Volvo Body/Performance Upgrades:

These are items I replaced or added during the 10 years I owned my 240, estimated by price:

Both turn signal lenses had to be replaced because they were getting dried out from the humidity.  It didn't help the fact that my basketball hit each lens and cracked them. 

A wheel cover had to be replaced with a used one because I had lost it on my way home from school. I drove up and down the same route for over an hour, but had no luck. My local Volvo place had a newer-style used one with a black center cap. I bought it for $20 and then purchased a silver center cap for $7 to cover up the black logo.

The white, thin felt-type carpet on the rear deck had a stain in the middle of it, and I couldn't get it out with any type of carpet cleaner. The cleaners had actually made it worse!  While I was up in South Carolina working for my uncle, he recommended going to Pep Boys and buying some rear deck carpet. For $10, I bought a black roll, and cut it out leaving holes for the speakers and ports.  It's a nice touch.

One of the more common questions I'm always getting is:  "Where did I get the OEM front armrest with cup holders and the OEM Tail Lamp Center Decor Panel?"  For starters, both options are extremely rare.  I got my armrest from a Volvo/Mercedes-Benz Volvo repair and used sales shop.  They had a 1990 240DL that had been sitting for 3 months.  I stopped by, looked at it, and my eyes lit-up when I noticed it had the same matching interior as my car and came equipped with the armrest.  I offered the sales guy $50 for the part and he agreed (sucker!).  The original Volvo armrest that would match your car's interior is no longer available from Volvo.  Furthermore, Volvo's replacement (all black) armrest for the 200 series is also no longer available.  Besides eBay, your only other alternative would be Husco.  This company sells an aftermarket front armrests with cupholders for Volvo 240's for $86.40.

About the decor panel, I actually bought the Tail Lamp Center Decor Panel off of eBay.  I had been looking for one of these parts for years.  One day, I looked on eBay, and one was listed.  I purchased it for slightly less than $100 (I consider really cheap).  I believe the option is still available from your Volvo dealer for approximately $265.  The part number is 1394852.

The turbo sway bars and iPD upper chassis braces were purchased because I wanted (much) better handling and response.  When paired, these two items make driving your Volvo a whole new experience, particularly when cornering!  iPD also sells their lower chassis braces and their own, even thicker, sway bars.  Your best bet is to find yourself a 240 turbo sedan in a salvage yard and pull the sway bars from it.  It's one of the best upgrades that you can do for your Volvo.

Repairs:

There are a number of repairs the average DIY'er can do to maintain his/her Volvo 240 without having to spend hundreds of dollars at your local mechanic or Volvo dealership.  For instance, basic maintenance such as a tune-up (i.e., changing the spark plugs, distributor cap, and ignition rotor), cleaning your car's throttle body cleaning, and flushing the transmission and engine coolant are among the easiest things to do... even if you have no automotive mechanic experience whatsoever!

On February 19, 2005, for a cost of approximately $55, I was able to perform all of the above.  Yes, $55 -- that's LESS THAN what my mechanic would charge me for one hour of service!  This was my second time doing the above, and it took me approximately 3 hours (taking my time and enjoying the beautiful Florida day). 

Did you know that to flush the transmission fluid, all it takes is a wrench, a case (12 quarts) of transmission fluid (Dexron III), about 8 feet of clear tubing (3/8" inner diameter), a container to catch the liquid, and a long funnel?  Then, it's just a matter of connecting the tubing to the fitting on the radiator, starting the car, waiting for 2 quarts of tranny fluid to come out (approximately 30-45 seconds), turning off the car, refilling the transmission fluid with 2 new quarts of fresh fluid and repeating the process until you see bright red fluid flushing out.  Yes, that's all there is to it.  The whole process takes about 20 minutes.  Your overall cost is approximately $35 the first time ($10-$15 for parts + $20 for fluid) and then about $20 thereafter (for a case of fluid). 

Dave Shannon's instructions on transmission fluid flush.
The Brickboard's FAQ's 700/900 Fluid Flush (similar to a 240).

This task is even easier than the transmission flush.  Besides the actual parts, all you will need are a ratchet, a deep 5/8" spark plug socket ($5) and some anti-seize compound ($2).  These items should be available at Ace Hardware.

As for the parts, you will need a Bosch distributor cap ($5), a Bosch ignition rotor ($6), and four Bosch WR7DC spark plugs ($1.50/each).  Don't waste your money on platinum spark plugs.  Total: $17.00.

Optional Parts:  OEM/Bougicord ignition wires ($40).  Also, if you plan on cleaning the throttle body, buy a can of carb cleaner ($4) and stop by your local Volvo dealership for a Throttle Body Gasket ($3).

Installation is simple.  With your car off and your engine cold, pop off the distributor cap, remove one wire at a time and connect it to the new distributor cap, remove the old ignition rotor, install the new rotor, and then install the new distributor cap.  Just be sure that you make a note where each wire connects.  Pull off the ignition wire from the first spark plug, and then use the deep socket to remove the plug.  Apply a little anti-seize to the spark plug's thread and then manually turn/tighten the spark plug into the engine.  Once you know the spark plug is threaded correctly, use the socket to tighten it.  Just be certain not to over tighten any of the spark plugs!  Do the same for the remaining three spark plugs.  That's it. 

Your overall cost could range from $24-$40 for the first time without needing wires.  Each subsequent time you replace the plugs, cap, and rotor, it will only cost you about $17!  Your mechanic would probably charge you $80-$100 to do this.  Granted, he should also set the timing and clean the throttle body for this price, but if things are running right, save yourself some money and do it yourself!

Again, another easy procedure.  All you need is a screwdriver to loosen some hose clamps, a bucket/pan to catch the old coolant, a gallon of distilled water, and a gallon of antifreeze.  Mix the antifreeze and distilled water using a 50/50 mix!

Optional Parts:  Thermostat, new radiator hoses (upper/lower). 

With your car off and engine cold, turn your A/C's thermostat to hot.  Use your screwdriver to loosen the hose clamp on the lower radiator hose.  When you remove the hose from the radiator, be prepared to catch the fluid!  You'll most likely spill some, so be sure to thoroughly wash/clean the ground -- pets are attracted to antifreeze!  There is also a drain cock that is located basically underneath the 4th cylinder towards the firewall.  Open this using a wrench (13mm, I think).  Some coolant will drip out from here.

Take your hose, put the nozzle on "jet" and spray the heck out of the inside of the coolant reservoir.  If you look inside of it, you'll probably notice some corrosion or rust.  Spraying direct water should remove most of it.  You'll notice water flushing out the bottom of the radiator.  When you think the tank is as clean as you can get it, reconnect the lower hose, and tighten the drain cock.  Slowly pour the 50/50 mix into the reservoir and refill the tank to the appropriate level (see Volvo manual).  Start the car, let it warm up, check for leaks, and add more coolant if needed.

Here is a Brickboard post about flushing the coolant.
A Bentley Volvo 240 Manual has detailed instructions on this!

As for my car's maintenance, I'm not going to list everything I have had done to my car (i.e., brakes pads, alignments, new tires, shocks, timing belt, etc...), even though everything is kept in an Excel Spreadsheet, but I will list some major repairs and other abnormal/regular problems known to the 240s:

For the 10 years I've had my car, I've spent about $65 a month in repairs. This includes those major repairs listed above. Tires and brakes make up a significant amount of that total.  Why so much?  When my parents were paying for the maintenance, they replaced the tires quite frequently. 

Since 2002, the average monthly maintenance cost of my car is $31 a month.

Like I said earlier, when I got my car, I was about 16 years old. Now, I'm 26. After taking the car the first time around the block, I tinkered with the stereo.

Let me just tell you that the stock stereo system more or less sucked. Period. It came with a cassette deck and only two 4 inch front door speakers. There was no bass and one of the speakers was basically always pointing at my knee!  So, the acoustics were horrible, too.  What was really disappointing was that there were no rear deck speakers.

The following improvements stereo system upgrades were done:

Why only 5" speakers in the rear?  Well, according to the guys at the shop,  5¼" were the biggest I could fit in there without removing my rear seat's headrests.  Though, I would have liked 6½ or 6x9s, the subs were my alternative for bass response, plus, I wanted to keep the headrests.

Since the 240 is almost entirely made out of steel, the trunk is not any different. One person once told me, "Steel Trunk + Bass = Bass Trap." Instead of spending a ridiculous amount of money on a custom box with a pair of 12" subs and a separate amp, I decided to opt for powered subs. I initially started with one, but I found another at a pawn shop at a reasonable price.  These subs are very small and compact. I've moved around the subs a number of times trying to find the 'perfect' spot, and if you look below, you'll see where I put them.

The bass response is more than adequate inside the vehicle.  However, when going 70+mph and with the noise from the road and A/C blowing, naturally, the subs aren't as strong as if I'm driving 40mph.  However, they more than satisfy my needs. Seriously though, what can you expect from 60w (RMS)/100w (peak) 8 inch subs?

Pictures:

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