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I guess it depends what you call short. The 900 was introduced in 1991, with the 940, 940GL, 940GLE, 940T and 940SE. The 960 came along the next year, sharing bodywork with the 940SE and its 760 predecessors, and continued in revised form until 1998 (as the S&V90 in its final year.) The 700 was introduced in 1983 with the 760GLE, and the 740 models in 1984, which were built more or less unchanged up to 1992. So that's an 8-year run for the 900s and 10 model years for 700s... better than most cars average and longer than any model since.
Yes, the 940 itself ended in 1995, the last rear-drive 4-cylinder Volvos, as Volvo concentrated on its new 850 models as the main production.
There are really very few differences between a 1990-92 740 and a 91-95 940, other than the redesigned dashboard with a passenger side airbag. 940 sedans are quite different in the rear, but the doors and passenger area really aren't changed significantly, and the drivetrain is identical.
The 940SE's and 960's have independent rear suspension in all sedans, and the late 960 wagons get IRS after the 940 went out of production. The earlier IRS setup was the same as the 760 sedan models that came before.
I don't think there are any weak points in the 940 line, other than the maintenance issues typically covered here. Early 740s have a few nasty habits, including biodegradable wiring, fragile power window regulators, and in the non-turbo models, evil ZF automatics. Later models (88-on) have the far better AW70 that is solid, used right to the end of 940 production. All turbos have the AW71 which is equally bulletproof.
They all have instrumentation issues later in life, and all need the same maintenance any B230 engine requires. They all stop running when the fuel pump relay quits!! The later cars are a bit more efficient on fuel, and tend to come with nicer options, BUT the very last 940s often have weird option packages, as if they tried to save money or use up the last leftover parts. There are a ton of '94 turbo wagons, for instance, with cloth seats, no sunroof and no other options. Kinda strange... but that's why we're here!
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Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: 86 244DL, 87 244DL, 88 744GLE, 91 244: 808K total
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