1990 Volvo 740 GL review from UK and Ireland
"Reliable, comfortable and BIG!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
No faults (apart from both side light bulbs going - £3.49 the pair).
Shock absorbers all due for replacement, not a fault as these do naturally wear out. Watch out for self-leveling shocks at the back of the estate, these are very expensive to replace. You can downgrade to standard ones if you are on a budget, in which case the springs have to be changed as well (but still cheaper than the self-leveling shocks option).
Squealing clutch can be a problem on models around this year. I didn't believe it when the main dealer told me that Volvo used a coating formula for the clutch plate that had this problem, but independent garages have confirmed this fact. Ours has just squealed its way through 18,000 miles and still no sign of the clutch failing.
General comments?
Well its big! Once you have owned a 240, 740 or 940 (or their variants) you will never be phased by anything that the the local timber merchant can sell you!
But, because its rear wheel drive it turns on a relative sixpence, meaning that its brilliant on the school run when you have to do three-point turns in a road that a Ford Escort wouldn't try!
Fuel consumption is surprisingly good for such a big car, I calculated 29Mpg in normal driving (school runs, shopping, carrying small planets in the back, that sort of thing...). The 2.0i engine struggles when pulling away, but overtaking is actually very good if you remember to take it down through the gears before pulling out.
If you want a car that is very reliable, comfortable and BIG, then this is the car for you. If you want a Ferrari, then buy a Ferrari!
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1990 |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.0i petrol Manual |
| Performance marks | |
| Reliability marks | 6 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 4 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 6 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 102000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 120000 miles |
| Previous car | Volvo 940 |
| Date of Entry | 2nd March, 2003 |