I am considering buying an early 90's 740 as a first car for my 16 year old son. I have never owned a Volvo, but their reputation for safety (crash worthiness) puts it high on my list to consider.

Any advice would be appreciated.

My wife,two sons, and I have been driving used 240s and 740s for the past 10 yrs with relatively trouble-free driving. I would suggest a non turbo 740 or 940 for the new drivers as they are cheaper and easier to maintain.When shopping for used Volvo, I always try to determine how well it has been maintained by asking for maint. records if available and I give them a thorough going over under hood. I have found airconditioning systems to be expensive to repair when compressors have to be replaced and other related parts.If airconditioning is not a priority for you,then not a problem.Before making an offer on a car, try to evaluate its needs ie;-brakes, plug wires, major oil leaks and if so equipped-the overdrive available on some cars. I have bought cars that would not go into over drive and got away with changing the switch on the shifter and once had to change the solenoid mounted on the side of the tranny--its not a cheap part. Again factor these things in before making an offer.I am finding now that with the new front wheel drive volvos available that ther are many great rear wheel drive volvos for sale at bargain prices. In closing, I will add that all my kids started off with boxy 240s and moved up to the more contempory looking 7 or 9 series. Overall well maintained used volvos are always a good car value

I would buy a 940 non-turbo. I purchased two 940Ts for my kids, who are now paying for premium gas (curses!); the basic 940 does not require premium. All 940s have the side impact protection beams, which most 740s do not have. They are superb cars and my kids are very happy with them. They are also perhaps the last cars made on which one can teach a kid basic car maintenance: roomy, simple, easy to fix.

Last advice: try to find a Southern car that is rust-free.

Check out the 700/900 FAQ at this site - some good advice but actually these cars are not as troublesome as the list of things to look for might suggest.

You might look at Volvo 240's as well, though the early nineties was their swan song and prices may be higher than 740's once you work in the equipment level. Safety, reliability, and durability is very similar to 740 or 940, and maybe overall an easier car to fix.

Turbos may lead to testosterone poisoning in young males, but the crash-worthiness reputation is well earned

Buy a 940.

Avoid the turbos.

Avoid the 960---6cyl engine with problems very expensive to fix, also IRS.

Try last year of 940, somewhere around 94?

Good cars.

740 or 740 TIC. But I would only buy a turbo car if the turbo is fairly new(less than 20k) or if you know someone really well that can get em worked on cheap (i get mine rebuilt for about $60 :-D)

If you're looking for an auto, try and get the one with the push button overdrive (I had the other transmission in mine first.. it didnt last very long). As for crash worthiness, I had a head-on collision with an '82 lincoln continental at about 50mph he pulled onto a busy road and i didn't have time to do anything but start to hit the brakes (actually, i hit him at a bit of an angle.. my car centered up on the corner of his bumer, and about a 30 degree angle fron head on). Neither I nor my passenger was injured, didnt phase the other guy(damn heavy american cars!) and i've been able to rebuild mine for about $400(don't have to worry about pesky airbags, etc).

Routine maintenence and a new waterpump have set me back another 500 over the past three years. I love my 740, its a breeze to work on, not as much computer stuff, never not started(except that time the coil went bad...)

One thing: after getting the car, & esp if your son hasn't driven a rear wheel drive car in the rain, Learn in a parking lot! I had a bad experience shortly after i got my car(i'd been driving my mom's 850) and nearly caused a major accident when the back end came around on me in a turn. I also recomend going to Solo II's so he can become intimatly familer with his car and its abilities in a safe enviroment(sp). www.scca.org.

And last, but certainly not least, Enjoy the car! :)

for a 16 year old's first car, NO turbo, it will just get him into more trouble than he is ready to deal with.