Silver Surfer: 1984 Volvo 245 Diesel Wagon

The last car we featured was a classic Volvo wagon with all of the magic unicorn attributes that classic Volvo wagon lovers tend to enjoy, but for people who thought that previous wagon was too brown and too fast, we've got this next thing...which is powered by that nasty diesel stuff and is covered in a basic shade of silver/grey.  The best part about the ad, however, is the disclaimer from the seller in ALL CAPS "THIS CAR IS NOT FOR THE CASUAL CAR BUYER. SUGGEST YOU BE FAMILIAR WITH THE MID 80S VOLVO DIESEL CARS BEFORE CONTACTING ME."  Oh yeah.  Find this 1984 Volvo 245 Diesel Wagon offered for $2,500 in Tacoma, WA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

Turbo Manual Brown Wagon: 1982 Volvo 245GLT

When somebody submits a link for a car and claims it checks all the boxes, I'm always skeptical...a glass is half full of gin kinda guy. And my boxes are kinda strange and kinda hard to check.  So let's see...manual gearbox, check; brown/gold exterior color, check; turbo power, check; wagon, check; decent price, check.  Okay...yup...checks all the boxes. Find this 1982 Volvo 245GLT offered for $4,000 in Ballard, WA via craigslist. Tip from Art C.

Help Us Decide Which Cars To Blog About!

CFlo's State of the Fleet Address

Here at the DT offices double-wide in the sky, it seems everyone has some sort of cool project car, wacky daily driver, or cheap performance machine. I think I might be the most deranged though, because at any given moment I need more than two full hands of fingers to count all the different project cars and needy old machinery sucking my time and attention. And I haven't lost any fingers...yet. Unfortunately I don't have the resources to write about everything I work on. This is where you come in!

Fjord 5.0: 1983 Volvo 245 GL Wagon

The Volvo 200-series was penned with a straight edge and forged with hammers -- and it is equally slow, hip, and cool in 2-door, 4-door, or 5-door wagon...except that the wagon is the best for shoving a Ford V8 up front.  Find this 1983 Volvo 245 GL Wagon with Ford V8 offered for $4,321 in Norfolk, VA via craigslist.  From Cory.

Brick House: 1988 Volvo 245 DL Turbo

Nine hundred smackeroos doesn't get you much in a running/driving car these days -- blame it on the Fed's policy of never ending inflation or hipsters with money driving the price of junk up.  However, with some proper application of your frontal lobe, you can find something fun/interesting/cool to drive for less than a grand.  Like this 1988 Volvo 245 DL Turbo offered for $900 in Eastern CT via craigslist.  Tip from Art C.  

Mobile Home on the DL: 1984 Volvo 245 DL

Sometimes you need to sleep in your car. Maybe it's the only option left before becoming homeless, but hopefully it's by choice - like maybe you need to drive halfway across the country to see the stuffed body of the only beer-drinking goat to ever become the mayor of Lajitas, Texas and then be castrated for drinking on a Sunday...and there just isn't enough time to find or stay in a motel. For such an occasion, you need a covert RV - a vehicle that quickly transforms from transportation to lodging without calling attention to itself - or as this next seller calls it, a "Mobile Home on the DL."   Find this 1984 Volvo 245 DL for sale in Ventura, CA for $2,000 via craigslist.

Manual Trans, Free Rust: 1982 Volvo 245 Diesel Wagon

For some reason I found myself drawn to terrible old project cars today...and it took me a while before I realized the reason.  I spent most of yesterday at the LA Auto show surrounded by over-marketed advertisements for new and shiny cars...naturally I'm going to scrape the bottom of the craigslist barrel.  Find this 1982 Volvo 245 Diesel Wagon offered for $700 in Whittier, CA via craigslist.

Thank Thor it's Thorsday Again: 1979 Volvo 245

We've gotten many requests here at DT to continue our fine tradition of Thorsday, so who are we to argue? This is a democracy! No - wait, this is an authoritarian regime ruled by iron-fisted E-i-C Vince. Lucky for us brickheads, Vince has graciously continued to allow our semi-weekly forays into Volvovaginitis. Check out this 1975 Volvo 245 for sale in an unspecified area of Virginia for $2,500 via the swedespeed forums...and click past the jump for another listing of the same car for a different price! Tip from Shawn.

IPD Build Off Winner: 1982 Volvo 245 V8

Another day another customized Volvo 245 wagon -- are we too predictable?  Nope.  Not at all, particularly when it comes to a well written advert that starts: Please if this is your first car, if you can't change your own oil, if you need your dad to come with you, if you can't drop a transmission or custom fabricate don't bother responding its too much car for you I know its sweet but lets save both of us some time....  Find this 1982 Volvo 245 Wagon with V8 offered for $8,500 CAD ($6,553 USD) located in Edmonton, AB, Canada via kijiji.ca.   Tip from George.

Thorsday Restomod: 1975 Volvo 245 Turbo Wagon

Finding a classic that is free from the biennial smog inspection requirements in California is simple, you need to stick to 1975 model year and earlier, which is tricky in the case of the 240 series Volvo because you only get one model year to choose from.  However, today's example is the rare smog free example and has a few tricks up its sleeve. Find this 1975 Volvo 245 Turbo Wagon offered for $6,999 here on eBay buy-it-now located in Redding, CA. Tip from Andrey.

Auction Watch: 1988 Volvo 245 DL Wagon

Take a look at this  1988 Volvo 245 DL Wagon here on eBay bidding for $5,400 with auction ending on Monday.

Lifted Scout Transplant: 1982 Volvo 245

It's Thorsday, so that means we need to feature a bonus vehicle from Scandinavia, but this next feature is far from the typical snoozy '80s econobarge normally seen on Thorsday.  Find this 1982 Volvo 245 riding on an International Scout chassis offered for $1400 in Sandston, VA via craigslist.  Tip from SeanT.

Cool To Be Square: 1987 Volvo 245 Wagon

It is quite possible that Piet Mondrian was pulling an Andy Kauffman on the art world when he released the box themed painting known as the Victory Boogie Woogie, but there is something to be said for the utility of the box shape.  Ask any UPS or FedEx driver if they would prefer a truck shaped as the Venus de Milo or a box for delivering Amazon boxes to your front door, and they'll certainly pick the box, so why shouldn't your car be square too?  Find this 1987 Volvo 245 Wagon offered for $5,000 near Seattle, WA. Tip from FuelTruck.

2k: It's Always Sunny In A Volvo: 1986 Volvo 245 DL Wagon

There are a couple of things I look for in sub $3k drivers -- the first is low miles (75k miles for a 29 year old car is great), next is working AC/heater (these are not important for the Mediterranean climate of my local SoCal region, but important when selling the car to others), original paint (cheap respray = no), and a giant sunflower painted on the door (because life is too short to drive something boring).  Find this 1986 Volvo 245 DL Wagon here on eBay currently bidding for $2,100 with a few minutes to go. 

5k: Circus Act: 1975 Volvo 245 Wagon

If your little girl says to you "Daddy, I wanna be a bat" -- you have little choice, but to lift her by the ankle and dangle her upside down like a bat.  If you happen to be wearing suspenders/hat and standing on the roof of your Volvo wagon, the end result might look a bit like a hybrid of Elvis Costello & Michael Jackson, and that could be a good thing.  Find this 1975 Volvo 245 wagon with newer turbo engine offered for $5,000 in SF Valley, CA via craigslist.

5k: Ford 5.0h Power: 1985 Volvo 245 Wagon

The Volvo 200 series lasted for a multi-decade production span starting way back in the hazy 70s and only ending when it was popular to "talk to the hand" (1993).  Less boxy cars needed complete redesigns to meet periodic new safety standards, but the 240/260 was build decades ahead of the competition in terms of safety - resulting in an iconic boxy Volvo shape that defined the marque for a few generations.  The biggest thing missing from the boxy is power and that can be easily solved if you've got the time...but why not pickup someone elses swapped box and save yourself the time and money.  Find this 1985 Volvo 245 Wagon with V8 swap here on craigslist offered for $3,000 in Tacoma, WA.

3k: Baby Blue CA Smog-Free Special: 1975 Volvo 245 DL

Not enough Volvo 240s on DT. Never enough. Needz moar Volvos. As a DT editor - but also a DT reader - I'm always thinking these thoughts in my deranged head as I hug myself and slowly rock back and forth in the corner of the DT offices. Some people just don't get the appeal of the classic 240 bricks, but those people are daft. Allow me to explain: these have the character of a '60s car but the more modern feel of an '80s import, a stiff, safe unit body, rack & pinion steering, simple McPherson strut and 4-link rear suspension, rear wheel drive, solid iron block powerplants...they are cheap (for now), and can be built into anything the owner desires. Especially when they are exempt from emissions inspection, like this 1975 Volvo 245 DL for sale in Echo Park, CA for $3200 OBO, languishing on craigslist. Original tip from Adam at fastinfastout.com.