I'm no stranger to cars and consider myself a self made mecanic as Ive been an air cooled VW guru for years rebuilding those engines etc but I have always liked the Volvo line of automobiles but never have owned one.....Bad idea? Or not?
With that said I would like to turn a new leaf and buy a used 1996 960 sedan. I feel that my mechanical skills and maintenance mind would be enough to be able to keep a Volvo up and going even though I dont live near a Volvo dealer or shop (nearest would be 2.5 hrs away) I live in a very rural area.

The car appears to be a nice, but its about 1.5 hrs away so I havent actually seen the car. I would like some input from you folks since I am wanting to get my feet wet and try out a Volvo....I would like to just have something besides my 67 beetle to drive since winters can be harsh here I would like a modern car to drive to work (5 min drive).

Here is a description of the ad for the car and the two pics....from all I can tell, the seats have a tear? Not sure....What are you guys thoughts on this car? Asking price is $1,200

"1996 Volvo 960- Good shape, clear title- Heat, air, automatic doors, windows,locks and heated seats. Miles203K, 10K on tires, new timing belt, new thermostat, new fuel filter..No mechanical issues. Great car just don't need it anymore"

 

Looks like it's been rode a little hard. I would suspect that it has some body damage. The price is way low. I recently sold one for $4,500. If it starts and drives and does NOT have a cel, I would probably buy it. You can get new leater for the seats. IMO, any car that will start and drive is worth $1,500 - $2,000. I see the sun damaged dash as well as the seats. My guess is that the paint needs help as well.

I have to say that my 960's were my favorite car ever. I believe it's the best car that Volvo ever made. It has a few common issues which are somewhat easy to deal with and the motor on the car should go 350,000 if serviced regularly. I miss my 960 and hope to have another one soon.

Common issues are:
- Sway bar end links worn. Causes noisy front end over patchy roads.
- Power seats don't travel fore and aft. Easy cable fix.
- Sunroof leaks water. Seal the seal.
- Ignition goes bad. Have to turn the key back a little to work items like windows, shifter, etc.
- Turn signals and other lights don't flash right. Usually a bad bulb.
- Code P0410. Minor evap problem. Hard to clear and track down.
- Fuel odor in car. Usually a vacuum leak.

Really mostly little stuff that people are afraid of and don't want to dump at the stealer to rake them over the coals. Most people are afraid of older european cars so I say go for it.

 

That's a nice car. Another good thing about it that it has a locker, part of the winter package.

That's about the mileage that timing belt is due. They say it is done, but I would verify that. Plus, I would verify that tensioner, roller, idler and water pump are done. Not a hard a thing, but if you're not sure you should do them. Make sure also they put a quality belt, such as Continental there. All these parts are about $ 130, so they are cheap.

Since belt drives 2 long cams on the I-6, it is not as forgiving as on a I-5.

This car might also have the transversal fiberglass monoleaf, i.e. no coil springs, on the rear and regular shocks. Just know that they ride great, but they're very hard to lower it, if that's what you are after.

Whiteblock engines are all alloy, Porsche engineered, very smooth/powerful and love revving.

That's Volvo's flagship car, RWD, it drives like a dream, and these are very reliable. It seems to have all options. You should have no problem.

 

LOL, Henry, sounds like you are getting attached to yours???

 

Hey Rob, haha. Although I like my 960 a lot, I am not sure if I will keep it for too long.

 

Well, I'm glad you ended up liking it. I remember when you got it you were not sure if you would even like it.

 

Well, thanks for the replys...but, I re-contacted the seller and they sold it yesterday....damn.

I'll continue my search...Thanks.

I really like the wagons....any particular favorite out there?

 

Good memory. I can't remember why I was skeptical. This V90 has withstood the city pretty good so far. It still needs a few things, but a lot has been done to it.

 

It shows that it was a great deal.


Depends what you're after.

The "older" 240/740/940 are 4-cyl, redblock, RWD and they come in NA or Turbo configurations. They are very easy to work on. NAs are pretty powerless if you are looking to track them. A good place to ask and read on these older wagons would be Turbobricks.

960/V90 are flagship Volvo Wagons for the 90s.

850/V70 are more modern can be bought pretty cheap, and they are I-5 whiteblocks, FWD, NA, LPT (low pressure turbo) or HPT or called T5. Some of them are AWD, but they tend to have issues with the AWD system.

They are economical in fuel, and not difficult to maintain.

Starting in 1999, V70 changed and typically they become much less reliable.