$750 for a 740 Turbo - The Roadtrip

"whatuptkhere" (whatuptkhere) 02/27/2018 at 01:35 • Filed to: volvo, 740 turbo, volvo 740 turbo, volvo 740, 740, roadtrip, road trip, used car, turbo, australia, down under

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The 740 Turbo, in all its glory.

Also a minor motion picture - !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! !

Way back in the mists of 2017, after days wrenching on my almost-track-car, a hunger began to grow inside of me. It’s one familiar to all growing Jalops, a thirst for practicality, comfort, and speed.

Yes, the taste for a wagon had hit me over the back of the head like a whisky bottle thrown by a jilted fiancé, and the search begun. I knew that only Volvo’s finest would do - that square-cut jewel of the 1980s, the 740 Turbo.

The search was exhausting, peppered by false leads and disappointment. After a particularly bad weekend led to $300 of wasted flights to see a car that wasn’t even running, I was feeling low.

It was then that it appeared - a blue wagon, for the low price of just $750. There was just one catch - it was 6 hours east of a capital city that was already 8 hours away. Undeterred, my fingers danced across they keyboard.

“Mate, will you ship it?”
“You must be joking!”

Before I could push the matter, it had been sold to a young man far better placed geographically than I.

I was despondent. I’d missed this and a supercharged MR2 in the same week.

It was a mere fluke that saved me. The original buyer had fallen through! This time I didn’t hestitate.

“Mate, sold. $750, will pick up next weekend.”

The man named David was kind enough to agree to these terms - now I had to figure out a way to get there.

David was also kind enough to suggest catching the regional train and spending the night in scenic Mallacoota, though I was reticent to take a 10 hour rail journey or stay in the home of someone I’d only met over the internet.

The best I could come up with wasn’t great. A flight over, taking a friend with me, followed by a rental car out to Mallacoota. We’d then drive back, stopping for a night in Sale before dumping the rental and trucking it back the rest of the way home the following day.

The day of the flight, Jack suffered from an epic bout of hayfever, but really, everything was fine. Until we got to the hire desk.

THIS TOOK FORTY FIVE MINUTES. FORTY FIVE.

I don’t think I’ve ever hired a car without it costing AT LEAST twice the initial quote online. Never mind the times they’ve tried to convince me to pay extra for an automatic - only to admit it’s all they have left, and give it to me for free. Regardless, they sent us off in a RAV4 as a “free upgrade” which really didn’t take the sting out of it at all. Fuck rental cars.

The faces of two men that survived a McDonalds breakfast.

The drive out to Mallacoota was long, but uneventful. When we turned up though, oh boy. David took us for a ride to learn the ropes.

You can tell I’m excited to be there.

Y

The car was great, particularly given the price. Tyres were in great condition, and it started real easy. Niggles were limited to 30 year old paint, a rattle from the front left wheel, and an extremely sensitive brake pedal. No showstoppers though, so the car became mine.

Playing it up for the camera, naturally.

We jumped in, scored some premium unleaded, and booted it to Sale. I couldn’t believe the car was finally mine. Once there, it was time for a pub meal and a couple of brews.

The car looked great outside the motel.

Very Australian.

To his friends, he’s known as Denim Breakfast.

The following day, we had a 10 hour drive ahead of us. Our stomachs filled with a hearty motel breakfast, we hit the road. The Volvo was proving to be an excellent highway cruiser, with the auto sitting happily at 110 km/h, and the boaty ride soaking up the bumps. Alright, I’ll admit it - new shocks are a priority.

We drove...

Have you seen the price of premium lately!?

...we dined...

Colonel Sanders, forever in our hearts.

...and Denim had to pull the door open for me after it jammed shut when I slammed it.

Seriously, some jerk wouldn’t let us fill up without a licence plate. We even offered to prepaid! This Quickstop was much more accomodating.

In the end, the car didn’t miss a beat. It was an amazing journey over a couple of days, and I couldn’t have imagined a better way to get to know a car.

The 740 has not only entered my driveway... it’s entered my heart. A daily for now, and as for what’s to come, well - stay tuned.

TK out.

Check out the YouTube video of the trip below!

Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan' > whatuptkhere 02/27/2018 at 05:27

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Saved for the lunch break! I totally missed your content somehow, I’ll check out more of your stuff, I like it.

boxrocket > whatuptkhere 02/27/2018 at 07:04

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Volvo road trips are best road trips!

I miss my 1990 760 Turbo Wagon (the ‘89 740 non-turbo wagon not so much). Longest I’ve yet owned a car. Get all the manuals you can, especially one with the on-board diagnostics blink-code chart.

shop-teacher > whatuptkhere 02/27/2018 at 07:13

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Good story!

pip bip - choose Corrour > whatuptkhere 02/27/2018 at 07:49

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you filled up in Beaufort.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > whatuptkhere 02/27/2018 at 09:40

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Should have offered $740

Derpwagon > whatuptkhere 02/27/2018 at 14:44

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Wagon is best.

whatuptkhere > boxrocket 02/27/2018 at 16:49

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I had no idea such a thing existed! I’ll have to look into that; I reckon my car is an LH2.2 and it doesn’t appear to even have a check engine light, so I wonder if mine actually has that feature?

whatuptkhere > Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan' 02/27/2018 at 16:49

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Glad you dig it, thanks :D

whatuptkhere > pip bip - choose Corrour 02/27/2018 at 16:49

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Ha! Good spotting. You from the area?

whatuptkhere > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 02/27/2018 at 16:49

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Ha!

whatuptkhere > shop-teacher 02/27/2018 at 16:49

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Thanks :D

pip bip - choose Corrour > whatuptkhere 02/28/2018 at 03:50

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Ballarat, i know Beaufort reasonably well too.

boxrocket > whatuptkhere 02/28/2018 at 07:00

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It’s been a few years since I sold my Volvo, so IIRC both the LH2.2 and 2.4 had the blink-code setup, and are preferable to the Regina and whatever number combo predated the LH. I’d look it up, but I gave all my factory service manuals, Haynes & Chilton guides, and everything else I could find that related to the car to the new owner, which I hope he appreciated. It was my way to quit Redblocks cold-turkey and get to modern cars with multiple airbags. Still missed a few odds and ends, though. SwedeSpeed, TurboBricks, IPD, FCPEuro, and others are extremely useful websites for info and parts.

A few things I do remember: When you have the oil changed or DIY, clean the PCV flame trap, and the Mass Airflow Sensor. On my car, the insulating foam for the air filter box was gradually distintigrating, and would naturally get sucked up to the MAF, which would freak the ECU out and throw a code, and sometimes put the car in limp mode. Speaking of the air filter box: Volvo’s Redblock intake system is really efficient, so while a lot of folks are tempted to upgrade the intake, don’t bother unless you’re also upgrading the exhaust, internals, and ECU to match. Also find out if your fuse block is beneath the radio ahead of the shifter, or under the dash, and how to get to it quickly. Carry spare fuses, a fuse tester, and a good flashlight with spare batteries (or, better, one that can charge off the car’s power port),in addition to the usual assortment of sockets, wrenches, screwdrivers, etc. Condition the leather at least once or twice a year. Lubricate the antenna mast seasonally. Keep the roof gutters clear of debris. There are “hidden” storage compartments under the cargo floor, that is to say, the entire floor is removable in several pieces. Changing tail light bulbs sucks unless you have tiny hands; Just remove the entire assembly and do it that way, especially because lining up the 3 prongs on the bulb holder can be tricky by feel. Speaking of bulbs, upgrade the headlights to LED if you plan on doing any night driving: They have good fill, but not the best throw, at least with halogen. LED reverse bulbs are especially wonderful ways to massively improve your rearward visibility, and the newest ones should have enough resistance to not set off the bulb-out warning. I used a chrome incandescent set when I had my 760, but on my current car (Mazda6) the LED conversion has been highly satisfactory.

whatuptkhere > boxrocket 02/28/2018 at 17:19

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Knowledge! Yassss, thank you. I must investigate.

My fuel economy has recently gone from 12 L/100km to 15L/100km. My mechanic with vintage Volvo test gear has said my coolant temp sensor and O2 sensor and mixture are all fine; I’m suspecting I’ve damaged the tank, because I recently dropped the car off a jack onto a ramp sitting under the tank. Reckon I’m pouring fuel out onto the road in the corners.

whatuptkhere > pip bip - choose Corrour 02/28/2018 at 17:20

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Neat, pretty cool there’s a few Oppos down this way :D

boxrocket > whatuptkhere 02/28/2018 at 19:48

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Might not hurt to run some injector cleaner through the system, too. The fuel tank should be able to be pressure-tested fairly easily.

pip bip - choose Corrour > whatuptkhere 02/28/2018 at 20:40

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I work with one