I'm cosidering buying a 1992 940 for @$4,500 w/118,000 mi. Seller claims he bought it at a charity auction 6 months ago, and that it is in great condition, although he admits he has not try to use the A/C lately. Anything I should have my (non-Volvo) mechanic check for? I hear ECU units are a problem. Can you check these? How about the Climate Control Unit? Anything else? Thanks.

I think the price is a little bit on the high side unless it's in super condition. Not sure about your market though. There is supposed to be a surplus of used cars out there because of three years of active new car sales. Having a mechanic check the car is great. If the mechanic finds issues it should be documented with the cost to repair which you can use to help make a decision. Since you are only paying the mech for 1/2 to 1 hour's labor at the most, spend a few hours yourself to check what the mech won't have time to. This could get very detailed but bacically check the operation of everything inside and out, starting with the horn, lights , brights, brake lights, seat operation, windows, etc. AC should be operational at about 40F+. Isn't SanFran 75F year round?
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Tom F

Engine Control Units aren't known to be a problem on 92 940 models. If the car runs, you kind of checked it. In-depth diagnostics are possible but won't necessarily highlight an impending failure anyway.

The climate control units (manual climate control) can cause trouble, but it isn't an epidemic. The 940 series is better than most used cars, in my opinion. You will have the occasional problem, but no more (and usually quite a bit less) than other used cars of similar age and miles. But they aren't 100% trouble free either.

Have the mechanic check the engine mounts, timing belt (if it was changed) and if it's a turbo he should check around for signs of problems. The usual stuff. Front brakes on 940s are a soft spot. They function well but the slide pins can bind and then seize, causing the brakes to pull to one side or the other.

If you aren't in the US, find out if it has a 16valve engine. They are good engines, but more vulnerable to problems than the standard 8 valve engine. The 16v was, I believe, not available in the US market after 1991, on the 940 series. However I could very well be mistaken about that.
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Chris Herbst, near Chicago.

Chris:
Thanks for the reply. I'm in California (near S.F.). It's supposed to be a Calif. car, so only 8 valves (non-turbo). My dealer wants $690.00 for the 120,000 mi service, IF nothings wrong (and timing belt changed at 100,000 mi.), which of course seller balks at since his mechanic has tuned it and changed oil. I'll at least have it checked over, including front brakes, A/C, mounts, leaks. I'm just kinda leary about someone donating this to charity, since they could have overheated it or something and/or been told it would need expensive repairs soon. Thanks.

Click on the "Features" menu at the top of this site. Go to "700/900 FAQ" and select "Buying a 7xx/9xx". Everything you ever needed to know about the car.

Jeff Pierce
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'92 Mercedes 190E (my daily driver), '93 945 Turbo (a kickass family car), '53 Willys-Overland Pickup (my snow-plow truck/conversation piece)

Jeff:
Thanks for the tip. Info great for a 700, but kinda scant for a 940.

a 940 is the same.....basically the 940 is a more upscale 740, mechanically the later 740s are the same as the 940 (the wagons are identical). They all use the same engines/transmissions