1990 740 possible purchase

vovo850 · Post by **vovo850** » 30 Dec 2016, 11:15

Looking for wisdom from the forum here on a possible purchase of a 1990 740 wagon.
I currently own a 95 850 GLT.
I would end up selling my 850 if I purchase the 740.
My 850 has 167k miles on it, the 740 has 182k miles on it.
Both vehicles body wise are in good shape. (have not looked at 740 personally yet, just pics)
Did some reading on what to look for on the 740 so I have a decent understanding there.
I'd give up FWD for RWD which doesn't really concern me and I think of it more as a plus.
Any major reasons why I should/shouldn't swap vehicles?
I could sell my 850 for the same price or close to what the 740 asking price is.
the 740 has leather interior vs my 850 cloth. That isn't really relevant to me. heated seats = one more item that can break..
They don't list if it's a turbo or not, my 850 isn't and I'm perfectly ok with no turbo, again more stuff to break.
update to add it does have a turbo.... blah...

Bricks_and_boxcars · Post by **Bricks_and_boxcars** » 09 Mar 2017, 08:32

I have owned several 740s, the last was a 1990 m47 5 speed sedan. I owned the 850 wagon before that and the moral of this story is:
If you get that 740 hang onto it as long as you can if it's straight without rust and has good mechanicals. I have a 764T now that I've done a lot of resto work to lately, all the while thinking "well what else would I drive?" I can't answer that question and honestly don't want to.
It's a 27 year old car, parts are a pain to get but still worth it IMO. The engines are great and have good oil control but are b@$!ng leakers. Have lots of o rings handy and you'll be ok there too.
Make sure that rubber coupling at the end of the transmission is intact. If it's cracked, order another.
Let me know how you make out.

holyjaguar · Post by **holyjaguar** » 27 Mar 2017, 19:16

850 interference engine/740 Non interference engine; 850 plastic dash secured to steel firewall,when those plastic clips break,Hello dashboard!!,Or at the very least,a whole lot `o squeakin goin on.That being said I drove the"squeaker" `till my wife got a new car,and used the 850 as a trade-in.I am with B+B,on the switch .I`ve got my new"old' `93 940 wagon,235 k,(no Turbo),but I`m lookin for a parts car,and if its a turbo,I will be soo happy,Love the `40s..Not an expert,but did change out a bad 850 engine by my self,no issues,just took a while.Heated seats not really an issue here,(fl.),but I got `em and never used,turbos are fun if you like `em/respect `em cause these cars are older,little bit of boost can go a long way.