1988 Volvo 740 2.3

Summary:

Great car!

Faults:

The left ball joint needed to be replaced around 250,000 miles.

Seats wore badly.

A/C stopped working.

General Comments:

This car was a tank. The engine ran great.

Around 250,000 miles small problems started to mount. The engine and transmission leaked, a motor mount broke, there were some electrical problems with the rear lights. The car had almost 300,000 miles on it, though.

Big, solid, heavy car that has an engine that will run forever. I drove it to the junk yard. The engine just didn't want to die.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th March, 2009

1988 Volvo 740 GLE

Summary:

Faithful as an old dog, and a sturdy as a tank!

Faults:

Keeping in mind that the car was 10 years old when I bought it, in the 10 years since, I've replaced:

Starter.

Water pump.

Fuel pump.

Heater valves.

Shifter bushing.

Alternator bushing (just the bushing, not the entire alternator).

A/c compressor.

Muffler.

Gaskets.

Additionally, I had to replace a couple of minor hoses and sensors, but they were so inexpensive they're hardly worth mentioning.

In all I've been averaging about 1 in-garage repair a year. In all I've probably spent around 2000 in repairs over the past 10 years not counting the occasional brakes, tires, and batteries.

The only issue I would say is problematic would be the electrical system and/or wiring. I have to keep a steady supply of spare tail lamps in my glove compartment, due to a short in the wiring that my mechanic says is a common problem with Volvos. This can of course be fixed, but the labor alone required to track down the short would be astronomical compared to the 1 or 2 bucks I spend a month on replacement lamps.

General Comments:

All in all, my Volvo's been a wonderful car. Faithful as an old dog and sturdy as a tank (I know because she's had a few close calls and still runs like a champ).

Volvos have a reputation for running half a million miles or more. I'm at 200,000 miles and still running strong.

As far as style is concerned, the older Volvos are timeless classics. Not everyone enjoys the "brick", but what's great about them is that they're immediately recognizable and resemble nothing else on the road. Once Ford took over of course this all changed. The newer Volvos are often confused with Toyotas, Mazdas, and Suzukis.

Parts for repairs are generally slightly above average in cost, but well worth the investment. With even the minimum amount of maintenance, this car will run forever.

Seats 4 average sized adults comfortably, although I've had male passengers complain about head room.

Drives and handles like a European car (If you've driven European cars before, you'll know what I mean. They feel completely different from American cars or Asian imports).

Best to find a mechanic who specializes in Volvos. Most other well intentioned mechanics will simply waste your time and money trying to isolate a problem that a seasoned Volvo mechanic can diagnose in seconds.

Mild vibration common among Volvos.

I've had my Volvo 10 years, and would gladly keep it 10 more if it didn't look so rough. The leather seats have cracked, the paint's fading, and I have a few dings and dents from a couple of close calls. I'm in the process of searching for another car now, and I plan on it being another newer model Volvo.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th September, 2007

28th Sep 2007, 09:17

"Faithful as an old dog, and a sturdy as a tank!"

- It's much more of an old dog than a tank.

29th Sep 2007, 03:31

No, I agree with the original reviewer. These Volvos are great - no matter how you treat them, they just keep going. Fantastically engineered vehicles with the customer/owner in mind - not just the companies profits!!!

5th Sep 2008, 20:53

My Volvo 740GLE was 100,000 miles when it threw the timing belt and it cost me $1200 to repair all the damage caused by this event. My wife and I crossed the US from NYC to Omaha with no problems in this vehicle after the repairs. Then one day, driving at about 15 mph, the timing belt flew off again and this time I decided not to lay out the bucks to repair the old Volvo. It was a shame because the interior and exterior were beauty. I hope nobody else has had this problem. Maybe mine was just a lemon waiting to explode. Anyway, beware the timing belt!

9th Jul 2010, 15:03

Hi!

Was curious about the timing belt - the 8 valve engines are non-interference engines (shouldn't bend valves) - was yours a 16 valve version (which IS an interference engine)?

Mike.

12th Nov 2010, 08:56

Yes, this car will run forever as long as you keep up with the basic maintenance. I'm currently driving one that my mother in law bought straight off the assembly line in Sweden. It has 310K miles on it. (Actually, that's last time it registered). It is a solid car. you feel like you can take down a brick wall. However, don't count on winning any drag races. The inline 4 engine is over whelmed by such a heavy car.