90 Volvo 740 GLE

Sounds like an exhaust leak to me, did you look under the hood? There's a gasket between the exhaust header and downpipe which fails sometimes and will make it sound like a dragster, I've also seen the downpipe break at the Y weld from someone driving through a deep puddle with a hot exhaust. It's easy to get injectors for these at junkyards, you can probably pick up a set for under 20 bucks and send them out for cleaning and matching but usually they're ok. It's also common for people to get the firing order wrong if they take off the plug wires due to the design of the distributor cap. All the posts are in a line, but they do not connect to the cylinders in that order.

If the car is in good cosmetic condition then I would say it's worth it, all the mechanical stuff is readily available and easy to work on. Body, trim, and interior parts are spendy and increasingly difficult to find good used ones.

You may find this link of most interest:

Which engine is it? Is it Auto or Manual ?

Perk

If it's a '90 740, it has a B230F, and if it's a North American car, it's an automatic.

Does it smoke at all?

Are there ticking or knocking sounds from the engine?

What is the condition of the interior, exterior, tires?

While you cannot drive it, you should be able to start it and then move the transmission through the gears, making sure each one works well.

Push body up and down and then sideways for very rough check of suspension condition.

If it passes all the tests and looks good in and out, bid.

If not, walk.

My 90 740 auto has the 16 valve B234F interference engine in it.

P. (:>)

It's an engine in which the valves and the pistons occupy the same space, hopefully not at the same time. Keep up on the timing belt change, it's absolutely vital. If that belt fails, the engine will be destroyed before you know what happened. Other than that it's a sweet motor, smooth, powerful, decent fuel economy.

Mine's fine but I know from the records that the timing belt was changed only about 20K ago. Even knowing that I may have it changed when I have a little extra $$, just to be sure..If there are no records with it that's the very first thing I would do!!!!

Otherwise you'll be always driving and listening for something. The "an ounce of prevention" thing. (:>)

Perk (:>)

Wish you'd posted the link earlier.

Body is real rough.

There is no headliner.

Did you expect a mint condition ride for $600? He saw the car in person and obviously was satisfied with the cosmetics. Yeah it's a bit of a fixer, but he should end up with a good solid car for a thousand bucks and a bit of elbow grease.

A tip regarding the headliner, remove the windshield to get the backing in and out. People say it can be done by just folding the seats back, I barely managed after removing the seats, console, steering wheel, and other interior parts then flexing it so far I swore it would snap in two. If the windshield needs replacing then perfect, otherwise it's well worth having it removed and reinstalled, you'll be pulling your hair out otherwise.

That is ridiculous, you should know better.

The buyer is a clueless newbie: he doesn't know what an interference engine is, for goodness sake.

So how can he wind up with "a good solid car for a thousand bucks and a bit of elbow grease," eh?"

He's already into it for over six hundred.

Do you seriously expect a newbie to be able to replace a headliner?

I've done it, and it is a real PITA: he'll most likely be intimidated by the complexity of the job and farm it out...KA-CHING!

Let's not forget "it sounds like a lawn mower, and (at minimum) needs new injectors.

Not a task for a newbie.

KA-CHING!

Unknown maintenance history: did he do a compression test?

Of course not: no telling what the valve train, rings and lower end is like.

Lots of problems evident with the body, too.

No, this newbie, or the intended recipient, is going to spend some serious coin sorting out this car, Mr. Sweet, your Pollyannaish optimism notwithstanding.

Maybe you or I could sort it out and not spend much more than our time on it, but a newbie?

Puh-lease.

He didn't pay $255, he paid $603.27.

I don't think we have enough info here to know if the guy is capable of doing the necessry work himself. If he can work on an engine, but isn't familiar with this particlualr one, he probably can. If he really is a newbie, then it is way too big a job...

I inferred that he is a newbie, or at least inexperienced, as he didn't know what an interference engine is.

It would seem axiomatic that anyone with the knowledge necessary to replace a 740 headliner, to troubleshoot fuel injection and otherwise undertake sorting out this beater Volvo would know that salient fact.