Have a chance to buy a 1992 Volvo 940 in immaculate condition, 1 owner, runs well but a/c os broke. I have always had 200's and 1 700 series, is this a good car to own?

Dear don57,

Hope you're well. If the original owner has the maintenance records back to new - and those records show oil changes at the correct intervals - then I'd be a buyer. The term "immaculate condition" suggests the first owner indeed was careful, so should have the records. Those records should also show the mileage when service work was done, and so "corroborate" the odometer reading.

As Onkel Udo II noted, a low-miles car is likely to need some things to be done, i.e., the exhaust system. Exhaust systems corrode from the inside-out, when a car is driven a short distance only. The reason: the pipes, muffler and silencer do not get hot enough to vaporize - after shut-down - water remaining in the system.

If the automatic transmission fluid and differential oil have not been changed, I'd do those things.

You might also want to treat engine bay electrical connectors/grounds with De-Oxit, an aerosol corrosion-remover. An invisibly-thin layer of corrosion can be very disruptive. De-Oxit (or similar product) dissolves and flushes away corrosion. Clean connectors promote smooth operation.

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

Spook

the owner did tell me that the a/c is not blowing cold as of right now, I will ask about the records and I will be taking the car for a test drive this Thursday, I am more than likely going to buy this because I have not been without a brick for the last 20 years or so and next year this car will qualify as an antique in Florida!

Regarding the AC check that fuse 6 and 16 are not blown plus everything is connected at the compressor and pressostat (pressure sensor at accumulator - that big round aluminium can in engine bay).

If engine is running, switching AC button ON and blower ON (any speed) still doesn't engage the compressor's clutch then unplug the pressostat's electrical connector and short the two electrical contacts within. This should engage the clutch. If not there might be some issue at compressor's clutch coil.

If the clutch engages when shorting the contacts then you might be dealing with low refrigerant pressure (need to add more) or faulty pressostat. Connect an AC gauge to read refrigerant pressure to know which could be the issue.

If all is ok but still no cooling then your heater valve may have stuck open plus faulty air-mix door within the AC enclosure/box in the cabin.

Lastly check the AC belt. Just about 0.5 cm deflection when pressed midway between the pulleys.

That's roughly about it. I could assist with more details after knowing your findings.

Regards,
Amarin.

Dear don57,

Hope you're well. The aircon may simply need to be vacuumed-out and recharged.

If service records do not show that the heater hoses and heater control valve have been replaced recently, make that top priority. Buy Volvo brand heater hoses: they'll last for 15 years.

With hoses, one cannot tell very much about quality, by looking at them. Rubber's durability depends on the formula (ingredients) and processing method.

Heater hoses are mission-critical: if they fail, coolant is lost and a headgasket replacement might be required. Heater hoses are hard to access, so there's no reason to try to save a few bucks on a hard-to-access part.

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully

Spook

I would add any radiator that says "Blackstone" on it. Only thing that consistently kills AW70/71 transmission is failure of the in radiator tranny cooler.

ac has a protection feature that shuts the compressor off if there is a leak,,so many just change the condenser & refill ?

I have owned many volvos including a GL, 740,960, and 940. I consider the 940 to be the most reliable and easiest to work on of the bunch. You can read the FAQs for things to look over on the car before you buy it, but it is a solid vehicle. How many miles on the vehicle? Turbo or not? Let us know what you decide.

IT HAS 108000 MILES ON IT

Don57, did you make the purchase? I hope it works out great for you if you did. I've got a 1992 940 GL that belonged to my parents, so I guess I'm the second owner. It has about 185,500 miles, but is rust-free and looks great. Interior looks like new, exterior is very nice but some expected signs of wear and age (but always garaged). What's the best way to determine a fair price for the car?

Thanks for the figures and information! Of course, since I'm an unbiased observer, I think my car is worth $10k hahaha. I think it is a great "survivor" but as pointed out, not in demand. Maybe good to just keep and enjoy. I sold a 1987 240 DL wagon here on the Brickboard back in 2002, and had a 1984 240 DL wagon. Don57, thanks for starting this thread - hope your decision on the 92 940 turned out well.

I looked on Kelley Blue Book and it sells for I believe $2500.00 in good condition

No...it doesn't. It lists at a retail outlet for that. Offer $200 less than it is worth to you with cash in your pocket.

Condition!!

Ask here on the Brickboard.

Find an older Volvo specialist.

Edmunds is a pretty good starting point for older Volvos.

940's aren't the cult car that 240's are so they won't bring as much.

Don't blink or it'll be gone.

Original owner car with 108k miles!

Low mile bricks are few and far between these days, and getting bigger dollars...

Buy it.

That would actually worry me. You are talking less than 5000 miles a year. One of three reasons:

Driven consistently but only for short distances (rarely got up to temp)
Sat for a long time (usually not a good thing)
Broken odo

Lots of things wear from mileage but lots of things also fail from age and neglect. This is NOT a 940 specific issue and actually all the post-kjet cars do better than most being revived after a long sleep and recover well from neglect.

Check oil, coolant and tranny fluid to make sure none of the have commingled and the rest is in the FAQ's.

at the correct price for condition, mileage, yes!