Volvo 280 Prepurchase Inspection and General Opinions

[Cresco750]

Hi I'm a current Mercruiser owner, but I'm looking at a 1985-ish vintage boat which has a 350 V8 coupled to a Volvo 280. It's a fresh water boat. I have never owned, or maintained a Volvo before, and I've read some quite positive things on the net about them. Is an older model drive like the 280 still considered a good bet, or do they have known issues? Are they easy to maintain, and parts still available (even if sourced from overseas)? Do they require any extraordinary maintenance or is an annual lube normally all that's required? As far as things to look for in a pre purchase, aside from checking the gear oil what other things should I look for or test? Many thanks

 

[jerryjerry05]

The Volvo is the BEST drive out there.
The 280 you have does it have Hyd. trim/ tilt?
They are a bit more expensive to repair.

If it's been taken care of and maintained right. It will last another 30 years.

Hook it up to a hose(plug the bottom hole on the drive) and check for excess noise in the drive shaft area.
Turn the wheel L@R see if the u-joints make noise.
Shake the drive and see it moves? Loose, not good.
They 80's 350 was famous for the oil pan rusting and leaking.
I had a pair of them in a 32 and they weren't real bad on gas and ran great.