1985 Volvo 760 Turbo Estate review from Australia and New Zealand

When purchased second hand, the dealer made some small repairs to make roadworthy - it was checked by an independent mechanic and seen to be a good/cheap buy at $4000AU - but within a few months I was hit with some serious problems:

New radiator required.

New starter motor required.

New ring gear on the harmonic balancer.

Air con failed - new condenser required - but never has worked properly since.

New front suspension required.

New fuel pumps (2) required.

And now the electrics have begun to fail.

After spending way more bucks on this car than I did in making the initial purchase - it's actually turned out to be not a bad vehicle. The turbo makes it an interesting drive when the wife and kids are at home and we've driven it interstate (800 plus k's each way) on numerous occasions without fault - for an old beast it's a good highway tourer. In the city, though, it's like any other old Volvo - it's heavy and cumbersome. Initially, I was upset about all the repairs needed on this car - especially since it had been "inspected" independently. But since it has reasonably reliable. I'd still buy another volvo - but next I want a new one!