Background
Purchased this wagon in February 2013 for my wife to drive to work on weekends. Somehow, I had stumbled on the idea of a 240 wagon as an ideal commuter/grocery-getter/feed and hardware hauler even though you rarely see one in these parts. When I found this one in Las Vegas (by way of Oregon) with no rust, no power options and a stick...I jumped on it.
Maintenance
I don't like surprises so this is what I did to try and ensure maximum reliability and fuel economy and minimum hassle;New Hankook Optimo H724 Standard Touring tires 195/75-14 on repainted stock wheels with center caps (includes the original plastic hubcaps).New Interstate MT-34 battery and cables. New battery tray. Install new waterproof fuse holder for FI system. Inspect underhood wiring, repair lamps and terminals as needed.New timing belt, cam and crank seals, belts, hoses and clamps, thermostat and housing, water pump looked recent and felt good so I left it.New dist, cap, rotor, wires, plugs, air filter.New Bilstein Touring Class struts and shocks. New ball joints and poly end links. New poly sway bar bushings. New front brake hoses and Dot 4 fluid. Pads are at about 50%. Repacked bearings and replaced seals.Installed non-AC P/S bracket with new poly mounting bushings. New poly alternator mounts, also. New OE- style belly (splash) pan.New motor mounts and trans mount. New driveshaft center support bearing. Universal joints felt OK. Fresh fluids in transmission, overdrive and rear axle.New late model windshield (one-piece rubber) and beam blade style wipers.New late model style rear hatch hinges and repaired wiring in hatch (a common problem area).Inspect and lube window crank mechanisms and door hinges and latch mechanisms.Replaced fuses and clean fuse block terminals and add dialectric grease. Replaced main FI and fuel pump relays.Removed carpet for professional cleaning and reinstalled. Cleaned all interior. Flushed out and inspected cowl vent and rocker panel cavities (they collect leaves and junk).
Modifications
Made a few changes to hopefully make life easier. In my mind, simple = durable.
Removed AC system and all related parts.Removed auto-lock solenoids and related wiring back to fuse block (parts included).Removed seat belt warning chime and light and related wiring back to fuse block. Tidied up all under-dash wiring (heater fan motor appears to have been replaced at some point).Removed OE radio/cassette deck (it's included).
The Nitty-Gritty
At this point, I don't foresee a problem in driving him anywhere. However, here's what I know of that needs attention;
Looks like he caught an egg on the roof at some point and it left a damaged spot on the paint at rear of roof (see photo) that needs to be refinished.There's a scratch and dent between the left side doors that looks like it was painted over poorly.The hood and top sections of right side doors and fender appear to have been refinished at some point and are micro-cracky and have less shine than the rest of the original paint. Could have been sun-damaged as the right side door handles are quite faded.Only rust that I can find is a tiny bubbly spot at bottom of right side rear window (see photo) and a couple of small rough spots at bottom edge of rear hatch door. Door bottoms, hatch bottom, rear wells and floor are all clean. I did repair a dime-sized isolated spot on floor while carpet was out- maybe a can of soda was spilled there. All good now.Rear hatch latch striker (the little bar) is worn and a bit rattly.Drivers seat lower cushion is pretty sacked out and there are splitting seams and worn places in the nauga at all the usual places (see photos).Couple of trim pieces missing on dash and dash cover is cracked as you would expect.Please let me know if I can provide detail shots of any of these areas. Sorry, point and shoot photos only.He currently passes Utah state inspection. Fuel economy has been in the 24 mpg range (your mileage may vary).
Let's do this!
Please pay close attention to the shipping and payments tab. $500 deposit via Paypal within 24 hours. Full amount paid within 7 business days in cash. Cashiers check or money order accepted but it must clear before delivery or shipment. No silly scammy stuff, thanks. I can drive as far as Las Vegas or Salt Lake City to deliver as I can catch a shuttle home from those locations. Both have airports. St George, Utah has an airport but it doesn't serve all airlines. Shipping is buyer's responsibility.