1989 Volvo 740 Turbo Wagon from North America - Comments

Heater motor needed replacement.

Interesting electrical gremlins affecting the lights and dashboard (unresolved).

Plastic trim pieces chronically pop/break off.

Headliner gets worse day by day (falling & tearing).

Goes like stink (love that turbo!) and handles well. This has upset more than one Toyota Supra that lost in a race to a Volvo station wagon :-) So much fun to drive that my wife now wants to try autocrossing.

Practical as a family car. Lots of room, very safe, good cargo capacity (for a small wagon).

Very comfortable for long hauls. The bells and whistles are neat, especially those electrically heated seats. Only car I've ever had where I don't get sick riding in the back seat.

It has a 2.3L, not a 2.4L... LOL.

I am a musician and I constantly abuse my 5-speed 740 turbo wagon as a gear hauling workhorse. The car is approaching 300,000 miles and is as solid reliable and cheap to run as ever! I have an excellent "old-world" mechanic who always finds an economical way to repair what little may go awry, as they can be expensive to fix. In short I have found this vehicle to be as cheap to run as any domestic van while being ten thousand times more fun to drive.

I LOVE my Volvo. It's an 89 740 Turbo wagon, and it's hauled everything I've needed from Oklahoma to Indiana to Texas to Ohio and back to Oklahoma. It's the best car in the world. You were right about the headliner though, it should have been replaced in about 98 when it started to go, but I didn't get around to it until this year. I may have this car forever, which is great considering it was a cheap buy when I got it in high school. My parents thought it was safe, and I dragged it against my friend's Probe and it won, so we agreed that it was the best car for me. It still is, 7 years later. Best car on earth, I swear.

I've had my 740 Turbo for the last 11 years. I've just had made a 16v 2.3L engine, and it is a real screamer! I also added posi-traction rear differential and a 3,500 RPM converter to the tranny. I tell you, this 4,000 lbs. rocket could make any Mustang or BMW to shame. It is still a work in progress since I am upgrading the interior. Otherwise I had it painted back in 2002. I definitely love it!!!

I love my 89 Turbo wagon too!! I have 190,000 miles and runs strong. Bought it from a friend that owned it 10 years. I owned 87 GLE (not turbo) for 3 years, had 245,000 miles and started 1st try every time. Got a deal on this Turbo, $400...first $400 car I have owned that will bury the speedometer.

LOL about burying the speedo... I've had my 88 Turbo wagon for just over 8 years, and I still love my car. It's been a workhorse and a pleasure craft, and it excels at both. I've been able to take a V8 mustang (2001) at a drag race, and that was fun. It was close, but I won. :) I've also stuffed it to the gills and moved across country twice, and once I pulled a 4,500 lb trailer from Colorado to California. Never quits, and is a blast to drive. Someone said "best car ever" earlier, and while it may be or may not be, it's definitely the best car value ever. It can do almost anything, and it's rather inexpensive anymore. All in all, a total winner. :)

I just bought a 1990 Volvo 740 Wagon 2.3, with 298,000 miles on it. It was only 400 dollars though the mileage makes me a little uneasy. I drove the car and was impressed at the power and lack of exhaust smoke it had. I researched it trying to talk myself out of it, but couldn't find any negative feedback. I'm not a Volvo guy, I'm an air cooled VW guy. The Bulgarian deisel mechanics were I work all drive Volvos, they told me that Volvo are like my VW's, they run forever. When I saw this one, it appears they're right. I'm getting ready to move 1000 miles north so I'm hoping for a few more miles out of it. I sold my last two VW's and know own the Volvo Wagon, so my brother tells me I'm a Volvo guy now.

Welcome to the Volvo world - you won't go back!!! Great cars, yours is just run in!

I have had my 1989 740 Turbo wagon for a little over a year now. Bought it with 200,000 and ran like it was brand new. I agree with the headliner comments should have mine replaced.