Tale of 2 Volvos, Keep V70 or 940??

macs70GLT · Post by **macs70GLT** » 19 Jan 2017, 13:34

I have a 98' V70 GLT and a 95' 940T with my son in Las Cruces, NM. I live in the Seattle area. Which would you keep?

See my other post "In the midst of a road trip..." about my Planes Trains & Volvos trip before Christmas.

V70 GLT, 98', ~ 184 K miles:
possible pinhole leak in head gasket
compression (# 1: 130psi; # 2: 114psi; # 3: 120psi; # 4: 120 psi; # 5: 144psi); # 2 jumped to ~ 140 psi wet
pass side inner cv boot starting to crack
pass side window doesn't work
Good: new water pump, coolant hoses less heater, new front brakes, new tires, recent pcv replacement, new outer cv boots, all tuneup parts replaced
Bad: sometimes hard starting (coolant in cylinders maybe???)

940T, ~ 215K miles
air cond doesn't work
all suspension suspect
sunroof sealed shut
needs new shifter (must use over ride button)
Good: new tires, starts every time!

Even with all the new stuff on V70 I'm strongly leaning toward licking my wounds and walking away. My son is not mechanically inclined and I would hate to get a call from him somewhere between NM and Florida or wherever he lands for a summer job.

I really appreciate all your inputs. We have owned the 940 5 years & know it well. The V70 has thrown me a few curve balls in the 6 months we have had it. PO supposedly did the head gasket, let's just say "management is very interested in the integrity of his work"

Thanks

Mike

Post by **theWIFES_S70** » 19 Jan 2017, 20:21

Sorry about that V70. The previous owner of our S70 was horrible to our car. But, $1600 later, she's pretty good. *Knock on wood!*

If your son isn't mechanically inclined, I'd personally go for an N/A over a Turbo. Turbos, and I know I'm going to get slammed for saying this, simply have "too many notes..."

In all seriousness, if you're son won't know how to troubleshoot all the (extra) idiosyncrasies that an older Turbo requires, I'd steer him clear away from them. There are a lot of "turn-em-on-and-drive" N/A P80s out there.

macs70GLT · Post by **macs70GLT** » 19 Jan 2017, 22:27

actually I haven't found the turbos to be that much more maintenance than the NA 240 we used to have.

Also both of the current cars have turbos, so I'm looking to keep one & sell the other. The 940T has been solid on reliability. The only times it wouldn't run were an ignition amplifier (died on freeway, then start up again), and the other was a thrown TB - which for the red block was only the nuisance of towing it home, no bent valves etc.

Post by **Clemens** » 20 Jan 2017, 02:37

I never owned any RWD Volvo but if the 940 is in good general condicion except for the listed flaws, I'd keep the 940. The 9series are said to be the longest lasting and best Volvos out there among many enthusiasts.

Post by **rspi** » 20 Jan 2017, 04:12

I believe that the RWD red block Volvo cars are hands down the best build cars. When I had my first 745, it cost me about $176 per year to drive it (excluding gas only). I put over 400,000 miles on it. These white block cars cost that much per month.

I'd fix the AC and press on. That would be a lot cheaper than dealing with the issues on the V70.

AKJeeper · Post by **AKJeeper** » 20 Jan 2017, 13:22

I've owned and dealt with RWD and FWD/AWD Volvos over the years. Currently own a '96 850. If the 940 is in good condition (body/interior), I'd say keep it. I find the RWD models a bit easier to work on, and less likely to have catastrophic failure. Get the problems fixed (AC, suspension, etc). Personally I find that I enjoy driving a RWD 940 Turbo more than a FWD 850 Turbo, and that's not to say that I don't like turbo FWD Volvos.

Sounds to me like you're already a bit more biased toward keeping the 940. And from what you've told us about both cars - I'd have to put my vote for the 940.

Post by **jvl** » 20 Jan 2017, 14:00

I've no personal driving experience in RWD volvo's but what I did see in practice is that:
- my father drove 3 subsequent 240's (wagon, sedan and then wagon again) and rarely had any trouble, except for the LPG installation being a regular PITA
- a colleague used to drive a 740 and put a couple tens of thousands KM's on it without any major issues.

Both my father, some friends and myself have experience with the V70 and what I can say is that it's a much more expensive car to run and keep running. Bit quieter and more comfy, but also needs more maintenance...

macs70GLT · Post by **macs70GLT** » 20 Jan 2017, 14:14

Thanks all for your inputs.

Robert - great to see you online!

As much as I like the style of the V70 (it has both the rear spoiler/fin; and T5 wheels), I'm agreeing with many of your comments. My son just needs a reliable safe car. And since he is very unlikely to do his own maintenance the 940 is the better choice.

My wife told me yesterday she wants no more "Lazarus" cars in the family, particularly for the kids. The next car we get will be hers, I think she will be looking for a certified/used ... Volvo! (perhaps an S60 or S40)

Mike

Post by **rspi** » 21 Jan 2017, 10:01

If I made a YouTube channel dedicated to the RWD Volvo's, I'd run out of things to record in 30 days. lol

LOB · Post by **LOB** » 21 Jan 2017, 15:29

If economy and reliability is your primary concern, go for the 940, if it's safety,invest some extra bucks in the V70. Difference in safety is foremost in small/moderate overlap crash (off set). 700- series was not designed for this very common type of impact.