Hey all,

My daily driver is shot, so I'm looking for something reliable that I can put a lot of highway miles on. I've never owned a Volvo.

I found a 1995 960 Sedan on craigslist with about 160,000 miles for $1,800.

I have yet to see the car in person, but I plan to go look at it later today. From the craigs ad it appears to be in "good" condition. Nothing obnoxious sticks out.

I do have a few specific questions though. First, what engine is in this thing? Judging by this wiki page:
Volvo Modular engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

it seems to have either a 2.9L inline 6 labeled B6304S or it could have the 2.5L inline 6 labeled B6254S. Is it true that both were co-developed with Porsche?

I keep reading good things about these later Porsche developed engines, but keep encountering horrible reviews of the Renault guided earlier engines. I was believing that by 1995, Volvo had corrected these Renault internal engine problems, but then I came across this review:
1995 Volvo 960 2.9L 6-cyl. 4-speed Automatic Consumer Review - 95 960 Wagon

Does this person know what they're talking about? I thought by 1995 this had been resolved. Did some 1995 models get good engines and some got bad engines? The last thing I need right now is another problem car.

My second primary question is, do these cars have a lot of electrical gremlins? A window malfunctioning here and there is not a HUGE concern, though I would prefer that everything work properly. What I really want to know about are any common electrical issues that would make me call a tow truck. Tow trucks i need to avoid!

So, any help and guidance would be greatly appreciated! Please, feel free to mention any other issues or problems that I should be aware of before spending my hard earned cash. I do know to look for a timing belt and water pump sticker considering the mileage of 160k, but other than that I'm little more than a general car enthusiast. Thank you for any responses!

 

Okay, I think I found the answer to one of my questions in that the 2.5L were European only. Correct?

I'd still like somebody to chime in regarding this review though....

1995 Volvo 960 2.9L 6-cyl. 4-speed Automatic Consumer Review - 95 960 Wagon

Please and thank you!

 

Okay, just found brickboard FAQ. It has basically answered all of my questions.

 

post a link buddy.....im a new 95 960 wagon owner and id love to learn more about our issues and non issues

imo....this is one hell of a car!!! the wife doesnt care for it "grandma cruiser" lol i just put a Thule rack on it to take some of the "soccer mom" out of it

 

Volvo Maintenance Hints for 7xx/9xx/90

How many miles are on your 960? Do you mind if I ask what you paid and in what part of the country? Have you had any issues yet?

Yesterday, I test drove the one I mentioned here. The guys selling it were shady characters, clearly scrap yard pullers trying to make a dime here and there. It wouldn't have surprised me to have looked underneath and found duct tape holding up the tail pipe.

Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the car. It had a lot more get up and go than I was expecting from a 6 cylinder. It seemed to run okay, though it was already started when I arrived and I was too tired and in a hurry to think about the shadiness of that at the time. I questioned the seller's "helper" later and found out that the car does not like to start cold. They/he claimed this was all due to a faulty mass air flow sensor which would run me about $300 to replace. Beyond that, the check engine light was on the moment I arrived.

Long story short, I would really love to have this car...IF it turns out to only need minor work. I might "borrow" a OBDI reader from wally world and go back to check the codes and see exactly what is prompting the check engine light. Beyond that light, and the dirtiness of the car, it seemed to be straight. A few paint scratches. The doors were peeling on the interior, but I could care less about these little appearance blemishes at the moment. The kickdown switch worked. The car had power. All three transmision settings seemed to operate. And up to about 50 it seemed to drive straight. It was, however, a little louder than I expected it to be at mid to higher RPMs. Like I said, I was tired, so I didn't think to check this out in park. But while moving, it was too loud for my liking. I looked for an exhaust leak but did not see one. The noise did seem to be coming from the middle of the car and not the engine itself, but who knows. It needs a better look through or an $800 price drop before I'll buy it.

Flagship vehicles have too many things that can go wrong. I think I'd really like a smaller Volvo.

 

i loved my 960 it was amazing the size difference between it and my 850 wagon made the 960 look big.

 

bfam, im located in NY state about 40 miles straight south of Albany {east side of the state}

i paid 600 for my wagon, it has 189,000 on the clock [od still working too lol]

i bought it from a friend who aquired it in a "you didn't pay me for services" deal

it had a bad fuel pump, both drivers side doors didnt open fro the outside, one taillight broke, no battery, 2 bad tires and the rear hatch latch messed up

i have a very good salvage yard right across the line in Massachusetts, and lucky like a lotto winner he has a 95 maroon 960 wagon with a bad motor....soooooooo 400 bucks later and a couple days in the garage i replaced the fuel pump assy, both out door handles, complete hatch lock system with license plate lights, a couple pieces of plastic on the power seat controls and two brand new tail light housings.....new battery from napa ---its winter here so i took the two good tires and put them in the front and through a couple like new snows on the rear for now.....ill get 4 new all seasons in the spring

i romped on her pretty hard a couple days and threw a check engine light and havent checked it out yet

it starts right up but stumbles for 5-10 minutes and then smooths right out

its super quiet on the inside all through the rpm range but is a little loud on the outside....like the exhaust is failing - -theres a cat right off the headers {yes headers, two 3 pipe headers -- on yours too} then a mid-muffler [looks like a silencer on a diesel] then the rear muffler and tailpipe......i think that mid muffler is rotting or the baffles are gone....sounds like your might be doing the same thing

other than needing a good tune up when money allows....plugs filters oil etc and not being able to reach the totally retarded transmission dip stick i love this car and plan on driving it until completely falls apart which will be many many years down the road.

imo...if you can get into this car for 2500 repairs and all it will be a good car and you could always get what you have in it ....if they are scrappers they might get 600-750 cash scrapping it....id make sure the title is clear and no obvious fluids are pumping out of it and throw a grand on the table with 189 in your pocket so if they don't take it you can dig it out and say "look i need a car and this is all i have"

good luck buddy!!!!! keep us posted

 

you said that flagships have more problems.......

while we all understand anything with age will have its problems and also taking into consideration that there aren't as many 960's out there as other models i have to disagree with that statement ...it seems to be a few common issues with the 960's and they all seem to have close the same common things

- loud blower motor
- mass air and intake
- heated seat failures
- fuel gauge and OD failure
- bushings
- trans mount
- coil pack failures
and a few others - -nothing catastrophic though

my daughters 850slt has a very weak turbo...eats antifreeze....all sorts of electrical issues and eats fuel like its a semi......all very expensive issues to fix

i still stand by the 960 being a relatively bullet proof comfy cruiser ...lol

 

I'm not sure of what differences are between a '95 & '96 960. I've got a '96 960 wagon with 187,700 on it. I bought it with 133,000 2 years ago from a friend who had it for 3 years. I've had the mass air flow meter die at 155,000. The fuel pump & ignition switch died at 183,000 & I've still got to look at why the power seats won't move. For a while it was going thru brake light bulbs, but been good lately.
Excellent road car, my wife & I love it.

 

Dustin: where are you located yourself? Any link to the car for sale? Most info on BB is good, but some stuff is not. There are several threads here lately with better info for looking-to-buy-960, or just-bought-960 owners.

These aren't the Renault POS motors. Those were redblocks 6s (called PRVs). These are whiteblocks-6, purely Porsche and Volvo. No Frenchies layed hands on these.

I doubt that you won't ever need a tow truck for car that you are overpaying $ 1800 for. Plus depends on how **** you are. If you neglect it, Volvo will dump you on the side of the road, albeit after plenty of warning.

I have driven double-glass bulletproof Mercedes S-class cars, and although these are not quite as silent, they are damn close. You got other issues that's causing your noise. Try lowering your window-glass, and roll it back up. Does it close entirely and evenly? Regulators get tired with age, maybe because this glass is heavy.

 

You don't need to buy anything at Walmart to pull codes. The OBD1 Reader Terminal is located on the left shock tower, engine compartment. You can read more codes with that than with anything up to 3 grand.

 

I am not sure if you DIY, but if you do, MAF can be taken out with a simple screwdriver and cleaned in $ 5 Simple Green and cleaning alcohol. Otherwise, it can be purchased for about $ 45. Some people keep several of them (tips) in their cars. I have a couple laying around myself.

If you DIY, it's ridiculous how inexpensive it is for such a nice car.

 

I love every minute of my 1993 960. Paid $1900 for it a year and a half ago, had 86k original miles, garaged kept by an old asian couple and was not abused at all. Needless to say I haven't had any issues with it since I have owned it. Thanks to forums like this one and other resources on the net, learning to maintain and keep the beautiful 960's running is relatively simple.
About the biggest issue I have to pay attention to is the timing belt being changed on my particular year 960 every 30,000 miles.

Love the 960's so much I am looking for a good condition 960 wagon to go with my sedan!

 

I have owned 3 960's, all of which I would buy back. The most common problems I seen were:

1. Power seat travel. Simple cable adjustment.
2. Coil pack failures.
3. Ignition switch failures. $59 part.
4. Sunroof leaking. Sealed the gasket.
5. Light bulb failure in parking lights up front.
6. Sway bar end links.
7. P0420 code for secondary air injection system fault. No preformance issues.

Very smooth cars and I have almost all of my land speed travel records in them (I did get 1 speeding ticket in one once). Never left me on the side of the road, easy to work on, and super nice and quiet.

Tell them that you do not want the car running next time you go to see it. The car should start and run smooth. I have heard that some have some kind of manifold leaks and fuel rail leaks but I have never experienced any.

I was getting 25 mpg around town and 31 mpg on the highway at 63 mph. Very smooth quiet car. I hope to have another one soon.

 

I've only had my '96 960 wagon 3 weeks but what a nice hwy driver this car is...I have had all the "issues" on this car fixed plus the gear shifter bushings replaced...no electrical issues but i do have the fuel rail leakage...Do not have it everyday and it only occurs on certain mornings for the first 15 mins or so...if its stop and go driving...if its hwy driving then it goes away or is never noticeable at hwy speeds.
So my Volvo guy says this is a known issue and would cost me abt $300 to have him do it. Going to have this done soon as i dont particulaly enjoy breathing gas fumes inside my car.
While I was unsure how much I would like this car coming from the 850 T5 Wagon and all that quick acceleration. The 960 and its RWD design isnt supposed to be the quickest thing down the line..and it isnt. However i do believe this car will outlast the newer FWD designs. I am enjoying the ride qualities that were lacking in my 850 so while it isn't quite as much fun...there is enjoyment in knowing I have a really nice driver that I hope to keep a good 10 yrs. ;-)

 

@ BNE, you don't have to fix that fuel rail leak due to odor, you can wait till it catches fire. That will end the problem.

I actually sold my 960 to get the T-5R wagon. I then sold my yellow T-5R sedan. I did need the money and wanted a wagon. I miss the 960 and hope to get another one soon.

 

Hmm I'll take that to really mean WTF am I waiting for????I was expecting you to say dont pay $300 when i could do it myself...well parts are on order and when it comes to the fuel system...I'm letting the pro handle it...should be fixed by early next week..;-)
Yeah my T-5 was just getting to be a money pit...and I am on a much tighter budget these days so I cant afford to be throwing anymore money at it...I'm no mechanic otherwise things would be alot different. It was a really fun car to drive and it is real fast but the design is in constant need of maintainence and repair and you will pay for all that driving fun... as opposed to the RWD class of Volvos They're just so much more durable.
Like I said earlier I really am enjoying the ride quality on the hwy...even the cruise control works..The list of things that were broken or in-operable on the 850 was just getting longer..'nuff said.
One indicator of how much less trouble the 960's and RWD Volvos are compared to their FWD bretheren is right here on this forum...If you go to the 850 subforum you'll notice how many more pages of technical problems that people post up abt than there are in the 960 sub forum....

 

You said a mouth full. I really don't have problems with either of my cars but my 740 GLE and 960's had a lot less to worry about.

 

I don't think that's a fair comparison; there are lot more 850s on the road than 960s.

 

A valid point ...I wonder what the actual production #'s are...there were alot of 900 series cars produced for many more yrs than the 850's were produced but again without hard numbers to back that up...its just a guess on my part...YMMV.
One aside....yesterday I went to fill the car with gas and I'll be dammned if it didnt take 20 gals.! I didnt think it had that capacity...the 850 holds 18 gals....so now I need to find some tech. specs for this engine as well...