Newbie to Volvo World

You may not like me very much for saying this, but I'll speak my peace then go sit in the corner.

I bought a 1987 Volvo 740 GLE from an English professor not long ago. He bought the car new, drove it for almost 20 years and thank God he wasn't a mechanic and brought the car to the dealer for everything.

I paid $500 for this car and it was half-dead. I spent almost $3000 restoring it and have this to say about Volvo. I'd love to have an OLD Volvo like a P1800 (is that what they're called?). Give me a 240 if I never have to replace the blower motor buried in the dash. Give me a

But- (and here's where it gets hard) - I would not buy a new(er)Volvo. I would not give a Volvo dealer a dime for a new car. I would not buy any Volvo since Ford bought it. I would not spend over about $7500 for a Volvo.

Too many people I know who've spent THOUSANDS on bugs and glitches in newer Volvos. I love what Volvo used to be. I love old Volvos. If I were spending 10-15K - it would be on a Honda, Toyota or Volkswagon.

I love America but won't buy an American car, nor will I buy a newer Volvo.

That's my 2 cents, hope I don't ruffle feathers. I love my 87 740 - but I have to honestly say that Volvo were pioneers, but the product has evolved and today I wouldn't buy into it.

adsf wrote:

I'm afraid that I have to agree with Jamie above. Not more than ten seconds out of warranty, my '03 XC 70 started to have major electronic glitches and little nit-picking crap going wrong that are not mileage dependent...It's at about 56K. I mean, TONS of little things. In the last year, the car has cost me a fortune in repairs. Thank God I have my Town Car to drive while that pig is in the dealer. I have an '84 200 two door turbo with only 139K on the clock and it has never failed me. I'm in real estate here in Las Vegas and if I could find a really fine '84 to '92 wagon, I'd snap it up, put a few thousand into it and wouldn't hesitate to pick anyone up in it to go and look at a 2 million dollar house. Needless to say, I think that it's obvious that I love that model.

i've said it before, i'll say it again: the used, well-maintained 240 is the best price/performance car ever built. Period.

since 1973, I've also owned 140, 145, 240, 122, 1800E, 850, v40 in that order. The 240 was the best.

Pat Q

(sold my '91 240 last year at 170,000 miles for more than I paid for it in

wow. that is great information. I do like the 240 look a lot. it is what lead me to consider a volvo to begin with. perhaps I should search for a really nice older one. I too am in real estate in atlanta, so I need a car that looks sharp and wont spend all of its time in ye old repair shoppe.

aaron

Personally, I like the 1992-1995 940s and 960s. If you need something that looks like an old luxury car, runs well, and has some nice options (heated seats are my favorite), then there is nothing better. I bought my 1993 940 new from the dealer in Sept. 1992 and the only work I have had on it is the regular maintenence and oil changes, and now it's just over 130,000 miles. No major problems so far!