1990 Volvo 740 GL 2.0i from Belgium

Summary:

This car's engine will never give up

Faults:

Faulty starter motor when I bought it.

Plastic clutch foot pedal broke at 215000 (common on these cars, the plastic foot pedal connected by a cable wears through - cheap to fix).

Key barrel broke, locked on ignition, starter motor burn out as a result.

Fittings: roof lining sagging, hard to fix.

Replaced injectors, after sending them for cleaning - they had to be replaced.

General Comments:

This is the most reliable engine ever built by this company according to taxi drivers in Sweden, and my car so far has given me little trouble after many kilometers.

The turning circle is really impressive for such a large car, it cruises at 120km comfortably, and it capable of going much faster.

Fuel consumption is good for it's size, but as petrol gets more expensive this could be one reason for giving it up, as it won't die out on it's own I think.

The station wagon has a huge load capacity. The car also has good ground clearance. You can easily use it as a tent to sleep in on a camping adventure!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th August, 2004

16th Dec 2004, 15:26

This is the best car Volvo ever built.

You say that the 2.0 liter engine is the best according to taxi driver in Sweden. Sorry to say that, but in Sweden only the 2.3 liter 4 cylinder and the v6 engine is the choice you can make.

I have a -88 740 2.3 liter manual transmission. With only 270000 kilometers. In Sweden we say that you can trust your Volvo to 500000 kilometers, but I know several people that have 800-900000 kilometers and the cars still don't burn any oil.

Great Car.

29th Sep 2005, 23:41

I have a 1990 Volvo 740 GL, the 2.3 litre, 4 cylinder engine is in perfect condition. The car runs great even though it is well over the hundred thousand mile mark. It is a well buit car and over the years it has given me few problems. However there is one problem. The car has Igniton problems. You turn the key all the console lights come on the battery is live and the cables are tight, yet the staRter does not kick in. I changed the key switch and recoded the key. the solenoid is fine, I still have the problem. What could it be?

6th Oct 2005, 21:16

I have a 1990 740 GL, dark blue. Her name is Sofia.

:) I love that car, and she has now over 175k miles on it. A bit tricky in the beginning when I got her (Nov. '04), she kept stalling in the rain! o.0 Found to be something missing (a shield) in the distributor area.

Once fixed, problem solved!

740s are cars that love you back!

And they are safe!

Volvo for life!

1990 Volvo 740 GLE turbo from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

A 1990 bargain, safe and quick

Faults:

Hose between twin tanks leaked after its first full tank for some time; poured about 16 litres of Optimax on the driveway. Fixed by dealer no problems. Common problem in cars using ethanol, as it rots rubber lines. I use only quality fuel for this reason.

General Comments:

It's black with a wing on the boot, and still at 14 years old, even young guys comment as to how good it looks. My wife gets the same comments for her 16 year old silver turbo too. Yet mine handles much better and has more punch, while hers rides smoother.

Both give reasonable economy and power for the $.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 31st July, 2004

1990 Volvo 740 GL Wagon 8v from North America

Summary:

Comfortable, dependable transportation

Faults:

The starter went out. Fortunately it was in my driveway.

The sway bar bushings went out. First the left. I was still able to drive though. Once again a good thing because I was 100 miles from home when it happened. The right side didn't go out until the day I took it in to have the left repaired. So I had them both done.

Brakes needed to be replaced. Of course this happens on any car, but my mechanic didn't use Volvo parts so it took a few trips back until he finally put Volvo parts on it. The other brand parts squealed like mad.

The seat belt receptacle on the driver's side broke.

The headliner is coming down.

Air conditioning didn't work when I bought it.

General Comments:

I love this car. It's comfortable and gets me where I need to go. I'm a musician and it's got a lot of room for gear without sacrificing comfort. It's not quick, but I'm no race driver. Parallel parking is surprisingly easy. It feels dependable and so far it has been. Nothing is leaking or creaking. I have 190,000 on it and should get another 100. I owned a 240 Wagon a few years ago and had to part with it when the clutch went out. It had so much floor rust I didn't think it was worth the repair cost.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th July, 2004

15th Jul 2004, 18:51

I've had mine for 8 years and its at 2100K miles and only three times have I had to work on it. There amazing cars and extremely safe. I would suggest one to any person looking for a family car and who is not down with the whole mini van/soccer mom persona. -Andrew-