1990 Volvo 240 Red RWD Automatic DL

1990 Volvo 240 DL

SEE ADDITIONAL PHOTOS IN DESCRIPTION.

Vehicle Details

After some consideration, I’ve decided to sell my 1990 Volvo 240 DL. I am the second owner - I purchased it from the first owner in 2019. This is my 5th Volvo, and 3rd 240, and it has been the most fun to drive of them all. Only reason for selling is I no longer drive it much, and don’t want to let it sit.

The car has a build date of 6/90.

This 240 was sold new at Martens Volvo of Washington, which was the final new car dealer to operate within the District of Columbia. The car has always resided within a 3-mile radius of where it was originally sold.

The 240 was first titled on 5/15/91 with 114 miles on it. I have a copy of the original title, which will be included in the sale.

Finished in paint code 409, “Wine Red”, over a tan cloth interior, the car has an elegant color combination and presents well. The car is mostly stock, with only one modification made to the air conditioning system, explained in detail below.

The car runs great, maintains a level temperature, and drives great. I have taken the car from DC to New Jersey and Pennsylvania with no issues, and would have complete confidence driving it further.

The interior is in excellent condition, with the driver’s seat only having one small seam rip, and the passenger front seat having a couple small spots and a small seam tear. Aside from those, I noticed no imperfections on any of the seats. The carpet and headliner are both in great shape.

Mechanically, the car is great. Below is a list of all I have done to the car. It starts right away, and is a wonderful car to drive. I almost always get a compliment when I take the car out! The air conditioning works wonderfully, and is ice cold in a matter of seconds.

During my ownership, I have invested over $5,100 in general maintenance and an extensive list of repairs, all of which I have receipts for. These repairs include:

- New right taillight

- New driver’s door pocket

- “Custom” center console made of brand new 240 center console and 740 armrest with cup holders in matching tan. (Has front AND rear cup holders!)

- Brand new wiper motor

- Replaced rear brake pads, rotors, and calipers

- Replaced air conditioning electrical relay and installed toggle switch in dash to manually turn on a/c compressor

- New crank shaft pulley

- Timing belt replaced

- Replaced right rear tire

- Air conditioning completely evacuated and recharged

- Brand new radiator, thermostat, expansion tank hoses, and clamps

- New motor mounts

- Replaced front brake discs and pads with shims

- Brand new exhaust system (everything behind cat)

- Brand new battery 9/23

Last oil change done in June 2023.

The car passed DC’s rigorous emissions inspection process prior to the exhaust replacement, so I am certain with the new exhaust it will pass the next emissions inspection. For prospective DC buyers, emissions inspection is valid until 4/1/24.

Cons:

In total transparency, this is a list of everything the car would need to be “perfect”. The car is a very solid, mechanically sound driver as-is, but would benefit from having the following repairs done to really bring the car together.

- Passenger side doors need dent removal or replacing. The car was hit from the side and it dented both doors. I took the car to two separate shops and confirmed only damage was to door surface - no frame damage or other worrisome damage. Both doors on the passenger side open and close fine from the outside and inside. The hit knocked off a piece of door trim - I have the trim, it’s just not attached. NOTE: I have found both complete door assemblies at a junkyard near me for $175 apiece. That would fix the dents altogether.

- The paint is original, and is tired in places - notably the trunk and roof. The hood and sides present well (aside from door dents). The car would benefit from a repaint. I never did this as I live in the city and did not want to damage nice new paint.

- At one point, the drainage line above the right rear wheel well leaked and caused the right wheel well and quarter panel to rust. The new metal parts are readily available from raybuck.com. These are part numbers:

90-30-29-6 (wheel well)

90-30-58-4 (wheel arch)

90-35-60-2 (rear passenger quarter panel)

- Driver’s door needs a new speaker wire. Part 3544848 from VP Auto Parts. I bought a brand new speaker thinking that was the issue, but discovered it was the wire. Brand new speaker included in the sale.

- Car needs a flush of the transmission fluid. 4th gear as of recently has not been engaging, and the fluid level is low. The car will drive perfectly until around 65 MPH, but then will rev high in 3rd sometimes. I rarely take this car on the highway, and the independent shop I have work on this car said it was not pressing to get done. I would recommend that the new buyer perform this service though.

- Cruise Control does not appear to work. I never would have used it, so never cared to fix it.

- Third brake light cover broke as the original plastic became brittle, the plastic part can be sourced from any junkyard 240 sedan with a tan interior. Some other plastic bits are either cracked or missing, such as the driver’s seatbelt cover, driver’s interior door handle surround, and plastic fastener by third brake light. On the exterior, one of the plastic license plate lights is hanging and needs to be reattached.

- Rear seatbelts need to be unbolted and straightened. For some reason, they’ve always been twisted, but this could be quickly fixed with a socket wrench.

- Car could possibly benefit from an alignment. Recently, after not driving the car for a couple weeks, I’ve noticed the wheel is sometimes not perfectly center when driving straight. Two tires are also a bit older, and could stand to be replaced.

- The dash has a few cracks and the odometer is not presently working. Both are normal for this model. I have been getting odometer readings from the shop I take it to, and the car is somewhere just above 160k miles.

Included in the sale is the original “Special Spare” tire, along with the original wheel lug nut remover, tool kit, scissor jack, and first aid kit. Some spare parts are included, along with the charging tool to recharge the air conditioning. The car has all its original books, and floor mats. At some point prior to my ownership, the radio was replaced. An authentic Swedish license plate with “240” in the number is also included.

The car has its original steel wheels with wheel covers, which have held up well.

Overall, this will make a very solid driver for someone but will still present a nice opportunity for someone to tinker with the car to get the small issues remedied.

Please ask any and all questions. I strongly encourage in-person inspections, though I would be happy to assist with any shipping.

No warranties expressed or implied, and all representations of condition are solely the opinion of the seller. No returns/refunds, hence why I encourage you to see the car in person. Please only bid if you are fully capable and willing to purchase the vehicle. I will do my best to answer any questions and am happy to send additional photos or videos of the car.

The reserve is reasonable. Car is subject to prior local sale. Contact me for more information.