Lucky me... the proud new owner of a 1995 940 Turbo... off-white with graphite leather and sport rack (100k). I do have some initial new owner questions though.... any responses much appreciated.

1) Gasoline type? The owner’s book says that premium grade of 91 octane or higher is recommended. Is this based on real need... or just the ideal grade that might be used regardless of cost? Do bad things happen if one just uses unleaded ‘regular’?

2) Maintence Manual: Is the Chilton manual the best source of information for basic maintenance type things?

3) Paint remover? There is a slight amount of yellow highway paint splattered on the bottom panel... have to lean down to see it. Would kerosene based tar remover clean this up safely?

Generally I just love the car... but it does seem that compared to my 1980 240 wagon, Volvo is building lots of things out of plastic that used to be solid metal. Take the gas cover flap for instance... seems really flimsy compared to the 1980 version.

Also I’m miffed that most of the straps on the aircleaner box have broken off. Still being held down by a few... but that’ll need to get fixed. ($138 for the plastic box!... don’t suppose those could be found second hand anywhere?).

Congratulations: great car! (p.s. I have two of them, so I'm biased)

Gasoline: You could probably get by with 90 ethanol, but premium is specified because of the compression from the turbo. A lower octane will result in retarded ignition and lower performance.

Manual: Chiltons is the least valuable, although it does have all the trouble codes for the ECU. Buy the Volvo OEM wiring diagram, the Haynes European 940 manual (see EBay under "Volvo +manual") and a used Chiltons.

Paint remover: try soap and water first, then tar remover, then go to 3M adhesive remover spray. Sometimes mechanical scraping will work too (very carefully!) if the paint stuck to underlying wax.

Air box: see the 700/900 FAQ for a home fix for the broken clips

Other tips: use Mobil 1 synthetic and Mann filters; flush your tranny with Mobil 1 synthetic ATF; replace your p/s fluid with the same. See the FAQ for more information.

I can address two parts of your request. Gasoline in my experience with that vehicle...

- regular = 17 mpg, runs good
- premium 93 octane = 22.7 mpg, runs greeeat

clips on the air box cost about a buck apiece, buy a couple extra from the dealer, they can order them and have them overnight if you order before 11:00 a.m. If the grip area on the box is broken off - replace the box.

Congratulations on your new purchase.