1989 Volvo 740 Turbo Wagon from North America - Comments

Front and rear windshield wiper motors burned out.

Driver-side windshield washer nozzle stopped working.

Some clip that holds the exhaust to the bottom of the car broke, so now the exhaust system rattles at idle.

Many interior pieces (mainly dash and door trim pieces) have broken or fallen off.

Both driver and passenger-side lumbar supports broke and are no longer adjustable.

A small amount of black smoke comes out of the exhaust at start-up.

In the 17,000 miles that I have owned this car so far, it has been very reliable for me. No matter how hot or cold it is outside, it always starts right up for me!

It's an incredibly comfortable car for traveling. The seats are very comfy and dash controls are easy to see and reach...yes, even the stereo!

The only major complaints I have with my car are that the interior is very poorly assembled. Pieces on the dash and door panels are loose and rattle, if they haven't already broken or fallen off.

The cost of repairs is quite ridiculous. I accidentally broke the front, left turn-signal light cover and it will cost about $100 to replace. Even if you bring your Volvo to a good independent garage, repairs are still incredibly expensive, so keep that in mind when considering a Volvo.

Another complaint I have is that my Volvo gets very poor fuel economy. I never get more that 21mpg on the highway, with the A/C off. That's terrible for a 4-cylinder powered car! The lowest miles per gallon I got on the highway was 19mpg...terrible! My 4-cylinder powered Plymouth Acclaim on average got 35mpg on the highway and about 20-25mpg in the city. Much better!

My last complaint about my Volvo is that the 4-speed automatic transmission shifts very hard most of the time. It literally bucks into each gear... very annoying! I don't know if the transmission computer is starting to go or what, but it shifts very hard some days, and pretty smooth others.

Overall, I'm very satisfied with the car though. However, my previous car, a 1992 Plymouth Acclaim was also very reliable for me. I was able to put 182,000 miles on it before it was totaled in an accident. I did have to make more serious repairs to my Acclaim as compared to my Volvo, like replacing the radiator, alternator, head, and shocks, but all of these repairs (except for the head, $600) were quite cheap to fix. Replacing the alternator was around $100, replacing the front and rear shocks cost under $150, and the radiator was around $200. All of these repairs were made somewhere between 100,000 and 160,000 miles. They were much cheaper in comparison to repairs on Volvos. A friend of mine had to have the A/C fixed on her Volvo. It cost her around $700! A few months later, the A/C decided to go out again. This time it cost her around $900! Crazy! I'm happy to say that the A/C NEVER stopped working on my Acclaim! I have a feeling that I'll be switching back to another used Acclaim soon, simply because they are much cheaper to own in the long run, and are actually better cars for traveling because they are quieter, more fuel efficient with the 4-cylinder or V-6 engines, and shift a lot smoother!

The shifting-problem is not a computer malfunction, but you should check your kick-down cable.

Ask a dealer for the settings.

On a Volvo 740 GLE auto, the kick-down cable should be come out 5.5 cm in full throttle.

I had the same problem. After the new setting it shifts very nice.

Rubbish, we're talking about a great car. I myself drive a 740 Turbo Estate in Holland. More than 250.000 miles and no problem at all. It's the policy how to drive. Handle with care and enjoy.

Please be aware, that while yes, your old Plymouth was good on fuel, it also was not a 3000+ pound automobile. Volvo's aren't made like old Chrysler products, and despite having a sprightly small displacement 4-cylinder engine, they still have a large amount of weight to move. Therefore, the low fuel economy rating you are receiving is not a fault of the engine, it is merely a power to weight ratio issue. The very concept that Volvo produced a 3400 pound luxury touring car that could accelerate to 60 in less than 8 seconds, get that power from four cylinders, and still return over 22 miles per gallon average is a triumph of design and true engineering.

The price of repairs can be expensive if you don't do it yourself. The parts are pricey, but if you do the work your self it pays off. I wrecked my Volvo and the only difference is the paint on the hood and the fender! I did all the repairs and saved thousands of dollars.

I have to agree with the bad fuel economy on my 740 turbo inter-cooler wagon, it is bad. Driving conservative or hammering it doesn't seem to make much difference, 350 km out of a full tank is the best I've done. After fitting a Garret GT 28 and a K$N pod filter, it felt like double the torque and hp, but same economy. Very comfy to drive and (now) quite fast, I estimate, going by other v6 cars in acceleration, at least 200 hp. Paid $ 900 australian dollars for it and maintenance and repairs I'm doing myself, no more expensive then any other brand.

Own a volvo 265 with a 4.4 l V8 aswell, nearly same fuel economy.

I just picked up an '85 745 Turbo. It gets 25 mpg headed up into the Arizona mountains without the aid of the 5 gear (over drive), as I have some kind of problem with it - worked for about 500 miles and then started to disengage going up the 17 mile long hill at 114F outside temperature.

The car has 261,000 miles on it, and goes like a bat out of you know what - and gets 25 mpg average - with the OD I was getting 28..

As far as I am concerned, it's a great car - the worst is the plastic parts that are deteriorating - well - it is a 23 year old car after all - can't expect everything to be like new...=*^)

I have a 1990 240 sedan. I think they use the same transmission and base engine.

I have the same problem with my automatic tranny; it shifts OK to good, except the shifts are like a faint ungh lurch bump. It has been that way since I bought it with 189,000 miles on it.

I have put six thousand miles on it, same throughout ownership except I replaced the tranny filter and most fluid with synthetic, now it shifts about 30% better.

You have to do everything yourself, and it is a very satisfying cheap ride. I changed the timing belt in half an hour with the help of a mechanic. Go to a junkyard to get items, like picknpull.

I recently picked up a passenger side outside mirror assembly for $20. That turn signal cover could be had for ten bucks probably, and really cheaply some of these parts, relays, and assemblies can be glued back together, cleaned out regreased, or resoldered for basically nothing, just your time invested.

3400 pounds? Try 2900, you're some way off! The reason these cars are some heavy on fuel is because the engine and gear box is crude and the car has the aerodynamics of a toilet door.

Hi.

The 740 Turbo wagon is under 3000 pounds. Mine has 234000 miles, runs like a rocket and I can get 28 mpg on the highway if I drive conservatively. It's a shame they used poor plastics for the interior, but how often can you get a safe, comfortable, performance wagon for US$3000?

It's a great car.