Faults:

Horn started tooting when turning corners.

Timing belt.

ABS coil steering wheel spring opened.

Pinion seal leak.

Alternator brushes wore out.

Fuel pump quit.

Head liner blew out window.

General Comments:

Easy to maintain, and required parts when needed are inexpensive and available. No comparison to the reliability of my Olds 98. The 740, when loaned out to my sons, always returned ready for the next mission.

The metal brake lines never rusted when exposed to Rochester NY weather.

The engine will keep running long after the headliner blows away in your face, the leather seats crack and expose the underlayment, and the interior plastic door parts snap in your hand.

The alternator brushes wore out and were easily replaced using a Phillips screw driver - without removing the alternator. Probably can't easily replace alternator brushes on today's models.

As a bonus, when the timing belt broke, the engine did not self destruct, even after repeated attempts to restart the engine. And the fuses are hidden just behind the ashtray, unlike the Olds 98 where you had to bang your head under the dash to gain access.

I don't know if today's vehicles will wear as well as this 740.

Faults:

Bought the car as a commuter - headliner was replaced, no accidents, one owner - fluids almost over-maintained, clean vehicle - not perfect, but a solid commuter.

Motor mounts were collapsed (replaced right away), needs torque arm and driveline parts replaced - but simple enough I can maintain myself. Also seats have stitches that need sewing up, rubber parts need a thorough refresh - but at 224k miles it's expected..

General Comments:

It's been reliable and quite simple to own - 11,000 miles later - 25mpg, it's a comfy tractor with 4 doors that just runs.

As happens with these cars - interior plastic was a chemical mistake - cracked. Duct tape until it's replaced.

It's a great car - while not fast - it goes well, parts are reasonable, easy to work on, solid vehicle and tons of space. I know it will start every day, and that matters a lot.

Faults:

Various electricals such as taillights, cruise, air, and gas gauge.

Seat leather did not wear well, but heaters were great!

Oxygen sensor bad ($800).

Catalytic converter ($1500).

Rest of exhaust ($600).

Transmission leaked badly ($1800).

Bad radiator ($100).

Unresolved sensor issues.

Headliner was coming down.

Sunroof leaked and jammed.

Idle oscillated.

Car sometimes would not start.

Engine seized.

Alternator went bad.

The hood release cable snapped off because the latches froze - we had to open it with a pry bar and jury rig a latch.

General Comments:

This could have been a great car.

Excellent handling, particularly over the deeply rutted/potholed ice and snow during 2008, when most other cars' suspension was bottoming out; this car on dry or wet pavement provided a reasonably smooth ride with quick accurate handling. The seats could be more comfortable, but heated leather is wonderful when the mercury plummets. It did start well in cold weather, but not in hot.

We loved the utility as well as the comfort - it did what many SUV's or pickups could do, and yet, was comfortable and the kids loved the third seat (a real novelty nowadays).

There was no rust for as old as it was, and the suspension and brakes were awesome. The electrical had problems when my wife bought it but I figured I could fix that... but then in short order the exhaust went to hell, the cat rusted right at the body and the rest came off at 65mph (talk about LOUD!), the transmission started leaking within days, and the engine problems started to make themselves known.

From reading around and rooting around underneath, it appears that the mechanic at the used car lot jimmied up a lot of things, and my wife probably should have been suspicious when they were overly willing to make a deal. It could have been all repaired, or for that matter converted to an American V8, but it was prohibitively expensive to fix so many things when they had gone all at once, and we weren't sure what else would go wrong, plus we had lost our house to the flood here that summer, and had nowhere to work on it.

It was beautiful and it held on for about three weeks after the flood, but when the motor started seizing, we just had to let it go.

It's too bad the parts are so very expensive; this car was built like a tank and was easy to work on.