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Hi:
I've got my eye on a very clean, low-mileage 1995 960 2.9L Volvo.
We currently have an '87 245 wagon that's in pretty good shape (about 150K miles), which we really like, and I find it very easy to work on and can do pretty much what I need to do on it to keep it running.
I'm not as advanced as some of the people here in my diagnostic and mechanical skills, but I can certainly do regular service (oil changes, tuneups, timing belt and water pump replacements, etc.) and I think I can hold my own on more involved repairs--brakes, suspension, engine components, driveline repairs, etc.
My main question is how easy or difficult are these 960s to work on when you're trying to do the work yourself? Would someone like me who can turn a wrench on a 240 be able to do most of the work to keep this 960 running?
I'd like to think that if properly maintained, this 960 could be as robust to keep running for many years as a 240, but I don't know much about these "newer" '90s Volvos and could be wrong.
I've learned a lot from lurking around here in the past and would appreciate any advice you all may have to give.
Thanks,
Eric
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I had been driving 4 liter Ford Aerostars for work for 20 years, by comparison my 1996 960 is much easier to work on. The engine bay has lots of room. The 960 wagon is a great driving car.
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Hi Eric,
I can relate to your situation.
I have a 1987 245 wagon since 2011. I have learned a lot from Brickboard members since then. I have applied things that I learned here to other cars. When you look at it, all cars share very similar mechanical characters. I don't see why not you can't fix a 960.
In my opinion, the 240 model is not easy to work on like changing water pump, heater core, heater core fan, strut & drive belts. It's doable for me because I get a tremendous amount of support here. You will find that newer cars are much easier to work.
But then again, why did they make so hard to change a light bulb on 2006 XC70? There is no room to put your hand. Did Sven's youngest grandson work it? Now, I see you can remove the headlamp assembly altogether on some newer models. :)
Have fun shopping and good luck.
Sven & his grandson
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"In my opinion, the 240 model is not easy to work on like changing water pump, heater core, heater core fan, strut & drive belts. It's doable for me because I get a tremendous amount of support here. You will find that newer cars are much easier to work. "
The 240/740/940 are almost identical to work on with a few systems better or worse based on the model but the 960 is a very different animal. Just a few of the high points:
Electronically controlled transmission
Fully modern, interference, all aluminum engine with lost spark, multi-coil ignition
Newer style fuel injection that was ODBII ready
IRS on most sedans
Mechanical knowledge and experience are transferable from one car to another. 240-specific knowledge is not. So what you learned about your heater control module, timing belt, etc. The timing belt job on a 5/6-cylinder modular engine is has very little similarity in to a B230F (recently timed a 5-cylinder manually).
FYI, the red block engines are very simple to work on by comparison to that modular platform. The 240 is a lot tighter access on many things than the 740/940 but it is still much easier to work on than almost any newer car. It is just a difference is durability/serviceability (240) verses reliability (modern Honda Accord or almost any other car). More simply put, repairing or parts swapping.
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I completely agree with this.
We have a 1997 960 with 241k miles and while it is and has been a good car, it is much more complex and difficult to work on than a 240. A 240 is an ideal car for DIY, while in my opinion the 960 is not unless you are fairly experienced and have access to a decent collection of tools. As Volvo cars become newer, systems become more complex. If I couldn't fix it, our 960 would have easily cost us $4k or $5k in maintenance in the 5 years we've owned it.
The red block engines in the 240 series are extremely robust and more tolerant of a lax maintenance schedule than the 960. The red blocks are also far more tolerant of maintenance errors. Screw up a timing belt on a (most)red block and it's not a big deal. Screw one up on a 960 and there goes your engine.
Heck, even something like removing the cam cover on a 960 is a major job.
An additional factor with the 960 is the fact that parts are beginning to become scarce.
Don't get me wrong -- it's a great car and we love ours (most days), but don't fool yourself into thinking it's as easy or easier to maintain than a 240. If you're not a good DIY mechanic or have $ to burn on maintenance, I'd stay away.
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Thanks all for your comments. I decided to pull the trigger on this one--at 38,000 original miles and extremely clean condition with good regular maintenance since new, I couldn't pass it up. Thanks also for the warnings about greater complexity on 960s vs. 240s. I'm confident that if I do my homework and take my time I should be able to handle most repairs.
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Hi Eric,
Good for you!
One thing, you should check out see the parts cost thru online retailer like FCP or IPD. Some parts are really expensive.
You should be OK if you can handle more than 60% of work. Best of luck.
Happy Friday. As always, thank you.
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Haha yeah, almost anything is easier than a 240 heater core or heater fan done the right (slow) way!!! You have a definite point there. Heat is very important in Sweden, which is why they built the car around the heater.
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This pops up it appears about twice a month and has been answered multiple times recently.
https://www.brickboard.com/RWD/volvo/1639970/940/960/980/V90/S90/96_960_thinking_buying.html
https://www.brickboard.com/RWD/volvo/1639510/S90-V90/s90_1998_looking_one.html
Short version:
More complex
Less tolerant of poor/deferred maintenance
Unpopular new and used so item becoming NLA new and less common used
Still very durable cars and worlds ahead of the red block Volvo's in refinement
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