Classic Volvos as the cheapest cars to own over prolonged stretches of time?

[Sjalabais]

Over the years, I have had several old and ancient Volvos, and my cheapest car ever (per mile, including appreciation) was a 1971 Volvo 145. For the moment, driving a classic every day is not viable (small kids and safety), but in this discussion here I found some comments and thoughts that I consider worthy of sharing with you mustaches:
http://bringatrailer.com/2016/10/01/553k-mile-5-speed-1987-volvo-240-wagon/#comment-1228608

Patrick

Having owned over 25 Volvo products, and three different wagon designs, these are not the boring appliances some comments here suggest. They don’t pull tears from your eyes on 0- anything, and you will need to know when and how to shift to maximize the power curve, and yet, even without the very useful ipd suspension mods, these cars handle well enough to be interesting to drive, and solid and safe enough that you can go anywhere, and feel good about your loved ones doing the same.
I replaced my Toyota 4X4 that had both snow and sand tires, and a winch, with a Volvo 122 wagon and an big can of compressed air, and went about 95% of the same places just letting air out of the tires or using chains. The savings in gas were big, but nothing compared to how little scrutiny I got in the Volvo from authorities everywhere, including Mexico.
And then there is the actual cost per mile, which factoring insurance and depreciation (or appreciation in certain models) can be lower in four cylinder Volvos than most any other vehicle, including econo appliances. I had a 122, which I put a hot cam along with a few other bits, drove well over the speed limit (often passing the Highway Patrol to whom it seemed to be invisible) for three years. When I sold it for double what I had in it, it had been running at exactly a penny a mile.
Your results may vary, and I do not claim to have the answer to the question of why someone drives a ‘car like this’ for decades, but the question speaks more to the lack of experience of the questioner than to anything else.

Potomacduck

People ask, “why would you drive a car for 29 years? Why would you do that to yourself?”

Let me see…..avoiding a $500 car payment….29 years x12 months=348 months x $500 = $174,000. without interest.

[mathjak107]

Worst car i ever owned was my 1987 volvo.

The only thing i didn't replace was the glove compartment door. Even the rear end failed . It was just a horrible car. You would think sweeden was in the carribean the way that car performed in even a hint of snow. The 740 was a dog and had nothing in common with the older series.

[Silrossi46]

My guess would be Old (mid to low 80's)   Mercedes W123 Diesels (non Turbo) ..............  Such as a 240D  ......... 

[Sjalabais]

Yeah, the W123 MB and Volvo 240 share a lot of the same engineering principles. At the same time, I've also heard of owners who had troubles like mathjak107...was that a new car, or newer used?

[mathjak107]

I bought the volvo brand new . By 12000 miles it already had a tranny , rotors and distributor replaced.

At 85000 i got rid of it when of all things the rear failed

[bacchi]

Original VW Beetle? Easy to DIY fix and parts were inexpensive and plentiful.

[qval]

How about a prius? gas mileage is waay better than anything that old, cheap to insure, doesn't ever need brakes if you can drive somewhat responsibly, very safe, clean, and even a new battery can be had for a reasonable price, if/when it comes to that. I'd say it's much better than trying to find replacement parts for a 30+ year old car.


Reminds me of a discussion of what's the best year of corolla ever built? 1986? 1978, 1992? Somebody responded with 2017, by far the best, and it's new and reliable. Sure it's more expensive, but you asked about best, not cheapest...

[ketchup]

I'd say a non-rusty five-speed Geo Metro would be pretty hard to beat for all-around cost.  Cheap to buy, reliable, *very* good on gas, low (and cheap) maintenance, no features so very little to go wrong (except replacing the passenger mirror when your ex-girlfriend knocks it off).  It's rust that gets them.

Barring that, anything reasonably reliable and already-mostly-depreciated with a lot of life left in it is pretty golden if you maintain it.

[mathjak107]

I have always liked higher end cars . Always bought new and still do although now we hold on to them longer since we retired .

I gave up used cars 40 years ago and have not owned any since .
 i strived to do well through life for 2 reasons .so i never had to  end up moving back to a nyc housing project where i grew up.

The other reason is so when it came to buying a car i could buy

new . Went with bmw ' s the last 15 years and a jeep sahara.

Considering a maserati for the next one

[GeorgeWood]

I have a 1992 Volvo 240 station wagon with 179' miles on it. I love this car - the enormous space, its classic design, the relaxing effect of driving it, the fact that I can do most repairs myself unlike most cars nowadays.

That said, there's always something keeping me busy - if it isn't a short in the electric or a failed air mass meter like this past weekend, it's keeping the occasional rust at bay and conserving the paint. Although it has cost me a good deal of money and nerves, I wouldn't consider selling it.

Still, with all the repairs, I think I'm not spending more in total than the maintenance and depreciation a newer car would occur (in fact, I wouldn't be suprised if the value appreciated in the coming years, considering it's becoming a young timer).

Oh, his name is Rollo.

[COEE]

Worst car I've had is a 2002 S40.  There is always something wrong with it.   I've only seen the check engine light off twice.  Once when i bought it, and once when I sold it. I know your talking a different vintage,  but my experience has me steering clear of Volvo on my next purchase.

It did get over 215k miles... And over 30mpg when it was running right... But that was rare.  And a $250 radiator hose is criminal.

Never ever again.

[mathjak107]

My volvo ate  brake rotors evey 12k. It was insane they would just warp. I think my  tail lights burned out even faster.

I used to call it my sweedish pile of crap.  Even my jeep has been far more trouble free and they are notorius for poor reliability.

On the other hand my bmw's were the most trouble free vehicles i ever owned .  They even need just  1 oil change a year which is
free. Mine took 8 quarts of synthetic oil . I would splurge and do 2 paying for one.

[Vilgan]

I had a 76 Volvo that ran great the entire time I had it. I inherited it around 275k miles and it ran w/o an issue until the odometer stopped working at 385k miles and another year or two after that. Had to replace tires and maybe a battery and I think that was about it for that entire stretch. It was still on the original clutch when it was retired.

The older Volvos are pretty good at lasting a really long time although not everyone hits the 3 million miles that Irv Gordon hit in his Volvo.

[ketchup]

My GF used to drive a 1993 Volvo 940.  She sold it (running great) with about 220k when she no longer needed a car where she was living (and insurance was crazy expensive there; it was not a nice place).  It looked pretty much brand new (this was 2011).

[Papa Mustache]

Original VW Beetle? Easy to DIY fix and parts were inexpensive and plentiful.

BUT - beware of cheap aftermarket parts. I guess that goes for any brand car too.

I've owned many aircooled VWs. I'm old enough that I drove them daily for several years.

For the first few years after I purchased the first one, I was constantly wrenching on them. slowly the obvious dawned on me that the car's design was not terrible but the cheap aftermarket parts I was using in my repairs were. These parts suppliers knew who their market was - cheap SOBs and kids with no money.

Once I drifted towards quality parts, the problems stayed fixed properly. If the OEM part lasted 30 years then why shouldn't the repair (done right) last 15-20 years?

I have a soft spot in my heart for basic transportation. Just an honest little machine getting a job done.

Beware those cheap POS brake rotors (any brand). My parents used to go through them on GM products like oil changes and choose cheap after market replacements. I've done the same with my Honda. The OEM Honda rotors would last well into the six digit miles but the POS white box aftermarket rotors I bought would warp in a season.

[Papa Mustache]

Worst car I've had is a 2002 S40.  There is always something wrong with it.   I've only seen the check engine light off twice.  Once when i bought it, and once when I sold it. I know your talking a different vintage,  but my experience has me steering clear of Volvo on my next purchase.

It did get over 215k miles... And over 30mpg when it was running right... But that was rare.  And a $250 radiator hose is criminal.

Never ever again.

You've got to shop around. Rock Auto has those hoses for under $5! That means there will be other candidates of varying price and quality between $5 and $250. ;)

[COEE]

Worst car I've had is a 2002 S40.  There is always something wrong with it.   I've only seen the check engine light off twice.  Once when i bought it, and once when I sold it. I know your talking a different vintage,  but my experience has me steering clear of Volvo on my next purchase.

It did get over 215k miles... And over 30mpg when it was running right... But that was rare.  And a $250 radiator hose is criminal.

Never ever again.

You've got to shop around. Rock Auto has those hoses for under $5! That means there will be other candidates of varying price and quality between $5 and $250. ;)

Really?  You don't think i called every auto parts shop in town to find a cheaper one?  What kind of mustachian do you think I am?  I don't have rock auto here. But i did call all of the other ships around... Even found a hose or two but they didn't have the $250 nipple that was sonically welded to the hose. 

I could have maybe found a used one at the yard... But it would have had miles on it.  Ordering online may have worked, but i needed it that weekend.

[Papa Mustache]

Yeah - nobody has a Rock Auto. They are online only AFAIK. ;)

Alot of the parts I have installed over the years were purchased online b/c locally my options were expensive (dealer) or cheap (won't last the month) or N/A. I can sympathize.

The internet is the only way to affordably drive some cars. Not very convenient when the car is already broken and you need it to drive to work.

[COEE]

Well I'll be damn.   Rock auto appears to have the part for $50 for the gates brand one.  Thanks for the tip there!

[hlca]

just buy a new Nissan leaf for half price

[fredbear]

1956 Buick Special - pink and cream.  The 3-cruiserline ventiport model.  Bought for $50, drove it 35000 in a year, and sold it for $!5.  1000 miles per dollar. 

[frompa]

Hmm, since this topic was posted a couple of days ago, every time I scroll down the list of topics in this discussion, I see this one and my mind says "Classic Violas...." and then I reread to "Classic Volvos..." and feel the let-down.  So sad.

[aprilchem]

We had two Volvos (a used S40 and a used station wagon) when my husband and I were first married.  We got married in 2001, so I'm guessing both were mid-90s vintage.  Man, those cars were ALWAYS in the shop and cost us a pretty penny to keep running.  The last year we had them we spent over $6k in repairs in 6 months and said enough.  We've owned nothing but Hondas and Toyotas since - I've had a minivan for 9 years now with no breakdowns and no major repairs, only regular maintenance.  So much better!

[Turnbull]

We had two Volvos (a used S40 and a used station wagon) when my husband and I were first married.  We got married in 2001, so I'm guessing both were mid-90s vintage.  Man, those cars were ALWAYS in the shop and cost us a pretty penny to keep running.  The last year we had them we spent over $6k in repairs in 6 months and said enough.  We've owned nothing but Hondas and Toyotas since - I've had a minivan for 9 years now with no breakdowns and no major repairs, only regular maintenance.  So much better!

You're right about Honda and Toyota. Every time I hear someone complaining about how their European vehicle is draining their wallet I always want to ask "Don't you know Honda and Toyota exist?"

[One Noisy Cat]

  I have a 1998 Volvo LS 960 (or some such model number' never understood why auto companies dropped names for letters and numbers) that I bought two years ago. Owned by a snowbird and it seems fairly reliable. Had a radiator problem once that was fixed and outside mirror was falling away...some superglue fixed that.

In the 1980s Gene Klein, who once owned the NFL Chargers, wrote a book about his business ventures "First Down and a Billion". He said he was able to get a Volvo distribution in California after World War II when people were starving for automobiles. Few were familiar with Volvo so he made up a slogan about "Swedish engineering skill" without knowing anything about Swedish engineering' it just sounded good. 

[Le Poisson]

I had a 1999 Volvo C70 convertible. That sucker nearly tapped me dry. It blew turbos and left me sitting on the side of the road more times than I care to count. According to my mechanic it was because this was the Ford era of Volvo, and Ford killed the company. I dunno, but I'll never buy another one.

I also had a 1981 Mercedes 240D - hella fun to drive. It did throw the prop shaft bearing which was pricey, but apart from that even though nothing worked, the car always ran - it was one of those things where you needed golf tees to open/close vacuum lines and coat hanger wire to fix linkages. The underbody was a patchwork of bondo and sillyputty. But it never let me down. What it did like to do was to spin out since the rear end was so light and my experience driving stick was not fantastic (rear wheel drive, stick shift). I'd buy another old Mercedes in a heartbeat - the new ones just don't do it for me though.

[paddedhat]

Original VW Beetle? Easy to DIY fix and parts were inexpensive and plentiful.

I had owned nearly twenty air cooled VWs by the time I was a young adult. Everything from stuff I rescued as it was heading for the junkyard, to sweet split window buses and a Thing.  At this point in life, I wouldn't get near one, unless it was strictly a play thing to be used on nice sunny days, and to take to car shows.  After spending decades of driving real cars, with coolant in the engine, AC, real heat, air bags, ABS, crumple zones, and a chance to walk away from anything above a fender bender, regressing to a vehicle that's only slightly safer than a motorcycle, and features state of the art 1940s technology,  doesn't really add up.