1992 Volvo 960 2.9

Summary:

Volvo rivals English cars in substandard quality

Faults:

- Transmission.

- A/C.

- Heater (hardly gets hot).

- Electrics: Fog lights won't work. Rear wiper works on and off. Dome light comes on when opening the doors, but cannot be turned on when in the car. Light from the tailgate only comes on if turned on manually.

- Coolant leak (mechanic and myself haven't been able to locate it - praying that it's not the head-gasket, although there is no signs of that in the overflow tank).

- Noisy engine.

General Comments:

I've owned many Volvos over the years and they all had their issues, but this one has pushed me over the edge. The interior is nice and plush, and the body feels solid, but mechanically and electric wise it is of terrible quality that one would only expect on English cars.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 29th November, 2014

29th Nov 2014, 17:01

You bought a 22 year old car. Did you seriously expect it to be in perfect condition?

29th Nov 2014, 20:26

You are aware the car is over 22 years old?

29th Nov 2014, 21:29

Why are you buying a 22-year old car and complaining some stuff doesn't work?

29th Nov 2014, 21:43

I totally agree.

In reply to 29th Nov 2014, 21:43

1st Dec 2014, 16:55

The age is irrelevant; some of the things the reviewer mentioned should never go wrong on a car.

1st Dec 2014, 22:02

At the above:

Malfunctioning A/C is to be expected on a 22 year old car, but things like the heater and transmission should still work within the car's lifetime, especially at just 104k miles.

It doesn't hurt to have some standards when you're buying a used car.

In reply to 29th Nov 2014, 21:29

1st Dec 2014, 22:03

Maybe the owner has higher expectations from their cars?

In reply to 1st Dec 2014, 22:03

2nd Dec 2014, 11:43

Very unusual to have a noisy engine on a 960 - the engines are usually bullet proof. We thought we may have had a head gasket going on a S90 (same engine as the 960), but after checking, it turned out to be a water hose that had a very small crack in it. Apart from that it drove like a new car, and by the way, it had 296,800 miles on it!

The gearbox probably wasn't at fault - probably just the PNP switch, which can go bad and throw the gearbox into limp mode. A good tech would be able to find that out.

Heating could be down to a failed blower (super easy to swap over - about half hour) or a sticking thermostat.

1992 Volvo 960 Wagon 6 cylinder

Summary:

Absolutely the BEST car I've ever owned

Faults:

Major issue with car engine cutting out. After having an inexperienced shop try to repair, which took a week of trial-and-error, took it to a Volvo specialist and had it fixed in a day: camshaft sensor.

The other issue with car is corrosion of the window frame on the driver's door where the frame meets the door body at the rear edge. Since I am the third owner of this car, can't complain; either of two previous owners had had body work done on the car, probably from an accident, and the work wasn't the best quality.

General Comments:

Absolutely the BEST car I've ever owned. In seven years' ownership, have put on over 100,000 miles and have done no major repairs to the car, other than the cutting-out problem described above.

The car averages 22 mpg city/highway, and runs daily at 65 mph (using cruise control) on a 50-mile round trip to work and back.

The car is solid, roomy, has a rear-facing third seat, sun roof, and, with rear seats folded, can carry a large amount of cargo.

This car rides and handles better than my old Buick Electra 225, gets better gas mileage than the Chevrolet Corsica it replaced (which cost me over five thousand dollars in repairs in the three years I had it), carries more people and cargo than the two Chevrolet Malibu station wagons we had previously, and costs less to maintain than any of the above.

The secret to owning a Volvo is to find a good, reliable mechanic or shop that specializes in these cars, and be willing to perform regular maintenance (oil and filter changes, tune-ups, and so forth.)

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd May, 2011