1986 Volvo 740 GLE B230K
£4,750 · Evesham, Worcestershire
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The seller says the car starts and drives and has a current MOT or is MOT exempt. This is the seller's declaration, not a warranty or a GeoffTrader inspection. Confirm its condition and suitability for your journey with the seller before buying.
With a heavy heart, here is my beloved Volvo 740 GLE 'Maria'. She has been an ongoing project in my ownership of 2 and a 1/2 years, and I have focused a lot of time and money on her, now unfortunately I am short on both and am looking to give her to someone who has the time and love she deserves. Being a 40 year old lady, don't expect showroom condition, although overall the bodywork is mostly rust free and good condition. I have spent a lot of time fixing the mechanics and interior, making sure she is safe, roadworthy & smooth. It is a B230k redblock, fitted with a converted Weber 32/34 DMTL. I have been using Maria as a daily workhorse, so has been used as an estate for its intended purpose, but she still gets many smiles from people. I have a massive list of work I have done in my ownership, as follows: Work i have done to C997 MAW since my ownership. Oil Change 15-40 Spark Plugs Ignition System (ignition coil, dizzy arm (entire distributor unit), cap, rotor arm, HT leads) Fuel System (In tank pump, mechanical engine pump, fuel filter, carburettor rebuild at least 10x (for various reasons, broken parts or inaccurate measurements)) New Shocks & Springs all around Alloys (changed from old steelies) Fixed many internal electrical components (when I bought it basically nothing electrical worked other than indicator stalks) Replaced many burned out interior bulbs Fixed horn Gaskets - intake manifold, exhaust manifold, carburettor service parts, valve cover. Exhaust (rear clamp snapped) PCV System (when I bought the car, oil pressure was so high it blew out the rear cam seal, pouring oil everywhere in a Maccies car park) Transmission oil Differential oil (40 year old dinosaur juice was probably the worst thing I have ever smelled) Power steering fluid Rear boot tray Dog guard Full size roof rack Sunroof motor (works but needs a pin replacing in the sunroof for slide function) Engine mounts (dont buy cheap CRAP like i did. Probably need replacing again) Transmission mounts Front suspension ball joints Rear N/S suspension arm Fixed most instrument cluster gauges (when i bought it, only the clock worked, still the tacho doesn't work - needs correct gear) Shift lever top N/S brake/ indicator housing. (Old one burned out all electrical components) All door rubbers Cosmetic work (welding to some under areas. Sprayed over dented area - rear N/S wheel arch) Replaced many interior broken plastics Radiator flush x3 Heater matrix flush x3 (the options prior were cold air and colder air) Speaker system (600w amp, Rockford Fosgate speakers) Kenwood 508 stereo Rear windscreen washer jets Front windscreen washer jets Headlight wipers installed (doesn't spray, assume a cloggage in lines) Replaced many relays that were faulty (including fuel pump relay, which is the only time I've been left stranded in the time I've had it) Replaced all front window operators Fixed electric mirror adjusters Wheel tracking (used to pull to left, now you can let go of the wheel and it will glide gloriously in a straight line) Soundproofed all doors Somewhere in the region of 1.5k spent on it. Probably many more things Fixed or replaced... I have done everything I can to make sure it is mechanically sound. Looking back at when i bought it, I dont know how i even drove it 3 hours home (goes to show how reliable these things are). It now drives incredibly smoothly, probably the comfiest ride you will ever have the pleasure to be in. Note, I have used this car for its intended purpose. It is an estate and I have used it as so. It has not been a weekend summer cruiser. I have used it daily as a workhorse. Tacho states 144k, mind you this has been replaced from previous tacho of 123k, neither of which were working when I bought the car. I would guess in the over 2 years I have had it, it is probably in the region of 200k, so dont expect a showroom car, though it could definitely get there if someone can show it the love it needs. I have no time or money for that. MOT free Tax free as of Feb 2027 (apply directly at the post office) Ulez free Cheap insurance (£12 a month and I am 24) Comes with a huge number of spare parts. Looking for £4,750 ONO. Would also consider swapping for a V70 t5 or 850 t5. Thanks for reading.
- Body style
- Estate
- Doors
- 5
- Seats
- 5
- Service history
- Full service history
- Annual vehicle tax
- £395 a year Seller supplied – not independently verified.
Known faults or work needed
Things that dont work that I know of... Sunroof tilts but doesn't slide back, motor needs bolting into Sunroof housing. I have great cause that it is a visibly missing pin in the front right of the sunroof arms Heated seats, switches light up but dont appear to do anything. I fully detailed the car myself when I first got it, including removing the front seats to wet/dry vac underneath. I could have installed the wiring the wrong way around. However I am guessing it's either the switches or elements that are faulty. Tachometer. Needs a new drive gear, be sure to disassemble first and count the gear teeth. I have spare speedometers that might help. Seat belt alarm. One day it started clicking even though the seat belt was plugged in. Don't know the cause of this. I removed the bulb from the cluster. Entry dome light turn on. I have replaced the door jamb switches that are supposed to activate the dome light when a door is opened. Will require headlining removal to fix.
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