1985 Volvo 740 Turbo Wagon | Retro Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ค. 2022
- The 1985 Volvo 700 series wagons were decades ahead of their time and still turn heads.
Show 425 | Original Airdate 05-22-1985
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Who else will watch these classic episodes over the new ones? 🙋🏻♂️
i love um john tells it like it is for sure and i miss mr. goss he was the best too
the new cars a boring ugly generic blobs chocked full of useless gizmos and gadgets that when they break costs a lot to repair. I prefer these older reviews of much simpler cars from simpler times it reminds me of my childhood when I got to see many of these when they were new and driving around.
Im 31 and use to watch motorweek with my grandpa when I was young and will always be a part of me. Whenever I hear the opening theme I instantly go back to the early 90s. Rip pat
@@jhomrich89 100% right. nothing feels more numb and unengaging than a new car or motorcycle. Anti wheelie control. Baby rider aides that detune the bike. Traction control. Abs.. electronic throttle control.. electronic steering rack.. E diffs... numb shift linkages.. I wish I had my integra Gsr still 🤦
@@jhomrich89 “Ugly generic blobs” You’re literally commenting on a vehicle designed after a brick from an era when everything looked like bricks. Most cars were so unbelievably generic that small additions like a chin spoiler were enough to make something look “”sporty””. You’re free to be nostalgic and like old car design, as do I, but calling modern cars generic blobs is just grasping at straws. Cars have always been generic
There are 3 things sure in life; death, taxes and John Davis pointing out the lack of an oil pressure gauge in his reviews. 😁
Ironically the oil gauge in many cars that DO have oil pressure gauges are fake. That’s why most always read the same pressure at any engine temp, RPM, etc. Manufacturers found displaying the actual oil pressure caused customer concern so they turned the gauges into effectively warning lights. They won’t indicate low oil pressure until it’s dangerously low. Jeeps for example famously use just an oil pressure switch, not a pressure sensor, to control their “gauge.” Gauges in modern cars are all run by the ECU software. So they only display what the software is designed to show you. You will see the temp slowly rise to normal than just stay there unless the car is drastically overheating. You can plug in a scan tool to view the actual coolant temp and it can vary a lot more than the gauge indicates. Gauges have been “dumbed down” for piece of mind and to reduce nuisance warranty service visits. With the exception of the fuel gauge, the rest in most cars are just warning lights.
Thank you sir! This is the comment I came here for.
@@sharedknowledge6640 Yeah and Ford I know has been doing the fake oil pressure thing at least since the 80s. My 89 F150 just has an oil pressure switch that sends the gauge to the middle no matter if it's just 5psi or 50. And yeah modern car gauges are almost always fake and it makes it much worse when they actually have numbers on them rather than arbitrary C/H or L/H letters. GM is especially infamous in my opinion, most of their temperature gauges start at 160F and it doesn't take long for the needle to rise and by the time the engine is actually at 160F the needle is pointing to 210F and will remain there unless the engine starts overheating. But they have real functional oil pressure gauges for some reason, a GM vehicle the oil pressure on the gauge (and even the battery gauge) is the same as what the computer actually sees so why not the temperature???
That's four things!:)
I love Volvo 740Turbo, 940 Turbo, V40turbo, 850 GLT every wagons and DL wagon. Volvo classic cars is my favorites. Safety is important from Volvo
old volvos always had the coolest headrests
The best seats too.
My wife always wanted a Volvo, so while stationed in Italy, we ordered her S-40, 5 spd manual, Passion Red model direct from the factory. Picked it up in Denver in May 2007, 15+ years later, she still has it. In 4 years it will be a classic, 14 years an antique. She plans on keeping it till it runs into the ground. The only car we've owned that's driven to San Diego to Tampa!
which engine?
@@theodor12 basic 2.4, the car is for her.
Volvo the best or nothing superior engineering and craftsmanship what’s not to like
I have a 2000 S40. Smaller engine but still a great car
@@volvo1971 the turbo version had forged Pistons. Will never die
The lack of pretensions with older volvo models was always such a huge appeal to me, plus the quality of build and safety. It's a shame that bulletproof engineering just isn't as possible now
It is possible. Stupid people making decisions they shouldn't be making is the cause of the illusion that we can't have nice things. We can, and we should have nice things.
you are right, people lowers the bar, not the buisnesses
Tbh compared to how overly styled most new cars are, Volvo is still pretty understated.
@@retrocompaq5212 no its the businesses being preoccupied with numbers going up instead of delivering products people want to buy. If a business cannot deliver products and services people want then they should not in business. EVs, for example, are merely holding consumers hostage to make sales by refusing to offer cars like this '85 740 that people actually want. (EVs are worse for everything that ICEs are slandered for and fuel running out is a hoax; the oil companies version of holding consumers hostage to make number go up).
The stupid people making decisions they shouldn't make i was referring to are the people robbing the wages of their workers and extorting their customers at the top of the businesses. Aka the people in charge of the businesses and their descisionmakers.
@@retrocompaq5212 if business operated as it should, we would have things that are worth buying instead of a sea of disposable garbage produced cheaply that only serves in increasing the bottom line with zero benefit for the workers, only the bosses.
In the 80s we had something like this, however the items in question that were sold then were able to be repaired inexpensively and correctly by the end user, and we had stores and products that aided them with this. Stores like Radio Shack for electronics parts, sewing centers for thread, buttons, and other notions to mend clothing and fabric goods, and Auto Parts stores to name a few. We still have auto parts stores, however too many people insist on driving crossover pods that are not meant to be repaired, rather thrown away and replaced. Auto parts stores are really only for the people driving the cars that were made like the 740; made to be repaired by the driver.
And most of the businesses that do survive in 2022 are shells of their peak selves. Their version of when Radio Shack was just another crappy cellphone store.
Something must be done to overthrow this nihilistic status quo.
I’m getting old. I wish station wagons would come back.
They never left… V60, V90.
I'm sure eventually people will get tired of crossovers and SUVs and go back to station wagons. One can only hope.
@@phatasswj However, the crossoverized crap doesn't count.
Volvos and Saabs had the best smelling leather.
Wonderful Swedish engineering at its finest!😁👍🇸🇪
You haven't sat in a 1980s Maserati Biturbo interior? 🧐
@@lukespector5550 Actually I have. It was in really bad shape though, so I’m not sure what the smell was.😂
My dad had a 740 16 Valve, at the time it was a relatively fast car, and premium. Quality and reliability was excellent.
The DOHC 16 valve was pretty rare and super cool
153 horsepower moved it along quite well!
@@bobjohnson1587 good power numbers for the 80s when most cars from the 90s where even more under powered than this
One of the greatest cars ever built. I have been a die hard old Volvo fan since 18 years old. Still own a 1990 740 turbo, and a 1987 Volvo 244. Both are manual. They are the most reliable cars ever built as well.
I've been a Volvo fan since I was about 13 or 14 years old and a Volvo owner since I was 20. That was more than 40 years ago and 4 Volvos ago. I still own a '90 740 GL. Most reliable and best built cars around.
They could make this as is today and it would still beat out GM's entire CUV lineup.
4:35 wow that cargo box must be extremely rare.
I thought the same
If you were military and stationed in Europe in the mid to late 80’s, the Volvo 740, Saab 900 and Peugeot 505 were the ULTIMATE family cars to own.
Thank you for your service. In the early 90’s as a military contractor, I got to spend 3 weeks at the base in Wiesbaden.
I've been waiting YEARS for MotorWeek to post a retro review of one of the 700-series Volvos. I didn't care which. I'm a huge fan of 80s Volvos. They were amazingly great cars. My mother bought her first Volvo in 1998. A 1989 740 Turbo wagon with 138k miles. She kept that Volvo until 2005 and put 225k miles on it. The only repairs it ever needed were front and rear wiper motors, an alternator, and a coolant hose. At that mileage, it wasn't even leaking any fluids. A surprisingly cheap-to-own car long-term. She was so impressed with it that she replaced it with a used 1995 940 sedan with around 100k miles. She drove it to 176k miles and it too was insanely dependable, needing only a brake light switch in that time. It was still solid when she sold it to a friend of mine. He drove it for only a year before trading it on a new Ford Fiesta because the Volvo was too thirsty for his liking. It gave him no problems though. He later realized he made a huge mistake and should have kept the Volvo. Having driven my mother's 1989 740 Turbo wagon a lot over the years and knowing what a great car it had been for her, I bought myself a 1985 Volvo 240 DL in 2001 with 134k miles. One of my favorite cars I've owned yet out of a dozen. I drove it for a couple of years, then decided to sell it at 163k miles because rust was taking over the quarter panels. In that time it needed a new AC compressor and a new tierod. I miss that car still to this day. 1980s Volvos were exceptionally good cars. They were built like tanks, safe for their time, supremely comfortable, and undeniably dependable. I miss the hefty feel of those cars. They were actually pretty cheap to fix since everything was easily accessible under the hood. The only real downside to these Volvos was the fuel consumption. Even with today's gas prices, if I could turn back the clock and buy a new 740 now, I absolutely would. They were that good!
Your friend traded in a 940 for a Ford Fiesta!? Yikes!!! What was he thinking? 🙃🥴🤔
@@bobjohnson1587 He said the 940 was too thirsty. I'll give him that it was kinda thirsty. However, he only paid $1,800 cash for the Volvo and it was a clean car that needed no repairs. Ran great. Sure, the Fiesta was way more gas-sipping, but the money he saved on gas in no way made up for the monthly car payments he took on for a much crappier car. Bad move.
The only real problem the 80s Volvos have is the wiring. Volvo used wiring which was later found out to be bio-degradable, so the isolation kind of dissolves after 30+ years. Huge issue on my 1987 760, right now I have to rebuild an entire harness from scratch because it is completely gone and there is hardly any replacement for the b280f engine.
@@ianp727 The only wiring issue we had out of our 4 Volvos was on my '85 240. The wiring for the dash lighting failed. My solution was to buy a cheap stick-on light that plugged into the cig lighter so I could at least read the instrumentation at night. I think it's fair to say wiring will deteriorate in any car if old enough. 30yrs is an ancient car.
@@palebeachbum Yeah by no means I wanted to take any credit from the service life of old Volvos, I love them :D Heck, god knows for how long I drove mine without even noticing that the isolation of the cables was gone. I almost fainted when I realized their conditon!
Sure, today's crossovers and SUVs are sleek, safe, powerful, reliable and fuel efficient. But nothing says classy and comforting like a good old boxy Volvo 740 Turbo wagon!
What everyone really wants and really needs.. is a decent wagon.
Every "CUV" vehicle... is "safe", "convenient", "powerful", "fuel efficient", "reliable", "sleek".... there are also a METRIC T O N of issues.. that these Volvos.. never had. No one... if they knew.. would actually buy one of the heaps of shit on the road.. next to this...
I have had two of these 740 wagons (a normally aspirated and a turbo)... two of the best vehicles I have ever owned !!!
That interior color is gorgeous. Like a milk chocolate brown. I can just imagine how it smelled fresh from the factory. 🤤
I just realized how much the 850 looked like the 740 Series. Replace the headlights and taillights and round the corners and you have an 850. The Volvo 850 T5-R / 850R was my favorite car as a 13 year old kid. It looked so.... badass.
Not really, the 850 has a completly different engine, transmission, body and frame. Its a completly different car from scratch than the 740.
Not to mention RWD vs. FWD. The 850 was later renamed S60/V70 and given an aero restyle.
@@p12anjacobmlgnoscoper86 He did say "looked" though, so the mechanicals werent really discussed. I can somewhat agree with him, the basic styling is similar if you squint.
@ p12:an Jacob MLG Noscoper
He said “looked”
And he’s right. The later 700 and 900 series looked a ton like the 800 series… and I owned two 700 series.
2:30 John: BUT YOU’LL LOOK IN VEIN FOR AN OIL PRESSURE GAUGE! LOL
I was looking for that comment about the oil pressure gauge
Love the front end and the wheels are spot on
Can I just say the little pocket on the driver's side seat just makes the biggest difference. Such a little thing that adds some quality of life improvement. What an elegant car wagon too.
As a big RWD Volvo guy I have never seen or even heard of that roof box accessory before and oh my god I want one.
The drive train on this model is bullet proof.
I had an 87 740 Turbo auto sedan that got totaled with 297k with the original engine, transmission, and water-cooled turbocharger still working great.
Oh I can’t wait to watch this one!! I feel like I’ve won some kind of prize, stumbling upon this video so soon
Nothing rivals Volvo durability from this era. The slant 4 wasn't going to break any speed records but it would last forever.
100%
Throw 20lbs of boost at a redblock.... goes like stink.
@@MontanaYeti406 sheesh - I'm on 10psi with my "+T" and she moves ass!
I'd rather be a tortoise than a hare! We all know what happened with those two! Lol
You could tune the 2.3 to do things that few cars were supposed to. Won quite a few street races back in the early import dates with stuff from turbo Swede and brickbox and other Volvo tuners
Still a good looking car.
Even though it was a boxy style that was in vogue at the time, it worked well on this wagon. It had an understated class and charm.
More Volvo content please! Are there any 1988-1990 760gle segments out there?
I had a silver 740 and I desperatedly need exactly this model with the brown interior. It's the best car and most beautiful car ever made. I won't taky any arguments.
Damn that's a beautiful car.
Love my 1991 740 wagon and these old episodes. Both still wonderful after all these years.
My first own car was a Volvo 740, Sedan, 2.3L 16-valve.
These Volvos really have nice seats, even with mine over 300.000 km (= 186.000 miles) on the clock, they were excellent.
I've driven a lot of cars over the years and I've yet to drive a car with seats more comfortable than the 700-series seats. Supremely comfortable.
@@palebeachbum 1989 Sedan 2.3L, almost at 500.000 and the seats are still A-OK, amazing! My dad's new Subaru Forester (2010) had cracks all over the seats after just 7 years.
My first car was a 122S, Swedish tank.
My second car was a 1988 version of this exact car. Good times. Owned from Aug 2005 - Mar 2006 when I decided to learn to drive stick and bought a 1994 Taurus SHO. I had the factory "T" cam swapped for a Euro-spec "A" cam and added a manual boost controller.
The official car of the monied upper middle class family of the 1980s.
Those front seat adjustments would drive me insane
In 1990 my father bought a 740. Traded it in 1998 for a last of the line 940 Celebration. He still has the 940.. and he's still carrying building supplies all over the place..! Great cars! New cars are a joke compared to things like this!
Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this video to be posted!
Oh the pain! I had an 86 Volvo which inspired friends to purchase the same. I drove it for 27 years and although it was well into the 3rd time around the clock, it was in absolute mint condition. Sadly it met it's end on an trecherous right turn bend when a school bus coming in the opposite direction was trying to avoid the ditch. I've had two newer Volvo's and a Mercedes since, but none compared to the 740 for ease of maintenance, reliabilty and comfort. I still see lots of them around and it pains me unfortunately mine isn't and it wasn't by choice.
A fast 18 seconds... man I miss the old days.
I had a 1987 740 Turbo, Wagon, loed that car.. bought used and drove it to 285,000 miles, never got stuck in the snow
Volvo 740 turbo Wagons is beautifull and solid car
I had a $500 beater '85 760 Turbo Wagon as a daily driver a while back. Safe, comfy and reliable as gravity. My current daily S40 just isn't the same.
We had a base 940 when I was a kid. I'm not sure it had any options. No sunroof, wheelcovers instead of alloys, but it did have heated cloth seats (gray tweed even), practical black plastic bumpers, memory driver seat, and a built in child seat in the rear middle. A schoolmate's mom had a loaded 940 Turbo with these same alloys and every option in the same white. I was very jealous. It looked so much sportier. But looking back, our 940 was a really great, practical car. Ironically not good in snow, thanks to rwd, solid axle and a light rear end.
Anyone else remember the little 2 foot power antenna in the rear pillar of these? So quirky. And those classic Volvo head restraints.
A fast 18 second quarter mile! Crazy how far we have come, seats look comfy.
They are comfy. Just sat in mine yesterday!
Very nice retro review about this beloved Volvo Estate (wagon). I notice that the European version was slightly different. There was a 5-speed manual gear box (4-speed auto was an option) and the 2.3 L Turbo made 170 HP. Also we did not have the ugly front double headlight. Thank you for sharing this episode.
My '91 740 wagon is still running great, most reliable car I've ever owned.
Along with other Volvos, I had a 1985 760 Turbo Intercooler. It was a 2-tone Blue with black leather. I sold it when it started cutting out and I couldn't afford to have it fixed. I'd like to have that one again.
If I ever could lay my hands on a Volvo exactly like this in mint condition.
This was great, they are the best cars ever!
Can't beat MotHorweek
There were a lot of 700 Series wagons on the road when I was a kid in the 80s and 90s
…my folks had a 1983 Volvo 760 GLE sedan in the late 80’s . It was a classy vehicle at the time.
lol - folding down the seat for an umbrella...
My 1984 240 has a similar engine to this 740 and it has over 380,000 miles. Never repaired.
My first car was a gray 760 Turbo wagon and my second car was a gold 740 Turbo sedan. I miss them dearly...
1985: "A fast 18-second ¼ mile"
2022: "An 18-second ¼ mile? dAnGeRoUsLy sLoW!"
We're spoiled for horsepower.
Loved my '90 740. My first car, 2014. Wished it had the quad headlights and turbo like this one, those were my only complaints.
I watch these old school episodes as if I am a newly promoted 1980s banker looking for a new set of wheels
Back in 2008 I bought a bright red 1989 Volvo 740 Turbo wagon from the original owner and still deeply regret selling it 3 years later. It was definitely built to a standard.
Had a 96 850 Wagon. I still miss those seats. For me Volvo died in 2016 when they stopped making the V70.
Saludos desde Argentina 🇦🇷
Excelente auto!
Adjusted for inflation, the test car would cost over $60,000 in 2022 money. Damn I'd love one of these brand new! If possible, a turbo diesel with a manual transmission, in red or black with a tan interior.
Outstanding cars
I had a 1985 base 740 wagon. Overall a great family vehicle, but really under-powered. Down-shifting to pass another vehicle at highway speed reminded me of a Shakespeare line: “Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”
Was it a diesel?
@@kamrankhan-lj1ng No, a 2.3 liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine with 114 hp, in a 3100 pound wagon.
Can u imagine asking kids these day to drive one of these, bet their respond is " I rather walk".
i never knew they had a stock roof box and now i need one but god they’re gonna be expensive
Was it nicknamed "The Brick" or "The Tank"
The Swedish Brick
As a 740 owner, it is a brick because of how boxy it is.
The 240's are called tanks because of how solid they are.
Bricks, but they are also tanks
bout time the goat of goats 85 turbo brick most natural drift machine ever -5 sp ONLY
My sister had the 2 door version of that turbo!👌😎👍
For the love of God, please give Davis the oil pressure gauge he's always tripping on.
Sweden used to make some cool stuff.
Ah yes a blistering 18 sec quarter mile lol
Drifts and lifts here drooling somewhere 😂 no rust proofing yet right?
I love how car speeds were more sensible back then. I don't need under 10s 0-60. Let me take it easy.
I dunno. The first time I experienced 0-100mph in under 9 seconds was a revelation. I don't think I can go backwards. 🤣
Still waiting for MW to post their Retro Review of the 1983 Volvo 760 GLE sedan!
I NEED IT.
Throwback😎
No airbag, but that steering looks like it’s designed to break open for one and almost looks thick enough to house one.
I've never seen this plastic look so new lol Volvo plastics always chipped cracked and just plain disintegrated
"Lol" is for little girls now.
And punctuation is painless.
@@gavinvalentino6002 this is youtube not a class essay you seem confused LOL im also pretty sure that little gen z's use emojis
@@gavinvalentino6002 complaining about how others speak on a public platform is a old curmudgeon thing now. Someone whos miserable about their age or life in general and feels the need to criticize others to make themselves feel better? I'm not sure but I'm young and have a great life and don't need to judge others. Hope someday you'll get there before you croak LOL i welcome a rebuttal but if you're uninterested than cheers friend 👍✌🤏
Gotta love how the performance and handling now would be considered unacceptable
The turbo bricks
Leaning into the 90's these wagons were upscale. Audi basically swapped places with Volvo driving it to obscurity. The rise of SUVs got several licks in too. RIPish old friend.
Remember how the Y2K bug was going to end the world? When you look back at the 80's you realize it actually did.
My POS 240 is chillin in my garage with a seized engine. Seriously considering a 740 turbo to replace it.
Slap a junkyard LS in it and send it lol
The cargo space in that thing is comparable to a new you're city apartment!
Love good old blocky Volvo.
Caraca mano época boa desse carros importado é muito da hora 😁👍
Off to craigslist!
RIP Pat!
1:05 a very good space to take the coffins
Their head rest design of that era was quite quirky!
I know it's a review about a Volvo....it makes me miss my old SAAB.
Funny; Not once did he mention anything regarding safety.
When Volvo still was building good cars...
Now that time went by, it looks like an old Ford on the front end lol 😂
At the time it was distinctly Volvo.
I never foud a volvo a fast car brand but they sure make comfortable machines!
my s60 moves pretty darn good!
@@kupidzheart True, a S60 and v6 0t6 do go guick!
No oil pressure gauge, dang it!
0:44 A little correction. In 1982 the 760 was introduced, not 740. 740 was introduced in both sedan and wagon forms in 1985. Regardless of date of introduction the sedan was derived from wagon, not the other way around as is usual for any other model of a car ever made. The wagon is base model for 740/760.
700 series wagons weren't offered untill the 1985 model year. The 760 was launched in 1982 as a four door sedan only.
@@general_ascona Which differs from my claim by... No, it's exactly what I wrote. The design of the sedan, despite being introduced earlier, was derived from the wagon, not the other way around.
@@DopravniPoradce didn't mean to correct you, just clearify. I do think it's fairer to say both the sedan and wagon were designed at the same time, and for cost saving measures shared the same rear doors. The roof line of the wagon was chosen as the starting point, opposed to the 200 series. Just interesting why Volvo waited another three model years to introduce the wagon versions
@@general_ascona That is correct, I see you are fellow connoisseur. 👍 Hence the 'strange' curve of the rear doors on 240 wagon.
The reason for postponed introduction was I suppose financial situation. They cannot start all models at once at the time.
@@DopravniPoradce must have been the fininacial state indeed. I recall seeing a 760 development film where during the early stages (mid 70s) a five door hatchback was also considered, but quickly dropped due to the limited funds. The 700 series pretty much saved the Volvo car division from going under, just think of all the great models that would follow later we would've otherwise missed out on!
Even though I wouldn't buy an expensive car like this Volvo, if it is used and affordable, it seems like a great value. Luxury and reliability, just used. I would get a cheaper Civic or another affordable car if buying new.
the aero roof rack on the most un-aero car ever. let that sink in.
How far we’ve come. A normally aspirated similar displacement 4 today makes more horsepower than this 2.3 liter turbo. And a 1.5 liter turbo can make way more power, is way quicker, all while using almost half as much fuel. At least this was before Volvo had to be bailed out by Ford.
Is that under-floor storage cover made out of wood??? 1:13