Help the clueless guy on the search for his first car! '92/'85 740wagons, 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:
http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/cto/1478297141.html

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: http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/1484358902.html

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

 

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.

 

Check out the '92 in preference to the '85. Newer, only 130,000 miles
on it, has most of the improvements and updates that were ever made with
that model. I assume you are planning on probably having to put some
money into it to get stuff repaired, since that's typical with an older
car. $1,000 in repairs would not be astonishing nor really a cause for
concern.

Ask if they have the service records; this is an indication of an
attentive Volvo owner (when I bought my '90 240 eight years ago, it came
with two previous owners' worth of service records going back to the
date of sale. This is not unusual among Volvo owners. If I ever sell
it, which isn't likely, it will have all the records from everything
I've had done to it).

Take it to a mechanic, preferably a Volvo specialist, for an inspection.
This will cost you $100-150 or so but it's well worth it. Probably
someone here can recommend someone in the Seattle area. The key things
are that the chassis structure is sound and there's nothing horrible
wrong with the drivetrain.

 

I certainly agree that an old can be neglected by non-enthusiasts simply
because it is old, but $1000 seems like alot of money to be spending.
Maybe it just because they are cheaper here in the UK I can buy a much
young car for the same money. My sister sold an immaculate 96 940 LPT
for £400 last year, but old cars are really unpopular in N.Ireland (like
we have more money than England???)

For an old Volvo the most important thing for purchasing is the body
work, as that is a pain on any car to put right. If that is good then
all other mechanical problems can be put right for reasonable money,
especially if you DIY. But check the engine hasn't been neglected,
check the oil is runny, no thick lumpy deposits inside valve cover (when
you remove the oil filler cap) and no creamy 'mayonnaise' on the cap itself.

The point about an old Volvo is that when you do put it right it will
last another 10-20 years. They are designed to last 20 years, although
as with most car they have a few weaknesses, but fewer than other cars
IMO. They are also quite fault tolerant, and many problems can be put
up with depending on finances. Don't skimp on the oil/filter, timing
belt or brakes.

 

It's been discussed here in the past, older cars are ridiculously cheap
in the UK. A few years ago when late model 240s were still commanding
upwards of $10K in the US, they were going for maybe 20% of that in the
UK. Here fuel is cheap and 80s Volvos are considered midsized luxury
cars so they hold their value well. $1K is certainly not out of line if
you had to pay a mechanic to do a full service, some new suspension
bushings, alignment, maybe brakes, tires, etc.

I spent about $1500 fixing up mine, but I got it for a song and have
been driving it for almost a decade so I've come out waaaaaaaaaaaay
ahead of all the suckers buying new low end cars.