What do you think of the 1989 Volvo 740 GLE wagon

laurabell · Post by **laurabell** » 21 Apr 2004, 13:34

I am thinking of buying one, and would like to know if this was a good one!! Any problems with this particular year/model? How many miles can this one go for?

Thanks

stuart · Post by **stuart** » 21 Apr 2004, 14:47

Personally I like them. Nice machine with most of the standard features. however I am of the mind that most Volvos are great cars all in all. How far they go depends on how they are loved. Mine is up to 278,000Km's as of last night's roll over. I expect about another 200,000 out of it and I'm re-doing the body on it to match what the engine is doing.

Volvo's are kind of like dogs. They'll stick by you forever as long as you love em.

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Volvord · Post by **Volvord** » 21 Apr 2004, 19:48

I agree, I have a 1987 765TI wagon and a 1989 740TI sedan and love them both. There are no big problems or things to look out for, yes there are some common things that "might" come along but in general I have found my Volvo's much more reliable than any other car I have owned.

petershen1984 · Post by **petershen1984** » 21 Apr 2004, 21:51

How come Volvos in general don't hold their resale value? Reliability? Is it the style? "Bulkiness/Boxiness/Swedish Brickness?" Demand?

I personally think my well-maintained 740 GLE chassis doesn't look "old-fashioned" (compared to a 240) for a 16 year car. I wax and auto-detail it every few months; it's just short of a good paintjob.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 22 Apr 2004, 00:02

Thanks everyone for the input. I was searching through these forums and I came across a post that was a neg on specifically the 89 740 gle wagon, so I just wanted to get some other opinions. The post basically said the '89 740 gle has a dual cam engine and these engines have proven to be more problematic and expensive to fix should something go wrong. A single cam engine is not as problematic. Does anyone want to weigh in on this??

petershen1984 · Post by **petershen1984** » 22 Apr 2004, 02:16

I cannot comment nor compare the reliability of either engine, but assuming that all else is equally in good condition, you would definitely go for the more advantageous DOHC engine (power, effeciency, economy).

Volvord · Post by **Volvord** » 22 Apr 2004, 18:42

The post on the 16V twin cam engine is correct to some extent. The block is the same, but the head can give some troubles but no more than an average engine. It is just that the 8V Volvo engine is so reliable and "bulletproof"

The "Volvo" engine to stay away from is the V6 which came in the 760 non-turbo, these engines are very poor