A beautiful box? The Volvo 200 series Story
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- Опубликовано: 21 сен 2019
- Volvo is a company known for safe, reliable, boxy cars. That reputation was solidified in the public’s mind with the Volvo 240. Built for the wild, winter conditions of Sweden, this was a car designed to keep on going, no matter what. And go on it did, with a 19-year production run, outliving its replacement, the Volvo 700 series. So what’s the boxy Volvo got in common with the DeLorean, and how did Volvo win the Touring Car championship without selling any of the 500 type-specific cars it was supposed to?
Intro music: "Big Sciota" by Nat Keefe and The Bow Ties - from the RUclips audio library.
Jan Wilsgaard's bio: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Wil...
A very funny video from a guy trying to sell his Volvo 240:
• Buy My Volvo (English)
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#bigcar #Volvo240 #Volvo260 
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I drove my mothers 240 home from the dealer in 1992. Heavy rain, 85 miles an hour on the free way, I decided to "Test" the new fangled antilock brakes. No wheel lock, no histrionics, just smooth controlled, arrow straight decelaration. Impressive! 300,000 miles later I still have the car. The quality, workmanship and engineering are WORLD CLASS and will never be duplicated. Ill never SELL. An avowed AMERICAN GEARHEAD, I Salute you, SWEDEN and VOLVO!
Was yours built in Sweden or Canada?
There's a number of other well engineered cars that can last as long or are as "tanky"
@@RennieAsh No.... Just no
@@RennieAsh not really? Some older Toyotas
I'll give you $20,000 for it. Will you sell?
Long live the brick.
They’re boxy, but good.
Youngsters say "square", we say "edgy" ;)
Oh, they will! ;-) So many 240 have been thrashed in destruction derbys (folkrace) so nowadays the few remaining are starting to appreciate in value. Still a cheap car, but people are starting to realize what we have today is all we ever will have.
How did that comment get 99 likes (as of 17/12/19)?
They do.
I drive my 1991 240 daily! Bought it 2 years ago. I drive several hours a day for my job. And it’s still reliable. Loved learning things about my car! It gets compliments all the time
My daily driver is a 1991 240 with 138,000 original miles.
@Sophia Boyce, i've seen one who got "scissored" between two 25ton semis on a highway T-junction. The body was shrimped to the size of a large roofbox, yet, girl that was driving it got only few light bruises, some fair scratches and a wet seat.
Theese things are surreal, when it comes to accidents.
Must say, i'm in deep envy for both you guys. I wish things gone abit different for me, so i could keep mine.
I see the same one every day when driving to work. I want to flag the guy down and make an offer for it. A yellow one. Awesome car
Sophia Boyce this is my dream car! Is there any modern update that you miss or would recommend?
Are you still daily driving your 240?
Huge thumbs up for this video mate, I have a big soft spot for the 240
Mine has soft spots in the sills...
Same here I have no idea why it's just so simple looking
I see many 340 images in this video. I have a 1984 340 and love this video.
Its very good cars. No weak spots exept corrosion perhaps.
Love the 240
one of the most influential cars ever made!
Congratulations, you are now an honorary Swedish citizen. Your moose riding license, complimentary JAS Gripen fighter jet and lifetime supply of meatballs will be arriving shortly. As an official representative of Sweden please refrain from putting frosting on cinnamon buns and looking strangers in the eyes. Praise be to the mighty welfare system and long live the king.
SD2022
A moose once bit my sister...
Not forgetting to profiteer by selling to all sides in the Second World War, to the point of becoming the richest country in the world., and one of the biggest arms industries.
@@toonmag50 You're right about the profiteering part though...
Jättebrå!
I've had cars from all walks of life, late model and old. Never really took notice of Volvo as they weren't massively popular here in Australia, with the "safe and boring" image taken as a negative by many locals.
I bought a 740 Turbo earlier this year and that really opened my mind to how good of a car they actually are. Very easy to work on, reliable, comfortable, fun to drive and compared to many modern cars has a lot of character. More recently I traded the 740 for a 5 speed manual 87 model 240 sedan. Fantastic car, loved every day with it so far.
hi Josh, sadly true, but we still went with them, but without the bowling hat on the back shelf 😉
Take good care of the front brake, mate. The Bendix-made calipers have pretty little error tolerance in the sealing lip for the brake piston. Worn down discs and pads can (Or will) overstretch the sealing lip. The lip will tear, moisture will enter the gap between bore and piston and get drawn into the hydroscopic brake fluid. Badly sticking brakes will be the result, which happened to me with both 740s I owned. The only real remedy is to replace the calipers in that case, which is an expensive repair. Otherwise, the 740s are just as bulletproof as the 240s.
Cheers fae Krautland!
Always loved older Volvos since we used to have an old Volvo 940 Turbo, really intresting to hear the 240 story summed up nicely. So cheers for the video, really enjoyed it.
I love your videos bro
never knew you were a car enthusiast
I had a 244 auto for many years, a great large car with loads of boot space and a great tow car for our large caravan
@@hitcher1775 Where I live it's a small car.
My Late Dad had a 262C, bertone, 1977Bless his soul..
I had a 1986 240, in four yrs i put on 100,000 miles, it was still going strong. I changed jobs and the car went back. I wish i still had it today.
You just got it through the break in period.
An absolute icon.
My parents had a 264 GLE, later a 740 GL and 850 GLE.
Mike Hydropneumatic those where real tanks no matter what the road throws at them they keep going. It’s an icon for Sweden. I wish I had a 240 GL my neighbour had a 242 GL and it was in perfect condition.
Our daughter learned to drive with a 245 wagon! Thx for the memories!
Dang! That's cool I wish I could do that
@@ricky107_ Learn to drive or have a daughter? (jk) :))
At one time the Volvo 240 was the most prolific car in Stamford Hill, London! It became known as 'Volvo City!'
Is that because the older generation of Jews refusing to buy German, quality cars like Mercs & Audis, so Ive heard?
@@MarineAqua45 Highly doubt it
Luis Oh yeah? Were you around in Stamford Hill or in London in the 70s or 80s & or did you hear the rumours about Jewish men not wanting to buy German cars, because of WW2? I got told this, by a colleague of mine, who was around, back then.Modern Jews don’t care, but those born just after WW2 or before, did not want German goods, at all.
Its like the pensioner generation with Japanese goods, a generation ago. Because Japanese electronics were & are superior to others, those people bought them ( Like my gran did) But, given a choice, she wouldn’t have, because her brother was captured & jailed by them, where he was tortured by them too. She told me this too. I know of a male WW2 veteren who didn’t like the fact that lots of British councils use Mercedes-Benz Econic trucks instead of the Dennis Eagle ones.
The Volvo was preferred in Stamford Hill and Golders Green, because it was NOT German, it was a 'Quality Vehicle' and you could drive the car wearing a Hat! Shalom
Had to search Stamford hill here on RUclips and a found a clip of jews partying.. And a bunch of Volvos. Never thought about it but when I read your comment I came to think about when I saw a well kept Volvo 240 GLT with an orthodox jew driving it in Stockholm, Sweden. Tall hat and everything.
Instalike! Can't wait for the 850 video!
Hey Karl. Volvo 700 series video coming next!!!
The 264GL is my favourite of all. What a sound and nice understated use of steel rims like the base model, whilst being luxurious on the inside. I remember a Chinese doctor having one here in Sydney in the early 80s and I've been intrigued by them ever since.
I also like the 240 version and the unique unmistakable note of their viscous fan roaring away with the motor.
I have a light blue 1982 DL saloon. Looks very much like the Max & Paddy car with the 'break yer legs' talking alarm, and although starting to rust a little on the door bottoms, is still a very solid, reliable, comfortable car and a very usable classic. I got the Volvo bug as a kid - my mum drove a 740 saloon - but I wanted my car to be the iconic 'brick' and managed to get one cheap before the rest of the world remembered them and values began to rise.
Yeah, I got my first two for under one and a half, and the third went for a steal at four.... yeesh! At least it came with a few boxes of spares, anyway!
Errata: The Volvo 700 series was introduced in 1982, not 1984 with the 760.
I missed out the "L" Luxe version. There were even more editions!
Some more info on that 243 with one door on one side, and two on the other. Search for "243" on the page: www.volvotips.com/index.php/240-260/history-240-260/
Do one for the Suzuki swift
Skoda fabia story
I had wondered how it was that I was driving one before 1984. btw, E minor is a good alternative chord to C major and sounds way cooler than the GCD progression. Ta.
@@Peasmouldia :) Thanks. Tell that to Ralph McTell - it's the chords to "Streets of London".
@@BigCar2 And several thousand other tunes. You should be ok for a copyright claim.
There's a 245 in my driveway, and it made me so happy to see that you were gonna do this video. And I loved it. Always fun to learn about the random, oddball things that were in low production variants!
I was literally watching your vids the other day wishing you had a 240 one! Amazing, thanks! Please do the 700/900 series next, it's just as interesting.
Oh how I loved my 244. Those seats were the best during long drives. Then there was the rust, endless motor mounts, multiple timing chains and eventually a heater too expensive to fix. It survived two accidents and still remains a one of my favourite cars to drive. I do miss it often.
The guy down the street still owns a 240 Turbo that looks like it was purchased yesterday. I hope he sell it one day. I just may have to buy it.
I thought the 850 replaced the 240 and the 940 replaced the 740. We've had 245,240,740 & 940 Volvo's in the family since 1983. They have been a great car...and are so comfortable and solid engineering!
...and unbelievable fun to drive even if it is not a so called fast car
the 740 and 940 is the same car. it was just a minor facelift
Yes, I really have loved driving these cars. I still have my maroon 940 after 13 years.
This car is engraved into the Swedish soul. Not a looker by any standards, but very practical and safe for its time. If I see one today, I smile.
Nice video 👍🏻
"Not a looker" that depends. Me myself enjoy very much of the shapes, excellent drift car.
@@N22I Well, I have to admit that I do think it gets better looking as the years go by. But a P1800 or Amazon it ain't. I prefer the 140 over the 240, although similar.
@@TheTabugman i totally understand your point of view. Personally i feel that the 240 is the sweetest bcs of the drift aspect, not as in retro or sporty car
Long wheelbase + live axle with a stock difflock - there ain't_no simplier setup for driving sideways * brofist*
@@N22I The nice curves, high belt line, i think they look nice! Rather like a Mercedes
How many other people noticed the dog in the back seat of the 262C at 9:55? The problem with the diesel model was that the oil pump wasn't upgraded from the 4-cylinder diesel it was based on, so especially in the 6-cylinder version, the cylinders farthest away from the pump tend to get starved for oil on short runs. This was not a problem in VW's commercial vehicles which used the engine as they were left running for long periods of time, but car owners who did a lot of short errands did experience the issue. With proper care and modern, higher-quality oil, it's not really a problem anymore. And the 6-cylinder diesel is impressively smooth and quiet for a diesel of its age.
Eeeh....the cylinders are commonly lubricated by the crankshaft rotating through the oil and splashing it about (in addition of the oil that gets pushed through the big-end bearings after lubricating them)....oil,under pressure,being sprayed upward the cylinders,to my knowledge,is only used in some turbo engines...explicitly for cooling the pistons from the bottom...
What I have seen on some of these 6 cyl. VW diesel engines’ oil pumps is that the notches driving the oil pump directly from the crankshaft are wearing away.....typically a lack of properly sizing and/or hardening...
The 4cyl. VW diesels,if my memory is not letting me down,had an oil pump driven by the shaft that also used to drive the ignition of the petrol engine it derived from...;where the ignition sticked up (1600cc petrol engine in first Golf/Rabbit) the oilpump was driven by the bottom end of that same shaft...in the Diesel 1600 in place of the ignition there used to be a vacuum pump for the brake servo...the oilpump stil driven by the same shaft...
If I am not let down by my memory....the oilpump in the 6cyl VW Diesel has nothing in common with the 4 cyl VW Diesel.....in fact I think the 6 cyl VW engine derived from the 5 cyl Audi 100 Diesel of apr 1980.....
I puke on everything VAG since I came across one of those....
Regards,Henk Tulp.....stil mechanic....no VAG please...
Ps another problem with the 6 cyl VW engine was the long cast iron block topped with an alloy head...cylinderhead gasket is a weak point....
The whole 6 cyl VW diesel was a cheapskate bullshit solution anyway....performance only between 2.000 and 3.000 rpm (you never stop changing gears..) ....it drinks diesel like no man’s business.....the clutch is of small diameter,don’t forget you need to rev it up before having any torque worth noticing...
The Ford 2.5 direct injection Transit.....the Toyota 3.2 and 3.4 ltr 4cyl. (Landcruiser-) diesels....the 2.3 Mitsubishi diesel....and even the 1.9 ltr PSA diesel.....and surely many more,prooved VW was selling by succesful marketing....definetely not because of real quality..
@@henktulp4400 The 6-cylinder VW diesel worked fine and was reliable in their Transporter vans, which were normally kept idling during deliveries. It was only in civilian use, with people doing frequent short trips and constantly starting and stopping the engine, that it had problems due to insufficient lubrication of the cylinders farthest away from the pump.
@@vwestlife the reputation of the 6 cyl VW LT engine was never very good.....for the reasons I already mentioned...in fact I can not recall a diesel with a reptation worse than this one!
I have worked on them at several occasions....the wearing out of the notches where the oilpump is driven by the crankshaft is a quality problem that shouldn’t occur....if you work on many different engines (like I have for the past 45 years) the LT engine most certainly doesn’t stick out for durability and reliability....
The pre-TDI VW diesels were dogs. I'd swap in a TDI, if I had a car with the pre-chamber diesel worth spending money on. The mint 264 stretched limo I saw recently with a Rover V8 was also nice.
In 1985 I started working for Volvo as a service advisor. We had 6 cars we would lend out to customers who had enough work done that would require them to leave their vehicles overnight. They were your basic used Volvos. I got to drive one home if it was still on the lot at closing. I enjoyed the 145 DL so much. It was a peppy little 5 door and was a fun distraction to drive. But if you marry a Volvo Master Technician expect the rest of your life to be Volvo's. Not a bad life. I drive a '93 244 now. One owner and one technician, my husband. When they were ready to trade up they gave my hubby the 244 for being so good to them. But my favorite was the 940 Turbo. Loved that car. Who knows what will come next.
I love your quality content and presentation. The internet is great again😃
I have 1993 240 model. According to your explanation it has 0 doors. In my opinion this was extremely good car. Safe, reliable to a fault, heavy, indestructible, economical, easy to work on, long lasting, attention grabbing, etc. It however had many issues that were never addressed during its entire life cycle. Here are few: Plastic and rubber trim work. I all got lose or fell off over time. Cracking dash board, odometer that broke early while speedometer still worked, crappy fuses and relays, heater motor that was impossible to replace, motor mounts that failed at regular intervals, "Flame trap" system, air box thermostat which never works, to name a few.
If you would’ve listened he explained that the last digit was dropped 10 years earlier.
James Ebola Good on you. Now we can ignore your mistake.
@@jonasthemovie "Good on you"? Do you mean "Good for you"? Take few classes on English grammar.
James Ebola No. I ment to write ”Good on you”. Because that is what I ment and I made a bet that you would comment on it.
2 years ago I needed a second car. I wanted something big, good for long road trips for vacations, something with style and a classic car. What emidiately came to my mind was this one.
Unfortunately I could not get one.
I would really love to have had one!
Love your productions that are very well done, in all respect. Please stay around and let us enjoy more of you.
Nice fingerstyle at the end. I really appreciate the time and effort you put in these videos.
Video great to see the old Volvos again great for towing caravans with lots of happy holidays with please do more videos look forward to seeing the next one
You forgot the base model L from the variations. In the 1970's my family had a 1975 model Volvo 242L (which was built and registered in 1974, so a very early 240 series car) which even had a B20 pushrod engine in it. They didn't manage to get the new OHC engine ready in time to get it on the first cars. The L version was with a lower spec than the DL or the others.
They also built a 2.0 version of the B19 engine, for markets where 2.0 was a tax limit like Finland where I live. It would have been impossible to sell a car with a 2.1 litre engine here back then.
But it was L, DL, GL, GLE etc. I don't know when they dropped the L model. Later they dropped also the DL model afaik.
In my family the 1975 Volvo 242L 2.0 was replaced in our family later with a 1981 Volvo 245GL which was replaced with a 1986 Volvo 240GLT estate, so we had a long history of 200-series Volvos in my family, the 240GLT was later replaced with a 1995 940GL estate, which we still have, my sister is still driving it.
Good catch on the 1975 models having B20F motors in them... I know we had one wagon with that.
Great video... Brings back old times - I remember the Volvo 245...had rear facing 3rd row seats!
Had a quick look at the Video playlist and no mention of the world's best selling car (Corolla) or the Land Cruiser....
Thank you for the song! Recently discovered this channel and love it.
I've owned four 240's spanning almost 40 years! A '78, an '86, a '91 and finally a '90. They are tanks, but elegant looking and great road trip cars. In the '91 I got T-boned in an intersection by a full size black SUV that must have been going 60 or so on impact. I walked away unscathed, with only a bruise from the seatbelt.
I've put hundreds of thousands of miles on those cars. Their simplicity and my poverty turned me from a helpless young rube knowing little about cars, into an above average car mechanic. I've helped a lot of people driving old Volvos get back on the road and have made friends because of it. 240's have been THE car of my adult lifetime! :)
I learned a lot about the workings of cars with Volvo 240s and 940s when I was in my 20s. Those cars were incredibly easy to work on.
Brilliant content, thanks from Orange AU. We had a 960 Estate, great car, but too exotic for the Aussie bush mechanics....sad.
I would have thought they were familiar with tractors. I guess just the obtuse attitude of "I have not seen it before therefor I cant".
I drive one in the Pilbara, Western Australia and the bush mechanics joke about it every time. It’s 30 years old and done 417000km. It needed a new fuel pump, that’s all but they told me it was because it was a Volvo and I should get myself a Prado. 🙄 Pretended at first like they didn’t know what to do.
There’s nothing wrong with the car at this old age. It drives perfectly, solid, comfortable and still clean. Eats up the miles on all day drives in this vast country. I get it serviced at the Volvo specialist in Perth when I go down there. Also started to read the technical manual so I can understand its workings myself and correct the silly comments from the bush mechanics. It’s a straightforward car, not an exotic one.
I believe there is only one car for the Aussie bush, the Toyota Land Cruiser, Aussie bush that sounds like an Australia porn movie.🤪
@@Shane-zx4ps Bush tucker trials is australian for oral sex.
@@rimmersbryggeri Ida thought something about "Connie".
Your best yet ! Of the ones I have seen.. Thanks keep up the good work 💪
Throughout my childhood from 1966, my father had two Volvo Amazone's, a 4'door and a two door coupe, and then later a beige colored 1975 Volvo 245 L, stationcar (estate). He had that 245 for many many years. Great cars!
Love this. You need to do one on 700/900 series
My dad's friend had a 1979 -
240 station wagon. Its automatic transmission from Aisin Warner was bullet proof. This car never broke down.
Can i buy it?
@@jannegustavsson4177 : He sold it & bought a newer version GLE sedan. He died of a heart attack a decade ago.
Had two of them, great cars! Thanks for the review!
This brings back good memories!
I had a G-Reg 240GLT estate and it was sublime! The 2.3ltr engine was like shit off a shovel and they really were built to last. Mine only did about 17MPG in rush hour traffic 😂
One day I was out with my sister and her baby, getting into the car at a shop.
A dickhead pulls in next to us and nudges the door my sister is using to put the baby in. He then walked off quickly.
So, I fired up the 240, put it in reverse, maximum steering lock and then proceeded to reverse out of the bay, caving in the side of his car. Checked the 240 for damage and it only had a tiny mark on its rubber bumper trim!
1:36 them parking skills tho
Bumps both cars when he clearly had enough space.
Dude owns a nearby body shop.
- M.D.N - That means the driver was *not* a “he”.
@@vondahe stop mansplaining before you offend me zur.
Prob wanted to show the new big bumpers. But still sick parking skills if he would just skip the intentional bumping
1974: The 240 Borg arrive. "Resistance to Safety is futile."
Wish I could go back to 1974. Capital cities the world over were fascinating then. I ought to open a them park called 1974 World.
I was a kid of barely ten years old when the 240 was introduced. I instantly loved it. There was nothing else on the road that quite looked like it back then. Yes it was boxy and came with huge bumpers... it looked like a tank, but it had loads of character. Later on (from 2001 until 2009) I have owned two 240 Estates, the 1st was a 6 cylinder diesel from '91 & the 2nd one a 4 cylinder gas engined one from '87 with a huge steering wheel (no power steering). I loved them both... great cars, great fun to drive and I never got tired of looking at them - love at first sight! :P
loved the video. your sence of humor has multiple levels, I think.
Excellent video, thanks.
They also offered an overdrive for the 4-speed gearbox, both of which were carried over from the 140 series.
Most people don't realise how good (reliable and high quality) Volvo are. They were always streets ahead of Mercedes and Porsche, right up until the early 2000s (and longer when compared to Mercedes. No idea if they are good now.
The 240 was ugly as sin, though, but at least instantly recognisable.
My neighbour still uses her blue 245 as a daily driver
I rescued an abused 1989 245 and use it as a daily driver, with apx 250K miles. I did a full tune up, new KYB shocks and struts. It does not agree with the new school Bosch plugs, has to be NGK. Anyway, the thing runs like a damn top and never gets hot. That is important here in Az and it just has a nice solid feel to it, comparable to an old 300D. Anyway, nice video and take care of these old cars. I get a my share of compliments and already know what’s going to happen. As soon as I let it go, it will be worth money. Too many have been used up as drift cars..okay, bye!
Another great video with great research and video clips
Nice video... 👍 Thumbs up greeting from Singapore
thanks, great story.
we had a bad accident in a honda civic, and although it stood up pretty well, from then on we have owned volvo’s
Beginning with a 244GLX, beautiful leather seats, drivers arm rest, and alloy wheels were the stand out features.
The 244 never let us down, but lack of use resulted in a air fuel control issue, so it finally went to volvo heaven.
Since then, 850 and currently C30T5 2007 !! what a great car it is, but the 244GLX was the turning point.
Volvo are so under rated, pity about the Ford relationship, but it works I guess, bring an all electric 240GLX what a looker, in that gold sort of paint job, and the later alloys.
Have to make one yourself as regulations now stifle most cool or artistic car opportunities
Love your videos. Keep up the great work. 👍
Lovely tribute to my favourite of all cars. A pleasure to watch, like all this chap’s videos.
Seeing this video about Volvo makes me want to hear about a Saab or the VW Beetle next ... please 😁
Don’t think anyone else could make it justice like you could mate
You could've called this movie "140/240 series" IMO since the 240 started as a deep restyling.
I ABSOLUTELY love your channel! just found it, going to have lot of vids to catch up on!! Love automotive history, and youre writing and voice and editing are all top notch! seriously, some of the best ive seen!
Glad you're enjoying them Alaric!
Another fantastic video! Glad to see your subscriber base recovering as well.
Thanks - me too!
Lovely video!
I hope that I can afford a 240 when i'm finished with my study. It always will be my dream car
Well i bought mine for 40€ with a full Tank of gas, so...
Saab 900 history please. I always thought they were more ahead of Volvo in the 70's & early 80's. We were going 60mph o a highway then hit on the side by a big Cadillac running a stop sign into our 900 4 door. We were able to drive (and all ok) while the Caddie was "totaled"! Thx!
I hit a full-grown moose head on in my then brand new 900 in 1995, at highway speed. Walked away totally unharmed. Unfortunately, the moose didn’t. 😕 Car got repaired.
In the garage my car was subsequently towed to I saw a car from Another Brand who had had a similar fate. Those inside that car didn’t fare as well as I had...
@Perry Ford
I'm in the USA and my family owned TWO SAAB 900s, 1983 and 1986, GREAT cars built like a similar year Mercedes in structure, no kidding, solid as could be, safe and good to drive! Sadly most Americans didn't know how good they were until they became a hit with the start of their Turbo offerings at the same time, early-mid 80s.
Great Video as Always thoroughly enjoyed it thank you :)
The first car I drove after getting my drivers license was my father's '78 Volvo 244 GL. Once a tiny Ford Fiesta questioned my right of way. Damage on the Volvo: bent bumper/fender, broken turn indicator, bent, but not broken headlight, cut in the rubber padding from opponent's rim.
Damage on the Ford: broken axle, occupants walked home on foot... :-)
Haven't even watched the video and it's thumbs up straight away. What a delicious topic!
The 760 GLE was beautiful, along with 500SE/SEC from Mercedes, and 3500 from Rover. Cars were beautiful in those days.
G'day. Another awesome video! I remember the Volvo 240 series of cars. Although no one in my family owned or driven a Volvo, it's a car that I remember from the time I was a boy until I was a young adult. It's a car I wish I would have bought at the time.
Great video, super interesting, thank you for an excellent upload!
Very insightful, thoroughly enjoyed it. My Dad always drove the 140, the 240's (about 4 of them) and them the 7 and 8 series. Please do a video about the 3 series, the 340 & 360 and the 4 series, 440, 460 and the iconic 480, dart shaped with the pop-up lights. I have owned a 343 R-Sport (very, very rare car) a 440 GLE and a 480 ES. These cars always intrigued me and I would love to know their origins.
I'd quite like to do a 300 series video because I remember seeing a bunch of them on the road in my youth and not knowing much about them.
@@BigCar2 If I remember correctly, the 300-series started out as Dafs, which is why they had Daf type transmissions, and were built in the old Daf factory. Might not have got that quite right, but it's something like that.
We never had any of the 3 or 4 series here in the states - would LOVE to know more about them! Please!
OK you deserve the subscribe. Well done vid!
Great video and the outro is classic!
I like your delivery and concise explanations of technicalities without boring us all to death. keep it up mate. I had a 240 estate followed by a 260 estate. i then splashed out on a 760 Turbo saloon. all of them were ultra reliable and a delight to drive. the turbo was very fast but thirsty for the heavy footed
My story exactly!
Great and very interesting video! I have a Volvo 244 1988, B230F dark blue metallic, had it for 3 years and It's the best car I've had and I've only owned 2.. It's in very good shape for it's 40 000 km. Starts ALL the time no matter what, even if it has just stood for about a week in the winter in minus 25 degrees It just starts without engine heater. That's a tractor ;) Greets from It's homeland! I will put up somw vid on my babe! 😎🇸🇪
Hold on to your Swedish Volvo as long as you can. Did you know they assembled Volvos in Nova Scotia, Canada for 30 years?
@@rightlanehog3151 Yeah I sure will. I think I've heard of that 🤔
Absolutely love the 240, had several, got hit side on by a truck, saved my life got a punctured lung and broken ribs , anything smaller I would have been dead, fabulous cars.
Glad you're okay thinking about getting me one they deserve there reputation
love your thorough knowledge of the cars you revieuw thumbs up!!
I've owned a round dozen 2 series cars - almost all 4 cylinders, 1 six-cylinder . Love these bricks - and an 1982 245 saved my life in 1994. It was t-boned by a Dodge D3500 Diesel dually going 30 mph in the drivers side. I drove the car (albeit bent and limping hard) 2 miles home. It was bent over 2 inches down the passenger side, but you could still open the passenger side doors with one finger. SOLID Safety cage...
I do love my S60R, but I still have a very soft spot in my heart for a square box Volvo...
I love RWD Volvos, I drive 945s for 10 years now and can't imagine driving another car. Ok, a 164 perhaps, or a 242, or...
I always annoyed me that they used sedan rear doors on the wagon which sloped downwards upsetting the straight window line
It annoys me too, and I love my brick. Like, I get why they did it, but I don't have to *like* it aesthetically just because it makes sense in every other way.
The designer (Jan) hated that too, but the economy department won that fight.
Agreed
agree - purely a cost cutting move.
At a show I seen a Volvo 165, had the same problem:)
Thanks for the memories. I bought a used 75 in about '83. It was a wonderful car, but very expensive to repair.
As a longtime Volvo owner, I feel this was informative and well done 👍
The 243 is a school taxi. One door for the driver and two for the kids. So the kids don't departure in the middle of the street. Quite clever Volvo.
Exactly. Just like Hyundai today
The 2 door, 1 door thing was a different case. 30 cars were produced and them quietly sold off in Estonia. Some think it was a production mistake, some think it was supposedly made for the police but they order was canceled.
@@BigCar2 I read a comment on Jalopnik suggesting that the 243 would be unsuited to police work, since it would allow a prisoner to wedge themselves in and make them very difficult to remove.
The era when volvo created their reputation for building safe cars. Now most manufacturers are all similar in terms of safety but volvo are still perceived as being safest.
Carguy UK:
During that time frame, the : Mercedes W126,GM B-Bodies,Ford Panther Platforms, and Peugeot 505s were safer cars...in terms of Insurance Liability Death Claims and in "Stage Government Crash Tests".
FYI,Volvo had to pay a steep fine to the US Government (in the early 1980s) for sending 240 Series Sedans/Wagons to DOT with wood inserted in the hollow longitudinal and roof members to achieve fake "remarkable crash test results"
Even today Volvo is the safest. Look at the IIHS small overlap crash tests. When they first started doing these tests around 2013, many of the then current Audi and Mercedes models failed or got marginal results, while Volvo's XC90 got the best results, even though it was the model launched in 2002. Volvo is the only brand that does not compromise on safety.
Protector of the Republic:
Government and Insurance Crash Tests are Staged events, they in no way depict how a a vehicle will perform in the Real World.
About 10 years ago where I live, a XC90 and 2nd Gen Explorer collided at high speed.....the Volvo came apart at the seams and every died on scene.The folks in the Explorer suffered horrific injuries,yet all survived....and the Explorer's Structure stayed in-tact.
@@dmcnamara9859 That's utter bullshit. The XC90 has one of the safest car structures every built. You simply do not understand the energy dynamics involved in a crash. The importance of the crash angle, speed of each vehicle, weight and so on.
I couldn't care less about safety. Just makes cars heavy and makes them look worse. There is a reason why you could get a 800 kg car with a thin A-pillars and sexy steering wheel 50 years ago, nobody gave a crap about safety and neither do I.
Wonderful content and excellent narration... stable over the years has included 1976 244DL fuel injected, 1978 245DL, 1982 DL Wagon, 1984 GLT Wagon turbo intercooled and currently 1982 DL Two-door 5 speed manual with button overdrive.
When l was 22yrs old l drove past a 'on a corner' crash in my Ford Escort 1.6ghia between a MG Maestro and a Volvo 240 estate, the Maestro was a write off,it's engine was hanging out of its exhaust pipe, the Volvo 240(Blue) had a broken left headlight,(That's all) incredibly tough cars!
Could you please make a video about the Volvo Amazon?
It's my favorite car ever made.
I've added it to my growing list.
less we forget ABBA became one of Sweden's highest exports, second only to Volvo.
Exports?
Oh look, a propaganda bot in the wild! Everyone stop and take a picture!
and Ikea
@Adam Marcinkowski Sweden does have a problem, but you have to be high to call Sweden "a war zone". It has a homicide rate a quarter of that in the U.S., and for the 10 years I've lived in my neighborhood in central Stockholm, it has been nothing but peace and quiet. Gang members shooting gang members in certain troubled suburbs i something that 99.9 percent of Swedes only know through newspaper headlines. Just a month ago, The Economist's Intelligence Unit came out with "Safe Cities Index 2019", and Stockholm ranks high: safecities.economist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Aug-5-ENG-NEC-Safe-Cities-2019-270x210-19-screen.pdf
@Adam Marcinkowski You are a rambling fool whom I will not respond further too (you thinking how a man pees has to do with anything, etc. dumb nonsense). My very first words above were and are "Sweden does have a problem". I have nothing to do with SD.
Awesome video! Our family had a 1972 Volvo 145 for 15ish years. So we got it when I was 11, and it was the main car I learned to drive in, 5 years later.
Amazing thing about it, almost certainly unique to the US version: Every single nut, bolt and other fastener on it was in American, inch sizes! Not a single metric bolt anywhere on it!
1.46 sec bought back memories of using those bumpers for tight parking so tough the the Volvo big bumpers .
Had a 242 GT when my kids were small , SAFETY , it was a great car , nice 4 speed manual with electric over drive on 3 and 4 gears if my memory is correct at , 110kmh it cruised at 1800 rpm , had to be carefull if you encounted a slight hilly section , no torque , so downshift fast .
Ultra reliable and coped with the australian roads with ease , after that i got big headed and bought a BMW 535i and whole lot of unreliable but crazy power driving pleasure , still have fond memories of the Volvo .
"Diesels were sourced from Volkswagen" Oh dear
Long before the 'Dirty Diesel' business fortunately!
If you think that is a problem you really don't know much about cars.
"The V6 was not the most reliable" 8:22...trust the French to mess up things...5:11.
Baguette
The PRV6 wasn't a "bad" motor - but it wasn't up to the B21/23/230 standards, either... I do remembering trying to get the fuel injection to balance correctly on my sisters 260... ugh. But that job got me a few working on DeLoreans in the 80s as they found out I knew how to make a PRV run...
13:10 Section lowered and shortened cars were all the rage in Swedish car show culture at the time so it was natural to build a short car on line.
Excellent Video, thank you. Brings up memories. I used to own a 1978 244GL, bright yellow,4-Gear Stick, no AC, just a really great car.
Jerry had a 1972 yellow 145 de-luxe estate DJH 180K in The Good Life
That was a really good programme.
@@BigCar2 it was my favourite of the seventies; simple fun, but why would Jerry be driving a Volvo 240? It was an automatic at that. Jerry earned £30,000 year I thought he would own a Jaguar
@@ronmccullock1407 He would. Margo was such a social climber he wouldn't go for the alternate Volvo, he'd be in a Jag.
@@BigCar2 The car used in The Good Life was actually a 1972 Volvo 145 de-luxe DJH 180K which also appeared in the first series of The Survivors I gather it was owned by the BBC
Loving the Good Life references! Still got the full sets on DVD! Timeless stuff that ran I think just before Fawlty Towers ? Great.
Now you've done Volvo, how about SAAB?
I'm sure I will at some point, probably the 900.
@@BigCar2 Good choice... many of the innovations on the Volvo were first introduced on the 900/99 & it enjoyed a far longer production run too. Look forward to it.
Volvo made the engines for the Saab jet fighter.
@Pedro DLR Still built it for Saab, Saab never mentioned this when they showed their jet flying in their car ads.
I love your channel and I love volvos. I can listen to your shows over and over again because there’s so much information in them. Thanks so much. Pete 🇬🇧
So glad Peter!
Thank you - I really enjoyed that! My dad was a dairy farmer and would always buy 240s because they were so rugged. His last one was a brown 2.1 litre saloon with beige interior that I stuffed head-on into a Renault 25. Had I been driving my own car (MG Miget) that day, I would not be typing this now. God bless Volvo!
Volvos mistake was to be bought by ford 🤢 reliability was thrown out of the window
Ruffas I had a 2011 Volvo V50, which was an excellent car, but a little small for me to get behind the wheel. Sold it and bought a used low mileage Volvo V60 T5 AWD. A lovely car, with 4 years depreciation but only 23,500 km on it. Bliss.
(looks out at my 255,000 mile 2004 S60R that had 59,000 miles on it when I bought it in 2012) - ummmm.... not really seeing that, but ok... I've got some work in mine to be sure, but less than what I've had in other cars with similar miles on them (looks at the 2002 Taurus with 290,000 miles on it...)
The Volvo runs like new, would hop in it tomorrow and go anywhere in it. No worries of it getting there and home again. And at 215k, put it on the dyno after putting a (larger and front mounted) intercooler on it (old was was ok, bad hose was all) and was still making 295HP from it's original 300... so, yeah... giving the intercooler an additional 10 over the original - it's lost 15 instead of 5... but still - for 215,000 (at that time) on original cat and original fuel injectors?
Please to be telling me again, how Ford made them unreliable?
well it did not actually outlive the 700 series as the 900 series is just a rebadged 700.
Why spoil a good story with facts? 😉😜
In that case the 140 was the same as the 240 as the rear of the 940 was completly redone with it's more sloped rear window.
Not true. You could get the 900 series with independent rear suspension. That was not an option on the 700. Only on the saloons though.
The 89 760 was actually the first with IRS, and shares many features with the early 960 models.
@@bugzdontbugme6960 Yes, the 760 and 740 are very different cars they just look the same. God I love 80s/90s Volvos.
My dad bought a 140 station wagon in 1971... back when not many people knew what a Volvo was. A few years later, From Philadelphia we got stationed in Bitburg AFB, W Germany where it was driven hard... from the autobahn to the autostrada and all points between... he sold it in 1980 with over 250,000 miles and still driving strong... he bought a 240 in 1980, and drove to Volvo in Sweden to pick it up while we were stationed in Italy. She had over 450,000 miles when we sold it in 1995... that car was a standard and a tank!! Can anyone explain why a car from Sweden was not made front wheel drive ??
A red 1993 245 is parked on my the street. My neighbor uses it as his daily driver.
While growing up in Sweden in the 80's and 90's, these cars were very common on the streets. With just a slight exaggeration, one could say that 54.5 % of the cars in Sweden were Volvos and 44.5 % Saabs. The reamaining 1 % were VW's, Opels and Mercedes Benz. The MB's being smokey diesels used as taxis. Well, at least according to my memory. :)
My father's '76 244GL was the frist car I drove. One day a tiny Ford Fiesta ignored my right of way. Damage: bumper bended, turning indicator broken, headlight twisted, but not broken. Ford? Reading backwards: driver returns on foot. :)
Many Volvos followed throughout the family: 760, 850, 940, 360, 460, XC90, V40, V50... And my V40 is now 20 years young!
My family owned a 1989 model from 1990 to 2001. It was quite something, heavy, uneconomical, very hot in the summer (no air conditioning or sunroof), surprisingly cramped in the back for such a large car, but also safe, solid and very, very loveable. The 2.3 engine also sounded brilliant!
Great video thanks for taking the time to do this.
Can I add in fairness to the PRV V6. The PRV V6 unit in Marty's DMC time machine was not the same as the usual units supplied to Volvo, Pug and Reggie...more of a silhouette.
The DMC mill as a customer engine, was specc'd in every possible department, from the cheapest casting materials, to bearings, gaskets, pistons et al as DMC wanted the "most cost effective" (cheapest) possible engine unit.....even down fitting an under capacity alternator, battery and starter motor.....
2012, My uncle wanted to give me his old 1984 Volvo 244 GL as my aunt had stopped driving herself and my uncle still had his 740. That 244 was the car that ferried me to school everyday for 4 years when I was hitching a ride with my cousin. I loved that car and I always felt safe in that tank of a car, so I was overjoyed. My father, whoalso owns a 244 (1992 model) told me to pay my uncle for it but he would not take even a token amount. The car was valued at RM6000 in Malaysia so I dug into my wine cellar and brought out a bottle of 1995 Penfolds Grange which hada amrket value of RM6300 at the time (probably higher now) andgave it to my uncle. Everyone was happy and I have my favorite car to drive. Still humming along nicely.