1984 Volvo GL: You Can Go Home Again!
As famously mentioned by Proust many years ago, it’s remarkable how some things can trigger long-forgotten memories. And then, boom—something comes along and you go back in time. For me, that trigger wasn’t the famous madeleines but a yuppie-era Volvo GL that I spied in Coralville back in the early summer of 2022.
Yes, I’m sure you’re shocked to hear this—in my case, the memories come from cars in my past, not baked goods. And I still remember, back in probably late ’83 or so, my mom telling me that Dad was ordering a new car.
At the time, I had been joined by a brand-new brother. Although Mom had a navy blue ’77 Volvo 245DL wagon, Dad was driving a maroon 1981 or ’82 Volvo DL two-door. It was apparently deemed necessary that Dad obtain a four-door car, since there were now two kids, so Dad went down to Lundahl Motors and ordered a new ’84 GL sedan.
The GL was several notches above the more basic DL. Available as a four-door sedan or five-door wagon, special features included velour seats (leather seats were optional; Dad opted for saddle-tan leather, just as seen on our featured car today), power windows, a crank-open sunroof, Corona turbine-style alloy wheels, and a chrome-plated grille, among other refinements.
Despite the luxurious appointments, it was mechanically identical to the more garden-variety DL, with the same 141-cubic-inch “red block” inline four-cylinder, with 114 hp and 133 lb-ft of torque when connected to the automatic transmission.
Other GL niceties included standard air conditioning, a power trunk release, an engine compartment light, a tachometer, and intermittent windshield wipers. Metallic paints were an optional extra. Dad chose one of those: metallic silver. In 1984, not everything was silver like today, and the cool-toned paint provided a nice contrast with the saddle tan interior.
Back then Dad had a 32-foot 1962 Chris-Craft cruiser, with twin Chryslers. Most weekends we went down “to the boat” so Dad could tinker with it or we could all go out for a ride. I have very clear memories of riding in this car, on the road to the marina, with the sunroof open and all four windows down.
Those were good times, even when stupid 5- or 6-year-old me had problems.
For instance, I remember getting a Transformers Porsche 928 one year, either for Christmas or a birthday. I took it with me to the boat one day and dropped it in the water while either getting on or getting off the boat.
There was no finding it in murky Lake Potter, which is where the marina was, which connected directly to the Mississippi River. I was heartbroken, but Dad got me a new one a bit later. I still have it, somewhere!
The GL was a good car for us, and I can’t remember it ever having a single problem while we had it. It was a good, solid car—not fast, but tough and comfortable …
… Much like Volvo itself was for the duration of the ’80s. As Dudley Moore so famously said in the movie Crazy People, “They’re boxy but they’re good.”
Today, Volvos are pretty swoopy and attractive, but back in the ’80s their focus was more on durability and reliability. As a vintage brochure explained: “Now that Americans are demanding cars that won’t have to be traded in every few years, many car makers are rushing to oblige them.
“But building cars that will last a long time isn’t a task to be accomplished quickly. Volvo engineers have devoted themselves to it for decades. Recent findings indicate the degree of their success: a Volvo’s life expectancy on American roads is one-third longer than the average for all other cars.”
But as tough and reliable and comfortable as our GL was, I think Dad was looking for, as Tim Taylor would say, “more power!”
One summer day, Dad showed up in a fire-engine red, brand-new ’88 740 Turbo Sedan. With tan leather, power sunroof, and other goodies.
The silver GL was duly traded in, but that was not the end of the car’s story in the Klockau family. My Aunt Bobbie and Uncle Ron bought it from Lundahl’s and had it at least into the early 1990s.
All these memories came flooding back upon seeing this gunmetal gray ’84 GL at the cruise-in at Coral Ridge Mall, back in May or June of 2022. Other than the paint color, it was identical to Dad’s car.
Writing this up, it occurred to me that Volvo could do worse than to offer a retro-style 240, with those boxy yet endearing dimensions and shape, to attract us now-middle-aged adults who rode in similar conveyances back in the go-go ’80s. Volvo, how about it?
Sign me up.
We had a number of 240 series Volvos regularly serviced at our shop. As advertised, they were reliable, durable cars. One exception- a customer owned two, one model year apart. I remember both of them needing the HVAC blower motor replaced when the cars were just out of warranty. It was an extraordinarily complex affair involving disassembly of the dash and console. As I understood it, this was not uncommon in 240s from the early 80s. Other than that, everything seemed to last better than anything else we serviced in the Malaise era, including corrosion resistance here in the Rust Belt. Much later in life I investigated a high-speed crash involving a 12 year old (unrusted) mid-eighties 240. The vaunted Volvo safety reputation certainly saved the intoxicated driver’s life, the front crumpled zones absorbing the impact and leaving the passenger compartment unscathed. I’d never seen a car take a hit like that and still be survivable. While I’ve never owned one, I hold Volvos in high regard.
I agree that Volvo should make a boxy Volvo again.
This car reminds me of the ’82 240 DL that I had. Very similar.
One big problem was when I needed a timing belt replacement, and the “mechanic” broke the Distributor’s gearing. We discovered that my car had an “Asian Ignition System”(?), whose parts were extremely rare. Some of the parts were even Italian!
Your open-hood/engine photo reminds me that the Grill itself is easily removed by turning the white plastic fasteners at the top, something I did whenever washing the car.
Like other responses, I’d like to see these return, (or any sedans!)
That car looks to be in great condition. Shows you that it is a loved car.