'74 is by far my least favorite of the 140 series... and an auto makes it worse.

But if you like it, and the price is right... what the heck.

I've had very bad luck with maroon and baby blue '74s. Usually those made in Belgium. There'll be a sticker on the firewall noting that if it's the case

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-Matt I ♥ my ♂

Ditto to all previous comments.

LIFT the carpet in the driver and passenger floor board sections to check for rot. These will often rot from the inside out due to a leaky seal somewhere and well carpet.

Also if the owner will alow you to take off some interior bits check the rear wheel wells from the inside. In my experience that's a good indication of just how much rot you will have to deal with. The car might look excellent otherwise.

Good luck,

Andrew

My feeling is that the BW35 is a weak link but can be replaced with either
an M40 or M41.
WHEN you have heater problems this model has the same heater system as the
240, so access is a problem.
It is also the first model with CIS/K-jet injection, which when good is really
good and when bad is awful.
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George Downs Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!

Very few weaknesses. They rust, eventually, but more reluctantly than comparable cars of similar vintage. The little latches fall of the vent windows. The little clips that hold the headlights in fall apart. The wagons tend to wear their tailgate hinges and mangle the wiring harness running through there at times. Really, about as robust a car as you can find. One of the very best models Volvo ever built, improved over the 122, but simpler and tougher than the 740, and perhaps just touch better in a few respects than the 240.

The automatic is an unexciting lump though. It will take the B20's 118 (when new) hp and make it seem like half that. And both cars I've ever owned with the BW35 ('72 1800E, '73 145E) had the trans start slipping and slurring the shifts within a few months of my spirited, but not abusive (really) driving. Both got swapped out for manuals, both were considerably more enjoyable to drive afterwards.
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I'm JohnMc, and I approved this message.