I'm looking to buy a clean V90, 80-,000 1998. How has the V-6, V90 performed for Volvo? I'm old 240 owner and used to a 4 cylinder.

I bought one two months ago - a low miles, very well maintained S90. It's unlike any 4-cyl Volvo I've had, very quiet and smooth ride, and much more power - although that's not hard to do! The interior is relatively luxurious and stands up there in quality of materials, fit and finish, with more modern cars. It definitely feels heavier and less "precise" (for want of a better word) handling than the 4's. It's a great highway cruiser. Driven at reasonable highway speeds it gives quite decent fuel economy, although using the recommended premium gas offsets that a bit. I get ~30mi/USGallon at ~65mph.

This is a relatively complex vehicle, with electronic climate control, electronic trans control, and lots of 'power' equipment. All very expensive to repair, and beyond the capability of most DIY owners. Pretty typical of modern "luxury" cars.

The 6-cyl engine is NOT simple - it is way more complex than the 4's, and you may have to search around for a knowledgeable and willing mechanic if anything serious goes wrong. Keep it maintained! A lot of special tools are required for repairs and even for some maintenance procedures, according to the Volvo manuals. I bought the wiring, body fittings, engine, and suspension manuals from Volvo's publisher, about $170 I think.

With my other Volvo's these books have paid for themselves many times over. My malfunctioning S90 power window (a negotiating point in the selling price) was cured by removing and disassembling the driver's door switch and gently filing the burnt contacts. A 20-minute job that would probably have been $100+ at a shop!

Anyhow, lovely car and a great pleasure to drive, but shop carefully and be happy to find one even at a premium price, if it has had a conscientious owner.
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Bob (son's 81-244GL B21F/M46

Buy it. You'll like it. I had a 240 also. No comparison to the power and comfort of the V90. It's smooth, quiet, and long-lasting. Just the usual Volvo electronic problems. It'll go a million miles and look good too. And it makes almost zero degree turns like the Volvos of old.

The V90 is all that people say it is. Smooth, fast, comfortable and reasonably economical on the highway.
Based on 2 other Volvo's (940 wag and 740GLE), annual maintenance and repair bills are running approximately 30-40% more than the the previous cars. I dont turn wrenches, so the numbers are all professional installs with parts bought through the mechanic. Comfort levels are equivalently higher in the V.
i.e, it has been worth the additional costs, so far. The problem will be what to replace it with.

Dr. Chip
Westchester County NY.

It is a different car altogether. It rides different, handles different, has a different sense of style. The only thing that seems the same is the turning radius and the beautifully simple engine. Both the V90 and the 240 are fun to work on. I agree with the other posters the car loves synth fluids. The acceleration is amazing, especially when coming from a 240! IMHO, the V90 has a bad rap from consumer reports and such.

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~William~ 1985 240 DL - 357,000 & 1998 V90 - 150,000

The V90 had a straight six. V-6 is all the rage now, but BMW still uses straight 6 because of its inherent smoothness and low-vibration characteristics. Most companies went to V6 because of styling considerations, the ability to have a short hood or to mount the engine sideways for front-wheel drive. Sorry, I digress, a V90 owner will have to advise on this particular engine design. The V90 I test drove years ago had great power and nice torque, but in the end I opted for a V70.

I have the I6 in my 97 960 and it is smooth. This is the same engine that also came in the S80's through 2005. It is an interference engine so you need to change the timing belt when required. The gas mileage is about the same as the B230FT's
These cars loves synthetic fluids. This one car you do the routine maintenance when recommended or it can get expensive to repair.
The 95-98 960/S90 is the finest car Volvo ever built. If your moving from a 240 to a S90 it will overwhelm you with the luxury and ride.

"This one car you do the routine maintenance when recommended or it can get expensive to repair." I have read the same warning many times. I guess you are safe if you look for the cleanest example you can find with repair records. Maybe buy from a dealership?

The maintenance issue is just as critical BMW and Mercedes, and the big problem with those two is you have far too many jokers who want to own a luxury car but then don't want to pay for maintenance (it reminds me of similar jokers who buy historic homes and then won't put a dime into upkeep).

All cars need service. It is just you could blow off a lot of stuff on a 240 and it wasn't a big deal.

The white blocks are not the kind of engine you want to do that with. Of course how hard is it to do an oil change every 5K miles and change the timing belt every 70K miles.

Although I would do a transmission service every 30K on these cars.
I believe the Volvo engineers were smoking something when they said the transmission fluid is a life time fill.