heater fan dead and rust hole in door sill.
Bought 940 as couldn't believe how much quieter it was, and wanted AC and ABS. When you think Volvo you do think of the 200 series. Rust is their enemy. The car you drove looks a lovely example but basic.
Probably has the same B230K engine as in my previous volvo from 2002-2007 a 1986 740 GLE. My first car. Loved fitting an electric sunroof motor and switch from a 940 and fitting 240 GLT "Virgo" Alloys to it.
Still own the 940, my work vehicle. Just run in at 205,000miles.
My parents had 240 estate from 1983 to 1995. What a cosy car it was. I remember the holidays with it to the UK, France and Norway. Or taking the dogs out with it to the beach. It was built like a tank. My parents replaced it with a Citroën XM break, which I also drove for years. Furious many thx for posting this trip down memory lane. Happy holidays to you !
Had a 1989 240GLT Auto estate for 10 years. Paid £350 in late 2009. A reliable load lugger and daily/only car for 8 years until I bought a 1996 940 SE LPT Auto estate for £250 Sold the 240 after 10 years for £500 with 3 months MOT. The last 2 MOT's needed the outriggers welded. £70 and again a few years later for £150. Main reason in changing to the 940 was the heater fan worked. The 240 one had died 4 years earlier. Above 30mph got a bit of natural convection from it but with fan like a nuclear reactor meltdown. I like my 940 more, but the 240 is what people think of when thinking of a Volvo. That 240 is super clean and seems very rust free.
What a beautiful and handsome car the Volvo 240 is! Cars with such elegant lines are no longer made.
It's very interesting seeing the European-spec 240s versus the US-spec ones. Here, the estates/wagons were only offered with vinyl upholstery in the DL and leather in the GL and GLT/Turbo cars. The cloth is a nice look. Interesting you panned right over the mirror controls without seeing them - those tiny joysticks mounted under the park brake lever. What an odd place Volvo put them. If a purchaser opted to add them on to a car with standard manual mirrors, then the controls were on the center console along with the defrost, air conditioning and other switches. My family had a '78 245DL estate, an '84 244DL sedan and my '82 244GL (sunroof and electric windows all around with velour upholstery here in the US). They were wonderfully reliable, solid cars, and mine served me well during my university years. A side note - one of our family friends was rear-ended in her '88 245DL estate with 7 people in the car, including two kids in the rearmost seat. As you mentioned, the rear compartment was very well reinforced on these cars, so nobody was injured, although the damage was extensive.
It’s the box that safety comes in. I have had five Volvos and my current one is a 1993 240 with the same blue interior. Love it!
Misty eyed memories of the 240DL estate I used to own, I want another one!
I had a 245 DL in 1979 when Volvo went to square headlights with washwipe, from the up to 1978, round headlight version. It had a Rusty brown colour and a cool number plate, DGV 245 T. That rear facing seat was a very expensive extra but well worth it. The kids would fight to get a place in it ( I had three kids). I bought loads of expensive Volvo extras, including a bloody great roof rack. That year took it touring round Sweden. Just fantastic. Over 15+ years I had many Volvo estates including a 760 ( wow , serious wallet emptying at the petrol pump. The one I loved the most was the original 240 DL.
Happy Memories, we had four between 1974 and 1981.(All Automatics)
M Reg 240GL Red Estate
R Reg 240GL Red Estate
S Reg 245GL Orange Estate
W Reg 245GL Met. Blue Estate.
Great cars.
Keeping Volvo going single handed!
We had a signwriter in the family. Transporter in the week and family taxi at the Weekend.
@@camperlustig68 How did you get your Volvo badge next to your name? I want lol
Ahh your a Furious driving member an the badge is from that. I googled lol
Glad you reviewed this, it’s an iconic lump of Swedish steel. Great cars.
My mother had a 1990 Volvo 240 GL Estate from two months old until 2001. It had a number of niggling faults, mainly electrical, but the good old red block engine really didn't give any problems at all. Love the upgrade to the GLT wheels on this example.
Happy days! Those wheels do suit it dont they
@@furiousdriving , when you got in those rear facing seats, I was eight years old again! You are right, once you get to a certain age, they stop being fun and start to become a bit rubbish...
I had a white one . bought it in Stockholm . left hand drive. Great car for me as a musician. Slept in it to.
Those rear seats are really a throwback to the Volvo 940 we had when I was growing up. Fairly sure they're near enough the exact same, I have absolutely no idea how anyone managed to fit in them all the way around Scotland, but somehow it worked. Can also confirm that the back of the car was exceptionally safe.
Also really hope to see a Volvo 480 at some point, as ive got my eyes out for one of them, and they have the same fantastic Volvo following but on a much smaller scale more niche scale.
Didn't expect to find you here! Cool to see other TH-cam's I watch posting on channels I watch too!
No, 240’s had armrest
@@honestguy7764 my ‘87 245 had leather seats and rear armrest.
Ahh yeah the 480, can't say i seen one of those around in ages here in Sweden, quite a cool car, same with the old 164 V6 or the ever amazing 240T in graphite grey, man that car was sexy with the special rims.
My first car was a 245 (the estate) Turbo! The only made these for two model years I think and it was the world's first mass produced estate turbo. Mine only had around 140K kms on the clocks, but unfortunately I had to sell it when failing MOT because of lots of rust issues. The turbo has a turbo gauge in the dash in the blank spot. At the time I read that ten percent of the cars in Sweden was a 240 (not even counting the other models in the volvo line up), that's an astonishing number! Today you still see them, but rarely in the winter since they're mostly entusiast owned.
There was an addon for the low ressesion to the right of the dash, a small box with a lid to keep coins for parking. The Airmix is just a bypass valve for the middle outlets bypassing the heatercore, so mostly it was on hot during winter and cool during the summer. The upper slider regulates a coolant valve by the feet of the passenger, and if the rug is damp there then the valve is leaking. It also has an eter tube from the valve into the heather to even out the set temp in the coupe, changing the heater fan was the least fun thing to do as I think Volvo started with that and buildt the car around it! ;)
What a beauty and you did a great review on it Matt. Can't wait for you to meet a 140 to do a review on and watch you trying to park it without power steering.
My father was a main Volvo dealer from mid 70's to late 80's. He used to put a 2" x 24" sticker along the top of the rear window with the slogan "Volvo for Safety, Quality and Reliability".
Cars imported into Ireland were of poverty spec so radios, floor mats and mud flaps were an extra except for the 300 & 240 GLS/GLT/GLE models.
Those lower feet vents open a flap inside the wing allowing fresh air into the cabin. They are carried over from the 140's … as were those door handles, heater controls.
My 240 GLT estate Auto 1985 in metallic mid blue made me fall in love with Volvos.
In my sedan, I had the center arm-rest installed. It had a pull-out two cup full cupholder out the front and two out the rear.
They were indeed the weapon of choice for 70s and 80s antique dealers complete with a full length roof rack. The dealer I used to buy stuff from used to buy a new one every year and he put a large board on the flat floor to stop the chests or drawers from damaging it. Sadly the antiques trade has gone the same way as the old volvos and few shops are left. I think the old antique dealers must have used them as coffins!
furiousdriving : At 14:32 You can adjust the electric sidemirrors with the two little switches between the seats in front of the emergency-brake handle.... When the ignition is turned on..
Bring back the estate cars drive like a saloon mostly and more practical than these SUV MPV things
100% Totally agree!
Crossovers combine the worst aspects of driving a sedan with the worst aspects of driving a SUV, all while looking dog ugly. I couldn’t stand driving my fathers 2015 Explorer
Here’s to hoping they lose their popularity, they already seem to be developing a stigma among people my age. (18-25)
@@googlepissoff5776 Yes it's just fashion gone mad
I didn't expect the Swedish inquisition...
No one expects the Swedish inquisition.
Our main weapon is surprise.
And meatballs.
Our two main weapons are surprise and meatballs.
And Abba
Our 3 main weapons are surprise, meatballs and Abba.
You will stay in the comfy Volvo chairs till lunchtime with only a coffee at 11😁
Ben Holroyd ...amongst our weapons are surprise, meatballs, ABBA and a fanatical devotion to Britt Ekland.
Wayne Tetley 😀👌
It's the comfy chair and cushion as punishment for Matt!
Volvos don't have tea shelves, they have smörgås-boards
Beautiful car!!!! My grandma owned a 1992 240 and I will always love this car ❤
I’ve had mine 20 years all that’s gone wrong is fuel pump relay , it’s a 1993 tor’s landa estate, with the large roof rack
thats the one I want!
That fuel pump relay is a super common issue, i know a lot of people who used to have two spare ones in the glove compartment, volvo 740 had the same issue on some models aswell
@@oljefri yes the soldered joints go dry , I got it apart and resoldered all and was great fix , I was broke down on Isle of Wight and got her home ok intermittent fault , the worst kind , Steve.
@@1961kickboxer I never thought about popping one open, me and a friend had to hotwire the fuel pump one time to get home, problem was that we didnt have any wire, so we ´´borrowed`` some from the aftermarket electric radiator fan
@@oljefri Nice one jimmy , anything to get her home.
Nice. Lovejoy had one I think in the first series of, well Lovejoy in '86. Lovely machine. A nice big sunroof and original stereo is all that it might need.
Brings back memories. My first car was a C reg Med Blue 240GL. Great car wish I still had it
My first car was a 1967 122S. :D
My dad had a 1979 265 GL (six cylinder, 2.7L automatic fuel injection) back in the early 80s. Silver, leather heated seats - it was such a beautiful car. Compared to what he had before it was like a space ship.
The single carb B200 A engine in this is lucky to put out 80 Bhp. (ooft!)
The Dual carb has a bit more (B200 B) with 105/110 BHP and the later fuel injected versions are around 130 Bhp in 2.0 Litre form.
The 2.3 GLT saloon you drove, had 130BHP (I looked it up!) Went on to evolve 16V and Turbo units in the 7 and 900 series, although the 240 Turbo had fun in the Group A in the early eighties.
I can imagine a 50 BHP difference in a 240 estate would be huge!
There was an equalizer to mount in the upper cubbyhole, and later also a DIN radio mount later on, also you could mount extra guages in all five possible places. The vents on the outer legrooms are only cool air, it opens to the same area as the vents between the hood and the windshield. But lovely during the summer, heat for the feets are from the middle and under the front seats for the rear passenger. If you close the outer vents and spray water down the air intake water will fill the sills under the doors and drain out through several intentional holes, making flushing the sills from birchseeds and such doable! :)
А я всё гадал - откуда листья в порогах )) спасибо
@@Toni-ch hehe, well that explained it! :)
I lived in one for 8mths no problem put the mattress in the back and slept in laybys or industrial estates loved it !
The 240 estate is possibly THE iconic car of the Volvo brand 😍 absolutely love these things - such a lovely car and in stunning condition too! Deadlining - love that haha. Great review Matt!
Love that car , when Volvo made Volvos , now they just make cars .
Clever folding seats years before the Vauxhall Zafira and Honda Jazz .
So glad i came across this video. My Old Man ran one of these from 1985 to 1993. It was immaculate. I have so many memories of Family Holidays around the UK in it. Best car ever. My Wife is still worried about me winning the Lottery because she knows i would sink £1000's into one...
Great vid! Been driving one of these for nearly 30 years. I found your mirror controls. The camera scooted past them. Would you believe, down low between the front seats either side of the handbrake. Very cool spot for them. Very random too. lol
The switches in the centre dash are heated mirrors and heated rear screen. They did come with adjustable mirrors and the switches were in the panel by the hand brake lever if they were fitted. The top pocket would have had the standard radio fitted and if it was the basic one the speaker would have been fitted under the top dash grill. Where the radio is fitted now would have been the pocket. We used to have to fit speakers to the doors after cutting out the hole in the door card first, all the wiring was in the door from factory.
It's very nice to watch a British man getting excited about a Swedish product. Your video put a warm smile on my face.
Glad to hear it!
Stunning GLT alloys
My mum had a gold GLT estate back in the day,and as a kid I enjoyed trying to wash it just to look/ feel the alloys (I know) but I loved it.
They really are a proper work-horse with just enough technology, but not enough to scare home tinkering and maintenance.
Great video and review of a stunning example.
Almost passed out when I saw how much the asking price is ! My parents had a 1974 145 auto for 30 years and IIRC it was around 3 grand when new. Who'd have thought that a 240 estate would appreciate so much ?
My grandfather had a 1989 F-reg 2.3 240 DL estate with a carburettor and a choke. I remember 1st being low and 2nd being high making that change bigger than you expect and slowing you down.
Had a old 240dl estate bought for £700 went all round Scotland 5 up with a camping trailer never missed a beat. Never used any oil even though done three hundred thousand miles . Went to go to work in it one day would not start ,i thought funny she always starts lifted the bonnet someone had pinched the battery . Had it 5 years with new battery but rust killed her in the end ,great cars the old ones .Friend has one of the xc 60 's is it the four wheel drive one had nothing but trouble and cost them 45k new in 2014.
13 grand for a 1984 Volvo is steep mind wow ,should have kept mine.
The 80s and early 90s were a golden era for Volvo quality. Over the years, my family had two 240s, a 760, 940, 960, and a V70. The V70 was nowhere near as good as the 3-digit model series... it was very expensive, the interior materials wore out quickly, the LCD screens didn't work well in the cold, it was generally less reliable, and it ultimately made my family switch to Honda. The modern Honda Accord feels more like a spiritual successor to the 240 than any current Volvo does; it's durable, no non-sense, and safe.
The 960 got me through most of university, but it was too expensive to fuel up for a student, so it got replaced with a Taurus (whose transmission failed) and then an mk1 Focus (which was a phenomenal car).
My old man had one of these SKY358Y in GLE spec with cruise control carb was forever needing work to keep it running right remember having fun with the after market monroe adjustable rear shocks
The Strombergs, SU and CVG carburators allways wanted some ATF oil in it's dampers to keep them calm, and for all but the SU, an extra membrane and a screwdriver was handy to have in the glove compartment, otherwise you might end up having to idle home! :)
I used to be able to sleep flat out in the back of mine with the seats folded down and it was very comfortable with just a thin foam pad. Fabulous car.
Still drive my ‘84 GL 240 Estate with the same GLT wheels. Odo has 390k miles. They are becoming very rare here in Los Angeles. These cars are about enjoying life and smelling the roses. You drive a different car if you want to go fast or keep up with traffic. If you are a new driver looking for a first car, you better know what you are doing if you get one.
Volvo introduced daylights with these and everyone laughed. Now everyone has them. Great car. Legendary design. Early 200s with round lights and big bumpers, 244DL
I have replaced the daylights with LED so it is both safe and doesn't take much power. Best feature ever.
Absolutely love these particularly the late ones. Dark metallic blue estate GL with the blue velour interior with the the dished hubcaps is my favourite spec.
What a cracking bus. Always a soft spot for the Volvo's. Nice wheels on it too....
I drove two saloons : a B200E injection manual and a B230K carburettor automatic. The former was nimble and agile, the latter a slow drunkard. Two completely different cars with that great build quality in common. ANd yes, they do get under your skin
I love the appearance of the fog lights on the front of the car. Solid and utilitarian.
Great video, Matt. Love these cars. I've never driven one with the 2 litre. Our 81 had the 2.1 with a single Zenith carburetor. My 90 has the 2.3 litre 4 cylinder with multipoint Bosch fuel injection, backed up by an Aisan-Warner AW71 automatic with overdrive. I do know Arthur is not the fastest in straight line acceleration, but man, does he carry speed on the corners. This one, being an estate, takes a different size of tyre. It came with 285R14 tyres. On Canadian assembled cars, the tires were Goodyear Polysteel. The 92/93 wagons went to a 195/75R14, which is also difficult to find. That wagon, on Virgo wheels, should be running a 205/65R15. Volvo offered a plethora of auxiliary gauges to fill that one blanking plate and the cubby on the middle. The large tach was a dealer installed option. They also offered a tach the same size as that small clock. I could not tell what tire is in the spare well, but if it is the "Special Spare" it needs to be tossed. The well is able to swallow a wheel and tire that matches those on the car.
I think the spare was a standard steel rim, I didnt look what type the tyre was. I was surprised to see a carb on this, I thought they were early cars only
@@furiousdriving they had these K models with an "electric carburator" that was not the most reliable system, there where aftermarket Weber carburators that many switched to, I'm not sure which model was installed in that one!
One of the finest cars ever. I drove one to Stockholm via the Nurburgring 10 years ago and it didn’t miss a beat. The car driven here needs a new viscous clutch on the radiator fan and either an engine or gearbox mount to straighten the gear leaver out. Lovely condition otherwise.
Fun fact about the B200K. If the timing belt snaps whilst the motor is running the entire engine will break! Pistons right up into the head since the compression area is in the cylinders not the head. So make sure to get your service done.
It was fun to watch a nice tidy car. It was like a brand new. I use to make them back in the 90'. And of course the 740/940.
Love the video, spent many a childhood trip in the back of these, we had an almost identical one in metallic green on a B-reg new, replacing a 240DL with the egg-crate grille, my dad swore by them as tow cars. Electric windows were a novelty back then which our GL had along with electric mirrors - was the switch between the seats? Early Volvo's had automatic heated seats so just came on without a switch I remember
Beautiful example. I love the old 240. I have had a 245 wagon, (to us in Aus.) a 740 like Matt’s, a 264 GLE and a 240 wagon with 5 speed manual. Full credit to whoever prepares these cars at Stone Cold Classics. Obviously a lot of work gone into this.
245 was a wagon everywhere, in the 80’s they all became 240’s no matter what guise they were in.
I love these volvo videos you keep doing, I'm not going to complain its another 240 as i love them. I had a 245 DL, the older and lower spec estate of this one, which was a late 1970s version, back in the early 90s. The person who owned it before me used it for transporting their dogs for walking and to dog shows so it had done starship mileage but it still just went on and on. I sold it to someone who lived around the corner to me and they had it for almost another 10 years and it only ended its life when another car scraped it in a car park and it was written off. These things are built like tanks and as reliable as clockwork. I love your reference to if a Velour and a Tweed mated and their offspring would be this material. I would say it would be a Veleed as a Twelour is southern hemisphere lol. They are so very comfy too, i must admit i like the cloth trim in these more than the leather as usually in the summer the leather gets really hot but they are both very nice to sit in for long journeys. The doors too are on a kind of spring hinge that can make them shut very hard and if your fingers are in the way, that can hurt. I speak from experience, i thought i had broken my finger when it got trapped in the door and had to go to the hospital just to check, luckily i hadn't but the doctor said "never mess with a volvo, you will come off worse every time" and its true. Great video as always
Veleed it is then!
WOW! Absolutely luscious and so practical! Check out the condition! I'm surprised there were no meatballs and dill in the glovebox!
Witham Garage at 4:38. I live in Grantham and said garage doesn't exist any more. It was demolished in the mid-1990s and is now the site of Asda car park and Sankt Augustin Way.
What an absolute dream! I love this car, I always wanted one and am determined at some point I will!! Great video to watch with breakfast.
That Volvo is stunning 😍😍😍
I remember my Grandma having a white 240 estate and it was my favourite car of my childhood, more so than my mum’s mark 3 and mark 4 escorts. When my Grandma finally replaced it with an 850, I was one sad 9 year old. Would love to own one of my own.
We had one of these in the very early 70's with the rear facing seats. As kids, that was great fun when we used to go to the beach....Hull to Scarborough or Bridlington. We even went to Sweden and Norway in it ! Odd for a ten/eleven year old to remember the plate , but I think it was VKH 818H
this was the smoothest and quietest car id ever sat in at the time it came out
Definitely built for trips to Ikea
"K" in the end of the motor code means it has a carburettor and "E"/"F" that it has fuel injection (mechanical or electronic). The grill inte center of the dash is not a ventilation grill, it's for a speaker.
The manual ventilation in the foot wells are just that: unheated ventilation. It lets in in unheated air and works as a poor mans air conditioning. They were brilliant on warm summer days, when you opened them up alongside a tiny gap i the backseat side windows to get the whole cabin ventilated without the drag. The heated air vents to the footwells were hidden in the center console.
The rear mirrors are electrical ones, so there have to be a switch to control them somewhere, but I don't remember where.
Ingvar Kamprad is the name you are searching for ;)
The 740 was never intended as the successor of the 240, the 850 was. The 700series was designed as a move upmarket, with focus on the export market. The (then very expensive) 760 appeared in 1982, when finally in 1985 the 740 GL appeared as lowest spec model, it was priced about equal to the highest-spec 200series, the 245 Turbo. The 850s development was delayed, it was originally planned to have appeared a few years earlier, in 1989 I believe.
Well furious driving didn't you crack open the egg shell of memory lane for everyone here today,I got my first Volvo 40 yrs ago and it was the first year they offered a 242GT with the manual 4spd wO/D what brilliant car as you said they get under your skin and they are until today as my daily drivers , I live in Winnipeg Manitoba Canada where it is currently - 25 celsius 78% humidity a lovely frosty morning and my current 1989 240 DL dk metallic with over 333k started like it has everyday since i bought it 11 yrs ago, its not the prettiest car , there's nothing that has the heat or the quality of heated seats that it has, this car in the winter months actually gets average mileage of 24-25 MPG which is normal for these 240'S , this my 4th 240 model and never had one under 400k and it just astonishes in a very positive way and get many stories , i do most of the servicing myself and always have over the years, all the quirks that the commenters spoke of here shows what we have in common a love for a brick or bricks in some cases , I also went to work for Volvo for a few years back in the late 80's and they all had that thing under the skin just like i did and some of them lived, ate,breathed and slepted Volvos in particular 1 mechanic named Mike Baraschuk who just recently retired in 2020 with over 50 yrs in Volvos, no one in our province had his tenure or experience with these cars, he is an universe of knowledge when it comes to Volvos , I recently was at the petrol station and an old guy driving an old 80's Mercedes 300E i think it was a gas model and got out and said your brings back memories of his first Volvo 240 GL Saloon and said to me to this day it had the best seats of any car he has owned and told me his extended ownership of more than20 german cars of all makes/models and the only seats that match the volvo were his current Benz, so it only took Mercedes 40 yrs to make a seat as good as Volvo did 40 yrs earlier with heating in them i have to add , you can still get most mechanical/electrical parts you need for these cars ,its just smaller exterior/ interior parts are a little tougher to find i always keep an eye out for them , like everyone here said its good to keep a few spares on hand, i ran into an old teacher of mine in his 70's and still drives his 88 740 Turbo Estate manual with get this over 700k on it and runs well and still looks amazing for that amount of driving and it has always been dealer serviced which has allot to say for that place, living testament I'd say, thanks so much for the review and a well rounded one at that, much the same way i did it when i worked for Volvo Canada back in the day, I never did like the 740's the 940's yes much better cars all round, you have a new subscriber 👍
До сих пор езжу на такой же 240GL. С практичной точки точки зрения - лучший автомобиль!
Wow a classic Volvo estate is there anything better? Laughed out loud when you invented the Twelour or Veleed :-) And even more when you said "ooh a 5 Touring that's lovely" :-) :-)
I guess that was an E34, great things.
Volvo seats have always been the best in the business. I don't know how they manage it with every generation but those seats are so immensly supportive and comfortable.
Would be interesting to see if the Polestar 2 has as comfortable seats as, say, the V70.
Early coffin nose 240 (only short production), 240s were carburettor until 1987, where they changed to k jet mechanical injection, bringing LH injection in 1990 for electronic injection. The base model DL came with a carburettor from start to end of production.
Absolutely love that car 😍. My dad had the saloon version as a company car cos he worked for volvo
Awesome. I have driven a 240 DL saloon and it really wasn't planted at the rear because the track seemed narrower than the front. I loved the seats and the driving position was very commanding. The visibility seems much better on this estate because I found it easier to park the longest Transit than the 240 saloon. Those big bumpers were hard to judge and a towbar behind protruded like a double rear bumper. My Dad told me that the brakes hauled the thing up like nothing else he had ever experienced like dropping an anchor ⚓.
@@seancooke4127 two circut, three point hydraulic discbrakes with 12 pistons in the calipers. Vented discs up front on the more powerful versions. They did work, even if one circut leaked you had brakes on both front wheels and one of the rear wheels.
Regarding the blinking saftey belt reminder when hazard lights is active: My grandfather had a 240 and he didn't like wearing seatbelt. He discovered that you can put the hazard switch in a halfway on-position. That blocks the saftey belt reminder light but also the indicators. Not a problem if you drive alone in the forest.
The turning radius is great. You can easily make a u-turn on normal street in sweden. The 140 is even better.
I belive the turningcircle was 9.8 meters, it was nible if you had room for the overhangs.
@@Bratfalken If i remember corectly there is an advertisement video where they brag about it. Not sure on what model but when searching I found this: www.dandad.org/awards/professional/1992/press-advertising/27640/how-to-improve-a-golfs-turning-circle/
NOW your talking! From my 164 to my 240GLT Estate, whilst not high performance cars, they gave me everything I could have reasonably wanted in a car. The estate had the largest load capacity of any European car, and this is a remarkably well kept example. At 48K the engine is barely run in!
The design is a timeless classic, and if Volvo still made them, I'm sure they'd still be selling in respectable numbers.
164E still on my bucket list! Fantastic.
The blank plate below the clock had an economy gauge as an option (or mine did anyway), the quality of the interior materials in these things was unbelievable, I had a 14 year old 1981/2 (X reg) one and it looked like it had never been sat in! The earlier cars were 4 speed with overdrive and the 2.3 was a lot more willing than the example you have there ;)
I'm in love. I've always wanted one of these but no way it'll get past the gaffer and I have tried, believe me. Dad had a 1983 240gl in white, with the extra seats in the back. Great fun to be in. One day, one day....
Oh and by the way, that mullet analogy does work as the back end of that thing is big enough to throw a party in.
I went to look at one of these with a friend back in the dim and distant nineties . It was for sale at a place the sold stuff that had been repossessed or impounded by customs and the fuzz. The exterior was immaculate, the interior wasn't there! It had been stripped by Customs looking for drugs and was just gone. Nothing left, dash, door panels, seats, trim, everything. Apparently her Majesty's men had kept all the bits for evidence. Needles to say, my friend declined the offer and bought a Merc 190E instead. That konked out on his journey back to Kent from Essex due to the cam chain breaking! Ouch.
15:05 BEEP! BEEP! (wow that’s blisteringly loud!)
Brilliant video......you can easily see why people love Volvo
We had one from 1986 to 1990, a 1983 240DL estate, in signal red.
My uncle had one of these in the late 90s early 2000s. Funny blue colour with a blue interior on a D reg. Only paid about £50 for it. Went very well for such a big car
I had the 245 it was a lovely car, I run a gardening business at the time and you would be amazed at the stuff I got in it, and I also used it to move house not many modern cars could do that now, they not a fast car but if you put them on the motorway get up to 70 eventually it will stick at that no matter what gets in the way Wind hills whatever
One of the best cars ever.
I don’t know if anyone said this already but I believe the mirror controls are those little knobs on the center console on either side of the handbrake
This and the W123 TE's are definitive European Estate cars. Back in the 80's there was local to me a Burgundy 265 GLE with the number plate 265 GLE. This seriously impressed me a teenage car nerd, I wonder which came first for him the plate or the car!
I've been driving Volvos since 1988 (3 x 300, 900, 2 x V70 P80, V70 P2, XC70 P3, V90 CC SPA). The only thing I don't like about the 240 estate is the rear door heads. My favourite was my XC70 P3, but the 940 estate was very close. Older Volvos are built to last. Tanks. But I love this Swedish brick.
Some years ago I had a 240, and a Vauxhall drove into the back of it at a bus stop. The Vauxhall front end was basically written off, and the rear lens was cracked on the Volvo.
I recall driving a fuel injection one in the mid 90s once. I was surprised how slow it was and how slow you had to go around corners. Although very safe for a 70s car would not expect 240 to be safe by current standards. The s40 was only 4 star in 1997 euro standards test which would may be 1 star on todays.
I had a green 1977 244DL, and it was the most reliable, comfortable car I've ever owned.
That bonnet is something. I just love old Volvos
the mirror controls are the little nubs next to the handbrake. the cubby could be swapped for a gauge pod and that extra space could be another gauge. they offered ton and tons of dealer option gauges. i'm working on one now that has an oil gauge ambient temp gauge a clock an economy gauge and a volts gauge. ive never seen the side light warning lamp we don't have them on american cars
Most options on these cars were dealer installed, including air conditioning until 1992. With space for up to 5 auxiliary gauges, Volvo offered 8 or 9 individual gauges, including the small clock when the Rev counter was installed, also at the dealer.
there are just blanking plates there, if you scroll back to the handbrake bit you can see where they arnt
@@furiousdriving those are actually one of the stock places for the heated seat switches at 14:33 you can see a little nub pointing towards the radio. There are two of them and they are itty bitty joysticks for the mirrors. Here’s a pic of a power window console but it’s the same setup images.app.goo.gl/4XssUCy7LCCkxfvP6