Safe, Reliable & Cool (Volvo 740/760)

Member Name: colm_walls

Product:	Volvo 740/760
Date:	25/01/01 (469 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Looks! Safety and reliability

Disadvantages: None really - maybe tire wear

I'm sorry but I think these cars are cool. It may be boxy and square but in these days of nice cuddly and curvy clones, the Volvo 740 stands out from the crowd.

Mine is a G reg 2.3GLE and I'm its 4th owner. It has never broken down and any repairs I've had to do were due to my carelessness...

The engine is very nippy yet quite economical - about 10p a mile... The electric windows, mirrors, sunroof were all ahead of their time so you're not really missing out on modern in car comforts.

The bodywork is still perfect (it was designed for a harsh swedish winter after all) and the automatic gearbox is still functioning well.

Tyres do wear out quickly, but when you're driving a 2 ton car this is to be expected, especially if you enjoy driving around around gravelly country lanes as I do.

OK so lets talk statistics (thanks to my reviewers by the way):
Mine's a saloon but the boot is huge - ample for 4 large suitcases, and the spare tyre is easily accessible. For longer items, unfortunately the back seats cannot be folded down so you're restricted to long thin items such as skis or planks which can fit thru the specially designed ski slot into the back seats.
All GLEs have leather seats which are very comfortable althogh a little sticky in hot weather
The rear seats are very spacious and all have saftey belts and electic windows, as well as a handy little flashing lamp which tells you if the driver isn't belted up! The rear electric windows can be locked/controlled by the driver too so it's handy if you have kids.
The drivers seat is very comfy and can be height adjusted, which I think is quite rare on older cars. The passenger seat has huge amounts of legroom and an easily accesible glove box.
The dash is fairly standard - nothing digital here I'm afraid but the wipers/lights are easily controlled
The speakers are excellent but beware upgrading the stereo - yo
u have to but a volvo on as they are slightly different in size.
Parts aren't too expensive, especially if you get them off a scrap dealer - and you won't need too many parts anyway as some volvo 740s have been known to go further than 200,000 miles on the same engine and gearbox.
Finally bear in mind that in it's day, this car was the best of the best that Volvo had to offer - it may be dated but has a very high level of comfort, safety and build quality.

All in all I love this car and would recommend it to anyone - especially now that the price is so low.

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