Novolvo
My advice to you is RUN AWAY. The truth is I have a 94 960 wagon and I love it. I bought mine last May with 70K miles on it with a full service history from day one (a family was replacing it with a new E class wagon). As referince I paid $7500. They had every receipt for the car from day one. From what I gathered, this hadn't been a trouble free car. They had changed a number of things includind timing sensor, seat heater, window motor 2 brake jobs, 2 timing belts, 2 transmission flushes, 20W50 at 5 thousand mile intervals (I guess they were being careful) and a number of other small items. The maintenance record convinced me to buy the car. I was actually looking for an 850 at the time but all the ones that I looked at in this price range either didn't have a service history or were spewing oil all over the underside (rear main seal).

If this car hasn't been taken care of really well it will be very very expensive to maintain. The first thing you have to do is the timing belt because you never know when its going to go. And the check engine light can be something simple to something expensive to fix. Its a great car, very comfortable, fast, quiet, safe. All the Volvo superlatives apply except maybe reliable depending on who you ask. I do all my own maintenancy which cuts down on the cost of ownership. If I didn't doubt I could aford this car.

Look at a 940 or 240 of the same vintage. They are better developed and easier to maintain. If I had to do it again, I would in a second. But my car was pure luck and I doubt its indicative of most 960s out there.

Out of curiosity, how much is the dealer asking and how many miles?
Good luck on finding a car. I hope you end up getting a volvo. Just not this one. Check out the 700/900 FAQ to learn more about this model.