I am thinking of purchasing a cheap 940 from a guy at work to save some miles on T5 S40. I am new to the "940" world and have several questions about the problems I KNOW about the car. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!!!!

The Good:

1. He want's 500 for it
2. Just passed inspection
3. 233k miles
4. Doesn't use any oil
5. Runs strong
6. Everything works except AC.
7. Oil changed fairly regularly
8. He has had for 5 years with little problems


The Bad:

1. Intercooler connection hose/rubber clamp is cracked on driver side and it's "oily", on the oil cooler is covered with oil
2. Transmission shifts VERY FIRM and holds 2nd gear a fairly long time.
3. Top of oil pan is very greasy/sludge?


The Ugly:

1. The front suspension is junk.
2. bad clunking noise when driving on front of driver side (ball joint, end link or who knows?)
3. When coming to a stop and applying the brake, the steering wheel turns to the right and the front suspension shifts right?
4. When you let off the brake from a stop, the suspension & steering shifts back left?


Just curious what everyone thought about a $500 car with this much work in it. My confusion is really not knowing how much the suspension work would cost. I am use to working on all of my cars/trucks, so would these repairs be DIY or shop work?

Sorry for all the questions but I like the idea of a second car for cheap, provided I don't have to spend more than $300 in repairs right away. Plus, I really like driving the old 940!

Thanks!

 

If you can do the work yourself, the front suspension is very cheap and easy to rebuild on these cars. Even having a front end shop rebuild it is not too pricey. If at worst the car has a cracked K member, a second hand one is a very cheap proposition.
Suspension work is merely removing struts and control arms, then bashing/pressing out bushes and removing balljoints. I would say $300 would fix teh front end if you buy new struts, bushes etc, but you won't have any much change. A side bonus is a rebuilt suspension will make everything on your ugly list go away.
As for teh oily turbo hoses/intercooler innards, typical of higher mileage turbos. If it doesn't blow smoke, ignore it.
Rest of teh car sounds like a typical higher mileage car, except with teh note that Volvos tend to age a lot better than most vehicles.
I'd but it for that money and not look back.

Regards, Andrew.

 

Thanks for the help! I don't mind doing the front end work at all and I don't think it would be very difficult. I guess my main concern was with the cost. I know the guy very well and he has been honest & up front with everything. He said I could drive for a couple of weeks and let him know.

The body isn't the best and the interior is dirty (headliner shot also). It's a $500 dollar car so I don't expect perfection. If I can spend $300 or less for parts and handle all the important repairs I am game for it.

I currently commute 120 miles a day and my 06 S40 is really racking up the miles (which makes routine services intervals VERY ROUTINE). I was hoping to buy a cheap car, regardless of looks, to drive a couple of days a week to spread the miles between the two cars. Mainly to manage the cost of the service intervals on the S40 (which I typically do all the work on anyway).

Your information was very helpful and let me know if you have any more suggestions.