…Your older brother can do better? Extremely debatable, but mine did just purchase a 1990 Volvo 740 Turbo. It’s faster and way more fun than my wagon.
I am going to take credit for this purchase. A single round trip totaling 942 miles was all it took. One road trip in my Volvo and my brother changed from searching old Outbacks, Imprezas, and Hondas to rear-wheel drive Volvos for his next car. Then again, maybe I shouldn’t take credit. We haven’t fully yet discovered what skeletons lay in this 740’s closet.
My brother found this car for sale near Lima, Ohio. A three hour drive from where we are located. He was in the search specifically for a turbo 740/940. Usually, I keep my car searching radius to a one hour drive, but this 740 is equipped with the hard to find M46 manual transmission so we had to take a look. It turned out to be a good looking car overall so we decided to go through with the sale. A three hour drive back and the car preformed without issue. The identical paint color is coincidental, the drivetrain was the main reason for purchase.
The Saturn he bought from me is still around for now. The 740 is going to be a second car for a short time until we get a chance to climb underneath and change the fluids, which will give us a good opportunity to inspect all the mechanical components and such.
Everything seems to be in good order. No coolant leaks, the transmission and differential are dry on the outside so their seals seem to be holding up well. We have noticed a small oil leak when the car cools down from a trip. As you can tell from the height difference between my wagon and his sedan, it could use new shocks and struts. The body does look pretty solid from my initial climbing around underneath. But, I can defiantly tell it has spent a far greater amount of time in the elements than my wagon.
Winters around here are usually terrible. They are cold, dark, dreary, wet and never seem to end. Having a warm, quiet and sound ride for shaking off the weariness during a morning commute can really have an impact on your mood. One of the smaller things I have discovered and enjoy about a vehicle catered to cold climates.
Hopefully, this new addition to the fleet will be reliable and trouble free. If this proves to be true, I think my brother is in for a treat this winter.
The turbo sedan or n/a wagon. What would you prefer?
Related reading:
A Letter To The Original Owner of this 1991 Volvo 740 Wagon
My Volvo 740 Wagon Update: Even Volvos Need Repairs Eventually
Check that the temperature sensor in the air filter housing is not stuck in the warm position. I am pretty sure the turbos still used the same part, but now I can’t remember.
Anyway, I’d take the B230FT from the sedan and put it in the wagon, along with those nice Hydras. 🙂
N/A Wagon or Turbo 4-door? That is a seriously tough question but seeing as how your bro’s has a stick I’m going to go for the sedan, at least today. That was a great score, beautiful car!
Nice car and kudos on the stick find! I loved our 1990 740T wagon and hope you guys have a great experience with your sedan as well. Those wheels are among my favorite Volvo wheels ever, they just look good with that square body. The grille though should not be chrome on the turbo, it should be all black, but the eggcrate shape is correct.
Here is mine:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-1990-volvo-740-turbo-wagon-in-sweden-they-spell-panther-without-an-h/
That is a very clean wagon! I’m so jealous of the west coast climate.
Actually mine spent its first decade in Stamford, Connecticut but appeared to be extremely well taken care of. No rust anywhere. Just the faded bumpers like they all have. A generous application of Back to Black helps but becomes a quarterly task to keep it looking good.
LOL! I endured precisely this quarterly regime during my stewardship of a 1990 740. The photos above were an instant reminder.
Default answer for me is the wagon. Add a trailer hitch and it’s perfect. If I had it though, I’m afraid I would covet your brothers MT. Never satisfied.
Just to make things more difficult. Wagon does have a hitch, its also a MT.
Mark, I’m not an expert on these cars, but I’m pretty sure the lower ride height on the sedan was from the factory, as the turbo’s suspension was tuned for sport rather than schlepping and softer ride. It’s very common for higher-performance and sporty cars to lose an inch or more in ride height compared to the comfort-oriented base version.
Yup it sits lower because it is the performance version, ie it has the turbo. In general shocks/struts don’t affect the ride height. Yes they are usually “gas charged” nowadays but the extension force they create is not enough to create any difference in ride height that you could notice or measure.
However there are exceptions to the rule and one of those exceptions are Volvos with the Nivomat self leveling suspension. The are essentially a self adjusting air shock and are used in conjunction with extremely soft coil springs. When they give up the ghost the rear of the vehicle will drop significantly.
All of these. At least according to Wikipedia, factory spec for wagon height is an inch higher than the sedan. AND suspension maintenance/replacements, especially expensive ones like Nivomat shocks (if you have them), are almost never done as they should be, especially when a car is getting sold.
Whatever you have to do to, or not, congratulations to you and your brother on a really clean-looking car with wonderful equipment. I was looking for a hybrid of the two cars (turbo manual wagon) but ended up with a later series 960 wagon instead… And replacing every suspension component but the springs, which I want to do someday.
Thanks for the info! To be honest, I just assumed the ride height difference was worn suspension without double checking. From the corrosion on the shocks I think they are the originals, or very old replacements.
Great comparison shots, especially that first one!
wagon all the way.
Yes indeed. A Volvo saloon is like a Citroen with coil springs- missing out on the best part.
That said, you can always find a good Volvo saloon with very low mileage for next to nothing. Estates are used as intended, and thus inevitably have a much harsher life. Dried kiddie vom on the rear seats and dog hair embedded in the headlining is almost guaranteed. Mileage will be upwards of 200K before they are sold, as wagons are usually held onto by families as a spare or college car, only being sold when their final use as a lawn rubbish hauler is no longer required. I haven’t seen an immaculate estate in years, but saloons with under 80K miles and one owner pop up on ebay and the like almost weekly.
Edit: since they’re both MT cars, I’ll take the wagon in a heartbeat, even if it is a bit slower. My wife doesn’t understand it, but I (like apparently a lot of CCers) like wagons. (Ironically, she drives a CRV, but doesn’t see it like I do: as essentially a Civic wagon.
Also, because I don’t know that much about them the turbo would make me nervous in an older car. More fun, but I don’t have the space, time, or probably knowledge to wrench on that, or the $ to have someone else do it…
Ooooh – the wagon is a stick too? Sold. I can do without the turbo if I get a wagon as the trade.
Tough question. I love wagons, and I love stick shifts. All together, not sure. I guess it would depend on the car’s condition and my mood at the time. At this moment, I am feeling the turbo sedan. But not by a lot.
Wow, looks like a great choice! It is a hard choice given that both are manuals…and a turbo wagon would be ideal. Motor and wheels swap, and then sell the now N/A sedan? 🙂
I’ve always admired RWD Volvos from afar, but had never driven one until buying my 780 a few months back.. It’s in nowhere near as good shape as either of these, but I’m slowly getting it sorted out as time permits. There really is a lot to like about these cars!
The wheels look like slicers from the early SHO. Even the blade orientation. When did Ford put Volvo in PAG?
I like the wagon better. it also has more space to put stuff in the back
Wagon definitely!
I was going to comment on what are the odds you found two non-sunroof cars, but the sedan in fact does have one.