Faults:

The waste gate on the turbocharger went when I first got the car, the exhaust manifold was totally worn through creating a cool, but annoying sound, the headliner was mangled as expected, air conditioning didn't work at all and general condition of the car was fair at best. I had to replace the front rotors and calipers due to malfunction that caused dragging and totally destroyed the brakes. Anti-freeze leak, Oil is being lost somewhere, heater core blew out.

General Comments:

The car was fine when I got it, the turbo actually worked then it stopped. the exhaust leak was a chore to fix, but no problem and the turbo was a different story. I bought a refurbished unit and it still didn't work. the car has been OK, but it seems every month or so something goes wrong. volvo's have notoriously terrible brakes so I went all out and blew 600 dollars on all new rotors and calipers for the front end. then the heater core went and on my way home from school the anti freeze line into the heating system cracked and the car overheated. with this incident I assume that the engine block either warped or cracked which is why I am losing a quart of oil every week and constantly have no anti freeze. I love the car to death I just really can't afford to keep it on the road..

Faults:

Only normal wear and tear parts (2 x exhaust, 2 x starter motor, 1x alternator, 2 x water pump, 1 x clutch)

Interior is beginning to be a bit tired and lights on instrument panel have failed, makes checking speed for speed cameras a bit difficult.

General Comments:

Bought as a family car when my children were small and I still have it 14 years later when they have grown up.

Engine appears bomb proof, it just keeps going.

Paid £6295 in 1992, best spend ever on a vehicle. This car has been so good. Still regularly used for long distance trips taking son to university with all his stuff. Irreplaceable, but probably not worth anything on the second-hand market now.

Faults:

The kickdown cable came loose and the transmission failed, but a basic transmission service was all that was required to fix this.

The instrument panel is failing, one dial at a time - I have a reliable temperature gauge and speedometer. Seriously, though, what else do you need?

After replacing the rotors, the brakes make a noise like a Stuka dive bomber, but I've learned to enjoy the terror this noise inspires in other drivers.

General Comments:

Solid as a rock. Tough as The Rock. They used to crash test these cars by dropping them off a fourteen metre high drydock, nose first onto concrete. The crash test dummies survived.

This car is more comfortable than my living room.

The heating is designed for a country where it snows 3 months of the year, and is like a furnace.

The boot - in fact, the whole interior - is huge. You won't believe how much Ikea you can cram in there.

Other drivers truly fear the Volvo. I don't ask why, I just enjoy it.

Faults:

The A/C hadn't properly worked since I had the car, and I figured it would need serious maintenance; however, I had it charged this week, and now it works PERFECTLY fine.

Sunroof will not close properly.

Cracked dashboard.

The car has had some minor exhaust problems. Replaced muffler at about 135000 miles. The 740 will probably require additional exhaust maintenance.

Driver's leather seat is badly worn.

I had the roof lining re-upholstered at about 130000 miles, because the factory lining was not very durable, and was sagging so badly that it was blocking the view out of the rear window.

Minor leaks in the trunk.

Several minor problems with steering (car pulls to the left or right sometimes, and even though that problem had been fixed, the car tends to understeer (front end loses traction), and the steering wheel often "shimmies").

General Comments:

This car is one of the most dependable and durable automobiles I have ever driven, let alone ridden in. It requires less service than most cars I have had experience.

This car has so much character, and it makes me so happy that I will probably drive it until the engine drops out of it (after that I'll probably get a new engine for it, and drive it for another 300,000 miles!).

It is in no way a fast car or a flashy car, but it gets you where you want to go with no complaints.

I have taken my 740 on 300+ mile drives in all kinds of weather, and it has not let me down yet.

It is an extremely safe car, due to its excellent construction.

It generally gives a very pleasant, worry-free ride.

Other than basic maintenance, the 740 will give you very few, if any, problems throughout its lifetime.