Buying advice for a '96 960 sedan

TWP · Post by **TWP** » 12 Jun 2007, 13:56

I'm planning to test drive a '96 960 sedan with just over 100,000 miles that is for sale. The owner says it has received all the scheduled maintenance. What are the problem areas I should look for? The owner's asking price is significantly higher than the Blue Book private seller price; if the car is in good to excellent condition, what is a fair price?

Thanks in advance

philosophicaldreamer · Post by **philosophicaldreamer** » 12 Jun 2007, 14:34

IMPORTANT: Make sure that the timing belt, water pump, and the tensioner have been changed on this car. I don't know how much the person is asking for his 960, but I have seen 960s and S90s with 45K miles on them for less than $6K. 960s and S90s are great Volvos, but they do require some attention that can be quite costly.

Ta-ta, j.

ppcgm · Post by **ppcgm** » 19 Jul 2007, 05:48

If you didn't buy yet, pass on that one unless the seller will come down to less than blue book. In my area, and on the auction sites, prices run two thirds or so of blue book on these. That said, I see some selling for over the book price. But by holding out for a decent price I just bought a 94 for about that, two thirds of book. And considering the reputation the engines have, I'm glad I only paid that much for the car. It will be a nice ride until the engine croaks, then I'll part it out. But at this price I'm OK with that.

TWP · Post by **TWP** » 19 Jul 2007, 07:21

I did pass on this car, when I did the test drive I found the car was a total basket case, the a/c didn't work, the rear end made a loud noise when turning right, the turn signals, power windows, seat and etc all didn't work. The seller was a real schmuck, he totally misrepresented the condition of the car. I strongly advise not even looking at the car. The seller has a website: www.emack.net. I think the car is worth about $2k he's asking top $ at $5900 and has advertised in the Minneapolis StarTribune, Carsoup and Craigslist.