I am looking to purchase an older Volvo, mainly for fuel mileage reasons. I have owned a 1990 740 wagon, and a 1995 850 wagon. Got good service out of the 740, not so good out of the 850. My ex wrecked both of em, but that's another story. Anyway, i'm looking to spend between 2500-5000, which models are the most reliable, easiest to repair etc. I've been looking at some 240's and 740's, not all that familar with the 940/960. My budget will probably dictate a late 80's to mid 90's car. Any suggestions or ideas? Thanks in advance

 

I will tell you the 700's and 900s are RWD so if you live in a winter climate, you might want to reconsider.

Volvos run nicely, and it's all about maintenance. Sorry to hear you had so much problems w/ the 850. The 850's really don't seem to have many problems (although some member's brakes are soft, including mine) and maybe a faulty pnp switch. Otherwise they are pretty solid cars imo...One guy made a post this week saying he saw a '94 w/ 290k miles so it shows these cars can last for a long time...

They're also reasonably priced. I got a 95' Turbo w/ 124k miles for $3500, and even that may have been a bit high...

 

I disagree about RWD in snow/ice. I've driven Volvos for decades in Michigan where there's plenty of snow. If one has good tires, snow is no problem at all. For christ sakes, they're a Swedish car.

I also disagree about the 850. I'd never own one. The 5-cyl is just not the same as the venerable 4-banger. The latter is what made Volvo a legend of longevity. There's been some real issues with the 850 although I guess some years are better than others.

Best models are the 240's, 740's, and the 940's. Stay away from the twin cam engines, which self-destruct when the timing belt breaks. I'd avoid the 6-cylinders, although some of those are apparently okay.

Probably the best engine is the B230F however, I had a B23 240 and it was okay.

The M46 (+OD) and M47 transmissions (both manual) are pretty much indestructable. I've driven both for years without any issues. I recently replaced a clutch on my 18 year old 740 (B230F + M47). It was obviously the original. Clutch disk still had lining but the mechanism was just all played out. Apparently, the four speed automatics are damned wonderful. (I've just never owned a Volvo with an automatic.)

Turbos run like crazy. The best fun is a Turbo 740 Wagon which will blow the doors off many a so-called muscle cars. Just make sure that the car has been well maintained.

The best of the best? Just maybe a 940 Turbo Wagon, or one of the latter 240 series. They are certainly well built and made to last just about forever.

Occasionally, I just browse through the available Volvos at Autotrader.com. You can limit your search to particular models. Kind of fun to see what's available. That's how I found my current blue 89 740 wagon (non-turbo, M47 5-sp).

Ya never know. You might find something that you just have to have.

 

Thanks for the information, after some reading on this forum and other places I beleieve i'll try to find a 740 or 940, well cared for of course. The fwd/rwd debate is moot as I live in Kentucky and we've not had a good snow in several years. I liked the 2.3 4cyl I had in my 740, reliable and easy to work on. My next question is is the 940 basically the same car as the 740. Maybe somewhat bigger or just a later model. A guy pretty close to here has a 95 940 wagon for sale, don't know the price yet, but I have never driven a 940 to my knowledge.

 

Indeed, the 940 is basically the same car as the 740.

Read about it in the "700 Model FAQ" at the Swedish Bricks site:
http://www.swedishbricks.net/ModelFAQ/700model.html

Also, that site has some good information on servicing Volvos, especially the more popular 200/700/900 series.

 

I've had two 760 Turbo's which is the same as the 740 with more bells and whistles. I like the '85 quite a bit and didn't like the '89 at all. Just had constant trouble with it. My 94 850 Turbo was my favorite car of ANY I have ever owned. Well maybe the 69 Malibu or 1980 Porsche 911SC might be up there, but I will stick with the 850 Volvo, and it would run dead even with the Porsche up to about 120 mph. Then the Volvo would havepulled away, if we would have kept going. I now have a 97 850 R and a 98 V70 GLT. Once you get accustomed to working on the 850/S70/V70, it's not that hard at all, and tech (here on this forum) can tell you how to do most anything.