1996 960 Should I buy?

[GladysFL]

I drive a 1999 V70 with 173K miles on it. I love this car and am not willing to give it up to my newly licensed daughter. A fellow at work is selling his 1996 960 with 120K miles on it for $2000. Before I engage him, I'm curious to know:

A) is this a good model/year for anyone, let alone a new driver,
B) are there specific issues that this car has had that I should ask about,
C) is it worth it for a non-mechanic to buy an older car like this
D) are parts available should my mechanic need them

Thanks for any advice you all can offer!
Amy

[93Regina]

1996 960 with 120K miles on it for $2000

It requires using Premium Gasoline, and here's Fuel Economy of 1996 Volvo 960

120K miles needs to be defined in terms of city vs hwy percent, and if oil/filter was changed ontime. Was it driven by the little old lady from Pasadena, who made mostly short trips to grocery store, etc?

I have no idea if Volvo dealerships can make an assessment, for under $200.00; but there are periodic maintenance schedules that should be followed, and they are listed in owner's manual. Anytime I purchase an used vehicle, I assume it will cost $1k to $2k in parts to make it highway road worthy. Since its my labor, then means about $2k to $4k at dealership.

I said roadworthy...not a daily beater.

Hence, existing owner should have repair bills/etc to look over. Needless to say, the seller's character is most important, but you must also ask questions.

"Newly licensed daughter," maybe she needs a daily beater to learn on.

If lots of miles defines usage, get a more fuel efficient vehicle; just local and school type miles, fine.

PS: Maintenance is not cheap...all vehicles need repairs with time.

[Ethan Rode]

Hi Amy
In response to your questions:
- 1996 was a fine year for the 960. The car went virtually unchanged from 96-98

- Specific issues: disintegrating wiring harness for the ignition coils is the most serious problem IMHO. This and broken timing belts are what is taking these cars off the road.

-For a non-mechanic to own an 18 year old car, the car needs to have a value beyond resale. A 960 could be such a car if it were well maintained. For example: I bought my 96 960 for $1200 and spent $1300 fixing it up. I have $2500 into a $2000 car. However, I can't find a nicer, safer, or more reliable car for $2500, so it is a good value to me.

-Service and maintenance parts are readily available. Interior and trim parts are being phased out.

With only 120k in 18 years, you can bet that it has seen mostly city traffic. And no, you don't have to use premium fuel.

I think you'll find that a well-maintained 960 will be cheaper to keep up than your V70. The key is maintenance history. If the seller has kept good records, and the car is up to date on fluid changes and timing belt service, I'd consider it. If no maintenance history, or if the car clearly hasn't been taken care of, I'd pass. They are somewhat thirsty, but the visibility and maneuverability of a 960 would suit a new driver well.

[Jesse8931]

I would say its gonna cost you another 2k for maintenance and the majority of that will be labor cost.

On my s90 I just bought last month I paid 800 because the women was told it was a bad trans.

I changed the filter and fluid in the car and 1k miles later its fine. However I had to do the timing belt 300 bucks new tires 400 and new coolant hoses etc.

So my 800 dollar car I have another 1k in and thats just parts I do my own labor.

[93Regina]

And no, you don't have to use premium fuel. .

Volvo states - Volvo engines are designed for optimum performance on unleaded premium gasoline with an octane rating, AKI of 91, or above. AKI (ANTI KNOCK INDEX) is an average of the Research Octane Number, RON, and the Motor Octane Number, MON, (RON + MON/ 2).
The minimum octane requirement is AKI 87 (RON 91).

So yes, 87 octane can be used, but fuel economy will take a small hit. EPA's mpg was based upon premium fuel.

Myself, I'd use mid-grade 89 E10 fuel

[holler1]

Depends on your goals. If you want a very safe and somewhat luxurious car and are willing to put more money into maintenance, and gas mileage is secondary, an older Volvo is a good choice. If low overall cost and reliability are most important, i would suggest looking for a 15-20 year old Honda or Toyota, specifically a Civic or Corolla with as low miles as possible and good maintenance record. I bought Civics and Corollas for my daughters thru their college days, and had almost no problems with them. I still have a 91 Camry that runs great and has cost nothing over routine maintenance. I love my 98 V70, but it is not cheap to keep running.

[rmmagow]

Well, I hope the FL in your name is for Florida, otherwise your daughter would be better with an FWD for snow and ice. My son's first car is an old Saturn, cheap car, cheap to fix and insure. A toyota/honda would be a better choice for a first car I think. 960 is a nice car being an old Volvo, it'll break and it's not a car you can have fixed just anywhere. I love my Volvos but they need a lot of care and feeding, the Saturn on the other hand needs gas and oil and occasionally air in the tires.

[GladysFL]

Thank you all for your very thoughtful and informative responses. I spoke with the seller and he's been doing his own repairs in the 2 years since he's had the car, replacing the timing belt among other things. He has all the service records and knows the original owner - the mother of another co-worker - so all that is good.

The FL in my name is not Florida; I'm in Maryland where it does snow. However, since school is cancelled if a cloud merely passes in front of the sun, I'm not going to worry about the RWD in the snow. Worse comes to worst, daughter drives my V70 or - heaven forbid - rides the bus.

I know I should buy a used Camry or Honda, but I like this car and the fact that the seller is honest and trustworthy (we all have clearances here - keeps you honest!), makes me want to buy it. I'm taking it to get a mechanic's opinion and will make my decision based on his recommendation (if I agree with it ) We are really looking for a car for just this year. My daughter can't have a car freshman year in college and we don't want an extra one loitering in the driveway while she's away. So for $1500 (he lowered the price), it might be the right choice.

Thanks for all the great feedback!
Amy

[Jesse8931]

Sounds like a good buy to me.

[93Regina]

I'm not going to worry about the RWD in the snow.

This vehicle may have a limited-slip type rear-end. If so, with stock tires, and a little extra weight in trunk, there should not be an issue.


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