27th Sep 2005, 10:15
I had one of the last 2000 740s with a 940 2.0L engine. (A bit of a hybrid that didn't appear in the Haynes manuals). It was the best car I ever owned or am ever likely too. It saved our lives when we were rammed in France. Despite this & at a cost of £50 for a lamp cluster it went on till 200,000 miles. I wish I'd kept it even then. It's turning circle was tiny. Parking was simple (it was an estate). It could carry anything & had self levelling suspension. It needed tyres, oil, plug leads, a distributor cap, a head gasket, a back box, a bit of wire for the ECU. When you scratched it the zinc prevented rust. As I said, above all else it saved our lives.
21st Dec 2010, 01:45
I picked up my red 740 Turbo Estate at the factory in Gothenburg in June of 1990 and still drive it today. It's a fabulous car and I'll never sell. I ordered it with a manual transmission and Turbo Plus kit, 188 HP.
It served our family well for years as the daily driver. Now I mostly use it on weekends for fishing trips and hauling items like bags of cement, 12' 2X6 boards on the roof racks, and Christmas trees inside and on the roof.
Despite this, it still looks good. I put on anti-sway bars and Z rated tires, and so the handling is much better than stock.
Buy one if you get the chance.
Tom in Honolulu.
29th Sep 2004, 07:16
I'm glad I came back here and saw the comments about front and tail lights blowing; I've gone through about four front side light bulbs in the last six months and I thought my silver steed was starting to come down with electrical problems.
Also, I've noticed a few warning lights have started occasionally flashing, when I know there's no problem, such as the oil (oil levels are fine) and windscreen wash reservoir, which I topped up barely a few weeks ago. I don't know if anyone out there might have an idea what's going on there.
After making inquiries at a non-franchise Volvo specialist, I agree with the other comments that servicing is costly, but I guess it's a necessary evil if you want to keep your chariot rolling.