Going against everything that I thought I was going to do when looking for an inexpensive used car I have found myself intrigued by a 1991 Volvo 940 Turbo wagon with 200,000 miles on it. It appears fine, maintained, etc. Searching around I can not find anything overly negative about this year of this car. It seems like parts are not outrageously priced and the price is in my budget. Would I be nuts to consider such a car? I have no history with Volvos but this car certainly seems more interesting than your average japanese pod car from the mid 90's, many of which have similar mileage figures and are the same or much more expensive. Some one tell me I am crazy to even consider this. ;-)

 

So...do you really think we're gonna tell ya not to get it? If the car looks in good shape and you are either reasonably handy or are willing to learn, you can end up with a ride that not only is reliable and fun but a very quick sleeper. Expect to have to spend some dollars and especially elbow grease to get the car back to stage zero. But they are hella fun!!

 

Well, while I figured there would be built in bias here, I also thought someone might know something about that particular model of that year which might point me in a more clear yay or nay postion. I have certainly had cars in the past that, while I really liked them, I would be very clear to caution anyone about buying some of them as used models. Some VW's come to mind. Not easy to work on, very expensive to fix, and very likely to break in some very well known ways. This car does not quite seem to fall into that category which is why it intrigues me. Thank you.

 

I recently found myself in a similar situation as you... in an effort to 'downsize' I am not going to get another new car once my lease is up in September (Subaru Legacy) I wanted something 'different', cool, solid, and utility minded for my next car. I have owned Several Saab's and though I love them, some of the newer one's (Saab 9000) just scare me! lol, Same with older VW's etc... I have never owned a volvo, but came across a 94 940 Turbo Wagon and was impressed that everything just worked like it should, and that intrigued me (exception was the sunroof, which i fixed and 3rd brake light which I fixed) Overall it s a solid car, drives nice at 80+ mph, tracks straight. Has a few oil drips (not too bad) and it could use new rear shocks. Came with new Tires, Brakes (rotors and pads) and new hoses... So I ended up buying it, 160k miles, no rust or major dents, and I love it. ($1400.00) So I say, if it feels right, do it. Besides, there seems to be a huge source of parts out there, and the simple front engine, rear drive layout is simple and there is a ton of room to work under the hood if you need to fix something! Good luck with your decision.

 

Thank you. I think I will simply pursue this and see if it indeed makes sense when I get down to the nitty gritty details.