1989 Volvo 740 GLE 2.3i from UK and Ireland
Summary:
Great. Heavy on fuel, but the 2.3 engine is powerful enough to cope with everyday driving
Faults:
Two new front tyres fitted when I got the car.
Fuel gauge wasn't working (a common problem on the 740's), so a new fuel tank sender was fitted. This made the fuel gauge respond, but still is nowhere near accurate, so it's going into the garage to be fixed this month. Also a slight fuel leak has now been fixed.
Heater didn't blow warm air - thermostat replaced.
One dashboard bulb blew - cost me £1.80 to fix!
Might need exhaust fixing at some point for this years MOT, there's a lot of rubbish coming out of it at the moment.
General Comments:
Well I didn't have much use for one of these (I already own a Honda Civic Type R), but I thought I'd purchase it for the winter to save wear and tear on my Honda, but since getting it, I'm thinking of ditching the astronomical running costs of the Honda and keeping the Volvo full time!
This car has the four speed manual box, with overdrive, making long cruising a joy. Once out onto the road, I realised just how comfy the interior was. It's a beige coloured full leather interior, with both seats at the front, being heated as well (and still working after all this time!). So out on the road, it was great. Very relaxed cruising, with no effort, and power steering to boot, making it a real joy to drive. The turning circle is simply astounding, making parking at work a joy rather than a hard task.
It's pretty fast too. I hit the overdrive button in fourth and floored it. It hit 100 with ease, and you wouldn't think, given the fantastic condition, that it's covered 138,000 miles (which is nothing for one of these).
Even though I'm still having a bit of trouble with the fuel gauge, I'm not that bothered, although it would be nice to have it working. I normally fill up after 150-180 miles anyway.
The only other costs have been fuel (not amazing on fuel, but then it is pretty heavy!), and service items (got a friend to service it for me, parts were £24 - that's for spark plugs, oil, oil filter etc etc) so if maintained yourself, it can be pretty cheap.
The main thing that drew me to buy the car in the first place, was the initial cost of the car - £100. That's it! I thought for that price, I can't go wrong, and indeed I haven't. It's FANTASTIC! I've not owned it long, but it's not let me down yet!!
For those that need help and advice on ANY Volvo, the owners club here: http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/ is a wonderful source of information!
Long live my 740GLE.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 9th March, 2006
26th Jun 2007, 15:41
Second Le Mans trip just completed, this time with a caravan in tow!
Mileage now is 152,000. Still no problems to report!
6th Dec 2008, 21:57
Mileage now 167,000. Still nothing gone wrong apart from having to tighten the power steering belt with a spanner a few weeks ago!
Fuel pump starting to whine when below half a tank, so that might not have too long left (12 months?). Also have an LPG kit for it sat in the garage. Will update when that's installed. Still bulletproof!
20th Jun 2006, 18:52
I just completed a 1,200 mile round trip to le mans and back for the 24 hour race. The car got me there with no fuss, and I got 320 miles to a tank at pretty high constant speeds through france. Amazing. Now on 142,000 miles.