Is Boxy But Good Still The Answer? 1989 Volvo 240 vs 2013 Volvo S60

When you go see a band you’ve loved for years, you want to hear the old hits, right? Yeah, they have a new album out, but you don’t know those songs. You want to sing along to the stuff you’ve known since high school. So you sit politely through the new stuff, waiting to hear the riffs and lyrics that are burned into your soul. But then, you start listening to the new songs, and your head starts bobbing, and your toes start tapping, and it occurs to you: this new stuff is pretty good! They’ve still got it. It’s not the same, but it ain’t bad. Today we’re applying that same philosophy to a couple of Volvos.

Yesterday we looked at a couple of Buicks, also many years apart in age, but not far at all apart in mission. The newer Riviera won, and by quite a bit, but reading the comments I noticed that the enthusiasm gap was not nearly as wide as the vote gap was. Those of you who preferred the big Electra truly championed it, while a lot of the comments in favor of the Riviera were more along the lines of “it’s fine, I guess.”

That means one thing: the Electra fans are more my kind of people. I don’t care what you’re into, but for goodness’s sake, be into it. Proudly and unapologetically. I get that I give you a lot of crappy choices here, and sometimes a lukewarm “it’ll do” is the best I can hope for. But when some of you see a car like that big ol’ Electra and truly want it, it makes this whole endeavor more fun. And for what it’s worth, I pick the Electra too. Go big, or go home.

Volvo made its name here in the US by building sturdy, no-nonsense cars that put substance well over style. It never was a luxury automaker, not really, but it got caught up in the yuppie fervor of the 1980s and seen as a “premium” brand. When Ford took ownership, it did nothing to dispel that idea, and neither did current owner Geely. But I haven’t heard nearly as much falling from grace about Volvo’s reliability as I have about BMW or Mercedes, or even Volkswagen. Could it be that the newer Volvos carry on the traditions of old, despite the “luxury” overlay? Let’s look at an old Volvo alongside a much newer one and find out.

1989 Volvo 240 GL – $2,900

Engine/drivetrain: 2.3-liter OHC inline-4, four-speed automatic, RWD

Location: Bellingham, WA

Odometer reading: 275,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

I’m betting that when someone says “Volvo,” this is the car that comes to mind. The 240 series was in production for eighteen years, and in that time it became a legend. The newest one is now thirty-three years old, and still it’s considered a good, viable used car option by a lot of people. This 240 is being sold by a Volvo specialist shop that has serviced it for years and can vouch for it, as well as provide all the records. If there’s a more trustworthy source for a dependable used car, I don’t know what it is.

The 240 is powered by Volvo’s famous “red block” four-cylinder engine, in this case combined with an Aisin-Warner overdrive automatic transmission. It’s a stout combination that’s capable of racking up hundreds of thousands of miles. This one already has 275,000 on it, but it still runs and drives just fine.

Even though the 240 never really was the luxury car the yuppies thought it was, it’s pretty comfy. The ride is smooth, and the seats are really nice. This one has seen better days; the leather is torn in a few places, but with some seat covers it should be fine for a while. This is the best view we have of the interior, unfortunately, so there’s no way to know how the dashboard looks. Sometimes they’re pretty ratty in these cars.

I’m sure there’s a story behind the mismatched hood, probably involving a minor accident, but the rest of this car looks good outside. There’s no rust, and the paint is nice and shiny. If it were me, I’d paint the hood flat black, add some round driving lights to the front, and make it look intentional rather than half-assed collision repair.

2013 Volvo S60 T5 – $2,000

Engine/drivetrain: Turbocharged 2.5-liter DOHC inline 5, six-speed automatic, FWD

Location: Chandler, AZ

Odometer reading: 177,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

Volvo abandoned its rectilinear ways around 2000, and since then its cars have been just as sleek as anyone else’s. It still doesn’t feel quite right, but I can’t deny that later-model Volvos are handsome machines. This is a second-generation S60, up for sale in the suburbs of Phoenix. The ad is terse in the extreme, so we’ll have to go by the photos. Trouble is, there aren’t many of those, either. We’ll do our best.

In place of the old red block, this Volvo has a much more powerful engine, a turbocharged five-cylinder that drives the front wheels instead of the rear. It has a six-speed automatic with a manual shift option that nobody ever uses. All the seller says is that it runs and drives, so if you want to know more, you’ll have to go test-drive it, pop the hood, and poke around.

Volvo interiors still aren’t all that luxurious, but they are a hell of a lot more stylish than they used to be. This one is in good condition, and I really like the contrasting seat color and door inserts. The only other piece of information in the ad, and it’s an important thing to know in Arizona, is that the air conditioning works.

It’s in good condition outside too, with shiny black paint and a desert car’s lack of rust. It looks good in black, actually. I’m as tired of monochrome cars as the next guy, but all things being equal, I’d rather see black than white or silver.

So what do you think? Is the old brick still the way to go, or has its time passed? Is the sleek newcomer deserving of the same reputation as the old ones? Make your choice, and we’ll see which one comes out on top.