Hard to find repair shops to fix. Engine light comes on for every reason and then you take it in to fix it and just after fixing it comes on again. Bought it for too much and then put too much in to repairs now is only worth 1/5 of what we paid for it.
Not worth it due to the repairs on it. Comfortable and practical if you have the 3rd row. Seems great until you get the repair bills.
It was 14 years old when you bought it and worth only $500.
So it's worth $100 now!?
An older car like this is only worth what some other buyer will pay for it. Price guides are meaningless for old cars.
Cars like this should be bought cheaply, then scrapped at the first sign of serious trouble.
I disagree with the latter; Volvo owners should strive to keep their cars running at the first sign of car trouble; not many 14 year old cars around get 20+mpg, last 400K miles with diligent maintenance, and are structurally safe. However, no car should be purchased without complete records by way of maintenance manual in the glove box or paper receipts in a manilla folder.
Additionally, the Volvo is extremely easy to work on! Only four cylinders, a big rear axle, strong brakes, and a strong parts following.
I completely agree about maintaining a Volvo. We love them at our house. We have 4. Under the hood space is huge, and you can work on them yourself pretty easily. Brickboard is fantastic and gives great guidance. Also, repair manuals are good as well. Parts are pretty cheap and are found online (fcpgroton, ipdusa, vlvworld, just to name a few) and can be sent to your front door. Also, we live in an area that has a ton of older Volvos on the road, and we have a good mechanic in a pinch. If you maintain your Volvos, then you can get a great run out of them. Happy Driving!
I bought a 1990 740 turbo this year. Great car!! Like all older cars, you just have to check the fluids once in a while. A little more with highway driving. With the turbo, it is especially important to maintain your oil.
Don't forget about the air filter. Do the filter eclipse test, and if the sun's light doesn't shine through much, change it. Your fuel mileage will improve. I could tell mine needed changing cause when I started it up in the mornings, it sounded like it was trying to suck air for a. I ended up getting a Ultra Flo performance intake kit, which made a huge difference. I mean it is a small engine for the size and weight of the car, but don't get me wrong, it moves.
Head liners is another thing. Mine was coming down. I just used a stapler and strategically placed them. It worked great. Nobody even notices. Ha, ha. That saves a bundle.
Cheers.
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