I was just looking at brochure of a '97 960 ...the horsepower for the Canadian car is listed at 181. Just wondering if it's the same in the U.S.
No specs in the brochure as to the weight of a wagon.... anyone know how much it weighs ? Is it about the same as a 740 ?

All the later, 1995 on, North American 960s and S/V90s were rated 181 HP.

The weight range is 1438 to 1527 Kg as comparied to the 745 at 1270 to 1460 Kg. I would guess most of the weight gain can be attributed to the IRS hardware and extra sound proofing. Interestingly, the sedans in the 740/940 were lighter while in the 960/ S/V90 the sedans are heavier. (A Kg equals about 2.2 lbs.)

(Info from my copy of the Volvo "Pocket Data Booklet Cars".)
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'96 965 with 16' wheels at 100K. Had '85 745 Turbo Diesel for 200K.

Thanks for the info. I'm thinking of getting a 940 / 960 ...not very familiar with them so I am trying to gather as much info as I can. These cars are hard to find in my area, so I may have to go south to get one.
You mentioned that the 960 has IRS ...I read some where that it has a transverse leaf spring with a solid axle ??

There have been two designs of IRS in Volvo. Starting about 1986, the 760 & 780 sedans got a sophisticated Multilink IRS with coil springs. It wouldn't fit under the wagons so the 760 wagons continued to have the solid axle. In 1995 Volvo created the "Multi-link-II" system, which incorporated a composite transverse leaf spring a-la Chevy Corvette. It is compact enough that it would fit under the wagons so all, sedans & wagons, '95 and later 960s have it. It is a truly modern design incorporating anti-dive, anti-squat, anti-roll, bump steer compensation and optimized geometry for cornering. Really quite nice. CV joints everywhere, both axles and drive shaft, with the differential mounted in rubber to isolate it from the frame.

In addition, the track was made wider in 1995 and anti-roll bars in both ends keep cornering very flat. (And fun!)

In my opinion, the later 960s represent the finest Volvos ever made. A BMW with a less powerfull engine.

I love mine just as much today as when I got it years ago.

They have gotten a bad rap so they are often a real bargan. That said, if you get one that has been abused it'll be a bottomless money pit. The engine is expensive to repair! They are an interference design and won't tolerate overheating. If a timing belt breaks from neglect or a radiator hose bursts and the driver keeps going either condition creats a piece of junk. Best solution then is a replacement from a "recycler".

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'96 965 with 16' wheels at 100K. Had '85 745 Turbo Diesel for 200K.

Thanks very much for the great information... you've been very helpful.
The search is on for a 965 !

so interesting, this brochure.

The '97 960 barely exists. The last of the 960s was produced in 1996.

Maybe some '96 build 960s were titled/sold as '97. I thought all of this chassis in '97 were S/V90.

Anyhow, for the 1996-build 960, the figures I have are 170 and 204 hp. But those may be DIN figures.

The 960 designation went away in 1997.5 when they were re-badged to S/V 90's to fit Volvo's new corp. naming protocol. The last S/V 90 was manufacturered in Feb. 1998 when the RWD platform was discontinued. A black day in Volvo history. The last car went to the Volvo museum.

From 1995 on in the US, HP was 191.
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1998 S90 062,700 1995 964 142,100