My friend borrowed my 740 Turbo and managed to drive it with no water. I knew it was leaking some...but the radiator neck blew and the engine is history.

The car has around 150K. The interior is in GREAT condition. The front was repaired after my mother had an accident in it...we bought it back from the insurance company. The repair job was pretty decent and the car looks good.

Should I donate it to charity or is it worth trying to find an engine?

I appreciate any input. I am also open to selling it if anyone is needing a good parts car of an extra engine.

I replaced the engine in my 91 740 about 4 years ago. It cost me about $3000 and the car has run great ever since. My goal is to drive a vehicle for a base cost of 10 cents a mile. I've put over 40 K on the car since then with no major problems so I am ahead of my goal. During the past 4 years, my two oldest sons have learned to drive with this car and even my wife admits that replacing the engine was a good move. At the time she was against it. Today, I'm sure you could find a used engine on the internet and the cost would be even less.

You may also want to check out some of the used Volvos on E-bay. I've already decided that that is the route I will go if something happens to my 91. I recently got a great deal on a 95 850 and would not hesitate to go that route again so long as the seller had a good rating.

I recently donated a car to the Salvation Army and was very impressed with their operation. The transaction was very simple and they even picked up the car. Some of the other charities that accept donations of used cars are not quite what they appear to be. The charity uses a broker and only receives about 10 cents on the dollar for donated vehicles. These are the ones that the IRS is especially concerned about.

Ressurect.

'92 740 Turbos are well built and safe vehicles and the engines are quite common in the salvage yards. As mentioned before, if you're looking to go a half million miles in the car with a heavy foot, a 90+ block would the way to go. I've 2 "K" block motors of my own in 2 of my 3 Volvos, and I'm not worried about anything going wrong with them. -but I wouldn't try and build a race vehicle from a block that was built prior to '90. Read here for more info.

Too bad you're not up in my neck of the woods (Michigan). There's an lovely blue '89 740 Turbo wagon sitting in the U-Wrench-It salvage yard (Holland, MI, 49423). It looks like somebody's project car that they didn't have enough time to finish and had it towed away (Mitsu turbo is seized, otherwise it looks like it was driveable). There's about 200,000 miles on the "K" block, which is still young by my standards. The '89 740 NA sedan that's next to it has a new (aluminum) radiator and you could probably snag the engine, head, and radiator for less than $350. I'm hoping that someone does since this yard has a high turnover rate (about 4-6 weeks) and it's a shame to see good components get wasted.

God bless,
Fitz Fitzgerald.
--
'87 Blue 245, NA 231K

I suppose if I had a truck and the means to go get one...I've seen good motors out there. I broke my wrist and had surgury in November and I still have little strength in one arm...SO getting an engine out with one arm would be pretty amusing. The yards I've called want over $1000 for a used motor. With the blemish on the title the car is only worth $2K or so. I have never really bonded with this car like I have with others...I've had old Mercedes diesels before this and find the ride/drive to be rather abusive. Dallas streets are awful for the most part and the 740 just "shakes your liver" (my Mother's quote) on transverse bumps.
I've always seen wrecked 740's or engines on Ebay. Of course there isn't one right now. By the time I get a $1000 engine, $200 radiator (the '92 uses the higher priced version) and new tires on the car...well, it will be over the value. If I can get the $500 out of it and put it toward another 960 for myself I think it would be a good thing.

I'd replace the engine. They're great cars. My ONLY concern would be about the previous accident. How bad was it? Like was their major frame damage or anything like that? What I'm wondering is if the car lost a lot of structural strength from the accident. If not, then by all means, replace the engine! We don't want these RWD 4cyls to die young! :) Look for a B230FT that is out of an '90+, the best being the '93-'95 version. One shouldn't be TOO hard to find at a reasonable price and it's not like it would be a complicated transplant. Obviously you'll have to renew the cooling system components during the transplant, but I can't see how it wouldn't be worth the money :)
--
Chris. Halifax N.S. '91 745Ti, 287K km and '91 745 NA, 363K km.

Perhaps this is just out of curiosity (or ignorance), but what do you mean "bad engine?" Specifics may be of some help - especially to me as I assess my own warped head problem on our 245.
-pu
--
((1992 244, 100K)) ((1987 245, 270K)) San Diego

The engine has no compression in the 3 and 4 cylinders. With the head off the motor it's apparant that they are toast.

I'm asking $500 for the car. My mechanic is installing the used engine in the 960 so I'll have it to drive.

Jeeze, if we weren't 2000 miles away, I'd take it for $500. There are a couple of guys on this forum who are selling cars that run great, but the body has given up. I'm not sure where they are, but if you guys could get together, you might be able to work out a deal.

Good luck.

Jeff Pierce
--
'93 945 Turbo ( one kickass family car ! ), '92 Mercedes 190E (my daily driver), '53 Willys-Overland Pickup (my snow-plow truck/conversation piece -- sold to a loving home), '85 Jeep CJ-7 w/ Fisher plow

If it is a factor, I saw an article the other day that said that the IRS is getting stricter about the values that people claim for the cars they donate.

Hello Robert:

I guess that depends on your tax situation-- if I remember my American tax stuff correctly, you have to itemize and have sufficient income for charitable donation to be helpful to your "bottom line"...

That said, buying a used engine and having it installed shouldn't be that expensive-- there are some good high volume Volvo recyclers online that can crate and ship guaranteed low mileage blocks to your preferred installer... Besides, you won't need any of the peripherals (except a new rad)...

Maybe your friend will want to help out a bit with your expenses!
--
Herb Goltz, London, Ontario, Canada '92 245 w/102K mi

I agree -- find yourself a used engine. Unless I'm overlooking something, the doner engine could be from any turbo or normally aspirated Volvo (2xx, 7xx, 9xx -- except of course 6 cyl). All the blocks are the same -- I think you could re-use the head, although it may have to be machined to remove any warp.

Jeff Pierce

--
'93 945 Turbo ( one kickass family car ! ), '92 Mercedes 190E (my daily driver), '53 Willys-Overland Pickup (my snow-plow truck/conversation piece)