I am expecting a baby in February and I would like to get rid of my wife's Mazda. My cousin is thinking about selling his '94 960. It has 88,000 miles, leather seats, power sunroof, pwr driver's seat, and 4 extra alloy wheels with snow tires on them. It has been well taken care of with oil changes every 3,000 miles, serviced according to Volvo's maintenance schedule, and detailed every 6 months. He will probably let it go for around $7,000 (estimated trade in value). I've seen a lot of information about almost every other model that Volvo makes, but not a lot about the 960's. I'm looking for opinions. Do you feel that it would be worth the price? Do you know of any common problems with this model and what estimated repair costs might be? Thanks in advance for your help.

Thanks for all of your input. I'll let you know if he decides to get rid of it. If he does, he will be buying a BMW X-5 or whatever the new sport utility model is. Thanks again - Mike

I second the postive opinions offered here. I guess I would focus on your cousin's motives for selling and whether you realy want to buy a car from a relative!

I drive a 94, 965 which is the wagon version. Bought it used May 99 from Phx. Volvo dealer, was told I am second owner. Now have 68K miles with NO major problems. I only put on 15K miles in 19 months of ownership. I am very cautious with maintenance isues, changed all fluids immediately and continue to "over-maintain". If you purchase, I recommend to go with synthetic motor oil and transmission fluid. I have read all the posts both positive and negative on the 960 series; I believe it comes down to prior owners usage, abuse or neglect and maintenance or lack thereof. If this car was truly maintanined at a Volvo shop every 3K; I would vote to buy it. With only 88K miles, you should have many more carefree miles to enjoy the 6 cyl power and smoooothness. This car loves the freeway above the posted limits. I have had 3 other 4 cyl Volvo's and I prefer this 6 over the (non turbo) 4's. Make no doubt about it, the 960 is a "jewel" with corresponding "jewel" like repair prices. Please be forewarned, this car is NOT cheap to fix when broken. So far, I have NO complaints to speak of.

BTW IMHO, the real expert on the 960 series is Tom Irwin who lives in Southern CA. I have personally met him, he is a mechanically experienced 960 owner and a straight shooter. You can look up his e address in the old RWD posting files. He has not posted here in a while.

Hope this is some help.....best of luck !!

The 960 in my opinion is superior to the other RWD Volvos thanks to the modern engine/gearbox, nicer interior and rear suspension (only sedan until 1994). But as someone mentioned, extraordinary repairs tend to get expensive. Check the engine, especially around the cylinder head, carefully for leaks. Pulling the head is n-o-t a one-hour affair. There may be a minimum of oil around the filler cap which is notorious for leaks, but that´s all´you should accept. If the engine idles roughly, there may be an intake manifold gasket leak (common issue).

If you´re familiar with OBD fault code tests (described in the 700/900 faq) you should read them on this one since several faults won´t always generate a check engine/transmission warning on the dash. O2 sensor and speedo signals are two examples.

Cam timing belts are a constant issue on the BB - just change it in time and there will be no problems. The ´94 has a stronger (widened) belt than the 91-93 models, too.

That car does sound like a nice deal, anyway. Good luck;

Martin

I love mine, its a sedan. It has over 164,000 miles. While it hasn't been cheap to maintain I have never had more confidence in a vehicle, in its handling, safety, quickness and reliability. My wife would argue the reliabiliy aspect but I don't think she understands 164,000 miles of almost entirely city driving. Also the timing belt change interval for that year is 50,000 miles. It sounds like a great deal go for it, Good luck.

Dan Ray

I just bought a 1993 960 wagon (112k miles) and love it! (I have only had it for 2 weeks.) I paid a bit more for mine, but it was from a dealer. It really rides nicely and I like the extra power. I guess the big issue is the timing belt. Just make sure it is changed every 30,000 miles. (At least that is what is recommended for my '93.)

Since you know the car has been serviced and know its history, you would be getting a great car at a great price! In my opinion, anyway.

Good luck!

Shawn

The 960 is a really nice car in my opinion. Although, for '94 if it is a wagon, it doesn't have the nice multilink rear suspension that is in the sedans or '95 and later 960 wagons. (In '95 the whole suspension was re-designed and makes it equal a BMW for handling in my opinion and I think that '96 was a "vintage" year.)

A '94 960 wagon is the same as a 700 wagon with more goodies and the smooth powerful 6 cylinder engine. The 700/900 chassis has proven to be a good strong platform. The car's body will still be as tight as new when you have 300K miles on it! The routine maintenance cost on the 6 is probably lower than any other engine Volvo has made. The non routine stuff is more expensive. I would say that if you like the power and goodies enough to risk the potentially higher cost problems go for it.

See the 700/900 FAQ under "Features" above for advice on buying a used 960, as well as problems to look for in 960 cars. Sounds like a good deal.

i have owned 3 different volvos and about 6 different cars. My 95 960 sedan is the best car that i have owned. Sounds like you would be getting a good price too.

Relative to other volvos, the 960 is more solid and has more pep.

Good luck

I owned a '94 960 sedan for a while, and while there was much I liked about the car, the one I bought was driven hard and not cared for well. One thing to look for is the condition of the leather on the front seats. If it has dried out, you will not be able to restore it. One a raisin, always a raisin. If I could buy a '94 with that mileage for that price (and the repair history was not abnormal), I would definitely go for it. Chances are, you will never drive a Japanese front driver again. I still have a '92 965 with 130k and plan to keep it to at least 200k. After that, it will depend upon the maintenance/repair cost equation. One quirk about the sedan is the shape of the fuel tank, which wraps around the drive shaft. What happens is that it reads full on the gauge after a fill up for about 25 miles. Oh, and at that mileage, you should have new struts and shocks fitted (assuming it still has the originals)if you really want to enjoy the ride.