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I know the OP wants an SUV but if anyone else is in the same boat they should also consider an old Volvo 240, they may be ugly but they are built like tanks and will do 200K easily. The 740/940s are good too but the 240 is better made, parts are cheap and plentiful for them.
Good call on the 240, especially the wagons. I bought this one two years ago for $400 from Craigslist locally:
Needed a new front brake caliper, $35 from Crazy Rays salvage yard. My brother in law has been driving it ever since with nothing but oil changes for maintenance.
Good call on the 240, especially the wagons. I bought this one two years ago for $400 from Craigslist locally:
Needed a new front brake caliper, $35 from Crazy Rays salvage yard. My brother in law has been driving it ever since with nothing but oil changes for maintenance.
Good call on the 240, especially the wagons. I bought this one two years ago for $400 from Craigslist locally:
Needed a new front brake caliper, $35 from Crazy Rays salvage yard. My brother in law has been driving it ever since with nothing but oil changes for maintenance.
Wow that's a good deal for $400. I forgot to add though, some of the early 80s models had problems with the wiring harnesses and they are expensive to fix. But I think after 85 or 86 they fixed the problem. Another weak point seems to be the fuel pump but that isn't a big deal. I know the last model years (90 to 92) are supposedly the best years for the 240.
Other than the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic where Volvos are still common, the nexus of vintage Volvo 240s has to be Portland.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
Hardly, they'll never conquer rust until every part on a car is made of plastic. Our local junkyard drags them in by the dozens.....minivans of all makes with missing rocker panels, collapsed strut towers, air where suspension parts used to be. Small GM cars with hidden unibody rust that renders the vehicle completely useless. Imports with holes in the doors and trunk lids that you could put your fist through and again, rotted frames and critical suspension parts. Every vehicle suffers from rust on the lower doors, lower fenders and the rockers from what they laughingly call the "drain" holes filling up with crud and trapping the water. And these vehicles start going at about the 8 year mark. There is no one brand that does better than any other, road salt can't read nameplates and takes no prisoners in the salt states.
I've seen rust start on vehicles as new as 2008...2008 for crying out loud.
With the exception of Caravan Strut towers which are obviously a design defect. I have not seen any such. We have all older cars. My father, brother, brother, sister and husband, inlaws, children niece all have older used cars. We buy mostly used cars, if we buy new cars, we drive them until their last gasp. We have run into lots of problems, but no rust or a tiny bit that is barely noticeable and does no harm (excluding the strut towers on the minivan). We have the following years covered: 1992, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2003, 2006; (I do not know the years of all of my siblings or parents cars). There is one car in our family with rust. It is an early 80s chevy I forget which one. My brothers former 80s toyota rusted out as well, but his replacement 1998 Volvo has no rust.
Looking at used cars constantly over the past four years as our kids grow up and desire a car of their own, we have seen almost none with any substantial rust (one or two, but not many).
Between our cars and looking at used cars for potential purchase we are alking about 50 or so cars ranging from 5 to 20 years old and we have seen maybe 3 with significant rust.
If it is so common, and I am not disbelieving you, I wonder why we almost never see it? Maybe it is just a question of certain models that tend to rust. Are all the models that rust in junk yards?
I think my top 2 are the CRV and VIBE, now I just need to make a choice between these 2 as they have everything I am looking for.
Did i miss a post?? as i doubt you'll find a CRV or Vibe for $2K
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