Getting Rid of the Volvo
 

The Porsche is running like a dream, I will be purchasing a new car (my first ever - probably a Mini Cooper S) within the next couple weeks, and we have new upstairs neighbors moving in shortly. All this combined means that I'm going to be getting rid of my 1990 Volvo 740.

The car has some kind of charging/draining problem, that I initially thought was the alternator. I bought a new alternator, and that didn't do the trick. I replaced the battery - no dice. I had Volvo experts come look at the car, and they can't figure out why the car won't stay charged. I bought it for something like $800 about 3 years ago, basically just to get me through a winter, and I think it's gone above and beyond what I expected from it. It has 255,000 miles on it, and I think it's kind of a shame to junk it because the engine is strong and the transmission is relatively new.

As I see it, my options are: donate it to a charity and get the $500 tax deduction, sell it to a junk yard for $100 or so, find a place to park it for a bit and place an ad on eBay/Craigslist for a parts car with local pick-up. What do you guys think? I need to get rid of this thing fairly quickly...

Will it qualify for Cash For Clunkers?

Nope, alas. Registration expired in May or June.

That will make some college kid (or HS) a great ride.

oh ya, I had a similar problem with my 850 years ago, turned out to be the light in the glove boxe never turn off. Had many an expert bugged until our 10 yr old figuered it out.

If you want, I can have our Son look at it for ya?

Doh! With you buying new, that could have been a $4500 car.

I KNOW! I wish I'd heard about this program a few months earlier!

Lubemaster, the problem is much worse that a slow drain - the car will only hold a charge for a couple of minutes! All signs point to a bad alternator, but I replaced it with a new one, that was subsequently tested and deemed "good."

Don't kick yourself too hard. Only the turbo 740s qualify I think - the others get too many MPG.

negociate the price on the Mini FIRST then tell them that you want to trade in the Volvo and that you need to get $1000 for it.

Have that new battery checked out... it could have a bad cell.

It happens.

We need pictures...tell us about the rest of the car..I luv Volvos...

maybe the new alternator is bad as well...maybe you need a gerernator...sure does sound electrical...

did you check the tires man??? (before your time)

I bought a used 82 242DL for my (soon to be) wife in 88. Great car - her first non-VW Bug.

I bought a new 90 240DL - put 200K on it and it was still going strong when I sold it. Great solid car, but it did have a few engine management electrical gremlins.

Man I wish I had room to take it back, but I just picked up a free 944S.

For those who don't understand, my parents owned this car since new. They sold it to him after he came to pick up 944 parts and saw it sitting. As a kid, I was chauffeured to school in it, learned to drive using it, etc. etc.

Craig's List is your friend.

Yellowline - I really do hate to see it come to this, because the car's body is in great shape, the engine runs strong, and I feel like if someone invested the time and money, the car would still go another 250K+ miles... but I don't have the time, money, effort, patience, or room any longer. If you can figure something out in terms of room, I'll let you have the car back for just a couple hundred bucks. You wouldn't even have to pay me for it right away.

Google search a Volvo Forum and place an ad there.......Someone will snap it up.......