Is this a good car?

[john_boy1959]

Hi there, I'm looking at getting a car for my son to learn to drive with and he is very keen to learn with a manual gearbox! Anyway, my budget is not huge and I have found a 1987 240GL with the 5 speed box. It has done 350,000 Kms and has no accident history. Can anyone give me some advice on how long this engine/gearbox combination goes for and what I should be looking for in the drivetrain to confirm it is all OK? It has a complete logbook too! Many thanks John

[kcodyjr]

My 1981 did 300K miles before I ran it off the road and it saved my life, so no worries based on mileage alone.

That it's never been hit is a big bonus. You can expect this car to withstand trees or just about any other fixed object, OTHER than a modern vehicle with a transverse mounted engine - search the other posts for the debate about that.

As for driveline, look for odd noises and weird feelings in a test drive; look for smoke from the dipstick, metal shavings in the oil. Pick up each wheel individually and try to rock them horizontally and vertically, looking for play.

If you have a trusted mechanic, take the car to them for an evaluation of the engine. There's only so much you can learn asking us folks on a forum.

Barring misuse or shoddy maintenance, these engines and drivelines are known to go on more or less indefinitely.

[precopster]

These 2 valve per cylinder B230 engines are non-interference engines so heads don't come off often unless they are overheated.

Having said that check all the coolant hoses for sponginess & be sure the timing belt and idlers/tensioners have a recent replacement history.
The harmonic balancers have been known to collapse so check for belts that appear to be out of alignment.
Heater core is a big job so it would be nice to have a recent replacement.

The manual transmission is about as bullet proof as anything rear-drive that Volvo made. I believe the overdrive is a hang-on type for these cars.

[john_boy1959]

Thanks for the replies.
John