California Clean: 74k-mile 1989 Volvo 760 Turbo


This '89 Volvo is being offered in the kind of condition you really only find in California: immaculate inside and out and rust free.

As a child of a middle class New England suburb, Volvo cars were everywhere. Parents and their (very privalaged) children alike drove sedan or wagon variants. But since these were mostly teenagers tooling around, and since New England has some of the most harsh and radical weather of any region in North America, the Volvos I'm used to are extremely beat.

It's examples like these that remind you what nice vehicles they were, especially in muted blue over grey leather.


The 760 was produced from 1982-1992. It was intended to replace the legendary 200-series, but was instead sold right alongside it. These had mostly four-cylinder engines, although a diesel-powered six was available. Styling is courtesy of Jan Wilsgaard and is a classic by now. Hard angles, an upright c-pillar, big clear headlamps and taillights. These helped earn Volvo the reputation as makers of boxy cars. Volvo has completely abandoned this look, so their older designs are gaining more and more favorable attention as time goes on. Hint: people love boxy cars.


The seller seems to imply they are the second owner, having acquired it from the original owner in July 2009 when it had only 64k miles on the clock.

They say they have all original documentation and service records since new, and also say they have done a number of things to the car since they acquired it.

Mechanically, they state the only known problems are a power window and cruise control not working. Cosmetically, they say it has a small crack in the windshield and the grille. Most importantly, there is no rust. Thank you, Southern California.


Find it here on ebay in Los Angeles, California.

3 comments:

  1. Very well presented. Love the Volvo cassette player cleaning kit and Hello Kitty spare key. The design is boxy, but very classy, and this example is very well kept. Not the most exciting car around, but it'll be safe and last for years. Colors are pretty safe too. This one is going to go for a lot more than the current $2K bid. Nice.

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    1. OK, so maybe I was wrong. It's still at only $2025, with less than 21 hours remaining and no reserve. I'm sure it will still go up a bit from there, but...

      Too bad it's 3000 on the wrong coast. For just over $2K, this would be a nice safe car for my son to drive.

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    2. Winning bid was only $3050. I realize a lot of folks might not see the 760 as a particularly interesting vehicle, but that seems low for the condition and mileage. Particularly considering that Rover SD1 went for a $3751, and even that horrid little Alliance GTA sold for $2700. Something isn't quite right here...

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