I'm a new user, and I'm sure this question has been visited repeatedly, though searching only brought up answers from several years ago. Forgive me if I'm merely retreading old territory.

Here's my situation--I have an '86 Volvo 740 GLE sedan with 275K (odomoter broke at 266, so I don't know exact mileage). Fantastic car, well-maintained from its birth. Only mechanical issue is that reverse is starting to chatter a bit and not engage maybe 1 time out of 20. Old car issues like a newly leaking sunroof, AC gave out, beginnings of some rust. It's an old dog, but has been wonderful in the 3 years I've owned it.

I have a friend who's selling a '93 960 sedan with 140K on the odometer for $1500. No known issues besides a busted power antenna. I always prefer buying cars from friends, so in that sense, it's a good opportunity, rather than engaging in the usual painful used-car search. I have driven 240s and 740s for years and found every one of them to be excellent. Do I dare make this switch? Is a 93 960 a reasonable thing to replace this car with? I figure I won't want to spring for a tranny with my chattering reverse no doubt only getting worse in my 740. I don't drive a lot except in winter, and only need reliability and no massive repair costs. I'm concerned about the 960's potential to be a money pit. Opinions very much appreciated!