Faults:

I have owned the car less than 1 year. Nothing has gone wrong in my time.

Previous owner had a new radiator replacement and a new roof lining.

Everything this car has from the factory still works well.

General Comments:

I bought this car in 2012 from a senior couple who had owned it originally since 1991. The car has a brilliant service record, and for a car of 22 years of age, everything from the factory still works well.

In 1990 this car was $72000 AUD, and for a car of that price, it did have clunky plastic interior, however these cars were extremely well built, and were engineered to last.

These old Volvos certainly outlive all other European and Japanese cars of that era.

Heated seats, electric antenna, power windows, A/C + climate control, AM/FM cassette stereo. All original, and all still working fine.

Very comfortable for 4 adults with everything you need (except cup holders).

Powerful 4 cylinder turbo engine does the job nicely. Smooth and reasonable efficient.

Handling is a bit sloppy and saggy, but this could be due to original 22 year old suspension, springs, etc.

Like all older used cars, some have good lives and some have bad. Some models are great and others are a dud.

I was lucky when I found my 740 Turbo; it's a good example of a perfect kept car.

With general maintenance, there is nothing unusual that goes wrong with these cars. Most forums on the Internet or car clubs have ironed out and found easy or upgrade fixes for common faults.

Anyone with basic mechanical skills (or willing to learn) can do most service tasks on this model.

There is something Volvo drivers and enthusiasts get from driving a Volvo; even the older beat up models still bring joy to the driver. A solid car that's for the driver.

Faults:

1 balljoint R/H, 1 steering rack early morning sickness, 2 shockers, front only, 1 lower ball joint R/H side.

General Comments:

Safe, fun to drive, cheap on parts and service. Have you checked Ford and GM service lately?

Big trunk/boot.

Easy to work on.

Faults:

Steering links (both sides) had to be replaced (used independent garage, parts cost NZ$140 each as opposed to NZ$800+ quoted by agents).

Headlining falling down (slowly but surely).

Central locking expired.

Speedo slow to react (kicking in around 40km/h), but fixed at home by dismantling and cleaning.

No engine or transmission repairs needed.

General Comments:

Strong mechanically, but ancillary devices (power aerial, central locking) and some interior trim flakey. Bulky to navigate in city traffic, but superb on open road (surprisingly economical too).

Great passive safety - had the misfortune to write the car off (September 2009) after losing grip on diesel spill and colliding on the open road with a heavy-duty fence. Car held up well and I was unhurt. Would have been a different story in my Mazda 323!

Faults:

Hose between twin tanks leaked after its first full tank for some time; poured about 16 litres of Optimax on the driveway. Fixed by dealer no problems. Common problem in cars using ethanol, as it rots rubber lines. I use only quality fuel for this reason.

General Comments:

It's black with a wing on the boot, and still at 14 years old, even young guys comment as to how good it looks. My wife gets the same comments for her 16 year old silver turbo too. Yet mine handles much better and has more punch, while hers rides smoother.

Both give reasonable economy and power for the $.