Volvo: Multiple problems with 89 Volvo 240, neutral safety switch, volvo 240

Question
I have an '89 Volvo 240 and I think there are some major things wrong with it.  

First - I was running low on gas and the car started stuttering and stalling.  The check engine light came on and has stayed on.  When you first start the car, sometimes it stalls or it will stall when accelerating from a complete stop.  It will start right back up.  The less gas that is in the car, the more this happens.  It also sometimes doesn't start at all, doesn't even try to turn over.  If I put it in Drive and then back in Park and try to start it again, it usually does.  

The other day I let someone borrow the car.  The next day, I noticed that one of the rods that hooks the exhaust system up had slipped off the hanger on one side.  So, I hooked that back up.  But, I'm also feeling a slight vibration in the steering wheel at low speeds only and it feels like a sort of clunking under the car, possibly near one of the wheels.  It also clunks when you first start it up.  Also, the car will make a creaking noise sometimes.  I'm really scared that it's something to do with the steering column and that I'm going to lose control of the car.

Any idea what could be wrong and, if so, about how much it would cost to be repaired?

Thanks!!

Answer
Shawnee,
The check engine light means code(s) need to be read and dealt with. You can simply clear the code by disconnecting the battery for a few minutes, however you will not know what codes where there.
When the car runs poorly with half a tank of gas or less, generally it means the feed pump in the tank has stopped working.
If it take shifting of the shifter to get the car to turn over then I would suspect that the neutral safety switch is out of adjustment. It is under the cover for the shifter.
The steering problem that you describe will need to be inspected. There are front end bushing and ball joints and stabilizer links, shocks, sway bar, etc. They will need a close look and road test to get to the bottom of that noise. Get to your favorite shop as soon as you can.
Ball joints installed $200.00. "A" arm bushings $150.00. Stab links $140.00. Shocks $230.00