1991 Volvo 740 2.3L i from North America

Summary:

Considerably the best cars ever made

Faults:

The only thing to go wrong on the car since I bought it was the radiator and front struts. I do not consider this a big deal; radiators and struts take beatings, especially since they were the originals with the car. Everything else is spectacular.

General Comments:

Volvo, known for safety and reliability has always been my choice of car. I am 21, and will always drive a Volvo. The general consumer is not aware of all the online forums such as Brickboard.com, where you can find answers to simple problems about your car.

I am pushing 217,000 miles soon, and the car is purring away. It is a two and a half tons safety trap, and for its weight, it handles extremely well in an emergency.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th July, 2003

18th Jun 2005, 13:14

Great review. I am looking at buying my first Volvo at 35 and after reading the reviews and comments about these fine autos, I'm ready to take the plunge. THANK you very much for the forum, I love them, they are very helpful..

3rd Feb 2008, 12:12

This is a great care. I picked mine up (2.3 GLE Auto) for £250 with 190K on the clock. Other than a water pump failure (and a constant whine from the fuel pump) it's been excellent sailing without effort though 2 of it's MOTs.

1991 Volvo 740 2.3L I-4 8-Valve from North America

Summary:

Great all-round used vehicle

Faults:

Radiator blew at 130000 miles.

Emissions computer chip went bad at 135000 miles.

Holes in muffler at about 155000 miles.

General Comments:

The car isn't the fastest, but I drive it hard and still get 20+ Miles per Gallon.

Transmission shifts extremely smooth.

Lots of usable features ie: heated seats, sunroof, etc.

Extremely comfortable seats and interior.

Safest car out there. I was in a 30 mph offset crash, totaled a Honda Accord, but the Volvo had only $1000 of damage.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th July, 2002

1991 Volvo 740 Turbo Wagon 2.3 turbo from North America

Summary:

This car is fast, handles well, and feels like it will go forever!

Faults:

The fuel pump required replacement at 110,000 miles.

Front end bushings at about the same time.

Miscellaneous small plastic pieces have broken from the interior--door compartments, defroster vent mouldings--nothing big, just annoying.

The elements of the heated driver's seat broke a couple of years ago.

General Comments:

This car is extremely comfortable on a long trip. I have never owned a car that was as much fun to drive, even though it is a station wagon. The manual transmission shifts smoothly--I am still on the original clutch. The shocks are also original. I have had only one partial replacement of the exhaust.

Dealer service is expensive, but I have a friend who is a former Volvo mechanic who has his own shop here in mid-coast Maine who is very good and reasonably priced.

With four Nokia snow treads, this car will go anywhere in snow.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st January, 2002

1991 Volvo 740 SE 2.3 turbo from North America

Summary:

High performance wagon

Faults:

Seats have started to wear.

Turbo will need to be replaced soon.

Rings in the engine will be changed soon for the second time.

Seems to lean to the left still after replacing the springs and shocks.

General Comments:

Very fast car, especially for a station wagon. The car came with a poor audio system, but that was soon changed after I acquired the title.

Very practical car. I carry massive loads of music equipment daily.

My car has only stalled or stopped on me three times. This, I think, is an appropriate number considering the mileage of the vehicle.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th January, 2002

14th Jan 2003, 07:02

Pardon me? Very fast car? Compared to what exactly?

I love my 740 - it does everything I need - but very fast car it is not, and it goes round corners (and there are rather a lot of these in England) like a sofa descending a steep hill.

22nd Nov 2005, 00:33

Turbos are quick.

Fastest way to transport a fridge freezer!

1991 Volvo 740 Turbo 2.3 I-4 MPI turbo from North America

Summary:

Excellent... fast, sporty, SAFE, reliable!

Faults:

Car was in excellent shape, still looked new. Great performance. Unfortunately while I was out of town my parents T-boned a full size 80's model Ford Pickup... the Volvo won the battle. They walked away from it with a airbag burn (rug burn on the nose) and a bit sore. The car was however totalled. Did I mention this was a 45-50 mph wreck?

General Comments:

Very fast car... raced SCCA Solo races and came in the top 3 out of Mustang Cobras, Z-28's, and 1 3000GT VR4, couple 94 SHO's.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th January, 2001

21st Jun 2001, 23:48

You raced this car? How did you do so well against cars which have such a huge horsepower advantage? Are you a very good driver? I wouldn't dream of having my volvo keep up with any of those cars. What kind of tires did you use at the track? Any engine modifications?

3rd Oct 2002, 07:44

No mods, and on a 1/2 worn set of Michelin MXV4 tires (99/100 worn afterwards <G>). Not the best setup. Solo events aren't about POWER, more about skill in driving, knowing how your vehicle handles, and making it around the track the fastest without taking out cones (each cone is a 1 sec deduction from the time, IE. if you ran 55 seconds and hit 3 cones your adjusted final time would be 58 seconds).

The 744ti SE is pretty well set-up from the factory, agile, powerful, and great brakes... VERY important in that type of race. I was fortunate to have a manual, so it helped a lot. The auto suck a lot out of these cars.

Good News... found an almost identical, down to the color, like my old one. Only difference I can see is no leather in this.

In reply to 3rd Oct 2002, 07:44

14th Mar 2017, 02:04

Hope you found one! I'm looking at grabbing one myself. My 940 is in shop and saw a 740 wagon for sale that I want to buy.