A private owner is offering his 1993 960 with 109,000 for $3700. We haven't seen it, since he's out of town. We had hoped to add a newer Volvo, but thought
that this might be a less expensive, reliable option. We've enjoyed our 1994 940
with 145,000 for 3 years. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Hi there,

I have put 1000 miles on my '92 960 with 160,600 currently. I bought it from a guy on ebay, and I am glad I did it. I may have slightly overpaid at 2200 dollars, but I don't think so. The driving experience is night and day different from any 240 I ever drove. I love the b230 engine for its simplicity, but the 960 is no more complex than ANY interference engine that's somewhat modern.

My car runs SO smooth, idles like butter, and in sport mode on the transmission it scoots right along. I've gotten 20 mpg in the city driving it pretty aggressively (I dont' beat cars, but I'm usually out ahead of the pack)

I think it's an UGLY car, but when I'm in it driving it, I forget all about that.

In my case, I know how to do most of the work just short of a transmission rebuild or a total engine rebuild, so I'm not THAT worried. Plus at the price I paid, if I get only 2 years out of it, it was worth it to me. My one complaint is the nasty leather front seats. Volvo's older leather is horrible. Other than that, I love driving this car more than any of the 5 Volvo 240s I owned.
--
'92 965

Possible holes in the block, or a broken timing belt would mean curtains, generally more complicated maintainance. Are you sure????? Not me, no way. 240, 740, 780, 940, plenty of better choices for that money.

I think the conventional wisdom favors the later model 960/s90 since they have odb2, longer intervals for the timing belt, etc. The earlier models did have some problems with porosity in the block but I dont think it was widespread and after 12 years, if it was a problem in this car it would have shown up.

Still, when they get this old its more a factor of individual car condition and pricing than anything else. If it looks like a nice car, go for it.
--
97 S90 with 184K miles still going strong

They can be real good cars if maintained properly. I'd have to say they are less of a headache than the 850's are. Common problems on them would be:

Oil trap leaks
Intake manifold leaks
Lower control arm bushings go out
Engine mounts seem to go out a little more often
Ocassional gear position switch
A/c servo vacuum leaks

I have a 92 that I bought for 3K about 3 years ago and I beat the hell out of that car and it soaks it up. Of course I do the required maintenance but it still works fine and has great power with over 200K on it now.

I realize it is only a price and you never advertise a car for what you really want but I think his asking price is a little high, I say this sight unseen of course. If the vehicle is an absolute cherry, well then maybe. Other wise I would offer him 2.5-3K and go from there. If you are serious do yourself a huge favor and have the car looked over by a competent technician, it could save you serious $$$.

Mark

Thank you very much. I'll definitely consider your opinions if I get to look at the 960. Mike.