Reply With QuoteI have a 90 740 with 220k miles and it still runs good (two teenagers learned to drive on this thing). Engines and trans are good for 300k with minimal care. Get on one of the Volvo websites and read up on what to check for.
Joe
OT: 1990 Volvo 740GL for winter car?
What's up everyone,
I know this is a liitle OT but I need some suggestions. I thought there may be someone on here with some Volvo knowlege. I am looking at a 1990 740gl with an automatic transmission and 172,000 miles. The motor is the 4cyl (2.3 I think). This is just going to be my winter car since I recently found a garage to store the E34. I don't know anything about Volvos and I am wondering if this is something I should buy or stay away from. How are the engine/transmissions in these cars? Is 172k too many miles? I will probably put 600-700 miles on it a month. The asking price for the car is $900US dollars. From the pictures I've seen the car has no rust. The reason I am posting is because the car is about two hours away and I don't want to drive that far for nothing. My mechanic has a similar car and says the drivetrain is bulletproof with proper maintenance. Do these have any issues or problem areas? Is there anything I should look for when I go to see it? Any help is greatly apprciated.
Thanks,
Phil
I have a 90 740 with 220k miles and it still runs good (two teenagers learned to drive on this thing). Engines and trans are good for 300k with minimal care. Get on one of the Volvo websites and read up on what to check for.
Joe
Grand Master
I pretty much have the same car, different body (a 240, same engine and transmission, I think). It is pretty much bulletproof, I beat on it awhile as a teenager and now I take care of it. The odometer stopped around 160,000 and we think it has somewhere around 190,000. Anywho, I thought about buying another one for the heck of it, and I've found that theyre priced a little wierd- either people jsut want to get rid of it and sell it for pennies, or they think a 14 year old car with 200,000 miles and rust is worth 4k....and there isnt much in between. I suppose thats probably true of all old cars, but still.
I would say that for $900, its a good deal especially for a winter car. At the shop I used to go to, most of the 240s and 740s for sale were up for sale because the A/C broke, and its not worth it to fix in a car like that.
I hate to give you bad advice, because any car with that many miles can have problems, but I know I have the same engine and transmission with about the same number of miles, and mine still runs fine. As an added bonus, you can easily find a new engine or transmission from a junkyard should anything go wrong for less than most cars. Hope this helps.
93 525i / 01 330Ci / 98 Camry / 91 Volvo 240 / 99 Jeep GC
Thanks for the responses. I'll let you guys know how I make out.
Originally Posted by DanDombrowski
I have to tell you as well. I just sold my '90 740GL w/ 192K to my niece. The car has been amazing. Most comfortable seat of any car I've owned (hate to say it but the seat just feels better than my bimmers). I would pay close attention to the motor mounts and valve adjustments as those are two known issues that can arise. I had mine mostly when I lived in Colorado Springs and w/ a set of snows it did just fine for winter driving. Good luck. -Renman
1994 530i
5-10 Grand Master
to bullet proof if you get it, replace the refrence mark sensor, fuel pump/main relay (white 6 pin below radio) and the RF relay on the front of one of the strut towers (it moved around) it's the same relay as the aux fan those are the 3 things that will kill a 89 and up 7/9 series volvo
all america wants is cold beer warm cat and a place to take a poop with a door on it
Big, Big Time Poster
The old RWD Volvo drivetrain is bulletproof as long as you don't get a V6 or the ZF-made transmission. Red-block 4-cyls are damn near un-killable. It's not at all uncommon to see them on the high side of 300,000mi without a rebuild. The AW70 and 71 transmissions are great, too - but the overdrives are comparitively short-lived.
740s are basically 240s with different styling and a nicer interior. The drivetrain is largely identical between the two. The 740 has more electrical bits that can fail; the 240 is very simple.
Both cars are exceptionally easy to work on, there's enough space under the hood to fit a large V8 comfortably, but there's just this tiny 4-cyl in there. If you can't reach something, you've got problems.
Neither, I think, are very good snow cars. Very few of them came with locking differentials, and the weight balance is very nose-heavy. Supposedly they're pretty tolerable if you get a GOOD set of snow tires, but honestly, when I had my 240, I just gave up in the winter.
5-10 Grand Master
my grand parents loved the 91 240 i got them, said it did great in the snow in northern virgina, never had any trouble climbing their steep several hundred foot long driveway up to the top of the hill
all america wants is cold beer warm cat and a place to take a poop with a door on it
You should have seen the road to my house in Colorado Springs (weinerslick at 6500') and never did I not make it in my '90 OVLOV. Great back-up car to keep your bimmers caged up!
1994 530i
I used to have 1991 Volvo 740. I loved that car and it never let me down during the time I had it from 96,000 miles to 140,000. But, I did not like the Volvo for two reasons. The first being that it was slower than a golf cart not having a turbo, and the second reason was that it was a horrible winter car. I drove it in Denver during winter and it would get stuck in simple parking spaces on a small patch of ice. I even spun out in a snow storm in the mountains and almost got rammed by a snow plow before I almost hit a rock wall sliding into a ditch. Other than that, they last and last for many miles. -- Mike
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