Greetings! My name is Mark. I have owned one Volvo, a 1975 245DL. Thsi ws back in '88, and it took a year of driving for Domino's and little to no maintenance to destroy her. In retrospect I'm amazed she lasted as long as she did. I eat the crap out of that poor car. More recently, I almost (and should have) bought a '92 940 Turbo. Instead, I bought a seemingly clean '91 Audi 100. It had less miles, and a nicer interior. This is my fourth Audi. Add to that three Saabs, and you have my European car driving history. I am now in the position to retire the Audi (needs 2 cv joints, transmission is permanently in 2nd, and cracked windshield). The motor and interior are perfect, which is amazing, as I've put 10k on it with the transmission this way. 65mph=5200rpm, and the motor is still fine despite daily driving. I am looking at a '92 960 wagon with 160k on it. I have read about the block issue, and it has me a little scared. Then I got to thinking, at what point in the engines life does this issue tend to materialise? Is it safe to assume that if the car has made it to 160k, that the block is solid, or has been replaced? Also, I havn't driven it yet, as the whining of my 5yr old cut short my inspection, but the rear end looked a little low. Do the Nivomats tend to drop when the car is left to sit, and then raise back up once underway? I figure I can cope with most other issues a 960 might have, but these two are particularly spendy... Any insight would help.
Thanks,
Mark