Wife wants me to get rid of her red 89 740 sedan. Too many breakdowns!! I just replaced the intank fuelpump that had a broken wire in the top of the sending unit. Works great, now. But she is not convinced. Her best friend owns a Honda and my wife is convinced she needs one also.
I am partial to the S70's non-turbo from the early 2000's. Are there any pitfalls to watch out for?? Should I stick to the newer S40??
What's a fellow to do???
El raidman

Get the Honda. As much as I love Volvos, the White Blocks are nothing like the Redblocks, might as well get a Honda or a Toyota...

An'89 700 should be pretty reliable, it's probably more of a fashion thing on the part of the wife...

Trade her in for a new wife.

honda will most likely keep your finger nails much cleaner.
i choose my 940 but the wife has a 01 accord and its a no brainer.
that being said for me the 940s are fine.
My friend a volvo tech has worked on volvos for 30 years and said the S40 has been a real money maker for the owners of flatbed tow trucks. hands down the worst volvo he ever seen as far as breakdowns. i dont know myself.
good luck
Mike

I have a very good friend who owns in independent Volvo shop. He makes good money keeping the newer Volvos on the road. He will tell you that if Volvo was selling new cars with the late RWD drivetrain that he wouldn't be making much of a living. The late red block cars just didn't need a lot of work, and still don't.
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john

Always remember ... A Happy Wife = A Happy Life

if the first wife has a serious accident in the Honda,,you can always find a 2nd wife that will love you for your s70.

I am 100% with ART. First I'd keep what you have but if that's not an option... I'd go Honda over new ford/volvos. Have you spent time looking at AWD on the BB? scary.

Talking to some friends that own Auto shops, They do not love these Volvos at all.
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'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.lyse.net/brox/TonyPage4.html http://cleanflametrap.com/tony/

You know the old saying....."Happy wife happy life". Go for the Honda!!!

When I was newly married, I lived in Guatemala. The best mechanic shop in Guatemala City was owned by an old Frenchman named Maurice. Maurice gave me a lot of advice about cars and about marriage.

In this instance, Maurice would say to buy her whatever she wants, fix it when she breaks it, and don't ever say anything about it.

My sister in law drives a '98 S70 NA that has been almost bulletproof since day one, other than one ABS system failure and a lot of disintegrating plastic parts.

As for the S40, Consumer Reports Used Car Buyer's guide has not looked favorably on that one. I recently rented an S40 turbo. It is a cute car inside and out, and comfortable, but I cannot say that it handled all that well, and the turbo lag is annoying if you are not accustomed to it.

Whatever you do, don't let her test drive an M5 BMW. A friend did that. The wife instantly fell in love with it, and he has been pouring money into that M5 ever since.

HONDA.............I gurantee you "I told you so" would be your demise. I had a early 2000 s-70. NEVER again!

No brainer. Buy her the Honda. Otherwise every single time the Volvo has even the slightest hiccup....you will catch shit. Dont think logically, this is a woman you are dealing with.

Stick to the 95-97 850's or 98-2000 S70 or V70's. Don't buy any Volvo from 2001 or 2002. Or go newer with a 2003+ (more electronics though than the earlier cars). If you buy any FWD or AWD Volvo make sure it has been maintained.

I hate to say it but it is hard to beat a Toyota or Honda for reliability. The 850's/S70's/V70's are good cars and can last as long if maintained. Don't know if they will be as reliable as a Honda. Maybe, but they are safer and A LOT MORE FUN to drive!

FWIW - Owned a 90 240 for 10 years and so far (2 1/2 years) my 95 850 has been a more dependable car. Definitely sportier too. In fairness, I drove the 240 to 300k and the 850 hasn't quite reached 200k yet...:)

As the others have mentioned it could have been a Mercedes!

get her a honda if it will make her happy.. with many disclaimers!

you're lucky..mine only wants mercedes...

Like a 560SL or something like that. But she doesn't make any distinction between the RWD Volvos and the newer ones. For reliability, I'd go with the Honda before learning to deal with FWD Volvos, but this being a Volvo Owner's forum, I bet I'm in a small minority. For fun-to-drive, it would be a RWD.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore

A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Thanks, Art. I will get her her Honda Accord, but keep the 89 740 for myself as a spare car. I can't see selling her for $1500 being that I have almost rebuilt the entire car. I've driven this car from the Mexican border in Brownsville, Texas to Cape Cod on 2 occasions. I've just replaced both fuel pumps and adjusted the cruise control. I have spare parts (lights, etc) out the wazoo, redone the front seat upholstery, installed new carpet in the whole car and just last week installed a low milage AW71L transmission. New seals in the engine, the tranny and even the differential.
Too many others new parts to remember.
This is gonna be my last car I ever buy for myself.
Thanks,
el raidman