Need some advice, I will try to make this as short as possible. My 960 has always used oil at the rate of 1 quart every 1500 miles since new. The last 20K this past year it went to 1 quart every 800 miles. There are no leaks what so ever. Planned on passing this car to my daughter when she gets her license later this year. Then letting the kids drive it for the next five years. It now needs struts and shocks and other suspension work.

Yesterday had my mechanic do some tests during an oil change to explain an erratic idle that was intermitent. Compression and leak down tests. Here are the results: Comp.-cyl.1)150 2)75 3)175 4)175 5)155 6)100

Leak down: cyl. 1)30% 2)75% 3)13% 4)20% 5)36% 6)60%. Adding oil increases numbers about 30%.Questions: Is this really bad? Will it get much worse? Will the lack of my lead foot in the future ease up on the oil consumption? Should I trade it in? Find a another engine? I need some independent rational thoughts. I am too close to this. Every thing works on the car it has no rust, is always so clean my friends and relatives think it is new. My mechanic services Volvo exclusively and has no feed back on the 5 - 6 cylinder engines with this many miles. I am his trendsetter. Thank for all replies.

Dan Ray 94 960 171,000 miles