Hi Volvo experts,

I am looking for some advice. I am about to purchase a '96 Volvo 960 Sedan. The car has 89,000 miles and seems to be in relatively good condition. The asking price is $3,500. Unfortunately, the seller would prefer if my mechanic went there to look at it, rather then me bring it to the mechanic. My mechanic does not have time for a number of weeks to make the trip to evaluate the car. It does have all maintaince records up until about 20,000 miles ago. I drove it and it seems good, bar the alignment being slightly off. The KBB value is quite a bit more. Is it a bad move to go ahead and purchase the car without a qualified mechanic checking it out? I have a friend who knows a little about cars and he can look at it with me tomorrow, however he is far from a mechanic....what do you all think.. I would really appreciate any input. I'd hate to waste my hard earned money....Thanks :)

I bought a 96 960 with 67k from the mother of a friend in September for $6,000. Since then I have spent an equal amount in repairs:
Distributor wires/tune up
New front rotors
New Pads (aftermarket, unfortunately)
New rotors (because the aftermarket pads warped the old ones. New ones are slotted)
New Volvo pads (ONLY use Volvo pads)
Ball Joints
New rack (if you hear a 'pop' under hard turning at low speed, beware)
New evaporator (not right yet. Passenger carpet is soaked)
New Tires (Yokohama Avid h4 - nice but not cheap)
Clean oil pickup screen (twice)
The fader on the radio is shot

However, this may be the nicest car I have ever owned (including an 85 Maxima SE and a 93 280ZX) and the fastest. I am constantly amazed at how the ride can be both comfortable and have good road feel through the wheel at the same time.

But, yeah, get it checked out thoroughly.

Dear Kevin,

Good p.m. and may this find you well. It's hard to add to so much excellent advice. I'll venture just a few words. If you cannot get records - original or photocopies - that prove the timing belt was changed at 70K (or whatever is the recommended interval), do not drive the car at all.

Have it towed to a shop, that can change the timing belt. The reason: if the timing belt snaps, the engine suffers great damaged (e.g., bent valve stems, etc.).

Do not - under any circumstances - rely on oral statements, recollections, guesses, etc., in this matter. Only paper records (original or photocopy), which show the name of the shop that did the timing belt change, the date, the VIN, and the mileage are acceptable.

Once the timing belt's age is known, you know where you stand. All of the other things should certainly be checked.

Best of luck. I am persuaded that a well-maintained 960 is a little piece of Heaven (I drive 940s, because Heaven Can Wait).

Yours faithfully,

spook

Here's my two bits on the car. I owned a 95 960 up until I totaled it recently. :-( BEAUTIFUL car and very nice to drive both around town and on the highway. However, here are some things to check:

1) Get the 960 Pre-Purchase FAQ out of the 700-900 FAQ section. Lots of good stuff.

2) While driving, turn on the AC & Blower full blast to dash vents. Then stomp on the gas and see if the air is re-directed to floor and defrost. That's an expensive fix, but not necessarily a deal breaker.

3) Bring a Torx-25 (or 30?) and pop open the spark plug/distributor cover. Remember that this is a distributorless car, so it's important that the distributor wires are not fried. Mine were. Lots of headache to replace the wiring harness. Each spark plug connects to its individual coil which is fed from the engine wiring harness. These coil connectors lose their insulation and create nightmarish runnign problems.

4) if it was a 95, you could pull the OBD codes yourself (95 and < are OBD-I). If you have an OBD-II scanner, bring it. but don't buy one just to look at this car.

5) Do check to see that the SRS, Check Engine, and other warning lights light up and then go out when you start it. Make sure that none of them are burnt out (i.e. that the car is able to tell you if there's a problem).

6) Pay close attention to the suspension. Most IRS cars use those horrid Nivomat struts in the rear. I'm looking at replacing them in my '89 760T with the IPD kit--$350 plus a weekend's labor.

But, generally, these are great cars and this definitely sounds like a good price given the mileage. In 30k miles, my 960 never stranded me.

I "helped" my Mom purchase her '95 just over two years ago. I am a certified mechanic (albeit for Trucks), and I missed A LOT of stuff on this car. Boy did I feel badly! I read the FAQ, brought a list of things to look at, and it sure looked good. We test drove it for about 1/2 hour, and everything appeared ok. It was only after owing it for a month or so did we discover what I had missed.

1) The A/C leaked. Had been recently recharged to make it work ok while it was sold. This was an $800 bill!

2) The PNP switch was flaky, replaced at $150 for parts.

3) The Nivomats were shot. Did not leak, but did not work either. Another $350.

4) Various electrical gremlins, fixed (after months of pouring over the diagrams), by adding a ground wire as there was a bad connection somewhere in the dash.

Either the owner suspects, or knows that the car is not worth the "full" value, or they simply are going off what the dealer offered them in trade.

In ANY event, have it looked at by a RESPECTED VOLVO mechanic before you buy. If they do not want you to, make them an offer "Pending an acceptable purchase inspection" by an authorized Volvo shop. If they find anything costing over $500 to repair, the seller agrees BEFORE HAND, to refund your money IN FULL.
--
JohnG 1989 245 MT @ 225,000

The timing belt needs changing at 70k. If there is no service record of this check for a silver sticker on the timing belt cover. Volvo service techs place this sticker and write the date and milage at time of replacement. If you don't see a sticker, one 12mm bolt is all that holds the cover on. Bring a 12mm wrench so you can quickly see if the belt is old and deteriorating. If the belt is old, then plan on replacing it right away.

Check the radiator and hoses. In particular, check the inlet on the top right (driver's side) for hairline cracks or eny evidence of leaking. This is where hot coolant from the engine enters the radiator and it is prone to cracking and breaking. If you see any evidence of cracks or leaks you will need to replace the radiator.

As far as the alignment is concerned, it could be a number of things, maybe the front end just needs adjustment, but a common wear item is the rear control arm bushing. Look cracking and deterioration of the bushing.

Go through the FAQ and check out all the info about buying a used 960, but don't get overwhelmed by all of the potential problems mentioned. At 89k many of the issues mentioned in the FAQ may have been already addressed by the P.O.

I bought my 1995 965 over a year and a half ago with 89k miles and since then I've replaced the radiator and thats about it. Oh, and the battery. The car has been great.

Good luck,
kkoch

That is a good price on a very good car. It would be nice to have it checked out by your mechanic. Can you persuade him with an extra 100 wiggled under his nose? It would be money well spent if you end up getting the car. Otherwise, ask him what to look for. If his normal inspection takes an hour, he isnt going to be tearing the engine down or getting into the nitty gritty, just looking for the obvious. You can do the same. Here are some things I would look at:

Go around the car and look down each side to see if there are any signs of body damage repair. Ask the seller if it has EVER been in an accident. If they lie and you find out later, could be some heat for them.

Pop the hood, look at the engine, check for leaks, check the engine oil. If you can, jack up the front, check for wheel play, remove a wheel and check the condition of the rotors and pads.

Look in the trunk, pull up the mats and check for water and or rust.

When its running, check how it idles. Mine is still like glass at 186K, this should be no different. Drive it at highway speeds and also around lots of turns, listen for any strange noises.

As the seller where all the maintenance was done. Some key items are:
PNP switch, Radiator, Timing belt.

If it looks good after all this, I think you would be pretty safe with the car. Good luck.
--
97 S90 with 184K miles still going strong

Well, it would be nice to have a Volvo specialist look at the car first. The asking price seems rather low. I paid $5000 for a '93 with the same mileage last year. Just look it over to try and find out if it has been wrecked or not. Also, timing belt changes are important on the 960's. If the car drives fine and looks good it should be a good deal. Consider doing a major service on it if you buy it ( timing belt, all fluids, etc).

Good luck with it.

Dave

A pre-inspection buy is important. Having had a 960 and knowing their repair costs it's important to know what happened the past 20k. 89k is not a lot of miles, but just bear in mind that these cars cost more to run than a 940 and 740. Just my two cents.