Volvo: Could you suggest some good, older Volvo choices?, fuel injector problems, thr project

Question
Ray,

I am planning to buy two older Volvo's in the next year or so and I would like to see what your thoughts are about model reliability and so on...

I have owned various 140 and 240 series cars in the past and was served very well buy them (except for some Fuel injector problems on the older 244).  I know the newer Volvo's had some issues so I am thinking of sticking with the older models.

Here is what I am thinking about at this point:

Car 1)  This would be for my teenage son.  I would assume he would prefer a sedan over the station wagon (but I don't care).  He actually doesn't embarass easily (he is asking for an older beetle) but I thought a mid 80's Volvo would suit him more reliabily for less money.

Car 2) An 1800 series car for myself.  This would be a 'running restoration' project car.  Any hints towards what to watch out for while I am looking for the right one? (like notorious hard to fix rust spots, etc...)

I plan to spend $3k to $5k on each of these cars - could you help give me some tips on which models/years to avoid?

Thanks in advance,

Stew

Answer
Stew,
For a good older car for your kid, I would look for a 83 and up sedan, to about a 90. The 83 and 84 have a B23F engine very strong and reliable. 85 and up have the B230F another good engine. Find one that is best for you; lowest miles, price, looks, you know!
As for thr project car there are quite a few 1800's out there, but getting parts is tough. They are rare and I'm sure parts when you can find them will be somewhat costly. Try to find a car with some spare parts so that you have that head start. A running project car might in my opinion be a plus. The only thing you might be digging a bit deeper in your pocket for that perfect project car.