Alternatives to a Volvo 940/960
Discussion
Faxo said:
Literally just the other day I condemned my dads '97 940 to the scrapyard, needs a full exhaust and some suspension bits which surprisingly add up! Whilst looking for a replacement Focus etc, we decided it would be worth putting £300 into the Ovlov and keeping her on the road!
My dad was genuinely quite upset at the prospect of being without the 940, to the point where he said it would be like losing a good mate!
So, she now lives on!
Good decision! My dad was genuinely quite upset at the prospect of being without the 940, to the point where he said it would be like losing a good mate!
So, she now lives on!
Scrapping a car for consumables is a bit silly because the next secondhand car you buy will inevitably need the same stuff doing anyway - and that's if you're lucky!
I have only ever bought one cheapie which didn't need at least a few small jobs doing, that was a complete fluke.
SuperHangOn said:
Scrapping a car for consumables is a bit silly because the next secondhand car you buy will inevitably need the same stuff doing anyway - and that's if you're lucky!
Yep, I've never understood that attitude either. Fair enough if it's rotten etc. but scrapping an otherwise good car because it needs a bit of money spent is crazy, especially when it's only £300.Skyedriver said:
Thanks for those suggestions, the C Class has a very sloped rear window which restricts fitting the dog cage in but the E Class a possibility.
Looked at a 406 Estate some years ago and yes huge luggage area, but build as you say....
210 estates are huge and actually pretty darn good but hard to find in decent nick because of the rust woes. The 300 diesels go on forever but the plastic fuel lines in the engine leaking/letting in air can be grief. As can seized in glow plugs and injectors. If you can live with the MPG the petrol V6's are very good with no major weakness. Autoboxes are strong provided the aft gets and occasional change. Looked at a 406 Estate some years ago and yes huge luggage area, but build as you say....
I have an E39, which I love, but cheap to run it is not!
Was the load bay of the 940/960 all that good?
From memory, it was quite shallow certainly not that much better than the Sierra of the time if my memory serves me correctly.
My Dad used to have a funeral business and they had a 940 Wentworth turbo as a pickup car and his own Sierra estate as a standby (When the Volvo was being serviced or broke down) and for long journey's. The length of the Volvo load bay with the seats flat wasn't as good as the Sierra. With a stretcher in, the front seats of the Volvo had to be really far forward and it was quite uncomfortable. The Sierra was a bit better in this respect. The 240 before the 940 was cavernous and the Mondeo Estate mk3 that followed were far larger..
Edited to add: As for the shallow boot of the Volvo, this may be because the rear windows are large and reach further down than modern cars - so I maybe mistaken
From memory, it was quite shallow certainly not that much better than the Sierra of the time if my memory serves me correctly.
My Dad used to have a funeral business and they had a 940 Wentworth turbo as a pickup car and his own Sierra estate as a standby (When the Volvo was being serviced or broke down) and for long journey's. The length of the Volvo load bay with the seats flat wasn't as good as the Sierra. With a stretcher in, the front seats of the Volvo had to be really far forward and it was quite uncomfortable. The Sierra was a bit better in this respect. The 240 before the 940 was cavernous and the Mondeo Estate mk3 that followed were far larger..
Edited to add: As for the shallow boot of the Volvo, this may be because the rear windows are large and reach further down than modern cars - so I maybe mistaken
Skyedriver said:
Thanks for those suggestions, the C Class has a very sloped rear window which restricts fitting the dog cage in but the E Class a possibility.
Looked at a 406 Estate some years ago and yes huge luggage area, but build as you say....
I think based on memories of my uncle's old 406 and the number still around compared to the Citroen/Renault equivalent, the 406 was the best built of the bunch. The 407 SW that replaced it has a tiny boot and is more of a "lifestyle" estate but a Citroen C5 Estate might fit the bill. I think they look pretty horrible but big, cheap and good diesel engines.Looked at a 406 Estate some years ago and yes huge luggage area, but build as you say....
Oh yeah, I forgot. Mk3 Mondeo Estates (and Vectra estates) are huge. I can't bring myself to recommend the Vectra but a Mondeo ST220 Estate might be mildly interesting.
SamPet said:
No it hasn't but I've been trying to contact the seller (and the seller of the red 960 posted earlier) but without success.The green one is about half an hour from me! An auto but prepared to consider. Big worry is that it appears to have stood for 6 years and that normally signals knackered bushes, leaky shocks etc once you start to use it.
MH82 said:
Was the load bay of the 940/960 all that good?
From memory, it was quite shallow certainly not that much better than the Sierra of the time if my memory serves me correctly.
My Dad used to have a funeral business and they had a 940 Wentworth turbo as a pickup car and his own Sierra estate as a standby (When the Volvo was being serviced or broke down) and for long journey's. The length of the Volvo load bay with the seats flat wasn't as good as the Sierra. With a stretcher in, the front seats of the Volvo had to be really far forward and it was quite uncomfortable. The Sierra was a bit better in this respect. The 240 before the 940 was cavernous and the Mondeo Estate mk3 that followed were far larger..
Edited to add: As for the shallow boot of the Volvo, this may be because the rear windows are large and reach further down than modern cars - so I maybe mistaken
Hmm Top to floor is a little shallow, cannot get a fridge/washer/tumble dryer in upright, but length wise I had a pair of 7ft garage doors in (with about 4 inches sticking out) or a double bed or a bath and handbasin or loads of other things in. Always thought they had more/better carrying space than a Disco.From memory, it was quite shallow certainly not that much better than the Sierra of the time if my memory serves me correctly.
My Dad used to have a funeral business and they had a 940 Wentworth turbo as a pickup car and his own Sierra estate as a standby (When the Volvo was being serviced or broke down) and for long journey's. The length of the Volvo load bay with the seats flat wasn't as good as the Sierra. With a stretcher in, the front seats of the Volvo had to be really far forward and it was quite uncomfortable. The Sierra was a bit better in this respect. The 240 before the 940 was cavernous and the Mondeo Estate mk3 that followed were far larger..
Edited to add: As for the shallow boot of the Volvo, this may be because the rear windows are large and reach further down than modern cars - so I maybe mistaken
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