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I'm on my 2nd '96 965. Ran the 1st one from 114K to 195K in a couple of years. It HAD NOT been maintained religiously and while I loved the car I ended up spending a lot of money on it. (My mechanics kids are driving it now and it has 250 Kmi. on it)After finding a great mechanic who'd left the V dlr. after 20 yrs. things became less painful! (Gabe's Auto Works in Syracuse,NY 315 474-8700) New Years Day last year I picked up a very well maintained '96 965 w/161 Kmi. from a Brickboard list member. It now has 198 Kmi. and I'm very happy with it. It always had regular oil changes w/Mobil 1 or BMW Synthetic Oil. Even so there was some varinsh visible through the Oil Filler cap hole! We flushed it and put Amsoil in it and it seems to be staying clean. Every mechanic I know who has had experience with these "white block" engines vociferously recommends Synthetic especially if the car is used primarily in local/stop'n'go driving. These are great cars if well maintained but can be a real money pit if not! I would avoid buying one unless you have good knowledge of it's service history. I had 2 '86 745 Turbos before these 960's and while they were great cars I'd never go back. I bought my 1st 960 in Feb/Mar 2003 and drove non-stop from nr. Jacksonville, FL to Central NY., something I'd never have done with the 745's! These are great over the road cars, being a non-FWD guy I think the best Volvo ever built! There is another Volvo Group (Swedishbricks) that has a few 960 guys and some good FAQ's as well. Both of these groups have been a fabulous resource for me over the years'
Still, nothing beat's a late 940 for economical service! But if comfort is a factor the IRS '95-'98 960/S90/V90 can't be beat.
Good Luck
Tom Heitzman
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