Faults:

The sunroof motor began to have problems at 130,000 miles.

Replaced water pump at 115,000 miles.

Replaced overdrive solenoid at 150,000 miles.

Replaced a strut at 95,000 miles (my fault, too many potholes)

Sunroof drains clogged.

As you can see, nothing major.

General Comments:

This car is absolutely incredible. This car is fourteen years old and looks and feels as if it were on the showroom floor. The leather is soft and comfortable, and the heated seats still work. The carpet is still plush and clean. With a dab of super-glue here and there, the interior trim is still like new. The gages and instruments are in perfect working order. My headliner is in need of replacement, due to the clogged roof drains, which can be fixed with a blast of air. The engine is a bit slow off the line, but once the turbo spools, the car is up, and gone. I can get close to 30 MPG on the highway if I drive conservatively, but the car is too fast for driving like that all the time. This car has class. From the analog clock to the rear armrest. This car is safe. I have been rear-ended, (approx. 20 MPH) and I walked away with no injury, and the car only needed a new bumper cover. I feel so safe in this car. In the snow and ice, a set of snow tires and some rear axle weight will take you anywhere. (I frequent the mountains of Colorado for skiing) Even with the front seats all the way back, the rear seats have plenty of room. This car never ceases to amaze me.

Faults:

This is my second 1989 740GL!

I love the car!

Headliner falls on both.

Leather seats wear at entry point (driver's side).

General Comments:

Highway ride is creamy-smooth, firm and luxurious.

It feels solid and safe.

The 4 cylinder is strong and reliable, but acceleration is barely adequate.

Some plastic interior parts become brittle and crack or break off.

On most 740's I've seen, the headliner droops in the rear and eventually tears and rips. No easy fix, but I'm going to try magnets strong enough to hold the material to the metal roof. Any suggestions, fans?

Faults:

I consider the following to be non-routine maintainance...

When I first bought the car, it needed the following parts replaced:

-Front and rear windshield wiper motors.

Since I've owned the car, the following parts have been replaced:

-Alternator.

-Several engine and transmission gaskets and seals.

-Water pump.

-Transmission bushings.

-A/C compressor clutch.

General Comments:

This car is my first Volvo and is an extremely good value. I consider it to be trusty and reliable. It needs repairs once in awhile, but they are always easy repairs that can be done in a day. Because I take my car to an independent Volvo mechanic whom I trust, repair costs have actually been very inexpensive, especially for a non-American luxury car.

It is extremely safe, reliable, powerful with the turbo, comfy, and inexpensive to own.

My only complaints about the car are that it is no fuel miser! Granted, for a mid-size, luxury family wagon of the 1980's, gas mileage is nothing to frown upon, but it is nothing to smile about either. To make it even worse, the engine requires premium fuel because it is a turbo. Another major complaint is the drive-ability of the automatic transmission. It holds each gear too long and shifts quite harshly, unless you are accelerating at a snails pace. Not what I'd expect from such an otherwise refind car. The A/C is failure prone and hard to keep cold in warm weather. My last complain concerns the power of the car. This is a pretty quick wagon, but it takes off from a stand-still very slowly until the turbo spools up after a couple of seconds. This makes pulling out into busy roadways a little scary. I think for how much torque this car produces, it should have snappier power delivery with less turbo-lag.

The pros of this car far outweigh the cons to me. It's a quality vehicle overall with thought obviously put into it's design. These 740 turbos commonly last 300,000 miles! I hope mine lasts that long!