We just purchased a 1990 780 Bertone, with about 150K miles on it. It's our first Volvo, and now we know why people are loyal to Volvo. Nice! We love it, but I can tell already that I'm in for some serious tinkering. The 4 cyliner turbo engine idle is rough, the seat heaters don't work, etc. It seems like the front end dives a bit too much when I hit the breaks, so I guess it probably needs new front struts. The back ones were replaced at about 100k. The automatic transmission will jump out of overdrive once in a while and refuse to shift into final gear. It will do this on and off for about a week, and then not again for another month or two. It's like it gets moody once in a while. It did this a lot when we bought it, but as we drive it, it does it less and less. I'm guessing that our driving style is quite a bit more agressive than the previous owner's. Has anyone else experienced this? Are the Bertone Volvos completely different animals, compared to other Volvos? The wireing harness for the drivers seat seems to be giving out (the seat won't move forward from the way-back position unless the seat back is moved forward). Is the wiring in the Bertone Volvos problematic? I would love to hear from other 780 Bertone owners. I'm very happy to find this forum. Our other cars are a 1996 Nissan 200 SX SE-R, and a 1972 Ford F-100 pickup.

Steve Moon