Help the clueless guy on the search for his first car! '92/'85 740 wagons, too!

My girlfriend and I are currently in the learning process of buying our first car... which we will need to drive across the country before we start using it as a daily driver. We've been looking around on the local craigslist listings for preferably older wagons around 1200.00, and a couple of Volvos have caught our eye.

The first is a 92 740, though we aren't sure which style, whether reg, GL, or Turbo, and the people haven't emailed us with that info yet. It seems like a safe investment, and will be offering a little bit less.

1000 would be ideal, but probably unlikely. Here's the link to the ad:

formatting link

The second is an 85 740 wagon, and we haven't received an email back yet, so what's in the ad is what we know:

formatting link

We're just sort of in the dark here, and we don't want to make any costly blunders. We've been researching the different volvos and it's getting a bit overwhelming. Probably after test driving these, we'll have a better idea, but basically I just hoped to get some sagely advice from some knowledgeable enthusiasts. What to stay away from, any particularly good years, etc.

Sorry for the long winded post, but the search is getting a bit daunting.

Thank you, Morgan

formatting link

The '92 is a standard model, the turbos have a boost gauge in the instrument cluster and came with the black "eggcrate" grill.

740s are great cars and share a lot of mechanical components with the legendary 240. They're roomy, rugged, safe and tend to be reliable, parts are plentiful, they're easy to work on, and nice to drive. That said, any $1200 car is gonna need some TLC when you get it, and the cars in question are 18 and 25 years old. If the '85 still has the original engine wiring harness that will need to be replaced before you can depend on it. Most of that vintage probably have been by now but it's hard to say. Look for crumbling wiring insulation under the hood, especially at the plugs to various sensors and such on the engine. Either one you'll want to do a full service - change all the fluids, timing belt (if it's due or unsure), clean the flame trap and throttle body, check the voltage regulator in the alternator for brush wear, check the engine accessory bushings, suspension parts, etc. On the '85, check the shifter to see if it has 1-2-3-D (ZF trans) or 1-2-D with a button on the side (AW). The ZF transmissions have a history of being more problematic than the AW.

When buying a cheap car, I usually figure on spending about the purchase price again on bringing it up to spec. Normally someone selling a car in that price range has lost their love for it and neglected it for a while before they decide to sell it off so there tends to be a lot of deferred maintenance needed. This isn't specific to Volvo, but tends to be more the case with higher end luxury cars in general.