1989 780 - Should I buy it?

[ahaslett]

I'm in the market for a new (way old) car, and the one I'm looking at right now is a 1989 780. I like the car and have done some research, I'm just looking to gather more opinions on the matter. Here's the rundown

89 780 4cyl turbo
94k miles
appears to be 2yr lease and 1 owner, however maint records are limited to none. 15k miles to the leasee
Nivomat shocks seem to be in good condition
Seat wiring has misc problems. I've found a recall on the issue, is it still good?
No rust in problem areas
Front air dam damaged, one fog light broken off
Overall, the car seems to be in good condition.

One known problem is that after sitting for long periods of time, it will sometimes not want to start, but will change its mind about that after a couple of hours. Is this a common problem? Easy fix?

What other things should I look at in this car for potential issues?

General thoughts about the vehicle?

[Kmaniac in California USA]

Wow, that sounds like a real find. I once posted questions in this forum about the 780. Search this forum for keyword "780" to find it. I like rare and unique cars and the 780 is just that. It shares the same body as the 740/760's. I have been told that unique body parts are hard to find, but common mechanical parts are readily available. Total production of the 780 over 7 years was approximately 8,500, with the most imported to the US in 1989 and 1990.

The intermittent start problem could be either fuel system or ignition. You can search the forum for more information on this, too. I found my intermittent start problem to be bad fuel filters and dirty fuel pumps. These Volvos have two fuel pumps and two fuel filters. I would suggest pulling the fuel pick-up/in-tank pump/sender unit assebly and inspect the condition of the fuel pick up filter sock. If this thing shows any signs of deterioration or holes, then replace both fuel pumps and both filters at the same time. If the intermittent start problem persists beyond this, then check for ignition problems.

Good luck and let us know what you do and find.

[LaRy]

The 780 is a rare car! Manufatured in Italy by the famos car designer Bentone for Volvo. It was just 8518 Volvo 780's built in total. Most of them were exported to USA. It is very hard to find them here in Sweden, so the fans here are buying used 780's in USA and shipping them back to Sweden. It exist just 450 cars in Sweden.

[matthew1]

Here's one in Belgium, once owned by a Volvo executive.

http://www.volvoadventures.com/780spec.html