Hi,

My trusty 1979 mercedes 300td wagon is falling apart. I'm considering upgrading to a volvo station wagon. The problem is that I know absolutely nothing about volvos and the different models/years.

I'm looking to spend about $5000. I'm looking for reliability first and gas mileage second. Don't want a complicated car that will cost a lot to maintain.

So, which models/years should I be looking at? I know mercedes stopped being reliable around 1985. Is there a relatively bulletproof year model I should know about?
I'm in los angeles and there are many volvos in that price range with over 100K miles. Am I going to have lots of problems?
Again, I couldn't care less about performance. I'm just looking for the simplest wagon that will get my surfboards to the beach with maximum mpg. Ideally, I would stick with mercedes but the diesel wagons are becoming aged collectors items and I just don't have the money to buy or maintain them anymore.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I assume volvo is my best bet - I just don't see many other wagons of the right size and I just don't want to get a minivan...

 

89-91 240 wagons. Spend 1-1.5k on the car, put 2k in it to get back to stage 0....drive it like you stole it. While I have no prejudice against the later fwd Volvos, the engine compartments became instantly crowded...making DIY service a bit more difficult. For the last 6-8 years, Volvo has increasingly incorporated systems requiring Volvo proprietorial diagnostic scanners and software to re-set errant codes in the computers. While they are wonderful cars, maintenance has been, in many cases, taken out of the hands of the owner.

 

I would say a '93 or so 940. It's a little newer, is a little more modern and is a little bigger. If you want something really nice get a '97 960 wagon. It is also rwd and very nice. When driven properly can get about 24 mpg around town and 30 mpg on the highway.

 

Cool - thanks for the advice...I've been looking for 300td simplicity in a newer vehicle, and maybe I've found it.

 

I hate to add to the confusion, but a clean '98 V70 is a great car. More modern design. Nice driving. Good cars.

 

I too would vote for the 960. They are cheap, big, and get good mileage. I have also had very little trouble with mine in 260k miles.

I would agree with your Mercedes reliability statement, although I would move the date up to about 1992 or so. My 1988 300te was one of the most reliable cars I have owned (those W124 chassis cars are phenomenal). My 1992 S500 was okay but not nearly the same level as the 300 or my Volvos.

Not sure how you carry your boards but the roof rails on a 960 take an inexpensive roof rack.

 

So, on the v70, which years are good? Again, I'm not looking for performance, just hauling space, reliability and reasonably cheap maintenance.

I really wish there were newer cars that were as simple as the cars from the 80s. The feature creep is just welfare for the dealers and makes the cars impossible to own in the long term.

I put the boards inside, by either laying down or entirely removing the front passenger seat.

I've been looking at the later gasoline mercedes wagons, but they are not as common around here; while there are zillions of the volvo wagons.

Again - thanks for any advice or insight!

 

I also recommend the 960 (I own two, a '92 and '96, both wagons). Our first Volvo was a 240 wagon, in '82. We've had nothing but Volvos since. I'm not knocking current Volvo models at all, I just know next to nothing about them.

You know how when you buy a car, suddenly you're aware of the same model or brand, and you start noticing them everywhere? That's what it was like, having a 240 back then. They were EVERYWHERE (I still see them all the time). As we became more aware of the cult of Volvo, we learned of many Volvos with over a million miles on them, that still ran perfectly.

So when the 960 came out, it was a BIG DEAL. Volvo was at their peak at the time (imho), and the 960 was intended to be their response to Mercedes, BMW and Saab, an undeniable luxury vehicle, with state of the art safety features. (If you check my previous posts, you can find a thread discussing whether Porsche actually designed and/or built the drivetrain, transmission and suspension - as the salesman told us when we bought our '92 960 wagon, though the jury is still out on specifics of that contention). The entire line of 960's were built in Sweden.

We traded in the 240 for the '92 960 wagon in '94 (I still drive it every day) for our honeymoon, which was a cross-country trip from the East Coast to the San Francisco Bay area, over three weeks. In Wyoming there was no speed limit at the time (the signs said "Wise and Prudent," which I said to my wife didn't apply to either of us), and I'll never forget out-running a nasty storm by driving at 110 mph for nearly two hours - with a full-size cargo carrier strapped to the roof!

The only things we've ever had to do to it (besides regular maintenance) were replacing the timing belt and the struts for the tailgate. That's it. Recently we bought an immaculate '96 960 wagon for $1700, and we fully intend to keep the Volvos we have for the rest of our lives, because when Ford bought Volvo, almost immediately the solid page full of red dots in Consumer Reports' ratings for the Volvo 960/V90 turned into black dots, as quality took a nosedive. Last I heard, Volvo cars had been bought by a Chinese auto dealer, so it's unlikely Volvo will ever produce another car like the 960 again.

Arguably, the 960 was the best car Volvo ever made, with real burlwood trim on the dash, superb leather upholstery, power everything (including three-mode automatic transmission; sport, economy or Winter modes) a kick-*** sound system (with 6-CD changer in back) heated seats and mirrors, it's amazingly comfortable. Just a dream to drive, and the secure feeling you get from being behind the wheel of one of the safest vehicles ever made is priceless.

From: Volvo Models :

"
VOLVO 960 ESTATE IN PRODUCTION 1990-1997


The Volvo 960 Estate was introduced in the autumn of 1990 together with a number of new models for model year 1991. The Volvo 960 Estate carried over the tradition of 6-cylinder estate models in the Volvo programme from the 760.

This new 960 Estate was the natural choice for discerning customers who wanted a car offering a unique combination of comfort, safety, ergonomics, space and versatility, a combination much appreciated by drivers and passengers interested in activities like golf, sailing or hunting. [Can't you just smell the smug?]

Model year 1995 saw the 960 Estate undergo a comprehensive redesign. The face-lift to the front gave a fresh appearance. Under the skin, the chassis was almost completely new, and a 2.5 litre version of the 6-cylinder engine was added to the previous 3-litre.

Another important new feature for the Volvo 960 Estate for 1995 was the introduction of the latest generation of advanced individual multi-link rear suspension, adding to comfort and road holding properties.

The end for the Volvo 960 Estate came in model year 1997, when the replacement Volvo V90 was introduced.




TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS


Model: 960 Estate
Variants:
Produced: 1990 -1997
Volume: 41619
Body: 5-door Estate
Engine: 6-cylinder in-line DOHC unit, 2,473 cc or 2,922 cc
Transmission: 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic
Brakes: Hydraulic, all-round disc brakes
Dimensions: Overall length 487 cm Wheelbase 277 cm

Considering that you can find them for around 2 to 3 grand, and will easily get a million miles if you take care of it, my vote goes to the 960. But you probably figured that out by now.

 

I have owned 3 960's. A '95, '97 and S90 ('98). I got the one I drive now with only 53,600 miles on it about 2-1/2 years ago. I drive it daily and swear it handles so good on the on and off ramps it's a shame. I may hold 2 travel records with it . The car will run!

The '98 model was purchased for $500. It needed a water pump and paint on the hood and roof. The inside was like BRAND SPANKIN NEW. I tinkered with it for about a week and let my cousin have it for what I put into it. Super deal.

The wagon has more space in the back than any other. I know you can read that on Volvo's site but I put a tape to it. I think you can slide a refrigerator in the back. There are also not that many wagons here. I want to say only 6,000 per year was shipped to the USA. I read that about a month ago. I wish I could own about 6 Volvos but I simply can't afford it nor do I have the space to cover them. All of them would be pre-2000 models. LOL

 

Good point about the capacity. I forgot to mention that. I'm a professional Musician, and here's what I regularly fit into the wagon for gigs: 2 EV 3-way cabs (about 3 1/2 tall, 2 1/2' wide and 2' deep), 4 stage monitors, a flight case with a 16-channel mixer and 3 power amps (about 2x2x2), another case with signal processing gear (rackmount), an upright bass, a Michael Kelly 5-string fretless acoustic bass a Strat, a Martin acoustic guitar, a case with 12 mics and cables, mic stands, guitar and upright bass stands and gig bags with all the other stuff in 'em. The upright bass is the tough part. It fits precisely between the PA cabs, and the peg barely clears the tailgate, while the top sits on the back of the console.

That should give you a good idea of the capacity. Everyone is blown away when I show up in a Volvo wagon and pull a stage-full of gear out of it. (It's handy to have the safest car ever made when you come home at 3 A.M. too.)

 

Cool - now I know what to shoot for... Any model/feature to AVOID?

Somewhat off topic, I was in Sweden for first time last summer and I just really liked the vibe of that country.

 

Cool, so what are you shooting for?

 

There are people here who know scads more about Volvo than I do, so I'm just speaking (actually, writing) about my own experiences from a couple of decades of admiring and owning Volvos.

I recommend you check out this page to familiarize yourself with the main model lines Volvo produced in the late 80's to the late 90's.

Originally the middle number in a model designation referred to the number of cylinders (240 had four, 260 had six, etc.) but around the time of the 700 series the middle number just designated the higher (760) or lower (740) ends of each series.

After we bought our first 960, we noted those Consumer Reports pages for the Volvo models in the early 90's, where they listed everything about a particular model (brakes, electrical, handling, engine, transmission etc.) and gave a black dot as the worst and a red dot as the best, with blank, half-red or half-black for the in-betweens. (Here's an example.)

You could look up a model and tell right away where it's strengths and weaknesses were. In general, Volvos were invariably a solid wall of red dots (the best), with occasional less-than-perfect scores in a particular year that stood out like a steeple in a wheat field.

The only one that I specifically recall had certain lemon-ish vibes was the early 740. At the time, they listed the 200, 700, 850 and 900 series, and the only one that wasn't a solid block of red was the 740. The 760 was fine, as were all the rest of the 200 and 900 series.

We test-drove quite a few Volvos prior to buying the 960, and the difference between the 940 and the 960 was astounding. Where the 960 had leather everything (even the door panels), the 940 was plastic. The 940 seemed to have the suspension of a hay-wagon. To me, after driving the 960 it was like the difference between driving a Bentley and a Volkswagen Beetle.

The differences between the 740 and the 760 were similar, but less pronounced. The 760 I drove had an intercooled turbo engine that was like a rocket. I hit the gas and all the blood pooled in the back of my brain. It was like riding in my friend's built Camaro in High School; scary fast. (I know Volvo produced a turbo version of the 960, but I've never encountered one. Not sure about the 940.)

You might also want to check out the 850 models. (My wife has an 850 sedan.) They have a transverse-mounted five-cylinder engine that is almost legendary for reliability, in my amazingly-humble opinion. Volvo partnered with Porsche for some versions of the 850, namely the T-5R. Great cars.

I tend to keep an eye on these things, because unfortunately Volvo, like Mercedes or BMW, tend to be expensive when it comes to major repairs. (We bought the 850 used, and luckily it was still under the dealer's warranty when the transmission blew a seal, because the replacement cost $1600 - in 1995!) Fortunately we've had absolutely no problems with any of ours since, but we're also fanatics about maintenance.

Again, I'm not familiar with the models Volvo produced after they sold their automotive division to Ford in 1998 (as opposed to their truck and marine divisions, which they retained), except that the 960 became the V90 (wagon) and S90 (sedan).