1989 Volvo 740 Turbo Luxury review from Australia and New Zealand
"Worth a look as a family wagon with excellent safety and a racetrack pedigree"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The harmoniser needed work prior to purchase.
Several light bulbs needed replacing, one after the other in the first few weeks.
The car alarm stopped "beeping" at key depression.
All engine seals replaced, including the distributor and the turbo.
Power steering serviced at pre-purchase.
Power steering required flush at 192000.
Power steering still sticky, rack will be flushed at next oil change.
Interior light fell from ceiling, dangling by the wires. Discovered that it had been stuck up there with blutack.
Rear window washer clipped by galah and detached during a bird strike.
Left front headlight wiper fell apart.
Compressor seized and was rebuilt. Airconditioning system serviced and re-gassed.
A wire had been dislodged from the alternator by goodness knows whom and consequently the battery met an early demise. Although after replacement the car alarm began to "beep" again.
General comments?
The car rolls like an old HR and driving it makes you feel like a tank commander.
It is sluggish in the bottom end and clunks into 4th with a lurch.
There is serious acceleration with the turbo engaged and on the open road this 4 easily creeps upwards in speed if you don't keep you eye on the speedo. We have sailed past her more expensive stable-mates (BMW and Mercedes) on the open road. She's a serious freeway thoroughbred.
The fit-out is lush, with all the little mod cons. The only big negatives about the interior are the lack of drink cup holders and the retro european dash styling. There's also no ideal spot for my dancing Elvis considering the angle of the windscreen.
We have the seven seater estate variant with the third row facing backwards. These seats also foldaway under the floor.
The cargo area is big and square with no intruding wheel arches.
This is a great vehicle, despite our comical run of bad luck. She had all her papers and was fully inspected before we fell on our swords. At only 195000 on the original 2.3, with oil changes every 5000km, we'll happily watch the 500,000km rollover.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1989 |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.3 turbo with intercooler Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 5 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 189000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 195000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Holden Acclaim |
| Date of Entry | 11th July, 2002 |