1974 Volvo 164 review from North America
"A beautiful, classy car and a joy to drive"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Car hadn't been driven much, so had to change all fluids, replace water pump & injector hoses and sort out fuel injection a bit -- manifold pressure sensor, temp sensor (lots of fun to pull into a garage and ask if anyone knows how to work on Bosch D-Jet)
Replaced old shocks with Bilstein HDs (hee hee).
General comments?
A beautiful car and a joy to drive. Previous owner was a serious Volvo aficionado who added IPD sway bars and lowering springs, and replaced the ugly safety bumpers and grill with better-looking 1972s.
Lots of torque at relatively low rpm mated with 4-spd manual plus overdrive -- keeps pulling great at highway speeds, too.
Best seats Volvo ever made.
Suspension mods made it drive like it was on rails (though a bit harsh on DC roads).
Classy, classy lines -- several people insisted it had to be a Jag or a Benz. Never saw another one in three years of driving.
Panicked and sold when gas crested $4 gallon (got about 15 mpg around town/21 highway). Would snap up another one if I could - - only with 4 spd/overdrive combo though.
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| 1974 - 164 e 3.0 Litre Straight 6 Relaxing, luxurious, head turner and fun! |
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| Not a real luxury car, but a cool cruiser |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 1974 |
| Year of manufacture | 1974 |
| First year of ownership | 2005 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2008 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.0 liter Manual |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 7 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 6900 miles |
| Most recent distance | 7900 miles |
| Previous car | Studebaker Lark 8 |
| Date of Entry | 12th August, 2009 |