Oh well ....

[bob12]

.... I am likely to be offered, via a friend, a 2004 V70 which is a dream top of the range low mileage motor 'if u know wot I mean John'. I will be arranging a full look-see on the lift etc asap.

That means the likelihood of parting company with my 745 (and spare!!) that I have owned for 30 years!

It's going to be a very difficult decision if things are as they seem.

Bob

[jpliddy]

hi bob let us know how you get on
only had my 940 20 years
but if the dreaded day comes to part i still want to drive another volvo but not sure what to go for your comments may help me !!!

[360beast]

Noooooo don't do it! Doesn't matter how well it's been looked after it won't be the same build quality as the 740, especially as it will be a Ford product and the room in the engine bay for maintenance will be drastically reduced. Pretty sure that even to change a battery on them you have to do a procedure so the car can learn it's got a new battery! Modern junk that's not even a proper Volvo.

[classicswede]

The poor turning circle is a put off with the V70, spares are more expensive (but lots of used parts out there) They are a nice car and drive well, feel much more refined and feel more modern as you would expect.

If you want more modern but still real Volvo the 960/V90 is a good choice but if you still love your 740 stick with it

[Laird Scooby]

Keep your 740 Bob! You'll regret getting rid, especially for a FWD Ford Mondeo in a pretty dress!

No room to do tip runs, expensive spares, ridiculous computers, expensive catalytic perveters (they have to be "Type Approved" from 2001 on, price is 3-4 times that of a normal aftermarket cat), can't complain about the quality as it doesn't exist, not in the way you've come to know it.

If you need any firther proof, have a lurk on the V70 section of the forum then retire and say 100 Mail Hairys and thank your lucky strs you didn't change on the whim of wanting a newer plate!

[Jebus]

Mechanically very little ford gubbins on the 2000-2007 V70 and s60, they had pretty much finished being desgined and built by the time Ford took control, and only really with the facelift did Ford have much of a hand in them, and did some improvements with the electrics for one and some smaller parts being shared. Compared to a 740 its a much safer place to be, the turning circle is horrendous and stuff that goes wrong is mostly electrics and Volvo became very annoying with programming etc so not really plug and play on a lot of things.

[Laird Scooby]

Don't forget Ford had a 51% share of Volvo from 1996 onwards and full ownership from 1999 so they had a lot of effluence (or should that be influence? ) in the design. It's even noticeable in the post-96 940s, i've bought a few bits from some being broken because the parts in question were the same as for my 760 but there is a big difference in the quality of the 940 bits to the 760 bits!

A lot of the reason "Volvo" got so intrigued with programming stuff so things had to be coded etc is Fords doing, they had been doing it for a few years prior to sticking their thumbs in the Volvo pie. Certain Fords are notorious for the immobiliser RFID chip in the keys failing suddenly, if you have a spare it's not a problem but i've seen many Escorts, Fiestas etc plus a few "higher" models where suddenly they won't start. Owner panicking, ask for the spare key and it fires first touch.

[classicswede]

The sale had to be staged as a all out sale would have had a massive impact on the Swedish economy.

That age v70 is still mostly Volvo, F@*d used a lot of Volvo ideas on their cars as well as putting in a lot of cruddy for F@*d ideas into Volvo with reduced quaility

[wrinkles]

Stick with what you have they put the engine in the wrong way round and you cant get at anything.

[nutco]

Originally Posted by wrinkles

Stick with what you have they put the engine in the wrong way round and you cant get at anything.

Amen to that