1994 960: opinions greatly appreciated

Post by **318mike** » 10 Sep 2012, 18:49

Looking at a 94 960 with 147k(runs great) for my daughter.Don't know anything about the 960.Any opinions greatly appreciated.

lummert · Post by **lummert** » 10 Sep 2012, 19:03

It depends on the age of said daughter. Most teenagers would rather catch a ride with friends than be caught dead in a Volvo. That's how I came across my 88 765. A father bought the car for his daughters to drive. They wouldn't drive it so he sold it.

Post by **318mike** » 10 Sep 2012, 19:32

She's ok with the way it looks as long as it gets her to where she's going.I was hoping to hear some opinions from current or previous owners on reliability,performance and maintenance.

jaoltr · Post by **jaoltr** » 10 Sep 2012, 21:50

I've got two 960s, a 92 with 185,000 miles and a 97 with 210,000. My experience has been that critical components like engine and transmission are very reliable - I've never been stranded. I've had to make a few standard/expected repairs (balljoints, O2 sensor, etc) and a couple oddities like headlight switch. The car is easy to work on: there is a lot of information available and new and used parts are easily obtained. One thing to note if you do buy it, the 92 has a 30,000 mile interval for timing belt (70,000 on the 97). Not sure about the 94, but something to keep in mind. Performance wise, nothing to write home about. Acceleration, braking, steering: all very adequate but not special. It does have a locking rear diff, so if you're in an area that gets snow, that's a big plus for a RWD. In my opinion, just a solid, well-engineered car with good balance of comfort, performance, and safety. FYI the 960 also does quite well at towing.
JO

lummert · Post by **lummert** » 10 Sep 2012, 23:08

First thing to do in absence of good service records is have the timing belt replaced. This engine is interference fit.

Post by **precopster** » 11 Sep 2012, 05:04

The '94 model year has the 148 tooth 23mm belt shared with most 850s after '94 so timing belt intervals are OK (I converted my '92 model to the wider belt in a controlled experiment

)

Plastic parts are cracking all the time in my '92 960 and it's not as though the plastics are poor quality; it's just a time and sun exposure issue.

The worst part of the ownership has been the bypassed heater core. It's a huge job to remove the dash to repair it and as yet have left it alone. The V70s/S70s have a much easier setup with regard to this item.

The rear cam seals are a real bear to replace but everything else (heater core excepted) is well layed out for the DIYer. Cam belts/accessory belts, water pump are a breeze to change due to the front layout.

Post by **318mike** » 11 Sep 2012, 12:10

Thanks precopster,lummert,and jaoltr for the great info.I went to look at the 960 this morning again and it runs and performs well.The only issue was an SRS indicator light....any thoughts?As for the timing belt there is no info on it ever being changed (147k)....yikes!!!

Post by **precopster** » 12 Sep 2012, 07:48

The airbag clock spring was the cause on my 960. There's a doc somewhere on my computer on how to fix this.....and here it is.

Post by **318mike** » 12 Sep 2012, 09:14

Thanks precopster.Does it mean that the air bag system won"t deploy in the event of an accident when the srs light is on?

Post by **precopster** » 12 Sep 2012, 12:40

I believe there is only the steering wheel airbag in this vehicle as part of the SRS system so the answer is yes.