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Greetings all,
I am SO glad I found this board; thank you for all that I have learned so far.
We will be checking the battery connections/clamps to see if that clears up the problems with the speedometer/odometer, the fuel gauge and the mode selector.
We are thinking of making an offer on a 960 1996; that has been loaned to us by a good friend.
Here are the things that do not work well or at all:
- speedometer/odometer: sometimes works
- mode selector: the light switches constantly between the "W" and the "E" and the lovely arrow flashes on the instrument panel
- fuel gauge is not reliable and reads varying levels within short periods of time
- passenger seat does not move forward or back but the adjustments to raise the seat or adjust the recline angle works
Any other things to try or fix that would solve these problems?
Are any of these likely to be show-stoppers on a purchase?
Thanks to all who give their time to answer questions!
Evpraxia
Possible owner of a Volvo 1996 960
Possible former owner of a 1989 diesel Jetta (2 recent body bangs from other drivers, a leaky fuel pump and probably has a blown head gasket)
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Evpraxia
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Sounds like a good decision. Haven't read your previous posts and don't know the number of miles on the car, but 960's can certainly be expensive to maintain.
None of the problems you mentioned are serious except for the blinking light on the dash/mode selector. This could be anything from a PNP switch going bad to a more serious tranny fault. First, see if you can cure the PNP switch. With the car shut off and in Park, try rowing the shifter back and forth it's complete length from Park to Low for a few minutes. If it is a cranky PNP switch that might restore it's operation and eliminate the blinking light.
If rowing the shifter doesn't cure the blinking light you will need to scan it for tranny codes. Whenever there is an issue with shifting or the tranny itself the blinking light will grace you with its presence....
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I have a v 90 it was a one owner car from California and love it , like
many say on this post its a timing belt away from disaster , i bough mine
with 130k put 9k trouble free miles the belt recorded a change at 110k some
how i guess the first owner may have skimmed a bit on the belt change seeing he was soon going to sell the car , so a friend and I did another change of the timing belt just to be sure , and when we got all the shrouds off none to the tensioner were changed some of the bearings were totally burned and rattling spent over 6 hundred dollars on good oem parts and that's with us doing
the work you can imagine what a shop or dealership would cost that being i would
not consider the car a neglected one just about everything works with a nice
original silver paint charcoal leather , i love this model and on my second one but there not for everyone and most now have very high mileage so be careful
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I love 960 wagons, own two of them ('95 and '97), and think unless you have a very good reason to own one, you'd be nuts to get involved this late in the learning curve...
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Thank you, ALL of you!
I am amazed and VERY grateful for all of you who have responded to my questions and the input/advice I have received.
While we Really like the ride and lumbar support of the seats of the 960 Volvo we will NOT be buying the car.
The Jetta has a blown radiator hose, not a blown head gasket. We still will need to fix the leaking fuel pump, which is what leaked onto the hose and caused it to blow. So the repair will be about $30-40 instead of $2,000; Whew!
With this experience of driving a Volvo and the advice/info I found here we would consider a 940, but not a 960.
You folks are fantastic!
Gratefully,
Evpraxia
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Evpraxia
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I can't disagree with any of the posts previous to mine and it appears you have decided to move on. That said I did not see any post that stated the price of the car. To me that is part of the decision process. I have a customer with a 960 that I have worked on over the years. Car has 160K on the clock and has done quite well with the only major problem being a PNP switch a few years ago. By 1996 me thinks many of the problems with the earlier 960 were squared away. Good luck.
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We had not discussed price as our friend had mentioned in passing she is thinking of selling it. The only way we could buy it, with our current budget, is if she were willing to take payments and the price were really low; and I mean low. As we have driven the Volvo we are hearing noises from the rear and thinking it could be the shocks.
So, if she offers that kind of deal we Might go for it; but I doubt she will.
Evpraxia
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Evpraxia
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Yes, it is my understanding that 1996 is the BEST year for 960's. If I bought one that is the year I would choose if it happened to come my way.
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Dear Evpraxia,
Hope you're well. If you like 960 seats, be advised 960 seats can be installed in a 940.
If the 940 does not have power seats, in this site's FAQs, there's a step-by-step guide showing how to bring power to the front end of the outer seat track. While doing this seat swap is time-consuming - and requires lifting the powered seats, which weigh about 60 pounds - the 960 seats will work perfectly.
Hope this helps.
Yours faithfully,
Spook
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I agree with the points already made. It's important to note that, although they look a lot like the tough-as-nails 940, they're not the same car.
In all fairness, if a 960 was purchased brand new and taken care of meticulously, forsaking no repair immediately as needed, a 960 is a great car that is as durable and long-lasting as any Volvo. If you can find a one-owner car that's got an owner who really took great care of it and can prove it, it may be worth a few moments of consideration.
However, the 960's have not held up well through multiple owners over the years like the 940 has. There were fewer of them made than the 940 so you've got reduced parts availability and higher costs on that. I wouldn't touch one that wasn't an absolutely prime example from an owner as serious about Volvos as I am.
They're excellent cars, fundamentally, but they are much more sensitive to improper or inadequate maintenance than the 940's and I wouldn't personally mess with one, the silky powertrain and slick suspension notwithstanding.
We lost a whole lot of 960's and S90/V90's during Cash for Clunkers. But the 940 soldiers on...
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A bottle of oil and some basic tools in the trunk. The highway is calling. Always remember the difference between durability and reliability. Embrace the old Volvo in your driveway. She's eager to please and, with a little TLC (and a few headaches), sh
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The car is approaching 20 years old, I agree with the rest of the posts and will add unless you are prepared and capable of making your own repairs you need to know it will cost you dearly to have a shop do it for you.
Dan
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Dear Evpraxia,
Hope you're well. I've learned from this Board's bona-fide 960 experts, that 960s are far less tolerant of inadequate maintenance, than are 940s. Thus, I'd not acquire any 960, unless the owner had maintenance records, which show timely oil changes, etc.
Especially - critically - important is to have documentary proof (receipt, with date, mileage and part numbers) for timing belt changes. A timing belt break on a 960 ruins the head and possibly the entire engine. A head re-build, if done by a shop, will cost upwards of $2,000.
The things that are wrong - though not many or major - suggest the owner has been negligent. Few would want to drive a car with an intermittent speedometer or fuel gauge. If these malfunctions have been present for months, then the owner is negligent. You should seek another vehicle.
Hope this helps.
Yours faithfully,
Spook
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imo you're making an error if you buy it
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Unless you have lots of cash and lots of free time, keep looking. The 960 engine(6 cylinder) is an "interference" engine so if the timing belt snaps...its ruined. The list of items that are broken and have not been repaired make me question whether the vehicle has been "well maintained". The 960 is a not a car that takes kindly to be being not "well maintained". Look for a 93-95 940(4 cylinder), turbo if you like extra ooomph. IMHO.
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Funny I was at the junkyard today and I saw the usual supply of volvos. Five 87 thru 89 high mileage 240's three 850's and five 960's all had mileage around 125K..Not one 940... I go quite often and I very really see 940's...That should tell you something...
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