been runninhg a 760 gle for a year now.
Thinking about a 960.What is highest spec 960?I recall there is a 24v version not sure though.
Any advice on what problems to look out for,block porosity for instance.

960 is the best used volvo out there. Of the breed I would choose 92-94 wagons. They combine the best of both worlds. All the body, interior and suspension parts are identical to 700/940s (NO IRS). Its easy to find parts at the junk yard. On my 94 960 have installed a front sway bar from a 92 960 sedan, rear sway bar from an 86 760 sedan, front aluminum control arms from 91 740 wagon, rear springs from a 740 wagon and a few interior bits from an 89 760. None of these parts are compatible with 95+ 960s. The whole porous block issue was resolved years ago. Those cars are off the road or have been repaired. People just love repeating that story. Keep in mind that 92-93 have 30k mile timing belt while 94s have 50k mile timing belt.
The drive train is bullet proof. There is no turbo to deal. Also unlike turbo Volvos, 960 runs on 87 octane while still returning 25+ MPG on the highway. All 960s in the US have a 3.0 litre 24 valve inline 6. 92-94 models have 200hp. 95+ was derated to 180hp.
Good luck

you sound like a 960 nut, I have a 93 and was going to sell it but have changed my mind,I have brake problems,have you ever run the drilled rotors, what sway bar should I run, and what brake pads, rear springs?

I'm a 960 fanatic. Can you be a little more specific about the brake problems? If I had to guess I would say your brake pedal pulsates in moderate to hard braking. This is a common problem with all 700s and 900s. The solution is to install new brake rotors and carefully measure disk run out when installing. Also torque the lug nuts to 63 foot lb. Don't let the tire guy use an air gun. There is a very good write up about this in the FAQ. I have not used drilled rotors and I would not recommend them. They will not resolve your brake problems and might have a few new ones. Unfortunately I have been reduced to replacing the front rotors almost every years. Its a fact of life with these cars if you do any sort of aggressive driving.

Sways bars depend if you have a sedan or wagon. 93 sedans have independent rear suspension and come equipped from the factory with 24mm front bar 18mm rear. Wagons have 23mm front, 16mm rear. Unfortunately there is nothing to upgrade on the sedan. Whats the fun in that? For the wagon you can install a 24mm front sedan bar if you can find it, and a 19mm rear bar from any number of 700 or 900 wagons. This is the setup I have on the wagon right now but I recently found an IPD 25mm rear bar in a local JY. If you have the money, you can but a sway bar kit from IPD with 25mm front and rear sway bars with poly bushings for the wagon only.

I removed the stock rear springs and self leveling shocks and replaced them with springs from a 740 wagon and conventional gas shocks. This is also a wagon only mod. I didn't like the ride and handling of the Nivomat self leveling shocks. If you go this route you have to replace the shocks and springs as a pair.

92-94 960 wagon has cast iron front control arms. Some 700s and 900s however were equipped with aluminum control arms. I found some at the JY but I have not installed them yet. I think this might yield a more compliant ride and better road feel but that's just a theory. Well worth trying out anyway. Aluminum control arms use a different kind of sway bar end link so be sure to also take that part along with the control arm. If you go to the trouble to replace the control arms, also install Polyurethane Strut Rod Bushings. The stock rubber bushings are a poor design and lead to steering wheel vibrations. There isn't a particular year or model that has aluminum. Take a look at all the 700s and 900s in the yard and you'll get an idea of how to identify the part. If in doubt use a small magnet to identify the control arm through the grime (iron with stick, aluminum will not). If you don't have a magnet handy use a stereo speaker.
Pictured below is an aluminum control arm. The end link on the aluminum control arm use 4 identical bushings. Iron control arm end links have 2 bushings at the top, and one vertical bushings at the bottom.
If you would like to discuss this further: jtantare@gmail.com
Good luck.
Justin

So.... notice any difference with the aluminum control arms? How do they compare weight-wise to the steel ones?

Oh.. and there is the ever elusive IPD rear bar for the Mk 1 IRS cars. In all likelyhood, it shouldn't be too hard to get one custom made.

--
alex

The jury is still out on the al control arms. I'm waiting for some new balljoints, bushings and tie rods before I install them. With any luck i'll be able to install everything this weekend. I'll have a full write up.

The major difference between the pre/post '95 wagons is that the Multilink-II system makes for a far superior handling or riding wagon right out of the box. My car feels rock solid stable at speeds well over 100 MPH.
--
'96 965, 16' wheels, Michelin Pilot Sports, rear 18mm bar + Koni, 204HP cams, 127K. Put 200K on '85 745 TD.

jbowers
How thick was the stock rear bar on your 96 wagon? Does the 18mm bar come from a sedan. The 94 (non IRS) had a 16mm stock rear bar. Moving up to 19mm made a world of difference.

The 18 mm is from the sedan w/o Nivomat. A 22 mm is used with the Nivomats but I was afraid the car would oversteer too much with that one. The car's understeer is reduced and I like the present set-up enough to leave it alone.
--
'96 965, 16' wheels, Michelin Pilot Sports, rear 18mm bar + Koni, 204HP cams, 127K. Put 200K on '85 745 TD.

Like Poolman, I think the last models ('97 and '98 S90) of the 6 cylinder rear drive cars are the better ones to own; all bricks after '98 are fwd. I have 98,000 on mine. Like any brand car, some people buy new ones and trade every five years and pay the price of not having to do maintenance; however, if you are good with a wrench, then it pays to buy one car, maintain it and drive it for tens of years at less money but it cost more of your time and you get less at trade in--either way "A Free lunch cost a dollar." If you buy one, then spend the time to get to know how it works and do a little reading on the verious systems--knowing the systems, helps you ask better questions and find the answers more easily when you have problems. And, all cars have problems! no matter the brand.

The positives I like about the 960 include: the handling is excellent with fast steering lock to lock; you can u-turn these cars around in two lane roads; always starts; good on tires; will cruse at 70mph all day and give you 25-28 mpg; seats are easy on the butt over long trips; no major problems and don't expect any up to 200 miles as long as I change fluids and keep up with the timing belt and that damn seeping oil cooler.
Negatives include: lot of wind noise at front wind screen at freeway speed; Difficult to get repair information manuals from Volvo, had to go to Alldata.com for info; expensive parts from and lack of trust in the local Volvo wheeler dealer, especially now that he is Ford. Don't think I would buy a new one for that reason.
Wow!

I have owned my 97 68K miles since February and love the car. Yes gas mileage could be better but let face it the car weighs 3500 lbs and makes over 1 hp per cubic inch. Around town it gets 16 to 18 mpg and just over 26 mpg on the highway. The car will run when the throttle is put down.
I've had to replace two AC hoses and fix a small oil leak from the oil cooler. I have to say the more play toys, the more things that have the possibility to go wrong. The handling is outstanding along with the ride. I was lucky that the P.O. did take care of the car and followed the maintenance schedule from Volvo. But I will add if the present owners think the 960's maintenance is expensive they should see the bills that the FWD owners are getting. As long as you change the oil every 5K, flush the cooling system every 2 years, change brake fluid every 2 years, and replace the air and fuel filters and do a transmission service every 30K you shouldn't have many problems.
If you talk to the techs and service writers at my dealer they will tell you that the 96 960 though the 98 S90 were the best cars Volvo ever built.

My parents own a 1995 960, my mom LOVES the car, but they both dislike the maintence it requires.

Only the first year or so had pourous blocks, by '94(?) they were all ok.

Volvo has put WAY too many electical systems in these cars, and even the stealerships are not particularly good at troubleshooting them.

The 960s ALL use the "Nivomat" rear shocks, and they are both very expensive, and prone to failure (leaking). The 940SEs do as well. I would steer clear of these for this reason alone. But, if I found a REALLY nice 945SE (if it exists) for the right price, I would buy it.

In my opinion, the mid '90s Volvos are the WORST car for electronics, they are not reliable in this way (much like a Jaguar). So the FEWER options the cheaper it will be to keep nice and fully functional.

They are VERY nice cars, that is for sure.
--
JohnG 1989 245 MT @ 225,000

In fact, very few of the 960s from 95 on with the Multilink-II system have the Nivomat self leveling system. The characteristics of the transverse composit spring in the rear has negated much of the need. Most of the cars on this board from '95 on do not have the Nivomats.
--
'96 965, 16' wheels, Michelin Pilot Sports, rear 18mm bar + Koni, 204HP cams, 127K. Put 200K on '85 745 TD.

I have a 95 960, and would not choose it again. Although it is nice to drive, used parts are nearly IMPOSSIBLE to find. I am always worried the timing belt/tensioner/ idler pully is going to go prematurely.

There are virtually no pick a part grave yards with this car, and new parts are very expensive. FCP groton and alternative sources have few for the 960. Many third party repair shops are not familiar wit this car, which makes it more expensive as one may be left with the dealer.

It costs about $90 to fill the 80 litre tank, and it gets 15-20 mpg. When I switched from my Honda to the 960, my gas expense quintupled (cost 5 times as much) to drive the same number of kms.

Volvo America, and Sweden do not respond favourably to even well founded customer complaints, witness the poorous block issue. They seem to retrench and blow the customer off.

I had a service issue with my Honda that was a known ignition ignitior bulletin issue. Honda cut me a cheque for the repair, and sent a letter of apology. Compare that to known bulletins with the 960 porous block, CT sensors, Plastic rad neck, and PNP switch, and you have an idea of the poor customer service approach from Volvo.

If I could do it again, I would choose an Acura Legend or Lexus for a luxury car. They are better made, much much more reliable, cheaper to run, and the ethic at head offices are to keep the customer happy.

FWIW, sad to sat it, but that's what I have learned.

You will probably get a lot responses to this. The 960 is generally a love or hate relationship. I bought a 92 960 looking for a good road car. In that aspect the car was all that I wanted. I was ignorant of the potential problems that could belay the engine knowing only that the PO had a mechanic friend that didn't understand the complexities of the 960 and didn't change the timing belt when due and caused the timing belt to break. The car ran flawless when I bought it. I think most of the problems I had with the engine were a result of actions by the PO. I had some unique problems and have posted those before. All those problems, left me with a bad taste for an interfrence engine.

The radiator and air-conditioning issues were unrelated to the car being a 960.

Others have had a good experience with the 960, but agree that proper maintenance of the car is essential. If the car is maintain properly, you should get lots of miles out of it. Poor or little records, leave the car alone IMO.

I goota chime in here, for my 2cents the 960 is the best Volvo ever made,
yes they do have to be looked after, the main problem to watch out for is to make sure the timing belt is well maintained, the rest is just proper maintanince, as for electronic problems--in the 97 model which I drive I have had zero problems in this regauard.
Buy a 96 or later with low mileage and enjoy the best road car Volvo built.
Gass mileage on mine 26-27 on highway 20 around town, lots of power and handles well. 220k mile on mine and going strong--
Poolman

great response from everyone on the board.I really do like the 960 (since one blew my doors off on the motorway)I have a few lined up to have a look at and will bear everything said in mindIll report back with what I find cheers