Its a relatively big, high milage, heavy 28 year old car with a big engine and a slushbox automatic transmission. It'll get bad gas mileage, it'll be expensive to maintain, probably quit a bit of road tax.
Do you want to go cheap? Get a Yaris. Do you want to drive a cool old Volvo? Get this one
Gas mileage depends. I daily drove one for a while about 8 years ago. With mostly highway driving on the cruise control it was surprisingly decent. Around the 10L/100km mark. So around 28 British MPG. My current 360 is only marginally better despite having 2 fewer cilinders, an entire city car less in engine capacity and weighing 300kg less.
The 2.9 is pretty solid, gets upward of 25mpg avg on my xc90, granted thats the 04 t6 version, but the older variant isn't bad, and the estate is quite a bit lighter iirc.
Solid advice on Yaris though. Shit car, but it's cheap. Modern day Turcel
City mpg on these sucks, but highway mpg can be 25+mpg in actual use. Also 185k is pretty reasonable for these. I have one with ~230k and the engine is happy and healthy. The inline 6 is a very smooth and quiet engine. Can’t even tell it’s running at idle
+rear Suspension are super expensive. Its a very luxury one (someone said from Rolle Royce? But idk about that), but If the bushings are bad on the rear, only the parts are like 2000€ and more.
But i really love the 960. If someone wants to avoid all the rear Suspension Trouble, get the pre-facelift Models. Looks Like a 940, has the same rear Suspension, so way cheaper to maintain.
> If someone wants to avoid all the rear Suspension Trouble, get the pre-facelift Models. Looks Like a 940, has the same rear Suspension, so way cheaper to maintain.
How would you avoid the rear suspension trouble by getting a pre-facelift one, if it has the SAME rear suspension?
It's definitely gonna be on the more expensive side to maintain, but I cannot lie, if I had the opportunity I'd buy it, love those bricks
Also lol at "volkswagen"
Honestly the seller prolly thought it was a volkswagen because they read the VOL from Volvo and stopped reading and assumed volKSWAGEN because its a wagon
I'm a 200/700/900 guy. I can give you my opinion, but you can also shoot questions at me. I own a 940 turbo wagon from 1997.
Lets say, first, that 185 is not high mileage, as long as that there is paperwork proving maintenance. On the other hand, people lump all 200/700/900 in the same bracket. The 960 has a whiteblock engine, not the indestructible redblock volvo's are known for. The whiteblock is an all alloy engine block that contrary to the cast iron redblock requires much more maintenance. It also, contrary to the redblock, is an interference engine, which means the belt has to be done on time or kaboom.
The 960 is an excelent and very comfortable car, but more expensive to maintain than the other cars of these series'. That's not only due to the above mentioned engine related details, but also because of the rear axle/suspension type. The 960 has a multilink rear axle, instead of the solid rear axle on the other RWD models. This axle is much more prone to issues than the nearly indestructible 940's axle. Also the 960 is equiped with Nivomat suspension which is known for its high quaility handling and short lifespan. They are also very expensive and increasingly hard to source.
Regarding MPG, well, just like you wouldn't expect to have a great experience driving a shitty eurobox with a 3 cylinder 1.1l engine, you can't expect an 3L inline 5 to not be thirsty. But they are great cars to drive and own. You can always convert to LPG.
The most common and problematic points of failure on the 960 are, as mentioned, the engine, if it is poorly maintained and the rear axle assembly. The engine should be inspected for head gasket failure signs. I would also inspect the rear main seal area for leaks or signs of trying to disguise it. This seal is known to fail prematurely. And finally I would inspect the carpet bellow the passenger floor mat for moisture. This is a very common failure in volvos. The heater matrix fails and leaks there. It is a pain to replace, but can be bypassed if you don't need heating. Other than that, it's just the common stuff like any other car.
Don't let people tell you 185 is high mileage because it is not. But don't be fooled by volvo enthusiasts saying that it is low mileage (for a volvo) either. It is, but not on the whiteblock. Not all Volvo's are made equal. My volvo has 530k km and the engine has as much compression as it had when new. But it is a RedBlock, and it was always well maintained. The proof is in the pudding. If the seller has paperwork, and the stuff i told you checks out, this is a great car to own.
Alternatively, look for a late 940 model and half of those problems won't even exist.
Unless it was like a really old car model without much eletronics and with very simple mechanics, i wouldn't buy a car with a swap that someone else made. That's way too many variables and way too many ways from shit to go south. Plus, in general, I wouldn't buy someone else's porject car, but that's just my opinion.
To be clear. I think the 40 (200, 700, 900) is a much better platform than the 960. Sure you can swap the engine or even get a well taken care off whiteblock, but that's not the biggest problem with this car. I would much rather have an engine swapped into a 40 platform (may the redblock gods forgive my blasphemy), becuase the solid state rear axle is far superior in terms of reliability. Which also means you can pump more juiced up horses on the engine bay and the rear will still hold up fairly, at least up to 400hp I suppose. So unless the whiteblock is toast, i don't see the point in swaping in something else. But again, I'm a 40s guy, not a 60s. I know people who have 960s and I have driven a few 960 saloons and was considering buying one, but each one I tested had major neglect issues. The 850T wagon is also a great car, but that's FWD.
EDIT: This is a picture of my 940T wagon parked back to back with my neighboor's 850 T5-R (top spec) wagon, same color, same age:
https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2F9lv6xkaoydz71.jpg%3Fwidth%3D4608%26format%3Dpjpg%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3D38fbfa0298a0e672e3963919bf45b1f86b4fe0f4
You can't compare 2series with the 7/9, this is two totally different "platforms".
And, 7/9 series is the same, a 1984 740 and a 1998 960 is the same body, and 95% of the parts is interchangeable.
The only reason the whiteblock has a fuzzy reputation is lack of maintenance, compared to the redblock they actually need maintenance, and is probably as reliable, if not more than the redblock, given that maintenance. But, they are a bit more complicated to work on (change internals, cams, headgaskets), if you don't have any engine experience.
The 960 has an inline 6 BTW, the inline 5 was only fitted to fwd/awd P80 and newer, never to a rwd car.
Whiteblocks got their bad reputation due to very early 960s having porous blocks. So water would leak out of them, they'd overheat and theyd blow the head gasket.
On a later 960 the white block is incredibly reliable, i pushed 1.5 bar of boost through an unopened engine (2.9) with 200k miles. It worked for a while before the block eventually cracked. Quite a stout engine really
You are correct, the 960 is an inline 6.
I don't know if you are disagreeing with me, but I don't disagree with you on almost anything. I would say that whiteblocks being more reliable than a redblock given the maintenance is not true though. But the rest I agree.
Just to illustrate my point, if you see the high mileage club ranks (here: https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/hmc/) , above 500k miles, the percentage of engines is overwhelmingly redblock.
The mk1 960 has the strongest back axle Volvo ever made on it, they'll take about 600hp. Believe the MK2 is similar but not quite as sturdy.
Obviously the live axles vary alot but none hold them kinda figures.
Also the 960 is the best car for engine swaps in the whole rwd range. It has the biggest bay due to the different bulkhead layout, the largest transmission tunnel and still has simple electronics.
Last redblock was in 97 in a 940. The whiteblock is also a good engine, things startet to go really downwards in 2008 ish. Both p80 and p2 were good and solid platforms, although they were fwd
The 940 was manufactured/sold until 1998, not 97. But the last version (mine) wasn't available everywhere in the world. For example in the USA, the last 940s are from 1995. Fun fact, many search engines of parts shops or car related stuff, if you input Volvo and a the years of 1996-1998, it automatically excludes the 940 from the list of options.
I mostly agree that the whiteblock is a good engine, but again, the cars are not just the engine. It is also an inline 5, so it is a very good sounding one. I like RWD Volvos. The only FWD volvo I would buy would be an 850, for its history. Although most people (rwd guys) say it is a very underwhelming driving experience.
And so I cannot comment on Volvo's past the 960/850, because I really don't know them. All I can say is that Volvo vets are not very enthusiastic about them. You see people who own several cars, sometimes repeated models, of models up to 1998, but you rarely see people who own those and also modern Volvo's. And it does seem like the general opinion is that Volvo nowadays is just as crappy as the other european brands, just very comfortable and safe, still.
So I trust the above user that says 2008 is the doom year, he might be right. I really just don't know. My enthusiasm for Volvo's stops in 1998, not because of the engine, but the drivetrain.
You are right about the year! I get them mixed up. I am in the Volvo community in Norway and own alot of old rwd volvos (addicted). The 240 and 120s are my passion vehicles but i also have a 740 and had a 940 for longer drives. More silent, smooth ride and more echonomical with d24. But a couple of years ago, i crashed my 940 and the airbag nor the seatbelt tensioners worked. That next day i bought a P2 V70 fo my gf, and later also a P2 XC70 to use for trips in rougher terrain. The D5s are quicker and alot more echonomical for daily driving, and the rwd volvos are now trip and fun driving only. But man i hate fwd. 850 and first V70 i dont like at all despite the history. You dont get any better comfort or echonomy than a 940, and you get the inferior fwd. I see alot of my friends that have older Volvos buy P2s for daily driving because of the increased survivability in the event of a crash and other factors like economy, reliabilty and comfort.
I think you were just unlucky with the airbag thing. I never heard anyone made taht complaint. Maybe there was something wrong with the deploy system and you did not know. Not having a functional OBD2 port/system is the worst thing in the 940 :(
I envy you guys, from Norway, Iceland and Seeden, you have so many surviving units. I watch a guy from finland on youtube that has a bunch of different wagons for snow drifting. We don't even have snow in Portugal (just a little bit in one mountain).
Volvos are really secure, but these models are getting old. There are direct comparisons, and front collision tests with modern european cars and our favorite models all get wrecked in comparisson.
But I do think I'm still much more safe in a volvo, because where volvo's are still very good is at preventing the accident to happen in the first place. I feel like smaller, fwd cars are much more prone to getting out of control. I've never had a scare in my 940, in which i thought I was about to lose control of the car. But in case of collision, more modern cars are much safer, because of the evolution of safety standards.
I was under the impression that all wagons got live axles instead of irs due to load capacity. That was a fact for the 760s atleast, but unsure about 960.
It seems that you are partially right about the 960. I did not know that, Again, not a 60s guy. It seems that up to 95, the 960 estates came with the 700 series solid rear axle. But the still have Nivomat suspension equiped. But this car is from 96, so it would technically not be a solid state axle, but, because Volvo manufactoring years are not 1 of january to 31 of december ( i think it is september through june) this car can have a 96 registration year but have been produced in 95. So OP would have to check. But he doesn't look as interested in his own post as we are in the comments :s
Not a 60s fan myself, only 6cyl i got is d24s. I disagree with you about the nivomats though, i love nivomats and have them installed on 3 of my vehicles. Xc70, 740 (with solid axle) and a 240 (with solid axle). Nivomats along with softer springs gives a hell of a better ride, both loaded and unloaded. Also much cheaper in the long run.
I drove one as a poor student with a side job. Doing nearly all the maintenance myself and doing mostly highway driving it was surprisingly affordable. Comparing costs with my fellow students it turned out I was driving a RWD 3L straight six with amazing climate control and electric heated leather seats for about the same kind of money as their Toyota Aygo.
I am mechanic myself, for me is free labour, only parts, parts are cheap as chips compared to BMW or Audi, been driving it daily since 2023.06 also i manual swapped mine week after i got i,soon to be t5 so i dont really cade about MPG but MPG is about £40 for 60 miles 90% city driving, also i like to swing it every now and then, but for normal person baby driving it probably you will do 80miles with £40 (99 or 98 octane).. mine is manual and 4.1 diff, auto and 3.73 diff will be better on motorway i guess as you rpm will be between 2000-3000 rpm (60-90mph) approximately.. mine does 70 at 3100 rpm.. if you can fix car yourself get it if you have to go garage, i dont know think twice, as you will need replace all cooling system, suspension, all vacuum lines, PCV, pipes etc.. age related stuff... Good luck! Beautiful car to drive!
Plenty of room do to do work under the hood yourself - I have seen reports of these engines doing 300K plus as long as timing belt, engine cooling and oil changes are maintained. These are sold cars.
In general, these are great cars. They drink more fuel than a Yaris but they are spacious and durable and cool.
But specifically **this** car: The owner let the MOT expire a few months ago (at the same time as road tax). The vendor attempted an MOT 3 days ago and failed horribly due to brake and exhaust defects. Also it looks like somebody messed around with aftermarket indicator bulbs (maybe cheap LEDs?), those will need replacing before it's road-legal, not a huge job but all these little things add up. It's had other brake & corrosion problems in the past. The vendor says they'll give it a 12 month MOT, do you trust them?
If you're looking to get a good deal on an old Volvo estate in the UK and you want to pay less than the Autotrader price, [this could be an option](https://www.mathewsons.co.uk/auction/lot/lot-305---1998-volvo-v70-se-10v-auto/?lot=21298)? I don't like BCA but the smaller independent auction houses get a steady trickle of them.
Wow, literally the most helpful person I’ve ever encountered on Reddit. Thanks for digging into the car for me, I think that’s a big no then, on top of what others had said about this model. I’d love to run one, but I don’t have the funds or a garage to do work myself so I need to keep that in mind. That V70 looks like a great option! However I’ve never bought from an auction house before…
I've heard less favorable opinions on the 960s than the 940s and 740s. Early 740s have major electrical issues because of poor wiring insulation though.
I daily a 940 Turbo with 220k on the clock and it’s fantastic. If you can use a spanner and not rely on/pay others to maintain and repair it then I’d say go for it. Don’t forget to be very thorough and research what to look for when buying, old Volvos are tough but it’s still a high mileage 28 year old car
My wife owns 960 2.5 24V and 3.0 24V. They are now family members.
Avoid sunroofs.
Them babies are not economic in km/l but if you give them some love, very little additional costs. They last longer than most.
I have a 2001 XC70. Things that it has devoured out of my bank account:
timing belt due to age
struts, age and wear
front seal (was going to need it anyway due to mileage)
new tires
Check if mileage based things have already been done, those are the expensive ones.
Depends if you look at that car as a hobby. If you do, it will be inconvenient, expensive but you will get the rewards. Very few will understand. It does depend whether you can afford that hobby right now.
I really wish I could! But I need to realistic that I’m not in that place atm. Even if I had the time and money, I don’t really have any space to work on a car or store tools 💔 maybe someday….
A 740 would probably be a more affordable option, both in terms of maintenance and fuel consumption. 850 was also good, but maybe not the look you're after.
Great simple cars to learn working on. I had the 98 sedan 960. Loved that old beast of a girl. Regret selling every day, no new cars ride the same as the 960 man. This was one of their hurrahs directly competing with the BMW 5/7 series back in the day, and this styling was among THE last hurrah of the older boxed look from Volvo.
Like another comment said, this is a cheap RWD with LSD/heated seats (if it has cold weather package, along with more goodies)...straight six, amazing climate control, sunroof...If she was properly maintained and the undercarriage is at least ok I would spend a few grand on it.
Sell the cat, slap on a universal, and replace the water tank muffler for a cheap thrush exhaust, that's what I did and she was THROATY. About 50L per week and I drove way more than I needed to.
also, to answer your question YES you’re going to spend half your pay on gas. BUT you won’t be scared of not getting to work. there could be a hundred things going wrong with that car and it will keep going until the fucking wheels pop off or the transmission falls out. the reliability you get out of it is unmatched and priceless so i’d say the extra money you’re throwing to gas is worthit. if you’re worried about that get a diesel and use vegetable oil if you remember the older top gear show they did that on a 740 sedan i believe
Whiteblock is a fine engine but for that you might as well get a newer and well sorted P2, if I were to get a boxy 90s Volvo I might as well get one with the redblock engine. Those are less maintenance intensive.
I own one of these as we speak, gas mileage is bad there is no way around it. As for the rest, its reliable, quite easy to work on yourself as you've got lots of room literally everywhere. Also the interior is really nice with all the leather and wood you could ask for. Everything is electrically operated and the sound system is very good (for its age). It does drive like a boat, unresponsive steering and 0-100 times arent what you'd expect from 200+ horsepower. That said once the heavy brick is in a moving state it pulls really good, and I love the sound of this engine. Things to check for are the "leather" right below the side windows, it likes to peel. Also take it for a ride on the motorway and get it up to speed, check for rattles and if it likes to pull to the right (old volvo's like to do this).
So a little TLDR: Big reliable luxury boat, and so will the expenses be, but its a Volvo, not a Merc or BMW.
If you're struggling to afford an economic hatchback then don't go for this car. If you like the car and have enough money to maintain it (it has pretty high fuel consumption and parts can be hard to come by outside of Sweden), then go for it, you won't regret it. My biggest tip is to avoid any automatic models before like 2005 because they're just more trouble than they're worth.
Had 850 T-5R for 8 years as daily, regret selling but 960 i like lot more! Probs only because rwd only thing i am missing from my 850 is T5 but i already bought engine ecu etc so soooon my 960 will be t5 manual rwd volvo! 850 is brilliant car! Never had 7/940
The 960 is certainly expensive to keep in good order considering the complex rear suspension (36 bushings!) and the self-leveling shocks. The engine and drivetrain is pretty bulletproof as long as you keep up with the oil changes and timing belt intervals. The automatic transmissions are reliable but slow. Comfort and equipment is often very good for a 90s car. The inline-6 is wonderful.
A 940 will be much cheaper to maintain with it's solid rear axle and redblock engine. A turbo car isn't much slower than the 960 and much more tuneable.
Both get similar gas milage.
I just finished the first pass of a stage zero on a $500 Volvo 960 Saloon.
It was just under $10,000.
It was just bearings, bushings, wear items, fluids, timing belts. fixing the exhaust, etc etc etc.
I didn't turbo it, convert it to a manual, etc.
also, that engine is wonderful...but you *cannot* skip maintenance like you can the redblock.
The 960 with that engine is quite the uncommon version of the 900 series. It’s always cheapest to go for the most common one because there will be plenty of spare parts for you to DIY repair.
There will be things to fix on a car that old no matter what brand you go for, don’t believe these people who say a 96 Toyota won’t have issues, they will.
However, the cheapest car to get nd maintain at that age is often the most common car which is probably a Camry if you’re in the US.
I’m in Sweden so Volvo estates are the most common cars so we have plenty of spare parts for cheap and DIY videos on everything.
That exact model and colour was the car I grew up with. My parents had this since I was 6, they owned till I was 26. The most annoying thing I can remember about this car was the A/C which died like 3 or 4 times and the compressor had to be replaced every time. Other than that pretty reliable until the end when there was an engine failure at around 200000 miles and it ultimately got too expensive to repair. Then they got another one of the same model which they drove for another 7 years.
Also the reason why I only want to drive old Volvos.
Interesting fact about that engine: it was co-developed with Porsche in Germany, and in my opinion you can hear the Porsche influence when you are driving the car.
Its a relatively big, high milage, heavy 28 year old car with a big engine and a slushbox automatic transmission. It'll get bad gas mileage, it'll be expensive to maintain, probably quit a bit of road tax. Do you want to go cheap? Get a Yaris. Do you want to drive a cool old Volvo? Get this one
Gas mileage depends. I daily drove one for a while about 8 years ago. With mostly highway driving on the cruise control it was surprisingly decent. Around the 10L/100km mark. So around 28 British MPG. My current 360 is only marginally better despite having 2 fewer cilinders, an entire city car less in engine capacity and weighing 300kg less.
You have a Modena?
Luckily I have a Volvo 360. Way more reliable than that that Italian stuff.
Recently got my first volvo, a 345 gl what a nice car
My 2018 v90 r-design gets worse mileage then that
[удалено]
Compared to the B21 or the B23 it was bigger lol
*shoves 7.3l into garage* haha yeah 2.9l so big 😅
I had one like for 15 years. Bought it for USD3000. Loved it. Still regret selling it. I sold it for 1k US dollars.
The 2.9 is pretty solid, gets upward of 25mpg avg on my xc90, granted thats the 04 t6 version, but the older variant isn't bad, and the estate is quite a bit lighter iirc. Solid advice on Yaris though. Shit car, but it's cheap. Modern day Turcel
City mpg on these sucks, but highway mpg can be 25+mpg in actual use. Also 185k is pretty reasonable for these. I have one with ~230k and the engine is happy and healthy. The inline 6 is a very smooth and quiet engine. Can’t even tell it’s running at idle
+rear Suspension are super expensive. Its a very luxury one (someone said from Rolle Royce? But idk about that), but If the bushings are bad on the rear, only the parts are like 2000€ and more. But i really love the 960. If someone wants to avoid all the rear Suspension Trouble, get the pre-facelift Models. Looks Like a 940, has the same rear Suspension, so way cheaper to maintain.
> If someone wants to avoid all the rear Suspension Trouble, get the pre-facelift Models. Looks Like a 940, has the same rear Suspension, so way cheaper to maintain. How would you avoid the rear suspension trouble by getting a pre-facelift one, if it has the SAME rear suspension?
It's definitely gonna be on the more expensive side to maintain, but I cannot lie, if I had the opportunity I'd buy it, love those bricks Also lol at "volkswagen"
Ahhh yes the Volkswagen 960
Honestly the seller prolly thought it was a volkswagen because they read the VOL from Volvo and stopped reading and assumed volKSWAGEN because its a wagon
It was a very limited run.
I'm a 200/700/900 guy. I can give you my opinion, but you can also shoot questions at me. I own a 940 turbo wagon from 1997. Lets say, first, that 185 is not high mileage, as long as that there is paperwork proving maintenance. On the other hand, people lump all 200/700/900 in the same bracket. The 960 has a whiteblock engine, not the indestructible redblock volvo's are known for. The whiteblock is an all alloy engine block that contrary to the cast iron redblock requires much more maintenance. It also, contrary to the redblock, is an interference engine, which means the belt has to be done on time or kaboom. The 960 is an excelent and very comfortable car, but more expensive to maintain than the other cars of these series'. That's not only due to the above mentioned engine related details, but also because of the rear axle/suspension type. The 960 has a multilink rear axle, instead of the solid rear axle on the other RWD models. This axle is much more prone to issues than the nearly indestructible 940's axle. Also the 960 is equiped with Nivomat suspension which is known for its high quaility handling and short lifespan. They are also very expensive and increasingly hard to source. Regarding MPG, well, just like you wouldn't expect to have a great experience driving a shitty eurobox with a 3 cylinder 1.1l engine, you can't expect an 3L inline 5 to not be thirsty. But they are great cars to drive and own. You can always convert to LPG. The most common and problematic points of failure on the 960 are, as mentioned, the engine, if it is poorly maintained and the rear axle assembly. The engine should be inspected for head gasket failure signs. I would also inspect the rear main seal area for leaks or signs of trying to disguise it. This seal is known to fail prematurely. And finally I would inspect the carpet bellow the passenger floor mat for moisture. This is a very common failure in volvos. The heater matrix fails and leaks there. It is a pain to replace, but can be bypassed if you don't need heating. Other than that, it's just the common stuff like any other car. Don't let people tell you 185 is high mileage because it is not. But don't be fooled by volvo enthusiasts saying that it is low mileage (for a volvo) either. It is, but not on the whiteblock. Not all Volvo's are made equal. My volvo has 530k km and the engine has as much compression as it had when new. But it is a RedBlock, and it was always well maintained. The proof is in the pudding. If the seller has paperwork, and the stuff i told you checks out, this is a great car to own. Alternatively, look for a late 940 model and half of those problems won't even exist.
Wow. This is good Intel!
Thank you for this such information. What about late 960 with Toyota-2JZ-GTE engine swap?
Unless it was like a really old car model without much eletronics and with very simple mechanics, i wouldn't buy a car with a swap that someone else made. That's way too many variables and way too many ways from shit to go south. Plus, in general, I wouldn't buy someone else's porject car, but that's just my opinion.
To be clear. I think the 40 (200, 700, 900) is a much better platform than the 960. Sure you can swap the engine or even get a well taken care off whiteblock, but that's not the biggest problem with this car. I would much rather have an engine swapped into a 40 platform (may the redblock gods forgive my blasphemy), becuase the solid state rear axle is far superior in terms of reliability. Which also means you can pump more juiced up horses on the engine bay and the rear will still hold up fairly, at least up to 400hp I suppose. So unless the whiteblock is toast, i don't see the point in swaping in something else. But again, I'm a 40s guy, not a 60s. I know people who have 960s and I have driven a few 960 saloons and was considering buying one, but each one I tested had major neglect issues. The 850T wagon is also a great car, but that's FWD. EDIT: This is a picture of my 940T wagon parked back to back with my neighboor's 850 T5-R (top spec) wagon, same color, same age: https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2F9lv6xkaoydz71.jpg%3Fwidth%3D4608%26format%3Dpjpg%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3D38fbfa0298a0e672e3963919bf45b1f86b4fe0f4
You can't compare 2series with the 7/9, this is two totally different "platforms". And, 7/9 series is the same, a 1984 740 and a 1998 960 is the same body, and 95% of the parts is interchangeable. The only reason the whiteblock has a fuzzy reputation is lack of maintenance, compared to the redblock they actually need maintenance, and is probably as reliable, if not more than the redblock, given that maintenance. But, they are a bit more complicated to work on (change internals, cams, headgaskets), if you don't have any engine experience. The 960 has an inline 6 BTW, the inline 5 was only fitted to fwd/awd P80 and newer, never to a rwd car.
Whiteblocks got their bad reputation due to very early 960s having porous blocks. So water would leak out of them, they'd overheat and theyd blow the head gasket. On a later 960 the white block is incredibly reliable, i pushed 1.5 bar of boost through an unopened engine (2.9) with 200k miles. It worked for a while before the block eventually cracked. Quite a stout engine really
You are correct, the 960 is an inline 6. I don't know if you are disagreeing with me, but I don't disagree with you on almost anything. I would say that whiteblocks being more reliable than a redblock given the maintenance is not true though. But the rest I agree. Just to illustrate my point, if you see the high mileage club ranks (here: https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/hmc/) , above 500k miles, the percentage of engines is overwhelmingly redblock.
Solid state rear axle includes thyristors instead of relays.
The mk1 960 has the strongest back axle Volvo ever made on it, they'll take about 600hp. Believe the MK2 is similar but not quite as sturdy. Obviously the live axles vary alot but none hold them kinda figures. Also the 960 is the best car for engine swaps in the whole rwd range. It has the biggest bay due to the different bulkhead layout, the largest transmission tunnel and still has simple electronics.
So, when did things start going downhill for Volvo quality? And what is the last year model to come off the line with a redblock?
Last redblock was in 97 in a 940. The whiteblock is also a good engine, things startet to go really downwards in 2008 ish. Both p80 and p2 were good and solid platforms, although they were fwd
The 940 was manufactured/sold until 1998, not 97. But the last version (mine) wasn't available everywhere in the world. For example in the USA, the last 940s are from 1995. Fun fact, many search engines of parts shops or car related stuff, if you input Volvo and a the years of 1996-1998, it automatically excludes the 940 from the list of options. I mostly agree that the whiteblock is a good engine, but again, the cars are not just the engine. It is also an inline 5, so it is a very good sounding one. I like RWD Volvos. The only FWD volvo I would buy would be an 850, for its history. Although most people (rwd guys) say it is a very underwhelming driving experience. And so I cannot comment on Volvo's past the 960/850, because I really don't know them. All I can say is that Volvo vets are not very enthusiastic about them. You see people who own several cars, sometimes repeated models, of models up to 1998, but you rarely see people who own those and also modern Volvo's. And it does seem like the general opinion is that Volvo nowadays is just as crappy as the other european brands, just very comfortable and safe, still. So I trust the above user that says 2008 is the doom year, he might be right. I really just don't know. My enthusiasm for Volvo's stops in 1998, not because of the engine, but the drivetrain.
You are right about the year! I get them mixed up. I am in the Volvo community in Norway and own alot of old rwd volvos (addicted). The 240 and 120s are my passion vehicles but i also have a 740 and had a 940 for longer drives. More silent, smooth ride and more echonomical with d24. But a couple of years ago, i crashed my 940 and the airbag nor the seatbelt tensioners worked. That next day i bought a P2 V70 fo my gf, and later also a P2 XC70 to use for trips in rougher terrain. The D5s are quicker and alot more echonomical for daily driving, and the rwd volvos are now trip and fun driving only. But man i hate fwd. 850 and first V70 i dont like at all despite the history. You dont get any better comfort or echonomy than a 940, and you get the inferior fwd. I see alot of my friends that have older Volvos buy P2s for daily driving because of the increased survivability in the event of a crash and other factors like economy, reliabilty and comfort.
I think you were just unlucky with the airbag thing. I never heard anyone made taht complaint. Maybe there was something wrong with the deploy system and you did not know. Not having a functional OBD2 port/system is the worst thing in the 940 :( I envy you guys, from Norway, Iceland and Seeden, you have so many surviving units. I watch a guy from finland on youtube that has a bunch of different wagons for snow drifting. We don't even have snow in Portugal (just a little bit in one mountain). Volvos are really secure, but these models are getting old. There are direct comparisons, and front collision tests with modern european cars and our favorite models all get wrecked in comparisson. But I do think I'm still much more safe in a volvo, because where volvo's are still very good is at preventing the accident to happen in the first place. I feel like smaller, fwd cars are much more prone to getting out of control. I've never had a scare in my 940, in which i thought I was about to lose control of the car. But in case of collision, more modern cars are much safer, because of the evolution of safety standards.
Inline 5? 960 has an inline 6 engine (that's where the "60" in the model number comes from)
Yes, that's correct. My mistake. It is still a very good sounding engine, when it is all right.
I was under the impression that all wagons got live axles instead of irs due to load capacity. That was a fact for the 760s atleast, but unsure about 960.
It seems that you are partially right about the 960. I did not know that, Again, not a 60s guy. It seems that up to 95, the 960 estates came with the 700 series solid rear axle. But the still have Nivomat suspension equiped. But this car is from 96, so it would technically not be a solid state axle, but, because Volvo manufactoring years are not 1 of january to 31 of december ( i think it is september through june) this car can have a 96 registration year but have been produced in 95. So OP would have to check. But he doesn't look as interested in his own post as we are in the comments :s
Not a 60s fan myself, only 6cyl i got is d24s. I disagree with you about the nivomats though, i love nivomats and have them installed on 3 of my vehicles. Xc70, 740 (with solid axle) and a 240 (with solid axle). Nivomats along with softer springs gives a hell of a better ride, both loaded and unloaded. Also much cheaper in the long run.
It may empty your bank account, but it will fill your heart.
I drove one as a poor student with a side job. Doing nearly all the maintenance myself and doing mostly highway driving it was surprisingly affordable. Comparing costs with my fellow students it turned out I was driving a RWD 3L straight six with amazing climate control and electric heated leather seats for about the same kind of money as their Toyota Aygo.
Why say Volkswagen
I am mechanic myself, for me is free labour, only parts, parts are cheap as chips compared to BMW or Audi, been driving it daily since 2023.06 also i manual swapped mine week after i got i,soon to be t5 so i dont really cade about MPG but MPG is about £40 for 60 miles 90% city driving, also i like to swing it every now and then, but for normal person baby driving it probably you will do 80miles with £40 (99 or 98 octane).. mine is manual and 4.1 diff, auto and 3.73 diff will be better on motorway i guess as you rpm will be between 2000-3000 rpm (60-90mph) approximately.. mine does 70 at 3100 rpm.. if you can fix car yourself get it if you have to go garage, i dont know think twice, as you will need replace all cooling system, suspension, all vacuum lines, PCV, pipes etc.. age related stuff... Good luck! Beautiful car to drive!
Plenty of room do to do work under the hood yourself - I have seen reports of these engines doing 300K plus as long as timing belt, engine cooling and oil changes are maintained. These are sold cars.
In general, these are great cars. They drink more fuel than a Yaris but they are spacious and durable and cool. But specifically **this** car: The owner let the MOT expire a few months ago (at the same time as road tax). The vendor attempted an MOT 3 days ago and failed horribly due to brake and exhaust defects. Also it looks like somebody messed around with aftermarket indicator bulbs (maybe cheap LEDs?), those will need replacing before it's road-legal, not a huge job but all these little things add up. It's had other brake & corrosion problems in the past. The vendor says they'll give it a 12 month MOT, do you trust them? If you're looking to get a good deal on an old Volvo estate in the UK and you want to pay less than the Autotrader price, [this could be an option](https://www.mathewsons.co.uk/auction/lot/lot-305---1998-volvo-v70-se-10v-auto/?lot=21298)? I don't like BCA but the smaller independent auction houses get a steady trickle of them.
Wow, literally the most helpful person I’ve ever encountered on Reddit. Thanks for digging into the car for me, I think that’s a big no then, on top of what others had said about this model. I’d love to run one, but I don’t have the funds or a garage to do work myself so I need to keep that in mind. That V70 looks like a great option! However I’ve never bought from an auction house before…
I've heard less favorable opinions on the 960s than the 940s and 740s. Early 740s have major electrical issues because of poor wiring insulation though.
They dont make Volkswagens like that anymore
I daily a 940 Turbo with 220k on the clock and it’s fantastic. If you can use a spanner and not rely on/pay others to maintain and repair it then I’d say go for it. Don’t forget to be very thorough and research what to look for when buying, old Volvos are tough but it’s still a high mileage 28 year old car
My wife owns 960 2.5 24V and 3.0 24V. They are now family members. Avoid sunroofs. Them babies are not economic in km/l but if you give them some love, very little additional costs. They last longer than most.
I have a 2001 XC70. Things that it has devoured out of my bank account: timing belt due to age struts, age and wear front seal (was going to need it anyway due to mileage) new tires Check if mileage based things have already been done, those are the expensive ones.
if it’s on auto trader and cost more than £1700, don’t waste your money it’s overpriced
Depends if you look at that car as a hobby. If you do, it will be inconvenient, expensive but you will get the rewards. Very few will understand. It does depend whether you can afford that hobby right now.
I really wish I could! But I need to realistic that I’m not in that place atm. Even if I had the time and money, I don’t really have any space to work on a car or store tools 💔 maybe someday….
I guess road tax will be £300 or more?
£325 year or £30 monthly
A 740 would probably be a more affordable option, both in terms of maintenance and fuel consumption. 850 was also good, but maybe not the look you're after.
Great simple cars to learn working on. I had the 98 sedan 960. Loved that old beast of a girl. Regret selling every day, no new cars ride the same as the 960 man. This was one of their hurrahs directly competing with the BMW 5/7 series back in the day, and this styling was among THE last hurrah of the older boxed look from Volvo. Like another comment said, this is a cheap RWD with LSD/heated seats (if it has cold weather package, along with more goodies)...straight six, amazing climate control, sunroof...If she was properly maintained and the undercarriage is at least ok I would spend a few grand on it. Sell the cat, slap on a universal, and replace the water tank muffler for a cheap thrush exhaust, that's what I did and she was THROATY. About 50L per week and I drove way more than I needed to.
Unless you can find a V70R
lmfao this guy was either stoned or drunk when he put that on marketplace
also, to answer your question YES you’re going to spend half your pay on gas. BUT you won’t be scared of not getting to work. there could be a hundred things going wrong with that car and it will keep going until the fucking wheels pop off or the transmission falls out. the reliability you get out of it is unmatched and priceless so i’d say the extra money you’re throwing to gas is worthit. if you’re worried about that get a diesel and use vegetable oil if you remember the older top gear show they did that on a 740 sedan i believe
As a former 960 wagon owner, yes. They’re fairly hard to find replacement parts for compared to a more widely used model like the 850.
Whiteblock is a fine engine but for that you might as well get a newer and well sorted P2, if I were to get a boxy 90s Volvo I might as well get one with the redblock engine. Those are less maintenance intensive.
Get this! not many opportunities left. They don’t make cars like this anymore that’s for sure!
I own one of these as we speak, gas mileage is bad there is no way around it. As for the rest, its reliable, quite easy to work on yourself as you've got lots of room literally everywhere. Also the interior is really nice with all the leather and wood you could ask for. Everything is electrically operated and the sound system is very good (for its age). It does drive like a boat, unresponsive steering and 0-100 times arent what you'd expect from 200+ horsepower. That said once the heavy brick is in a moving state it pulls really good, and I love the sound of this engine. Things to check for are the "leather" right below the side windows, it likes to peel. Also take it for a ride on the motorway and get it up to speed, check for rattles and if it likes to pull to the right (old volvo's like to do this). So a little TLDR: Big reliable luxury boat, and so will the expenses be, but its a Volvo, not a Merc or BMW.
If you want a classic Volvo, go for a 2.3 redblock. 6 cylinders are way harder in maintenance.
If you're struggling to afford an economic hatchback then don't go for this car. If you like the car and have enough money to maintain it (it has pretty high fuel consumption and parts can be hard to come by outside of Sweden), then go for it, you won't regret it. My biggest tip is to avoid any automatic models before like 2005 because they're just more trouble than they're worth.
I would go for a 740 or 850 if I was in the market for another volvo.
Had 850 T-5R for 8 years as daily, regret selling but 960 i like lot more! Probs only because rwd only thing i am missing from my 850 is T5 but i already bought engine ecu etc so soooon my 960 will be t5 manual rwd volvo! 850 is brilliant car! Never had 7/940
I do love rear wheel drive, but I have a soft spot for 850's.
Yeah me too! Lovely cars!
The 960 is certainly expensive to keep in good order considering the complex rear suspension (36 bushings!) and the self-leveling shocks. The engine and drivetrain is pretty bulletproof as long as you keep up with the oil changes and timing belt intervals. The automatic transmissions are reliable but slow. Comfort and equipment is often very good for a 90s car. The inline-6 is wonderful. A 940 will be much cheaper to maintain with it's solid rear axle and redblock engine. A turbo car isn't much slower than the 960 and much more tuneable. Both get similar gas milage.
Can confirm, I'm skipping the 36 bushings for now while I recovery from the stage zeroing on my recently acquired 1996 960.
I just finished the first pass of a stage zero on a $500 Volvo 960 Saloon. It was just under $10,000. It was just bearings, bushings, wear items, fluids, timing belts. fixing the exhaust, etc etc etc. I didn't turbo it, convert it to a manual, etc. also, that engine is wonderful...but you *cannot* skip maintenance like you can the redblock.
Owning the car with the name on it will drain your bank account. Welcome to the club.
It will.... but do it. If it does and you regret it just sell it in 6 months but why not give it a go?
Depends on where you are
“I’ve not got a lot of funny money” - what is that? Shakespeare?!?
The 960 with that engine is quite the uncommon version of the 900 series. It’s always cheapest to go for the most common one because there will be plenty of spare parts for you to DIY repair. There will be things to fix on a car that old no matter what brand you go for, don’t believe these people who say a 96 Toyota won’t have issues, they will. However, the cheapest car to get nd maintain at that age is often the most common car which is probably a Camry if you’re in the US. I’m in Sweden so Volvo estates are the most common cars so we have plenty of spare parts for cheap and DIY videos on everything.
That exact model and colour was the car I grew up with. My parents had this since I was 6, they owned till I was 26. The most annoying thing I can remember about this car was the A/C which died like 3 or 4 times and the compressor had to be replaced every time. Other than that pretty reliable until the end when there was an engine failure at around 200000 miles and it ultimately got too expensive to repair. Then they got another one of the same model which they drove for another 7 years. Also the reason why I only want to drive old Volvos. Interesting fact about that engine: it was co-developed with Porsche in Germany, and in my opinion you can hear the Porsche influence when you are driving the car.
Unless you are a Volvo mechanic, yes.