Howdy,

I am really interested in cars, but I am torn on this. The car in question for my first vehicle is a silver 1990 Volvo 740 sedan, automatic, 260k on the clock, which I could probably get for around $800. It has a few things that need repair, but they are all cosmetic. I heard these cars can last a really long time if they are taken care of, with proper maitinence. I want to start working on cars, and I heard these arent very difficult to work on, and I'm willing to do most of the work myself. I would be purchasing the vehicle from a local mechanic. As far as I know, it doesnt have any rust(Where i live they dont salt the roads) so that shouldn't be an issue. I love how these cars look(the boxy shape is very appealing to me compared to honda civic's and toyota corollas). I don't drive a ton(less than 100 miles a week), so gas mileage isnt a huge deal to me. I would mostly be using it for short commutes to work and school. I currently drive a 1984 GMC Sierra v8 which gets around 9mpg. I know civic's and corollas are "the best" for a cheap reliable car, but for some reason I just keep coming back to these cars. What I want to know is if this would be a good idea to get, and how long it would last me if I did proper maitinence and how much repairs would cost.