Should I get an old Volvo to replace my Oldsmobile?

[TheMightyFavog]

Found one on craigslist for under $2000 It's a 1990 700 series wagon. has 171K on the odometer I hear these cars last forever. Should I consider buying it? Or are there some things I should be aware of?

[PassingFair]

1. My old boss used to tell me that there was a statue of him in the town in Sweden...

where they manufacture Volvo's

...with his hand in his back pocket, reaching for his wallet.

:rofl:

His cars were ALWAYS breaking down and in the shop, and
repairs were EXPENSIVE.

[EOTE]

2. Volvos are very solid vehicles.

How much under $2,000 is it? Is it a 740? 760? Normally aspirated or turbo? If it's a turbo and it hasn't been rebuilt as of yet, you'll probably need to get that done. Chances are it's a good buy, but I'd need to know more info to have a better idea.

[TheMightyFavog]

3. 740 GL

According to the listing, the engine's a 2.3L L4 DOHC 16V. I don't see turbo listed anywhere...

[EOTE]

7. Sounds like a good deal.

Getting a car with that many miles and a turbo is usually a recipe for disaster. The 740 is the lower end of the 700 Volvos, but they still hold up well. I've always found that Volvos are great if you're looking for a reliable, comfortable and safe car. They're every bit as comfortable as far more expensive Mercedes models(they don't drive nearly as well, but the typical Volvo driver isn't looking for something autobahn-ready). I briefly had an S80 T6. I loved everything about it other than the fact it was front wheel drive. It did a lot to overcome many of FWD's deficits, but it's really hard to make a good sport sedan with power only going to the front wheels.

Of course, you'll want to give it as thorough an inspection as possible before picking it up. Preferably from someone with a good amount of automotive knowledge.

[here_is_to_hope]

4. My 1993 has 335,000 miles on it...

My 1987 has 269,000.
Never had the heads off, no major repairs.
30 mpg out of the 2.3 liter.
Beat that Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Toyota, Nissan or even VW!

Great cars, those who slam them are clueless as to what real value is.

171,000 is just broken in, watch the wiring harness though, hard but cheap to replace. But if it hasn't gone yet, it won't.
Other things to look for?
Nothing.
Really.
Do the timing belt the day you get it though.
About an hour and 40.00 if you know how, about 130.00 if you don't.
Oh, slow, all of them but the Turbo's.
Fastest wagon ever made.
I have read though the transmissions (M41) go out at around 550,000 miles.

[EOTE]

8. The Volvo 850 T-5R WAS the fastest wagon ever made.

Not the four banger turbos associated with the 700 Volvos. Of course, that was at a time when people really weren't looking for powerful wagons. BMW, Mercedes, Subaru, Saab and probably others have since beat it by considerable margins. I believe the current E63 AMG wagon does a sub-13 second quarter mile. It wasn't too long ago that that was solely in the realm of drag cars.

[bif]

5. A friend bought one about that era

And dumped a ton of money into it. I think you're asking for trouble.

[here_is_to_hope]

6. Lolz, Michigan... n/t

[david13]

9. Depends on whats wrong, or right with the vehicle. There is only

one way to know. Look it over, and know what to look for when you do (get a mechanic to do that) and check service records.
My wife had one when we were in Michigan, and after I fixed the one little thing wrong with it, it ran great, with no problems.
dc

[grasswire]

10. luv luv luv old Volvos

This is how long I held on to my 1974 wagon when I had little money to repair it or replace it.

In order to start the thing, I had to use a crochet hook to pull the hood latch to open the hood. Then I had to put the battery cables on the battery. Then I had to get in the car and put a screwdriver into the ignition (because I had broken a key in the ignition in the position that would wear down the battery). Yayyy! Ignition! It drove great.

At destination, I would have to turn it off, then use the crochet hook to open the hood latch, then unhook the battery cables.

Crazy.

But the engine was strong with 270,000 miles on it!

I loved that car. I finally sold it on eBay for parts.

[Throd]

11. What kind of Oldsmobile?

[MrsBrady]

12. my husband says buy Honda or Chevy

Honda won't break on you much

Chevy will be cheap when it does

[fizzgig]

13. my dad will probably hit 500k miles on his 88 740 by the end of the year

you take care of them, they will take care of you. find a good, reputable volvo mechanic and pay them to crawl all over the car before you buy it.

[here_is_to_hope]

14. He is eligible for a

Badge from Volvo at 500k. We have a 200 and 300 k badges on ours.
We have a wagon here in town with a 500k badge, car is minty still, original lower end but the head was rebuilt a few years back.
Only bad maintenance can kill a Volvo.
I wouldn't buy anything from them after 1995, and wouldn't accept for free anything from them after Ford took over.

[jmowreader]

15. 700 series? Inspect the underhood wiring very closely

I had a 760 Turbo for a while. Oh man, I loved that car. The only problem was, in the 700 series the insulation on the wiring got real brittle and cracked, leading to shorts. I had to get rid of the car because a short killed the ignition amplifier.

[OmahaBlueDog]

16. No, you should get a vehicle built by members of the UAW.

However, for two grand, it does not sound like a bad deal.