The Volvo 960 (3 litre) automatic is a spacious beast in its estate version.  Leather seats with electric everything. 

Fuel Consumption

My wife is the main driver of our 960 Estate up here on the uncrowded roads of rural Northumberland.  She never goes above 55 mph on daily 18 mile runs as a home-help.  MPG is 25-28  with 28 being the top-end figure which is just achievable. 25 mpg with sedate uninterrupted driving is the norm.  A friend with a similar model uses his fully-laden estate to carry goods to markets up and down the UK and 'hoofs it' on the motorways.  He returns 18 mpg.  The 960 estate is a heavy car with a big engine .  In stop-start city driving and heavy traffic, use 20 mpg as a realistic working figure.

Insurance

They are high insurance group.  My premium with the age of the car (and drivers) with maximum no-claims in a rural area is £165. As a starter car for someone who has no/low no-claims and living in a city ..  get a quote first.  You may get an unpleasant surprise. For the older driver with no claims discount and not living in a 'high risk' area they're ok - I have 2 960 estates. 

The Auto Gearbox

The achilles heel of the automatic 960 is that arrow which sometimes will flash on the dashboard.  The flashing arrow actually means 'transmission failure'.  It's a very common problem which does cause panic amongst 960 owners.

   The removed inhibitor unit

At the same time as the arrow flashes on the dashboard, the gear selector switch next to the gear lever will also flash across the E-S-W buttons.  These buttons are for selecting the mode - W means winter.  When the W button is pressed the car remains in low gear and will not change up (for going through snow/deep water).  S stands for 'Sport' -  when selected, S keeps the automatic gearbox in a lower gear for longer before changing up (better acceleration).  E just means 'Economy' -  normal driving: the gearbox changes up and down as it normally would.

When that dashboard arrow and ESW switch is flashing the car usually drives as normal.  Usually.  Not always.  Make sure that it is actually changing up through the gears into into top  otherwise the auto transmission is liable to overheat.  The cause of the warning arrow/lights is caused by the inhibitor switch that is located on the side of the transmission, hidden by the exhaust downpipes.  It's an electrical fault - cause by a sticky switch, probably because over time, the electric grease inside the alloy unit dries out with age/proximity to the exhaust.

If the car still drives normally -up and down through the gears, albeit you can't select the different Winter-Sport-Economy mode, then the auto transmission is probably still ok.  Don't panic and begin looking for replacement gearboxes.  My wife's 960 has had the flashing lights (and a replacement inhibitor switch) for 2 years. 20,000 miles later the lights still flash and the car drives fine.

You can have a replacement inhibitor switch (also called the PNP) fitted and still find those lights flash.  This is because that the onboard computer still recognises the original fault and needs to be reset.  Not having the computer 'rechipped' to clear the fault simply means that you can't select Winter-Sports-Economy modes and those light will continue to flash.  If the car won't change into higher gears as you drive then there probably is a fault within the transmission unit.  Otherwise think of it as an electrical fault that has to have the switch removed and cleaned/replaced and then reset.

The cost of an after-market inhibitor switch (i.e from Scan Tech) is around £50, which is less than half the cost of a genuine Volvo part.  The same alloy inhibitor switch unit from one of the breaker websites is liable to cost around £50.  It makes no sense at all to buy a 2nd hand unit when a new unit can be obtained for the same price.  You can of course remove the old unit, clean it and put in new electrical grease.  Whichever option you choose those flashing lights will remain until the computer error is 'rechipped'

Ebay do not allow links to external websites.  I can't put more than a few photos here.  Since first putting this guide here, several ebayers have been in touch to ask about their 'flashing light' 960's. People do worry.  They want to know..  I've put some photos and words of explanation onto my own website. ( After the www ) glennsmart.btinternet.co.uk  From the drop-down menu click on 'Volvo 960'  and then click on the button 'Go there!'  I'm selling nothing.  No adverts for you to click on.  Just photos and information that hopefully will help you.

  Draining transmission fluid

There's photos and information about how to change the inhibitor switch. These photos/information are taken from a 2nd 960 estate that I recently purchased.  Yes .. it has a flashing light and drives ok.  Photos and information about changing the oxygen sensor and an account of 3 years with my wife's 960 that has done 20,000 miles with that damn flashing light.  I've just bought a 2nd 960 estate that has flashing lights.  I'm not going to worry - the car drives ok.

Prices

I bought my 1992 960 Estate at a car auction in  February 2005 ago at a cost of £700.  It had 160,000 on the clock though according to the service history a reconditioned engine and gearbox had been fitted around the 90,000 mile mark.  It also came with a 1 year mot. 

Car auction prices tend to reflect 'sensible' prices.  As at March 2007,  a tidy 1995 estate model with less than 100,000 on the clock and a long mot attracted a top auction bid of £500. There is a difference between saloon and estate prices.  Estates command higher prices

In general, a saloon with less than 100,000 on the clock and a 12 month MOT is currently worth around £500, rising to around £650 if it has substantially less than 100,000 (say around 60,000) on the clock and comes with a service history.  A superb, low mileage pristine example complete with service history and long MOT .. they tend to command higher prices. In excess of 200,000 miles then a saloon -irrespective of how good it is tends to command a price of £75-£200.  Estates in similar condition - add £150

Pristine and faultless examples with a service history - an estate can have an asking price of £1500-£2000.  Maybe a bit more if it's very low mileage.  Less for a saloon.

In excess of 100,000 miles - i.e 160,000 miles, then £150 -200  seems to be about right for a saloon- if it has more than 3 months MOT.

No MOT - nothing.  Don't bother with it unless you're a mechanic who can carry out your own repairs/work.

 MOT

It's not uncommon to see these cars (or any car) advertised with a short or no mot.  Often there are comments along the lines of 'it should pass with out any problems.'  Perhaps, but it should be borne in mind that if the catalytic converter alone needs replacing then it will add an extra £200+  to the cost of the mot.  Buy a car with a long mot or pay the seller the cost of an mot to see if it fails on anything.  If you end up with a car that needs a 'cat' and exhaust box and one or two other mot jobs such as a couple of brake pipes/ball joint doing, then it's unlikely that you'll get any change out of £500.

Many car owners will put their car through an mot a couple of months before it is actually due, just to see what it fails on.  Don't buy somebody else's headache.

Service History

   Don't be frightened to try doing it yourself

The engines on these cars are good for more than 200,000 miles -maybe 300,000- if they have been well maintained, though attention to the head gasket (involves skimming the head) may well be required at around this mileage). 300,000 miles is easily achievable with a car that's been well maintained, though don't become blinded by 'indestructible Volvo' stories.  An old high mileage car is still an old high mileage car, irrespective what make it is.  Much depends on its servicing history and how it has been driven/treated.

 A complete service history is a good selling point.  One important point is the cambelt - if there's no record of it having been changed then presume it needs one, irrespective of what the owner says.  A snapped cambelt puts the car beyond any realistic hope of economic repair.  A second hand engine alone is liable to set you back at least £250 before labour charges are added.

Servicing

The cambelt needs to be changed every 30,000 miles.  Oil/filter change is quoted as every 10,000 miles unless there are adverse conditions.  Adverse conditions include stop-start driving (like in a city) and sustained high speed use and 'hot environments'. Otherwise change the oil/filter every 5000  miles.  If you do the work yourself (easy) change the oil/filter every 5000 miles and avoid lots of trouble.  The fluid in the automatic transmission should be changed every 24,000 miles (but never is ...).  Changing the transmission fluid prolongs the life of the auto gearbox and negates slow/reluctant gear changes.

General Faults/Looking at the Car

You may get a warning light on the dashboard to say that a bulb isn't working.  Yet all the lights do work.  The fault is in the electrics ... to rectify it necessitates taking the dashboard/console apart (a day's work..).  On a practical level it isn't worth the hassle of taking the console apart for the sake of a £1 faulty bulb .. live with it.

Given the age of the cars now the air conditioning may not work as it needs recharging .. How often do you need the air conditioning?  Isn't it easier (and cheaper) to open a window?  Cruise control may not work.  Ask around to see how many people use cruise control ...  They're all 'faults' we can live with.  The 960 is low priced - it gives you a lot for your money.

When looking at any prospective purchase ask the seller to start the engine.  The oxygen sensor (lambda) warning light should go out immediately.  If it doesn't it needs replacing  (£100+ at 2008 workshop prices, though you can do the job yourself in 30 minutes and ordering the parts online). If that warning light comes on again within a few minutes, suspect the sensor and/or the catalytic converter.

Catalytic Converter/Exhaust

It's the 'front box' of the exhaust system located beneath the driver's side.  With a warm engine any unusual smells/fumes from the area of the 'cat' (it has actually been likened to the smell of tom-cats pee) is a sure fire sign that the converter is dead and needs replacing.  If there's any sign of exhaust cement or exhaust bandages wrapped around the 'cat' it also indicates that it needs replacing.  You can't bodge a cat - if it leaks or becomes blocked/draws in air then it is history.  Don't let anybody tell you otherwise.

   Location of oxygen sensor on 'cat'

A catalytic converter costs around £220 to be replaced.  You can order the part online and do it your self for around £130.  A complete exhaust system including catalytic converter is around £350 fitted.  Cast an eye over the exhaust system, too.  Don't dismiss a car that needs a new cat/exhaust - use the fact as a bargaining chip.

Tailgate Struts and Tailgate

Open the tailgate and see if it stays open.  It should 'lift' easily. The gas dampers - the struts -lose their pressure with age.  If the tailgate closes of its own accord or feels heavy to lift those struts need replacing.  Around £30 a pair and very straightforward to change.  Also check that the tailgate does in fact open from the outside.  With age and wear the locking mechanism may not work, which means that you have to lean over the rear seats to open the tailgate via the internal lever.  Though quite often a few squirts of WD40 over a few days frees things up.  More of niggles with an older car than a fault.

Electric Windows

Don't forget there are three other windows apart from the drivers window ...  Do they work?  You may find that the rear ones in particular are 'slow' to operate - this is mainly down to non-use.  Some well-aimed WD40 and a few minutes playing with the switches usually cures things.

Buy the condition of the car - not the year.  There's no real reason why a 1995 model should cost more than a 1992 model.  These models have been out of production for well over a decade and as such are 'old hat' and not really wanted by the motoring trade.  This goes some way to explaining why later models advertised at 'silly prices' remain unsold.  Their 'auction/trade-in price' is often substantially less than half the forecourt asking price and perhaps often should be seen as 'silly money' when advertised privately.  And despite the jokes about used car salesmen, they're actually very approachable and willing to help.  If there are any major faults on the car they are usually sorted out before the car is sold.  Don't be afraid to negotiate with them.

Don't be blinded by a low-price bargain.  Like any car, look at the overall condition and service history, and how much mot is on it.  £1200 should get you a very nice example of an estate indeed. And if the seller's name isn't in the V5 ... it may be they are selling it for 'a friend' or 'relative' or their 'wife/ girlfriend bought it but found it is too big' ... or they may have bought it at an auction and have added a few hundred pounds to the price they paid ...  (and now you know who has voted that this guide was not helpful).

A lot of  960s advertised  tend to be re-advertised at a later date simply because the seller has an over-inflated idea of its value.  Not too long ago an ebay member was trying sell a 1994 saloon with well in excess of 200,000 on the clock with starting price of £500.  Unsurprisingly, there were no bids. It was re-advertised a second time with no bids.  A friend sold his 190,000 mile 91' Estate on Ebay for £75.   It's a buyer's market. Prices are now as low as they're liable to get.  Have a look around. Read more (after www) glennsmart.btinternet.co.uk and choose 'Volvo 960' from the drop down menu. I'm selling nothing.  The information and photos is there .. well, just because it is.  And if this guide has been of any help to you please vote for it.  You may help another memeber.