Friend is selling a 1974 model 144. About 150,000 miles. engine was rebuilt by a mechanic who lives down the hall from the friend.

Wants $1600.00 for it. Says there are no major problems and the mechanic has taken care of it.

should I buy it?

 

I would say that the reason for buying such a car would be mostly your Volvo hobby/collection interest. It's not exactly a milestone Volvo classic, but the 1974 144 was the last year of the 140 series and, along with the 1975 240, represented a transition of models. I've had a '75, and my first exposure to Volvo was my dad's '74, so I'm somewhat familiar with both. The '74 had a new 240-styled dash that looked like the '75. More significantly, the '75 had the old B20 pushrod engine carried over from the earlier years. The USA '74 model used the B20F with K-jet "mechanical" fuel injection but without the new closed-loop "Lambda-Sond" (i.e. Oxygen Sensor) feedback, which appeared in '75. There is more I could go into about the K-jet and some parts ageing issues, but it was an OK system (many prefer it to the earlier D-jet, but D-jet was capable of higher performance). The '74 also had much more bump-proof (though some say too ugly) rubber-covered bumpers with foam-filled bumper shocks than earlier models. It also had a seat-belt interlock not just to buzz at you, but actually prevented starting the car if not latched - that feature may or may not have been disabled over the years.

Overall, the '74 140 was a much more modern car than the late '60s and early '70s versions, but again you should appreciate the trivia. If the car is not very original, then the niche historical interest becomes less compelling. For example, if the rebuilt engine has been converted to carburetion, or if the interior has been swapped from another car, the plastic is all shot etc., then you are looking at just another old car.

If it has automatic transmission, I see that as a downer. Manual is better, but the '74 did not have overdrive (I don't think it was optional, but could be wrong). The shift lever has a resonant buzzing right around 55MPH that can get annoying. If you live in a rust-prone area, don't just look for body rust - my dad's car eventually (after 30 years) became dangerously rusted in the main front chassis cross-member.

The grille was black plastic and wider than before (though perhaps the '73 had that grille also, I'm not sure). Oh, and the ignition is pretty standard old style contact-breaker, not anything modern there, so it needs periodic ignition tune-up. You have to adjust the points with the cap off, and you have to learn _exactly_ where to push aside a radiator hose and point the timing light down to see the timing marks, usually after cleaning grime off the crank pulley and the scale marks attached to the engine block.

The 140 series was very good in crashworthiness for the time, but the 240 series was a significant improvement even though they look quite similar externally. The 140 used conventional shocks; 240 had McPherson struts and the engine bay was wider - the very good overhead cam motors of the 240 series will not easily fit into the 140, so don't plan on that.