Fourteen years after Volvo transitioned away from the box as a template for their cars, it’s hard for many kids to remember a time where their kind were ferried around from soccer practice to camp to swimming in box-shaped people movers with spartan interiors, turbocharged engines if your parents were cool, and a public radio sticker in the back window. But from the late 1960s all the way through about 2000, this shape defined the Volvo experience, and it’s arguably more iconic than any other Volvo design, even if the others are prettier or more adventurous. You can find this 1983 Volvo 240 Turbo wagon for sale for $2300 in Portland, OR.
Black and other dark colors are preferred for the 240 Turbo, but this shade of blue works pretty well and shows off the dark trim well. Speaking of color, the paint and trim sure look to be in good shape for a car this age and mileage, so perhaps they’ve been redone? The car is equipped with an M46 4-speed with overdrive, so you can squeeze the most out of the 2.1 liter four.
The car is said to have a few dents and blemishes, including a dent on the driver’s side rear fender, but those are hard to see in these pictures. Perhaps that means the paint is not too badly damaged, and a paintless dent repair shop could pop the panels back without too much trouble. Other areas needing attention are the interior, and the air conditioning, which has lost its charge.
And here you can see some of the interior damage. There is also splitting in the rear seat, so you can count on a full reupholstering job, or if you’re lucky, you can find some replacement seats from another car. Some period Recaros would look pretty cool, but Volvo’s stock seats are so darn comfortable it would be hard to justify replacing them. The seller speaks of interior wear in a general sense, so you might want to count on replacing other things like the carpet too. The comprehensive set of gauges is pretty neat, and includes a clock, ambient temperature thermometer, oil pressure gauge, ammeter, and most satisfying of all, a boost pressure gauge.
Under the hood, you can see a strut brace, and the car is said to have a fresh tune-up including ignition parts, exhaust gaskets, and more. The power numbers are still far from stunning – if you want power, go American with your engine – but the turbo should give great elasticity and passing ability. If you’re looking for a rare, performance-oriented wagon, your choices are few – don’t hold back, this one’s got at least another 100K in it.
Rusty But Trusty 
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