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I
got this Volvo 740 in 1994 for US$4500 it was not new and in a bad
condition, however repair was possible. The left side (after a fire of
car parked beside it) was fire damaged, the injection control unit
(Bosch Jetronic) did not work, the cooling system had water only in it,
not antifreeze and replacement of the radiator was required.
The left side was painted, all plastic components, a mirror, and bumper
were replaced. The injection control unit was acquired from Sweden. I
cleaned the radiator myself and did not change it. And in the spring of
1995 the car was completely OK. My 740 has a basic type B200F engine and
manual gear box. By the beginning of 2003 the car had done 172,000 kms.
The first repair of a running part was made one year ago. First time in
13 years!!! It is very reliable car. A large repair job for a broken
cambelt. Other repairs were also scheduled.
Saint Petersburg has a very bad climate - in the winter freezing
temperatures down to -30C, and it is hot in the summer, up to +35C. The
autumn is very wet, and the winter ends only in March when all snow
completely thaws. Temperature in April - March is between +3 and +15C,
at night down to -10C. Apart from that a lot of snow and ice on the
roads which the Road Services control with the help of salt and sand.
Such a mix is very harmful to cars, and on my Volvo there is no
corrosion due to the zinced body and good maintenance of the paint each
spring. Even in the winter at -25C the car very quickly gets warm.
Unfortunately at temperature lower than -25C the car starts badly, but
this is the case with all cars with fuel injection (electronics freeze)
here.
In the summer I do not have any problems with my car. The B200F engine
provides good power, but is noisy at acceleration. The fuel consumption
in the city is 15 litres/100kms, on the open road around 8-9 litres per
100 kilometers. The Volvo 740 has a small turning circle of 9.9 m, which
is excellent for such a large car, a big and comfortable interior, with
good ventilation and air-conditioning. My wife likes the 740 a lot,
especially she likes square forms of the 740.
I constantly check the condition of my car and a paint (blue metallic).
Even with 14 years the car looks new and very seldom has a problem. I
use the Esso Ultron 5W40 synthetic motor oil, the summer wheels/tyres
are Gislaved 195R14, the winter wheels/tyres are Matador 185R14. Next
year I will change the wheels and tyres to 195R15 and install bi-xenon
lights. The Volvo 740 is a very respected car in Russia and there are
many Volvo cars in St.Petersburg. But it is seldom to see a 740 in such
good condition for sale, they do not sell them as the car is very reliable and convenient.
(I have searched 9 months to find a 940 for my father). Now we
have 2 Volvos in our family (740 and 940). When l earn enough money, my
next car will be a S60AWD, but I’m not going to sell my 740.
Webmaster's Note: Slava is webmaster of the Russian Volvo Club
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