Guys, WHY is my wife's 94 940 more powerful and better handling (quieter, too) than my own beloved 93 940? I want to know, becuase I LOVE my 93 -- it has black leather interior, sunroof, it's red with alloy -- a much better looking car that I want to KEEP (my wife wants to sell hers)
What's the diff? Can I upgrade with an IPD cam, suspension parts, et cetera?

Hi Foof,

I have 2 '91 740 wagons (bascially identicle to the 940). They both drive nice. One has 380K km (non-turbo) and one has 290K km (turbo). The turbo has had many suspension components (shocks, strut rod busings, etc) replaced in the last 50K km and when you drive them back to back, the turbo makes the non-turbo feel all sloppy. Also, the turbo has chassis braces and IPD sway bars. My point is, it depends on many things. There should be no difference between your '94 and '93 unless one is turbo and one isn't (different engine, swaybar(s), shocks). Different mileages and treatment can make the cars feel different. I drove a '93 940 (turbo wagon) a couple weeks ago that had about 120K mi (~192K km) on it and it drove nice, but felt sloppy compared to my 740 turbo wagon that has another 100K km on it. The guy that owns the 940 just bought it a few months ago and says it drives 5 times better then his '88 760 wagon (~205K mi). So, it's all relative I guess. Take the advice of the others; Renew your 940's suspension where needed, install IPD swaybars, cam, chassis braces if you'd like and enjoy your "new" 940 :) Why does your wife want to sell? She won't find a better all around Volvo or a more robust car for that matter. As for performance, that could be many things. Does your's need a service (plugs, wires, air filter etc)? What about the exhausts, are they the same? Are the cars the same trim level? (sunroofs, power seats, etc add weight)
--
Chris. Halifax N.S. '91 745Ti, 290K km and '91 745 NA, 379K km.

Your suspension bushings may be shot. Replace them all and get some IPD sway bars, (and shocks if you need them) and your car will feel so tight and responsive, the wife's car will feel like crap by comparison.

Don't know about the power difference.

I'm not a 940 expert, but have driven some and almost bought a couple.

Didn't Volvo make some improvements to the 94 and 95's? Oil coolers for the pistons, slight suspension improvements and more sound insulation come to mind, but I might be wrong....
--
Jim 90 244DL 243K

I have the same problem between my 92 & 94 960's.the 92 seems more responsive even though they're supposed to be indentical and the milage between the 2 is close.
--
92-965-204k, 94-965-211k, 92-944t-200k, 83-242dl,totaled(8/04), 84-242GLT,totaled(2/03),83-245GLT,retired(03)

You have to give us the engine and transmission details, for meaningful feedback. Turbo? Turbo+? A low fuel pressure might in my humble opinion lead to lesser performance in your car, if it is a turbo.

Bottom line: don´t sell it, fix it.