1990 Volvo 740 Wagon 2.3L turbo from North America

Summary:

A quick boxy hauler that feels it will run forever

Faults:

Heater hose blew right after I got the car. $90.00 repair.

Purchased a repair kit to stop rattle for the rear hatch inside panel. Still rattles. I might have installed wrong.

General Comments:

I have never owned a Volvo before, but have always wanted one. I love this car. It has 140,500 miles. I think it's just broken in.

Mine's a black inter-cooled turbo and with an automatic it's not quite as quick as my 900 turbo 5-speed, but certainly doesn't feel like the four cylinder that it is.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 31st December, 2004

10th Sep 2013, 04:50

1990 740 Turbo Wagon 250,000 km.

Great car :)

1990 Volvo 740 GL 2.3L petrol from Thailand

Summary:

Durable, comfortable, versatile

Faults:

Fixed up a lot of the interior trim which is originally pretty cheap and flimsy.

New alternator last year.

Major service last year at 135,000km. Done at authorized Volvo dealer. Cost: $3,000.

General Comments:

Extremely comfortable seats.

Seats 4 adults in comfort.

I deeply admire the tight turning circle (32ft). That's better than my Honda Civic!

This car has survived 14 years and 148000km of heavy use in 100% city traffic and 110F/ 40C weather. Original engine and transmission.

At highway speeds with a full load averaged 19mpg.

A bit underpowered, but the 5 speed manual transmission helps out a lot.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th December, 2004

1990 Volvo 740 GL 2.3 from North America

Summary:

It spoiled me for anything else..

Faults:

Had air conditioning rebuilt and converted to new refrigerant. New front and rear brakes. New Shocks front and Rear. Transmission overdrive solenoid failed and needed repair ($800!). Headliner is falling apart... please pass the contact cement...

General Comments:

This is a great car. The interior plastic bits area a cheesy. The seats are amazingly comfortable, and I take lots of long trips (200 to 500 mile days.) Quite quiet. Very roomy. I think the back seat is even more comfortable than the front, except for leg room. A benefit of not being a front drive car... huge foot wells... spread out your feet and get comfy. The car handles nicely and has an amazingly tight turning circle. Since it is not a turbo, it's acceleration is, uh, leisurely. But sufficient. Very large and well shaped trunk. Nicely designed controls and a wonderful heater. I live in a snow belt area... this car is actually very good in snow, with some sandbags in the trunk and real live snow tires I prefer it to my large 4x4 SUV (usually) I have recently passed it along to my 16 year old son. Perfect kid car... very strong, very safe, very dependable and very (or at least fairly) slow. I replaced it with a very fast model from another Swedish car company... I miss my Volvo...

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st August, 2004

8th Dec 2004, 22:48

Update on my 740. Well, it was bound to happen. My 16 year old swerved to miss a deer, over-corrected and... smacked a tree front and back. He was uninjured, thank goodness. Even though the damage is probably more than the value of the car, I can't imagine not repairing it. It is still the safest car I can put my kid in. Maybe someday I'll repair it 'pretty.'

1990 Volvo 740 Turbo Wagon B230FT / 4 cylinder turbo from North America

Summary:

Fun-to-drive Family Turbocharged Truxter

Faults:

Replaced all suspension parts @ 175000;

Replaced front seats @ 150000;

Everything else was routine service items - serviced every 5000 miles

Still a good looking vehicle at 15 years young.

General Comments:

This 1990 Volvo 745 turbo is without a doubt the best car we have owned to date. It was a sad day when we said "good-bye" to our little "Swedee" and it drove away with a new owner. Take good care of them, service them regularly, use a magnetic oil pan drain plug and you can drive them a LONG ways. Ours had 253000+ miles and still did not burn any oil - we felt it was best to replace it with a new vehicle while it still had some servicable life left. The young man who purchased it should see many happy miles driving our "old" Volvo!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 20th August, 2004

22nd Aug 2004, 04:45

All good, all good, But why wouldn't you buy another volvo?

Regards.

15th Jul 2006, 16:31

The best car you have ever owned and you gave it a sad face and would not buy again? Curious to read a review on a car you didn't like!!!