The 960-has anyone here driven one and opinions if u have

The Volvo you want to know something about isn't a 480, but you can't find the answer to your question anywhere... Well, what the heck, have a try here in this corner of Volvos friendliest community...

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crispy-d
Knows an Aerodeck isn't a 480
Posts: 229
Joined: Sun Aug 07, 2005 1:09 am
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk

Post by crispy-d » Sat Jun 02, 2007 11:16 pm

Yes, I was looking at the 850s and V70s (T5s and diesels), but good ones are still out my budget, which is pretty low! My car's working ok at the moment, but it'll never be perfect, and I'd rather sell it before it breaks again!
I know this S90 will drink fuel, but my annual mileage is about to drop a fair bit, and I'm hoping the money I save in not being at the garage for half the year will more than pay for it. Of course I need to make sure it's in good nick, otherwise this may cost me even more!!
If replacing a turbo with a nice 6 cylinder works for Groomus then I'm hoping it'll work for me, although because I can't afford the insurance on fancy Audis I'm having to stick with Volvos.
I'm going to see it early next week, is there anything I should look out for in particular? It seems to have been serviced well enough, at each MOT, and the cambelt's got another 20k to go. Not sure what else is obvious-enough to look for when looking round it.
Volvo 340 GL 1.7 :) - Nice (RWD missed) - sold
Volvo 460 SI Turbo ('Rich Mod' / 2.5" Longlife SS exhaust / 710N CBV / Cold Air Intake) - (Turbo missed) - sold
Volvo S90 3.0 CD 24v (RWD back again! LOVING the straight six :) ) - is 16mpg that bad...? - sold
BMW E34 540i 6-speed Manual V8 :) - sold
BMW E39 M5
Land Rover 110 V8

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crispy-d
Knows an Aerodeck isn't a 480
Posts: 229
Joined: Sun Aug 07, 2005 1:09 am
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk

Post by crispy-d » Sat Jun 30, 2007 2:40 pm

Just in case anyone was still thinking of looking at 960s, I thought I'd report back with a little more information having researched some.

The 960/S90/V90 came with (in England this is):
2.5 170bhp manual or auto
3.0 184bhp manual or auto
3.0 204bhp auto only

The 3.0, whichever version you get and with either gearbox gets to 60 in 9.0-9.2s But people have said that's a little underestimated and that it's more like 8.8s. The 184bhp model is still quick as although it has less top end power it has more low end torque available, which compensates nicely.

The S90/V90 was just a badge upgrade to the 960 along with a slightly better interior - centre consol was a bit nicer :)

The engines are brilliant, the main problem is just that people don't seem to look after them properly like using the right coolant, which is why the service history is so important. The engine is aluminium/alloy and so will corrode unless the correct coolant is used. Also it gets very hot, and coolant does seem to disappear a little. Lots of engines have blown head gaskets simply because the owners don't check the level regularly enough so it overheats. They also coke up easily, and that results in sticky valves, but this is rectified by a quick italian tune up as they were apparently designed for the autobahns :wink: So as long as you look after it properly and service it as specified by Volvo, you are unlikely to go wrong. I think it's just brakes, sometimes rotors and the ocassionaly suspension bush.

I'm very happy with my new S90, and although I bought it cheap without MOT, it flew straight through without a single advisory - first car I've had that's done that! It's also nice to have RWD again! The 460 was a good car, and the few 480s I drove were much the same, but I find they just need constant maintenance, which at the present I can no longer afford nor be bothered to carry out! The one thing I will really will miss is the Richmod - as looking back on it, it really was quite rapid round town and on country roads coupled with an MBC! And I have to say, even though this S90 is amazing on the motorway, my 460 was still quicker and held the road almost just as well. It's just a different experience - much heavier, quieter and smoother in the S90, but the engine does sound gorgeous especially when you boot it. And the 460 was nippy with excellent handling, excellent mpg but was noisey and bumpy and would rattle itself to pieces if you so much as ran over a grain of sand. If I'd had the money, there is no doubt I'd have kept the 460 to clean up properly and supermod it. But I didn't, I upgraded to this car instead, and so far it seems like it was a wise choice!

All the best,

Crispin
Volvo 340 GL 1.7 :) - Nice (RWD missed) - sold
Volvo 460 SI Turbo ('Rich Mod' / 2.5" Longlife SS exhaust / 710N CBV / Cold Air Intake) - (Turbo missed) - sold
Volvo S90 3.0 CD 24v (RWD back again! LOVING the straight six :) ) - is 16mpg that bad...? - sold
BMW E34 540i 6-speed Manual V8 :) - sold
BMW E39 M5
Land Rover 110 V8

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aibast
480 Connoisseur
Posts: 882
Joined: Sun Sep 10, 2006 6:35 pm
Location: Estonia - Saue/Kiili

Post by aibast » Sat Jun 30, 2007 2:46 pm

960 is a perfect car for family and long trips. Man so comfy so quiet and its huge compared to 480 :D
1996 850R 2.0 T5 - "Beebi R"
1994 480 Turbo - RichMod - sold to get the R
1992 850 2,5 20V - sold to get the R
1987 744 TIC - Haas Tuning - totaled by BMW
1973 142 GL B20E - sold

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