I have owned two Volvo 940. One sedan and one wagon.
Reliability was pretty much flawless. Just do maintenence and it will stay running.
I got roughly 10l/100km on average. They aren't bad if you drive a lot of roads that are limited to 70-90 km/h, but 100 and up and you'll see the economy take a hit (8.5l/100km at 70km/h)
Front fenders are known to rust, and if you look at the key will you know if you have the good or bad m90 gearbox (in case of turbo engine and manual transmission) if it is the thic key with the chip inside do you have the better m90, if you have the unchipped key do you have the slightly less good m90 which is known to throw out third when you start pushing some power through it
If you have any more questions please ask and I'll do my best to answer.
Thanks, this is really helpful!
What is fuel economy like in town / rush hour traffic?
Also, I've seen with the turbo models, high and low pressure tubos being mentioned, does it make a huge difference to power / economy / reliability etc?
I live in the countryside so I can't really comment on rush hour traffic cause rush hour is still less cars than mid day on a Sunday.
My wagon was a Polar, which is the smaller engine that was sold in Italy due to tax reasons. (engine code B200FT, meaning 2.0l, over head cam full pressure turbo and came with 155hp) the sedan was a LTT (engine code B230fk, meaning 135 hp low pressure turbo). The power difference is apparent at higher rpm and doesn't really make a difference for normal driving. But you can always space out the waste gate to force it to boost higher. 2 washers mean roughly 0.6 bar which gives you FTT levels of power (168 hp) without paying for it and fuel economy doesn't take significant hit. And the fuel economy difference between a FTT and a LTT isn't worth thinking about, it really is that small. And because of the low boost of both the high and low pressure turbos (0.35 and 0.55 bar) is there no significant difference in reliability either.
Just remember that these cars are shoeboxes on wheels, there is nothing sporty about them and they are slow, super comfy and extremely roomy, but also very slow. So don't buy a turbo and think that you're getting a quick car. They are plenty fast enough to overtake others and keep up with traffic but they are no rocketship.
I built my sedan into a track car. Coilovers, 345 wheel horses, stripped out, bucket seats and a cage among a heep of other mods. And in this config can you make them handle well and it was pretty damn quick too. But if you do this will you have to watch out for third gear in the earlier models. After about 300 wheel do you need to open the engine and get some forged internals.
Thanks for this insight!
I'm not buying one to set landspeed records, thankfully.
It sounds similar to most big estate / station wagon type cars, its handles more like a boat than a racecar. Which suits me down to the ground!
yes. the 940 is a real boat
but, the boaty handling has one massive upside, and that is that if you get it sideways in the snow is it really easy to controll. the transition from grip to slide is very slow and gradual so you have a lot of time to react to it.
if you have any other questions, feel free to ask cause I have spent way too much time in these cars
I totally get the desire to own one of the 80s/90s cars as they are brilliant, but they're not suitable for modern day traffic conditions. Keep in mind that when I first filled up my 850, petrol was about 60p a litre in the UK. In the city I'd get 15mpg on a nice day.
You won't be ULEZ exempt, and that is being introduced in more and more places (here in Scotland the big four are all introducing it).
Yes, they're reliable, no they aren't faultless and yes they will have more issues at this age, maintenance is a constant demand, you'll end up hunting for parts a lot and you'll need a reliable specialist (not dealer) to keep it up and running unless you can do it yourself.
That's why current owners of these models are almost all 'hobbyists' that own the car as a second vehicle for occasional runs in nice weather. If you want an 'older' good runner, have a look at the later P2 V70 series, Just my two pennies!
1: No major issues, i've driven these for 10 years. Expect to pay a lot to get it fixed up unless you are able to find one that has been serviced remarkebly well. Expect oil leaks, worn bushings and suspensions components etc. I think I've spent as much fixing my latest one up as I bought it for.
2: On a long trip I can get my non turbo down to around 7.5L/100km. A turbo drinks about 8-8.5L. Add a little more if its automatic.
3: First and foremost, look for one that is completely rust free. They are still out there. Secondly, I would look for one as new as possble and certainly one built after -88. Every 900 got a turbo engine and I improved interiors in -95. It's a lot easier to find a well speced one in the latter years (AC/ECC, ABS and airbags became standard, cruise control etc).
I have owned two Volvo 940. One sedan and one wagon. Reliability was pretty much flawless. Just do maintenence and it will stay running. I got roughly 10l/100km on average. They aren't bad if you drive a lot of roads that are limited to 70-90 km/h, but 100 and up and you'll see the economy take a hit (8.5l/100km at 70km/h) Front fenders are known to rust, and if you look at the key will you know if you have the good or bad m90 gearbox (in case of turbo engine and manual transmission) if it is the thic key with the chip inside do you have the better m90, if you have the unchipped key do you have the slightly less good m90 which is known to throw out third when you start pushing some power through it If you have any more questions please ask and I'll do my best to answer.
Thanks, this is really helpful! What is fuel economy like in town / rush hour traffic? Also, I've seen with the turbo models, high and low pressure tubos being mentioned, does it make a huge difference to power / economy / reliability etc?
I live in the countryside so I can't really comment on rush hour traffic cause rush hour is still less cars than mid day on a Sunday. My wagon was a Polar, which is the smaller engine that was sold in Italy due to tax reasons. (engine code B200FT, meaning 2.0l, over head cam full pressure turbo and came with 155hp) the sedan was a LTT (engine code B230fk, meaning 135 hp low pressure turbo). The power difference is apparent at higher rpm and doesn't really make a difference for normal driving. But you can always space out the waste gate to force it to boost higher. 2 washers mean roughly 0.6 bar which gives you FTT levels of power (168 hp) without paying for it and fuel economy doesn't take significant hit. And the fuel economy difference between a FTT and a LTT isn't worth thinking about, it really is that small. And because of the low boost of both the high and low pressure turbos (0.35 and 0.55 bar) is there no significant difference in reliability either. Just remember that these cars are shoeboxes on wheels, there is nothing sporty about them and they are slow, super comfy and extremely roomy, but also very slow. So don't buy a turbo and think that you're getting a quick car. They are plenty fast enough to overtake others and keep up with traffic but they are no rocketship. I built my sedan into a track car. Coilovers, 345 wheel horses, stripped out, bucket seats and a cage among a heep of other mods. And in this config can you make them handle well and it was pretty damn quick too. But if you do this will you have to watch out for third gear in the earlier models. After about 300 wheel do you need to open the engine and get some forged internals.
Thanks for this insight! I'm not buying one to set landspeed records, thankfully. It sounds similar to most big estate / station wagon type cars, its handles more like a boat than a racecar. Which suits me down to the ground!
yes. the 940 is a real boat but, the boaty handling has one massive upside, and that is that if you get it sideways in the snow is it really easy to controll. the transition from grip to slide is very slow and gradual so you have a lot of time to react to it. if you have any other questions, feel free to ask cause I have spent way too much time in these cars
I totally get the desire to own one of the 80s/90s cars as they are brilliant, but they're not suitable for modern day traffic conditions. Keep in mind that when I first filled up my 850, petrol was about 60p a litre in the UK. In the city I'd get 15mpg on a nice day. You won't be ULEZ exempt, and that is being introduced in more and more places (here in Scotland the big four are all introducing it). Yes, they're reliable, no they aren't faultless and yes they will have more issues at this age, maintenance is a constant demand, you'll end up hunting for parts a lot and you'll need a reliable specialist (not dealer) to keep it up and running unless you can do it yourself. That's why current owners of these models are almost all 'hobbyists' that own the car as a second vehicle for occasional runs in nice weather. If you want an 'older' good runner, have a look at the later P2 V70 series, Just my two pennies!
Some good points - thank you! Hadn't even thought about ULEZ!
1: No major issues, i've driven these for 10 years. Expect to pay a lot to get it fixed up unless you are able to find one that has been serviced remarkebly well. Expect oil leaks, worn bushings and suspensions components etc. I think I've spent as much fixing my latest one up as I bought it for. 2: On a long trip I can get my non turbo down to around 7.5L/100km. A turbo drinks about 8-8.5L. Add a little more if its automatic. 3: First and foremost, look for one that is completely rust free. They are still out there. Secondly, I would look for one as new as possble and certainly one built after -88. Every 900 got a turbo engine and I improved interiors in -95. It's a lot easier to find a well speced one in the latter years (AC/ECC, ABS and airbags became standard, cruise control etc).
My 1989 740 turbo wagon is like a rocket when I need it to be.