I am looking at a buying a 1987 Volvo 740 turbo. The car has 180k miles. The engine is blowing the fine white smoke..(blown headgasket) and it smokes bluish black smoke when you start it up.(bad turbo ) The guy wants $700.00. To fix the car it would cost arond $1200 to replace the turbo and the headgasket. Do you think the car is worth buying, or should I walk away?

Volvorulez

I guess it all depends on how you feel about getting really greasy...
I bought my 87 745t for $900, knowing there were headgasket and other issues, however the body and interior were in great shape, with good rubber and brakes; she really seemed to be a "keeper". Now with about $1,500 total invested she has really come together, and I am satisfied with the results, product of little money and lots of knuckle skin.
One thing to consider is that on any brick approaching 200k miles there are going to be issues, some things may have been repaired/replaced many thousands of miles ago, while other maintenance items are sure to rear their little heads soon or sooner... My take is that if you fix it all yourself you know that is all new and done right (hopefully); a thorough going-through can make for a very reliable and tight machine. The prime caveat here is that you balance what you KNOW is wrong with the car, along with all the things you may not, against the price of getting something without obvious flaws, and all the un-obvious things that come with that situation. In either case you will most likely end up fixing some unanticipated items. You don't want to end up with a money pit, investing much more than a nicer brick would have cost, just to keep/get the thing on the road.
Ditto on reading the FAQ's on used brick issues, there are some specific to the -87, like the wiring harness. Engines on the 89 and on models also benefitted from some bottom-end redesign and are rather more tolerant of horsepower increasing mods than earlier models.
Also, if you are so inclined you may have found a prime candidate for a V-8 conversion :-).

Good luck,
Shifted
--
'87 745t 205,000

'87's have engine bottom end issues as well. The engine wiring harness is probably shot, too. Is the headliner sagging? Tranny rear seal leaking? Floorboard rusty under the carpets up front? The FAQ has a very good segment on what to look for when buying an older brick.

Maybe if you found a good engine from a salvage yard that is complete with turbo and harness for cheap.

You could find a much nicer 90+ model I bet, IMO. Good luck.
--
bagle, 87 745t

keep looking, or get the price down more. I regularly see mid to late 80's 700 turbo's in nice shape for approx 1500.

Maybe if the rest of the car was in pristine condition, and if the suspension had new bushings etc. and new tires, then maybe the extra engine work would be worth it.

take a look on "craigs list" (craigslist.org). don't know where you live, but San Fran Bay area and Los angles has a nice variety of volvo's popping up every day.

Good luck

-Bruce

Two places you can check for prices are Ebay.com and Autotrader.com
I feel that is way too much money unless it has a really clean body
and interior. Any rust, dents, missing trim, broken plastic lights, sagging headliner, tears or high wear on the seats walk away. You can pick up a new harness and used motor for less than a grand. Sometimes is better to pay a little more for a car that needs very little.