Faults:

Nothing has went wrong since I bought last year.

The fuel gauge lives a life of its own. This problem is very common on these cars. However, if you don't feel like fixing it. Just fuel up every 500 kms.

Hopefully you will have some fuel left :)

General Comments:

I got this car from a relative of mine who needed place in his garage for a new car. I paid about €400 for it and saved an excellent car from the horrific fate of ending up at the scrapheap.

My model, a 2.3 litre B230F is not the fastest car in town. But Hey, if you haven't got a rush: This reliable 116 HP engine will outlive every sportscar there is.

My automatic gearbox shifts between gears smoothly.

Fuel economy is decent. Mine is using about 0.85l/10km on the motorway. When driving in city traffic it rises to about 1.3l/10km.

However, even though fuel costs could be somewhat high, as spare parts are cheap and basic maintenance is easy the overall economy is fine.

The interior environment is really nice. The seats are extremely comfortable in my opinon. The long seats give great support for your legs and the headrest is soft. The plastics are and doesn't generate any squeaky sounds as some old plastic interiors do.

The backseat is roomy so your backseat passengers won't complain about leg space. And if you flip the backseat armrest down there is a hidden door behind whichs lets you to put for example skiing equipment in the boot, via the "door" and into the cabin. This is also a good idea to place the bass vent on loudspeakers. That way the bass really comes in to the cabin.

The turning raduis of this car is amazing. I can turn this massive car in less space that my girls Opel Corsa can. Power steering is standard and works great, you can use your finger to manoeuvre this car.

As mentioned, the best thing about this car isn't its speed, or handling. It takes you from A to B in a comfortable way. And you treat it somewhat nice it will take there for many years to come.

As a bonus, you feel very secure inside the car and according to a swedish insurance company it is 40% more safe than your average car. Not bad for being 20 years old.

I also recently read an article in a swedish magazine about a driver whose Volvo 740 just passed the 1 250 000 km mark. Still on its original engine.

Say what you like about the boxy shapes of the exterior, but I personally like it. Other cars all look the same and interior spaces are compromised due to exterior design.

Some people may find the engine sound a bit different from others, but a good way to make it more silent is to replace the fan with an electric fan.

Faults:

Nearly nothing.

The parking-brake-wire has been replaced.

I recently replaced the front brakes. They had never been replaced before!

I had to fix the exhaust-system.

General Comments:

Probably the best car, ever made.

My father bought this car new, in 1988. So I know its whole history. After nearly 430000km, its still a very good car. And the problems have been very few, through the years.

Faults:

The transmission cable busted at 150 000 kilometres.

General Comments:

Well what do I have to say, I'm Swedish, the car is Swedish. We simply complete each other.

At first the car was slow, but I purchased a modification chip for +50HP, and now it runs like an Indy Car. Top speed is 240 KM/H.

The seats are comfortable, and when I drive, it feels like I'm in total control.

I have also totally changed the front; new seats, side-lists and more.

Faults:

Replaced the water pump recently (never changed).

Changed the timing belt at 16000 km.

Changed the clutch at 14000 km (never changed).

General Comments:

This may be a boring car but it is reliable. The engine just runs and runs. The spare parts are cheap. The car is cheap to buy.

The seats are great and become even greater when R-Sport clothing is installed.

Faults:

Power steering.

Gearbox worn out.

General Comments:

Fun engine, but the general impression is darkened by quality flaws in the bodywork.