1992 Volvo 740 consumer reviews

These things are cheap, fast, spacious, and reliable. Mine has nearly 300,000 miles and is still going strong. —The Good— The interior is quiet, and well designed. The seats are comfortable and it seats up to 7 if you get a wagon with jump seats. All models have power windows, some have power seats or even a sunroof. The 740 is also by far one of the safest cars of its era, featuring airbags, antilock brakes, crumple zones, and rollover protection. The 160 hp turbo 4 in my wagon is the perfect amount of power to get itself up to speed and then some. The bulletproof AW71 automatic transmission is a great way to send the power to the rear wheels. It’s also a perfect city car because of its rubber shock mounted bumpers, and a turning circle smaller than a modern corolla. As a side note, with a small amount of modification to the turbo control system, these things can be made to really fly. —The Bad— They can have clogged engine ventilation systems, which can cause somewhat substantial oil leaks. There is also a suspension component (control arm bushing) that often needs replacing. In addition to the aforementioned issues, these cars’ reputation for reliability can work against them. Some owners neglect regular service, as they believe these cars don’t need to be taken care of. While there is some truth in that, the car will not last as long, or be as reliable as a well maintained one. A driveway tune up is easy with an afternoon’s work, some basic tools and a bit of mechanical know how. You can get a neglected Volvo back up to tip top shape quite easily, on your own dime no less, saving hundreds of dollars in service costs. What’s not fixable on your own (without replacement), is cracks in cast iron components. The turbo housing tends to crack on pre 1990 cars, and the manifold cracks on post 1990 cars. There are companies that can fix cracked parts, so that you don’t have to shell out hundreds for a replacement. None of these issues will keep it from being driven every day though, it’s just ideal to get them fixed for optimum performance The only other thing I can think of is that the AC systems aren’t the most reliable. However, despite being designed for r12 (Freon, outdated illegal refrigerant), they can use modern r134a without significant modification. All in all, I’d recommend one of these to anyone looking for an inexpensive way to get your family around safely, anyone who wants to know they’re gonna get where they’re going, anyone who wants to go fast on a budget, anyone who values being able to do their own work, I could go on. I love my car, and you’d be hard pressed to find someone who owns one and didn’t love it too.

284,000 miles and still going strong.They don't make them lke this anymore. I'll buy another one any day.