My daughter just wrecked her 88 740 gle for the second time. I'm fixing it again but this time for my son who just got his permit. She is buying a different car. I'm leaning towards the 940's. She keeps seeing these 760's advertised that sound good. What is the big difference and is the motor as good as the 4 cylinder???

If you trust Consumer Report check the april 2002 issue...940 is ONLY used Volvo they recommend both 94and95...

i have a 760 gle 1988 with the newer b280f,this is the much better volvo v6 engine and is unkilleable.Im 18 and i drive this car like a sports car,the independant rear suspension,only found in 760's makes this ride much smoother and comfy.If youre not looking for a high performance car,cuz the v6 is torquy but its still a little slow,then i recommend going woth a 760 between 88-90.Just have to keep it well maintained.I use fully synthetic oil and always use 94 octane gas.Another thing,this is and engine that is very well built and easy to work with if you like getting under the hood.I have no experience with 740's but they are also great cars and have better fuel economy but i find the engines are not as robust as the b280f.Ive heard many stories of blown b230's
and because of the 760 old reputation of having a bad engine,you can come accross 760 at a very low price comparing to 740 gle and turbos.

Check out the FAQs under the pull-down menu above, including the "Buying a Used 7xx/9xx" section.

I'd avoid the 16-valve 4-cylinder and the V6. If you find a 760 with the 4-cyl B230FT turbo (usually says "Turbo Intercooler" on the trunk or hatch) it's probably "OK'. I considered doing what you are for my teen, I was warned off about the 760, even though the one I was looking at was a 4 cyl. Although it may look like a well-equipped 740, it's "more" (or "less", depending if you're enjoying it or paying to fix it) with lots of power gizmos to break, a sunroof, automatic climate control, power seats, and the much-feared IRS with the more-feared Nivomat shocks (read "$$$$"). Even the firewall is different (because of the automatic climate control).

The "ultimate" RWD Volvo to look for is the 1995 940 Turbo, it had the better reinforced engine block, oil-cooled pistons, dual airbags and only the '95 had a glass moonroof. Most '94-'95 940 turbo wagons I've found have been thoroughly trashed, it likely means that if someone has a good one he/she is reluctant to part with it.

Don't take a 960 even as a gift.

-Punxsutawney Phil

760 turbos have the 4-cyl turbo just like 740 Turbos, where as all other 760s have the PRV V6 (B280). I don't have any first hand experience with the V6, but I've heard that the newer V6's were not all that bad. They have a really bad rap because the older V6, (B28), had cam oiling problems which made them really awful in terms of long-term longevity. But that seems to have been worked out since the early 80s.

But if you are going to do repair work yourself and want to be certain of the engine's longevity, the 4-cyl is still probably a better bet. I say that mostly because they're much, much more common and they just don't seem to have many problems as long as it's the 8-valve head. Mine's been running wonderfully for 17 years and counting. (I think I'm a little biased on this issue.) There should be a lot of info in the 700/900 FAQ on both engines that you should probably look at.

Other than that, 700s and 900s are basically the same car. 760s have more electical gadgets than 740s, but they're about on par with most 940s.

Good luck with the hunt.

Tim


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Tim Smith '85 745GLE M46 w/86k

I owned a 1989 760 turbo. The turbo was fine, but remember the 760 is loaded, and therefore there are more things that are electrical etc and can go wrong.
When I traded it for a 95 850, the engine mounts were shot, the heated seat (driver) was out, and the driver window ceased to function.It had less than 100,000 miles on it. the dealer had to putover $3000.00 in it to resell it.
I would go with a 740, myself, and pay attention to maintenence.
I know very little about the 900 series, stay away from all Volvo 6 cylinders, though.

What is your take on the 850's?? She likes those alot and even test drove one over the weekend. It was a little beatup and had 187K. Thy still wanted $7,000 for it. She is looking in the 6-7 range for price, so I thought the 940's would be the ticket, but she does like the 850's. Thanks for the input.

My wife crashed the 95 850 turbo @ 144k. It was super. The 5 cylinder is different, but very good. Both wife and daughter were fine even tho the brick was hit @ 40mph on the front driver quarter by a large, old, FORD. The s 70 is essentialy the same car as the 850. I recommend it, but the maintenence records must be good. Check Edmunds.com, your price sounds high.

The 760 Turbos (4cyl) are good, but stick with 89-90. More sophisticated electronics that can get funky. The 6cyl isn't "as good", although they CAN achieve very high miles as well. It depends on maintenance, and most people suck with respect to maintenance.

The 940 is a great choice all day long.
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1992 940 wagon, 72k
make people envious; smile often.