As anyone who regularly reads CC knows, I have a serious thing for Volvo 240s and 740s of the ’80s, perhaps because I grew up with them. My folks really got into the Swedish cars a few years prior to my arrival, starting with a ’73 1800ES (CC here). I fondly remember riding in the cargo area of Mom’s wagons, well before such a thing was considered unsafe, and I drive a Volvo wagon today for that very reason. And all of the Klockaus’ Scandihoovian family vehicles were reliable to a fault. Except for one.
image: productioncars.com
The 740GL, a lower-cost alternative to the GLE and Turbo, was a new arrival in 1989. Identified primarily by its 114-hp version of the classic “red block” 2.3-liter inline four, it was the entry-level 740, sporting plastic wheel covers in place of the other models’ alloys. Nonetheless, it was quite well equipped with power windows, power brakes, power steering, A/C, manual tilt/slide steel sunroof, heated seats and an AM/FM ETR stereo cassette system with 20-watt amplifier.
One day, Mom picked us up from school in a brand new wagon. I was shocked, because in the Klockau household a new car purchase was generally planned well in advance, and usually our cars were ordered, not selected from Lundahl Volvo’s inventory. But Mom had taken her cream yellow ’86 240DL wagon in for service, and while killing time, had seen this 740GL wagon in the showroom. It was wine red with a tan leather interior and a roof rack, and she just had to have it. In short order, the 240 was traded in and the GL delivered.
One thing Mom didn’t like about her new wagon was its rather plain, silver-plastic wheel covers. Once a set of lacy-spoke BBS-type alloy wheels, as shown on this ’90 780, had been dealer-installed, the wagon was ready for years of service–or so we thought.
The wagon was purchased shortly before Thanksgiving, and it wasn’t long before we started having issues with it. My most vivid memory is of Mom driving the new car to the day-after-Thanksgiving sales just one or two days after it had been delivered. About halfway to her destination, the car just quit, and Mom could not get it started. This was before cell phones, so she simply walked back home and informed my father that he needed to go retrieve it. Keep in mind that this was a brand-new car, with maybe about 50 miles on it. To say that Mom was ticked at that car would be a major understatement.
I believe that wasn’t the only time it decided to take a non-authorized coffee break, but it certainly was the most memorable, and it set the tone for the rest of its time in our driveway. Our house had a meandering flagstone walkway to the front door. Towards the street, two small trees flanked the walk, then a couple of steps, and then the final few feet of walkway. Surrounding the curbside and going around the corner was a bed of decorative stones and small shrubs that ran about 25 feet, with perhaps three, four or five large lava rocks situated along its length. Somehow, Mom managed to hit one of those big-ass lava rocks with the GL the following year. I still remember the scrape along the side of the front spoiler, but it actually didn’t hurt the car too badly. Good thing lava rocks are light!
One morning, as we were backing out of the garage, Mom scraped the side of the bumper. Then, as she pulled forward again, she bumped into the rear bumper of Dad’s 740 Turbo. Dad saw it happen, and we all got out to look at his newly pushed-in bumper. He stared at it a minute and kicked it, and it popped back into shape with no damage. Being nine years old at the time, I thought it was hilarious. Mom didn’t.
Another time, Mom and I were backing out of a parking lot in that car when she hit a telephone pole dead-center. It should be noted that my mother was a good driver, and usually not given to clumsiness when behind the wheel. This car changed all that. Was this particular car, or simply Mom’s frustration with it, responsible for the sudden mishaps?
Whatever was going on, Mom took to calling it her jinx. It wasn’t the Volvo, the 740, or even the wagon; it was “The Jinx.” Once she’d finally had enough of that car, she complained to Dad, Dad complained to Mike Lundahl, and Mike Lundahl realized he was going to have to do something about it. The Lundahls were not just the Volvo dealer, you see. They were also close friends with my folks (Mike and Dad graduated from high school together), and they all had many friends in common. He knew he was going to do something about it!
I don’t know whether Volvo bought back that car or Mike just gave Dad a really good deal on its replacement, but the Friday before Easter of 1990, Dad picked us up from school in a beautiful navy blue 740GL wagon with a saddle tan interior. It was a surprise for Mom, and us kids thought it was pretty cool. All of Mom’s previous Volvo wagons had been as reliable as the sun, and the 740 Jinx had been a real thorn in her side. As you can see in the photo above, the nice alloys from the ’89 made it to the 1990. She kept that one until we kids got too big for a wagon, when it was traded in on a 1992 Grand Caravan ES. And once “The Jinx” had departed, Mom’s driving went back to normal too. There were no further motoring mishaps.
I was reminded of all this a few months ago when I spotted this ’89 GL, in Moline. At first I thought it could have been our car. The front seats were cloth, but the back seat was leather, suggesting the original leather buckets were swapped at some point. After showing her these photos, Mom reminded me that hers had the roof rack, meaning that this car isn’t “the one.”
Considering the trouble she had with that car, I would guess it’s no longer on the road, but who knows? This one was quite solid. The Torrance, CA front license plate frame suggests it was originally a California car, which would account for the solid sheet metal. Volvos were (and are) rustproofed really well, but after 23 Midwestern winters, even a Volvo would show some oxidation–unless it had a borderline OCD owner like me!
Over the years, my immediate family has owned about 14 Volvos (and counting). That ’89 was the only trouble-prone one. Why, I have no idea.
I’ve been thinking about buying a Volvo but I’m not sure if they’re fuel-efficient? Regardless, excellent story. I have to admit, I’ve got a thing for those boxy lines and that clean, solid impression.
I bought a 2007 V70 wagon, non-turbo, a year and a half ago and love it. I am 68 years old and it is my first Volvo but wish I had bought one years ago.
Overall mix of city/highway driving returns 20-22 mpg but on long trips it gets closer to 30 mpg. The comfort of the car can’t be beat and I love the way it drives and handles. Acceleration is good enough for me. Only issue in a year and a half was a cracked cap on coolant reservoir. Retired and using it to carry toddler grandchildren to activities every day.
My 2006 V50 gets 24-26 in city driving, and around 34 on the highway. It’s a non-turbo model with the 2.4L inline five cylinder. My ’99 S70 was a different story, with 20 mpg city on a good day. But it also had the turbo and AWD.
I’ll echo your take, CF. We just relocated from NJ to Fla. and best plan we came up w/ was a 26ft. Penske truck & my wife and 4 yr. old daughter following me in our 06 XC70.
Seeing that my wife is allergic to pumping her own gas– it was I that was very impressed by the car’s mileage- over 30 mph in over 1200 miles of driving thru the Pa, Va and NC mountains.
the seats in that car are the most comfy i’ve ever come across in a vehicle and frankly, I have a thing for station wagons. totally love them.
Now if I can only locate one w/ a manual tranny….. if I could only afford a V70!
It is true that even the best cars will eventually count a lemon among their numbers. My father had several Lincolns in the 70s, and they were all very good cars (particularly considering the abuse he gave them). Except one – the 1970 Mark III.
A cracked exhaust manifold that made it sound like a race car until it warmed up, a starter drive that would often just spin and not contact the flywheel, and finally it failed to start one morning and it ended up on the end of a tow truck. The final problem was not its fault, but one of the Michelin X tires blew during the tow and caused a lot of other damage. And all of this happened by the time the (extremely expensive) car was 2 years old. It is fitting that the car was yellow.
Thanks for the story of your Mom’s Volvo. Most of us have some experience with a brand that we love that generated at least one awful, awful car. It is easy to gloss over those, but stories like this remind us that the occasional bad car is everywhere.
He wouldn’t be the guy who drove his Mark III up to Ford World Headquarters circa 1971 and set it alight, would he? I still remember this from the Paul Harvey report back in the day.
If that had been my father, I assure you that there would have been a CC feature on it by now. 🙂 He probably felt like it, though. It was his very first Lincoln. Imagine the letdown.
The moment I saw the clue I said “Volvo 740 wagon” but didn’t post a reply.
Maybe its time to start listening to the voices in my head. Lol
As some people here know, I’m a Volvo enthusiast through-and-through – been one since I was 17. I currently own a 1991 740 sedan I bought from its original owner, in mint condition, and which just turned 152k miles the other day. It has given no trouble at all in the six months I’ve had it. I also have a 1996 850 sedan with a mere 91k miles on it – this one is my summer car and is never driven in rain or snow. Actually, I only drove it once this year, to take it out and change the oil.
I’m getting yet another Volvo soon, a 1997 960 station wagon with 145k miles. That one will serve as my winter beater while the 740 goes into storage for a few months. Just curious – any 740 owners out there who store their cars as well?
I store my 740 wagon, a 1992 with 124k on it. Just put it away in October. Put some fuel stabilizer in it and disconnected the battery. Also have a car cover. I am using my 1993 240 classic wagon with 169k on it for the winter.
Very interesting semi-COAL Tom. I wonder why Volvo decided to make a more base version of the 740GL in the first place, did they need to do it?
I’m also enamored by station wagons, and these Volvo’s are super sharp looking. I guess I never got as infatuated with these as I did with their Taurus counterpart, possibly because our neighborhood was less affluent, but there also weren’t any Volvo dealers near my house until the 2000’s.
On an unrelated note, I’m just glad to be able to read this article right now. It seems Sandy was uninterested in the Hudson Valley for the most part. My heart goes out to those in NYC and the other regions that got hit bad.
In Sweden, Volvos are (were) not seen as premium cars, or luxury cars, but as basic transportation. A 240 or 740 wagon was for ages the most sold car in the country, taking perhaps between 10-30% of the market for that model alone. And for basic transportation, these were kind of large, seen as the full size cars of its time. In contrast to the southern european countries like France or Italy, were small cars like Renault and Fiat ruled supreme, the swedes had ingrained themselves to driving non-premium full size cars. Most 740’s in Sweden were in fact the more basic GL model.
A comparison to the states would be for people driving around in the more basic Ford Custom 500 model instead of an LTD. Though those cars were sold mostly to fleets, in Sweden, the equivalent models were sold mostly to ordinary people as family cars. The trade-off with driving large cars on a smaller budget is the lack of trim and engine options. The GL’s in Sweden were fairly basic with none of the options mentioned in this article.
Ingvar: Good analysis. We’ve had eight VOLVOs through the family over the past 25 years- currently a P2, a XC70 and still own a brick (745/B230F/M46) because RWD VOLVOS are inherently strong, well-built, durable, simple vehicles that are safe and get good mileage. But, yes, one can see that under the leather, sunroof, etc. is a very basic vehicle. Hence, when we watch Wallander, all of the basic bricks still around the roads in Sweden (and in Canada).
1973 Audi 100LS. Prettiest light metallic blue German sedan you ever did see. Bright lemon yellow underneath.
Ironically, my parents, up to that point domestic car owners, bought it because they thought the quality level of American cars was not quite what it had been.
All Audis are lemons. Always have been, always will be.
I’m a few years older than Tom, and I’m contractually obligated to tease him (good-naturedly!) about these wheeled filing cabinets. They were everywhere in suburban Maine in the 80s-early 90s. As with the Klockaus, it seemed that Volvo owners hoarded the things.
Looking at the profile pics, it strikes me that the 7-series must be the most abstract auto design ever. By “abstract” I mean that it is simply an arrangement of shapes to suit the task at hand. It’s like a Modern building where the windows are just blank rectangles, without mullions or moldings or sills that say “window.”
Picture a line drawing of a 740 wagon in profile, without wheels or lights. The only line that says “car” is the rake of the windshield. Not that this makes it a bad design, but I find it sort of depressing, especially for a pricey car. It’s like seeing a handsome old Craftsman-style house filled with IKEA furniture.
But what do I know? I had, and loved, a ’91 Dynasty. The 740 sedan could be the Jello mold for that car. Mine was wrecked while parked, and I replaced it with a 4-year-old jinxed Intrepid, raspberry-red on the outside but pure unadulterated citrus underneath.
The 740 has grown on me, especially the wagon. When it came, it was sort of an anachronism already in its time, but I think it has aged well and with a certain dignity. It has a certain timelessness about it, at the same time that it is very 80’s time specific. A modern classic, in my eyes…
I like the classic “file cabinet on wheels” designs far better than today’s rather generic and anonymous Volvos.
Personally I think the (pre-rounded roofline) FWD GM A-bodies carried off this look better.
My sister had the exact same model and color except hers had a black interior. These are safe cars. Her and my BIL survived a wreak on the interstate when a girl in another car, took her eyes off the road to pick up a dropped pack of cigarettes that fell on the floor.
The Volvo was toast, there wasn’t one spot on the car that wasn’t crumpled. They walked away with minor bruises.
Like Tom, I also grew up in a Volvo wagon (often in the “way back” as we called it), but just one, as our 122S lasted from 1964 to 1986 (unfortunately its predecessor was a 544 and not a 210 Duett wagon). After learning to drive in the 122 and then having a 122S of my own for a short time, when years later I drove my Mom’s replacement 240 wagon, it didn’t feel very Volvo-like: power steering, no valve clatter or SU intake roar, a short gear shift . And after I sold my own 122S (36 years ago) I was never really tempted to buy a Volvo. But I do think the 740 wagon is one of the most perfectly shaped and proportioned vehicles of all time. And in fact, I think the 850 and V70 wagons are also masterpieces of design. BTW, as far as I know, the 122S never actually broke down until the motor went around 250K miles, and with a replacement engine, went quite a few more until my Mom sold it in ’86 for exactly what it cost new (about 1/6th the cost of the new 240). All three were bought from the same dealer in Berkeley, which may have been one of the highest volume dealers in the US, at least in the ’60’s, judging by the number of Volvos in town.
LIke you Tom we were a Volvo family. My Dad had a 1964 1800S. When the 740 came out it was so striking to me. I thought for the longest time the sedan was mal-proportioned because of the angle and shape of the C-pillar. I guess Volvo thought so too because they changed that part of the car when the 940 came out. But the Wagon always looked perfect to me. Not only did it go unchanged for the 940 facelift they made the 850 look just like it.
I love the 86-89 quad headlamps and raised grille and hate what came later, all blobby and amorphous looking.
Finally started looking for a 89ish Turbo Wagon. These things can rack up incredible mileage, the average on the cars I’ve looked at is 200K. I hate how all of them have the discolored bumper covers and crackled leather interiors. There seem to be none and I mean none under 100K in pristine condition. I guess it has to do with their duty in life because you can find P18000s all day long in low mileage original shape and that car was much more rare.
Impression after a test drive today are about slowness (even in the Turbo) and a rather tight front passenger compartment.
When they first came out I was somewhat surprised at how much they resembled the new GM A-cars (Celebrity, et al)
Am I missing something or was the sole problem that one time it didn’t start? That hardly makes for a car that isn’t likely to be on the road any longer.
It wasn’t the only time, just the first. I was in 3rd/4th grade at the time, so I don’t remember everything that happened with that car.
I think there is something X-file(ish) here 🙂
I had a bad accident with my 244 (lost control on the ice, ended up wrapped around the wooden pole). Then My next Volvo was smaller 440, and within the first week i had 2 close calls. First one was when I was waiting for a green light, and the guy behind me could not stop on the slippery surface, so he swerved in the last second, and totaled a trailer parked on the curb. Other time also guy behind me was so very anxious to switch the lane and come in front, so he didn’t realize that the truck in that line just stopped…. CRAAAASH.
I sold this car to a friend about a year and a half later, and within a year, she managed to run the stop sign, with fortunate outcome for her, but not so much for the car.
Somehow, she managed to fix it (rear end was so badly damaged that body shop decided to cut it in half and mate with other Volvo with damaged front). As far as I know, it is still in use, 12 years later.
At least that Volvo escaped the sad fate than an older 240, a 245 to be precise as showed in this screenshot from the movie “Fun Size”. http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_514601-Volvo-245-1988.html Even the deer in “Tommy Boy” wouldn’t go that far when it damaged badly the 1967 Plymouth GTX….
A woman lawyer who works down the hall from me until recently drove a Volvo S70 or S90 awd suv. It was huge. The other day she drove up in a new Toyota Highlander. I asked her what had happened to the Volvo. Her response was “That piece of shit? I gave it back to the dealer (it was leased).” It coughed up a crankshaft with less than 20k on the clock requiring a new engine; the power steering failed not long thereafter; and then the radiator developed a leak and pissed coolant all over her garage floor. She was not amused, but is happily now amongst the legions of ex-Volvo owners.
Ford Volvos were never worth the price of admission. The 740-760 series were the last of the real Volvo cars and that is a powerful long time ago now.
I recently found a very low km 1990 740GL with leather. The car was in pristine condition and had the red block B23. Best part was the price of only $2500, a steal, since nobody in fashion-conscious Vancouver would want to drive a 22 year old car.
A short drive showed me that, although obviously built like a tank, it also drives like one. Cornering? Ya, shoor, we’ll safely take you around that corner but it had better not be too fast. Acceleration? Leisurely. Ride? Well, we have come a heck of a long way since the 740 was designed. Let’s say I am spoiled by IRS.
Were I to need wheels fast, I would have snapped it up, or for a car for a teenager, perfect. As for being a daily driver for me, well, I couldn’t do it. Not enough speed for me and, combined with the lack of any air bags or ABS, I had to give it a pass.
Still, it was as close to perfect as any 22 year old car could be.
+1 to that.
I thought my Volvo was something until a friend let me try his Citroen BX with
hydro-something suspension.
I am driving a Citroen now 🙂
Our ’88 745 had an airbag – it was a $900.00 option!
Are you sure no airbag? I thought it would at least have a driver bag.
In Norway Volvo 240 was the best selling car in the late 70s and 80s. 740 was to expensive because of the heavy Norwegian taxes.
To explain how much tax a Norwegian buyer have to pay for a new big car with some engine: a new Chevrolet Tahoe will cost, in american dollars, 280.000 USD with seven seats.
But Volvo 240 end 740 was good cars, however in Europe a lot of people, espacially in Norway and sweden, thinks that Chevrolet Caprice from (GM B-body) 1977-1990 was a better car. It rode better, was much more quiet, much more equipment and was just as reliable as the old Volvo. But the GM cars didn’t rust as badly as the Volvos.
Interesting comment about the popularity (in regard if not in sales volume) of the Chevy in Scandinavia. Our 122S wagon came home to the US from its overseas delivery on a Swedish freighter, along with our family as passengers (car was in the hold, we got a cabin). The captain seemed to think we were nuts bringing a Volvo all the way from Europe … he owned an early ’50’s Chevy. And our Swedish (or maybe Norwegian) mechanic in California also drove a Chevy of the same vintage (’53 or ’54).
American cars, especially the old ones from 50s,60s and 70s are very popular in Norway. When a car gets 30 years old we can import it without taxes. So in Norway you’ll find a hell lot of old american cars fram this erea. From the 70s it’s mainly the large boats from Cadillac and Lincoln. The cars are mainly used in the summer, but I’ve a 67 Riviera for the summer and a 77 Coupe Deville for the wintertime.
Norwegians have fairly salaries, the average salary are about 60.000 USD a year here. So all is expensive, but we can afford it. The gasoline cost about 15 kr each liter, or in gallons , around 10 USD for each gallon og fuel. Dieselfuel are a litte cheaper. And my god, this old boats drink gas, but no more than a new Suburban.
Our daughter was born in October, 1987. We were driving a VW Cabriolet and soon found that we could transport the baby or the baby equipment, but not both at the same time.
We decided to become true yuppies and bought a 1988 745. At that time the wagon came pretty much loaded. For example, leather seats were standard.
We had the same blue/peanut combo as above with a 5-spd. We made lots of great memories in that car, but at 120k we began having fuel pump problems. Our dealer was a Chrysler/Volvo shop, emphasis on Chrysler. They did finally figure out what was wrong but by then my wife was tired of stalling out on the freeway with little kids in the backseat so we sold it.
I now drive an XC90 with the same color combo for old times sake.
One thing I always found odd is that the later GL had our same headrests but without the cushion inserts. I mean, how much could those have cost?
I’ve had a thing for Volvos since a college-days’ purchase of a 544 in the late 60’s. Since my late lamented gen 1 Scirocco was stolen 14 years ago however I’ve been carless, and a bicycle lifestyle suddenly became a whole new obsession (how appropriate for an ex-Volvo owner – I know, I know).
After retiring earlier this year, a car is once again on my wish list, and I’m tempted by the Volvo C30 – a good bet according to Consumer Reports, and surprisingly cheap on the used car market. It’s a nice car to drive, but the rear window hatch seems a triumph of style over substance in its execution and practicality. This becomes a potential romance-killer for those of us seduced by the ‘practicality-is-beauty’ approach that Volvo represented for so long. If I’m going to be embarrassed driving a Volvo, I want it to be for the right reasons!
Maybe I’ll start checking craigslist for well-cared-for 300D’s instead.
I agree with you about the C30’s hatch Rob
Perhaps a modded V50 MT would work for you? Smaller than a V70 but more practical than a C30, cheap, AWD if you want it, and lots of performance mods available.
I just bought a <90,000 mile '95 960 wagon a couple months ago, with IRS, "whiteblock" engine, and lower-profile front clip. Effective cost of operation isn't really in sight yet, as I'm still incurring expenses for deferred maintenance. (I doubt these will amortize fully, but the alternative is unpleasant.) I did blow up the old plastic radiator, but that was the car flunking an initial stress test, not a failure that left me stranded far from home.
Handling is stately, sort of like a Mercedes W126 with stronger power steering and tighter turning circle. The car probably should have been made an inch lower–but then, it already looks low next to newer cars. The 180-some hp 960 engine is best (though not exactly perky) at 2500-4200 RPMs. That's higher than I expected–a Honda torque curve, perhaps. That, or the automatic transmission, manages to make the 1hp-per-cubic-inch output seem less awesome. How a 114-hp "redblock" could keep a car like this at highway speeds is a real mystery.
The dog and I enjoy the car, and I hope I can keep it away from lampposts and other scrapes…
How a 114-hp “redblock” could keep a car like this at highway speeds is a real mystery.
Only with an M46- an auto makes the B230 motors utter dogs. And even the M46 can only transform “slow” into “brisk”-ish. But a 745/B230/M46 will run ~180kph empty, so highway travel is no problem as long as lane changing is strategized a bit.
/now, the B23E/M46 we had in a 244GLE was a real keeper- I should have saved the drivetrain when the body rusted out around it…
740s had a very mixed reputation. They were either VERY good or VERY bad. I think much of the bad was due to the ones that had the Regina injection system. This was a cobbled together Chrysler/Renault injection system similar to that on the… Eagle Premier. It was only used by Volvo for a few years in the 80s before Volvo reverted to LH Jetronic like everyone else in Europe. Otherwise, 700’s were as rugged as 200’s- the usual suspects of fuel pump relays, consumable engine mounts, alternators and heater matrixes, and the odd head gasket, and occasional flaky ancillary electrics and the infernal ’80s saggy headlining but little else. Plus, they were much less rust prone than the 1967 designed 240.
Had a client whose wife drove a 240 wagon, one of the last made (’91 or ’92?), back in the mid-’90’s. She was a real estate agent. One day she had a ’97 Windstar, so I asked what happened to the Volvo. She said a prospective home-buyer’s little girl loved it so much the parents made an offer she couldn’t refuse. But they never bought a house. Side note: She disliked the Windstar so much she laid claim to hubby’s ’86 BMW 528i until the ’99 e-class showed up.
Boy, do I like these – partly for the expected nostalgia reasons, as my mother drove one. We had an ’86 Turbo wagon that she drove for about 10 years. Wonderful seats front and rear, lots of room, quick, good-looking, ‘cool’ as far as junior-high carpool-mobiles go. It eventually sent her to the Honda side, however, due to an expensive turbo replacement.
I totally forgot about these Volvos — I am a closet 240 fan but liked these too, mainly the ones with the non-composite headlamps. An ex-girlfriend drove one after she got rid of her 164 (with 144 front clip — cool car) so part of the attraction may have been by association. She had a lead foot & gave the Turbo a regular workout.
I was impressed with the car’s performance and features — its little red 4-cylinder engine really screamed. My only 4-cylinder experiences to that point consisted of Iron Duke Fieros & a Chevette so one can imagine my amazement.
I forgot to add how much fun riding with her was because she’d sometimes snicker or utter a soft “ha-ha” as the boost gauge swept across its range while we were blowing away “kids” at stoplights.
There was a pretty steep dip in one of the neighborhoods & she liked to hit it about 50-55mph because the car would actually catch air as it crested the end. Sometimes all four tires would leave the ground but it never bottomed out while I was flying with her. Good times 🙂
I’ve never seen BBS-style alloys on a 740 wagon before, I bet that looked really sharp – can’t really make them out from the 3/4 shot…
Here’s a side view. Actually, I still see this car around town. If I ever catch up with it again, I’ll do a proper CC on it.
These have always been my favorite Volvo’s along with 240’s. Always wanted one of these. But i dont know how cost effective or simple it would be to currently own one of these, given that all of them are over 20 years old. But still a design I will always love. Classic Volvo. Great post.
That is a non-airbag steering wheel; I thought all ’89 Volvos had an airbag. (The airbag wheel is pictured.) My father’s ’89 740 did, though it was a GLE 16V. It was generally a good car except for issues with the air conditioning and ignition switch.
In some European markets, the 740/940 up to and including the 1993 model year were delivered without an airbag (or only at an additional cost).
Simply shameful for an otherwise safety-conscious manufacturer like Volvo.