was passing a garage where i saw a volvo 960 saloon. It is a 1995 2.5litre version. I am tempted to buy it. does anyone have any experience with this model? Had a look at the car-by-car breakdown already.
the bad news is that i have a 1996 mondeo 1.8TD with 125k on the clock. The day before i took it for mot and it passed. Had promised myself that if it fails mot then i will change the car. That was 3 years ago :-( Don't know whether to stick with something that has been dependable or just go ahead and change the car. The thing is it is probably worth just peanuts.
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I think you will find it's a 3.0 six. Big, heavy and thirsty but usually Volvo qualities are there.
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Better the devil you know.
How long have you had to Ford?
"To improve on the quality of your motoring" I would suggest buying an unknown quantity of roughly the same age is a risk. You would probably have to move quite a few years newer (say 5/6 yr old car) rather than a 12 yr old one as you would probably want to keep the car a few years.
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The 900 series Volvo was getting long-in-the-tooth when the Mondeo was launched. You may find that the quality of your motoring gets worse......
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The 900 series Volvo was getting long-in-the-tooth when the Mondeo was launched. You may find that the quality of your motoring gets worse......
Indeed; I think the only oldish Volvo saloon worth having would be the S40. 2.0T model should be good value.
tinyurl.com/29rmmo
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Indeed; I think the only oldish Volvo saloon worth having would be the S40. 2.0T model should be good value. tinyurl.com/29rmmo
You must be joking - not a true Volvo. A Mitsubishi Carisma with a party suit.
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Isn't the 960 essentially a cosmetic update of the 760? And that dates from 1983! That said, there's one I see round here that still seems to be giving someone good service, but that's rather different from taking on an unknown example for the first time.
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These cars are very well built, and I know f two examples over 250,000 miles and going strong.
In terms of refinement, owing to the ong wheel base and solid materials, I am not at all convinced that it would be inferior to a Mondeo in any way.
These cars are rear-wheel drive though - which may be something that you would want to take into account when changing froma Mondeo.
I really like the 960 - it is rather different from the everyday norm, whilst still being practical and rugged.
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thanks for the replies. It is actually a 2.5 litre not 3.0 litre. i just fancy a old barge since my annual mileage is 3k. Prefer older cars because they are easier and cheaper to repair. Less of the electronics devices the modern car has.
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My nephew had a very nice 960 2.5 estate, in that nice aubergine colour they used to do. Leather, A/C, alloys, etc., ideal for lugging computers around the country which is his job.
Very nice until he was side-swiped and T-boned by an artic on the North Circular, damaging every panel in the process. The old girl stood up to the crash very well, which must be why they have taken over from Austin A40s as car-of-choice for banger racing.
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If its at the right price, go for it as long as its been looked after. There may be more exciting cars around, but they have a character all of their own.
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I think the point peterb makes about the driving experience is good so make sur eyou have a good test drive but I put that car in the "built to last forever" camp similar to the W124's.
It will be a bit thirsty in comparison to your mondeo though.
Also the CBCB is always a good guide on what to look for.
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I think rather than asking here on a general car forum, you should seek the advice of people who really know these cars:
Try www.volvoforums.org.uk/forumdisplay.php?s=d74eea4b...0
8966&f=15
this will take you directly to the 900/V90 thread where you can ask questions directly to the people who drive these cars daily.
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I often think that for 3000 miles pa, you could drive almost anything and the costs will be very similar (if you exclude insurace and depreciation). Buy a Ferrari and do 15mpg or a Cireon C3 diesel and do 60 mpg, the cost difference will be £600pa.
As a more reasonable example, buy a Volvo 960 at do 20mpg or a Mondeo at 35mpg and cost difference is £260pa.
So, have a nice comfortable large car with all the kit. Why not? Good solid safe cars, generally reliable and witha bit of poke if you need it.
Go for it.
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If I did 3,000 miles a year I wouldn't drive a Mondeo TD.
But I don't, so I do. :-)
I'd take full advantage of my circumstances and buy something with a big V8 in it. :-)
cheers
DP
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Precisely my reasoning to drive a 20mpg Outback, as I do no more than 9,000miles pa. If I 20,000 miles I would drive a diesel.
At present I can afford/justify the extra cost, if the price of fuel doubled overnight, I would think again.
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But I don't so I do. :-) I'd take full advantage of my circumstances and buy something with a big V8 in it. :-) cheers DP
bought the mondeo when i was working. I was commuting 600 miles a week so diesel was a must. Fortunately managed to get hold of a low mileage mondeo. Circumstances changed 3 years ago when missus passed away forcing me to give up work to look after my very young children.
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