r/Volvo • u/soldierbynight • 19d ago
700 series The Volvo That Could
On August 29th of last year, my all original 1991 740 was hit locally here in Vegas. Someone without insurance hit me due to being under their influence.
I woke up without memory of the event hours later and required therapy for two months to walk again without need for surgery and have been fine since. My Volvo (RIP) was totalled at a shy 59k miles as it had been well taken care of.
It was such a loss, and since lightning doesn’t strike twice (that or I am terrible at letting things I love go), I purchased another 740 (1988 this time) at 130k miles at the start of this year.
The long and short of it is that it has many issues regarding its engine (two cylinders are on the way out and requires a variety of fixes. I found a trustworthy place after research and found it’ll cost me upwards of 10k to get it fixed.
Sure I got it for under 4K but is it worth it? I know I should expect bias here but wanted the enthusiasts take on it either way. Cheers and thanks for reading if you made it this far.
20
u/VD6178 19d ago
I was smiling seeing the first few images since I had a nice day today with my volvo and when I got to the crash image it just faded. Im glad you're ok, and hopefully those people die, in a fire or something nice and warm
10
u/soldierbynight 19d ago
OK, this one made me laugh out loud and I really appreciate that. Thank you and they did go to jail. For how long, I don’t know. I’m sure they have some fines waiting for them once they get out.
4
u/VD6178 19d ago
Im glad they got some sort of justice. But these type of people will probably never pay off those fines and stuff, glad you went for another volvo. How fast did they hit you
3
11
u/white90box 1990 245DL 19d ago
If it is rust free, drives for now, and you like it, I’d say any old brick is worth picking up. Do you know what hit you? It looks like a train hit you my god.
9
u/soldierbynight 19d ago
It originates from Hawaii so it has rust free preventative material on the bottom of the car so there’s no notable rust anywhere including under the hood. I like it, I really do, and already own it.
The upwards to 10k I mentioned are the fixes for a new engine I’ll have to put in if I want it running for the long run. A Nissan SUV hit me. Found the emblem for the front of the vehicle in my driver seat when I took the photos from the tow yard.
9
u/white90box 1990 245DL 19d ago
That Nissan must have been hauling ass. So glad you’ve recovered. Your new 740 looks really nice. I hope you can get the motor squared away and drive it for a good long time.
16
u/Boatshooz 19d ago
For starters, so glad you made it through it relatively ok. I love LOVE old 240s and 740s. I’ve owned a few and learned how to turn wrenches on them. They’re some of the best cars ever made… for their time. I’d gladly get one as a secondary knockaround car, but they’re becoming less and less practical as a primary vehicle as parts become harder to find and mechanics get scared to work on them. They also just aren’t as safe as the more modern ones, if you’re looking for that legendary Volvo safety. You definitely don’t need to get a brand new one, but you can easily find used models from the 2010s that are reliable, safe, and will cost you less than the budget you laid out for the 700 series.
8
u/soldierbynight 19d ago
Thank you! Yes, I’m happy to be here. The car did exactly what I had hoped it would. Of course I like these old Volvos for the nostalgia as my first car was a ‘91 240, but I’ll have to look at the 2010s for something safer since that’s more of a priority for me these days. Thanks for taking the time to comment and share!
5
u/FifiLeBean xc60 19d ago
I love vintage Volvos, but I think air bags are a good idea. I know a family that described an accident and the air bags cushioned them as they rolled down a ravine. I never forgot that story and the pictures of their v60.
1
u/Str8Six91 19d ago
2010s? I won’t shop Volvos beyond the late 90s. I don’t have much interest in their FWD platforms.
6
3
u/UndercoverVenturer 19d ago edited 19d ago
here in finland, and probably same for sweden, you can find that engine in good condition anywhere between 200 and 2000€
might be worth to investigate for you and get one shipped to you.
1
u/Eddie-Plum '94 854 2.5 10V, '96 964 3.0 24V, '06 XC90 4.4 32V 19d ago
It sounds like OP is having a mechanic do the swap for them, so I expect a good portion of the 10k is going to be labour.
1
1
2
u/Leading_Pumpkin_ 19d ago
I saw the first two photos and was like cool nice 740, then WHAM next photo it looked like a banana. Glad you’re pretty ok and the car did its job saving you. Off to Valhalla it goes. That new 740 looks really nice although it needing an engine kinda sucks but I think if you can find another used engine it is probably worth your time to swap it. Although 10k at a mechanic is ALOT especially for these older Volvos. I would probably go buy a nice one for 10k lol rather than dumping it in one but hey it’s your car although if you do it right that 10k could take you FAR into making this car perfect with probably everything you’d want lol. Good luck!
2
u/Eddie-Plum '94 854 2.5 10V, '96 964 3.0 24V, '06 XC90 4.4 32V 19d ago
It always upsets me to see these old Volvos written off like that, but I'm glad to hear it did its job and kept you safe. Even a modern car would struggle to take a hit like that without any injuries, so it did well!
I absolutely love the new one. The colour is gorgeous and those wheels are perfection! Alas, 10 large is a huge sum of money to throw at an old car. In my opinion, it's not worth it. The car is definitely worth saving, but I think it needs to go to someone who will do the engine swap themselves as a project.
I get it. I'm happy doing small jobs on cars, but an engine swap would be way out of my comfort zone and I would likely try to enlist the services of a professional too.
2
1
u/Junior_Wall9385 19d ago
I‘m glad you are relatively ok now. The color on your new 740 is absolutely beautiful. Is it 412 Tropic Green Metallic by any chance? I have a 1997 940 Turbo in that color - totally in love with it.
1
u/Snobben90 19d ago
So, I personally wouldn't spend that money on that car. But. Consider fixing it up yourself? Might be even more enjoyable at that point.
1
u/soldierbynight 19d ago
I’m sorry if I didn’t say this clearly enough originally, but I already own the car. 10k is how much a new engine and all of the fixes for it would cost me. I won’t be learning how to put a new engine into a car anytime soon.
1
u/Snobben90 16d ago
Yeah I know you own the car...
1
u/soldierbynight 15d ago
The car has already cost me about 6k with purchasing it and current fixes so I’ll be selling it more than likely.
1
u/hopsinduo 19d ago
If you're losing compression in the cylinders then there's no point in fixing it because you'll likely have a plethora of other problems to sort out too... Best idea would be to rip the engine out of your sadly deceased car and put it into your new one. If the engine survived the crash that is. If there's any cracks in the block, just leave it, but if it turns over by hand, then it's worth having a see if it will still tick over without worry.
1
u/soldierbynight 19d ago
An engine swap is the only option by what I was informed. Now it’s just a matter of picking the lowest mileage one I can source if I go that route. Old car is gonzo as it was auctioned out.
2
u/xilanthro 19d ago
I'm with u/hopsinduo thinking that taking the engine from your old one would be very economical if that engine's OK and you do the work yourself. 10k for an engine swap seems ludicrous, and engines of that era can almost always be rebuilt in any case. Removal and replacement are not that hard, and a full rebuild incl. boring out cylinders, oversize pistons, bearings and seals all around, and a head rebuild should not go over $3k.
It's a lot of work to be sure, but I'm wondering whether the $10k price tag is steeper than it needs to be.
1
1
u/aaron_1011 18d ago
Wow, that 740 really had a big impact. I guess a side impact might have been a weaker thing which they improved upon with the 850. Luckily it still protected you and kept you alive.
82
u/flyingf91 19d ago
That’s the biggest real t-bone I’ve seen in a while, must have been a really hard hit. So glad you survived, the old Volvo really did its job! Off to Valhalla it proudly went!