Hey all,


So I'm in the market for yet another RWD Volvo. After living with my (new-to-me) 1991 740 sedan for the last six months, and not having one bit of trouble with it, I am convinced that the 700/900 Series are some of the best cars Volvo ever made. Caring for, and driving, the 740 had made me appreciate what special cars these are, and it's made me completely forget the awful experience I had with my 1999 S70, which had numerous problems with its ETM and ABS modules.

I'm planning to put the 740 in storage for the winter - even though it has just 151k miles on it, I would like to protect it from the elements here in the mid-Atlantic. I recently found a 1997 960 wagon through a friend of a friend - it has 149k on it, and the seller is asking $2,800 for it. It has some bad points though - the body could use some work (has a dented front bumper), three of the four door panels are peeling off on the top, the headliner is starting to droop, and the passenger-side seat heater doesn't work. I've been told that it's had a new timing belt about 5k miles ago, and has been serviced by a Volvo mechanic.

Here are my concerns - while I know that the 960 shares the same basic chassis as my 740, it has some unique quirks. What should I expect to do, if I decide to pull the trigger and get the wagon? Are there any niggling 960-specific issues that I should keep in mind? I know about the delicate nature of the straight-6, as I also own a 1996 850 with 91k on it. I always make sure that car's timing belt is changed on the dot!

Thanks for the input.