Recently inherited Volvo 940 SE
 

Hi,

I've recently inherited a 1995 (M Reg) Volvo Estate 940 SE TDi from my late father. He loved Volvos, and had many over the years. He swore by them.

The car runs fine, bar a few little niggles. The accelerator sticks down sometimes, meaning the engine revs like crazy. You have to press and release the accelerator to try to unstick it. There's also a leak in the driver-side rear seatwell. All efforts to try to find the source of the leak have failed. Even so far as we've taped the doors and sunroof shut, and it still fills with water. We have a very good mechanic whom we've been with for decades.

Mechanically, the car runs well. It's passed every MOT easily, and has around 185,000 miles on the clock. It had a new alternator added, in 2012. It does feel very sluggish to drive, compared to my car, but I love driving it.

So, this is where my dilemma starts. I have a 2002 (02 reg) Rover 75Club SE Estate. It's a nice car to drive, and is in good working order. I only bought it in 2015. I'm loathed to get rid of either car. The Rover has much better acceleration, is a LOT quieter(to be expected, being petrol), and in very good condition.

My mum, on the other hand, can only drive automatics (due to confidence, and past experience, her license is valid for manuals). She has a bit of a mental block when it comes to the Volvo. She used to drive it, but had some bad experiences with breakdowns while driving in Europe. We want to get her a 5dr petrol automatic hatchback, so that she can get back on the road.

So, do we part exchange the Volvo for a car for mum, or should I keep the Volvo and part exchange the Rover? If the Volvo had the acceleration of the Rover, I'd keep it in a heartbeat, but it seems to crawl when trying to build speed. I'm not used to driving a Turbo, and I know there is a certain knack to them.

My concerns are the upkeep costs, more than anything. I know Volvos are amazingly reliable, especially the 940s. If I can get the accelerator to work properly, and work out where the water is coming from, it'll still last a long time. But, can I justify going from a 2002 model to a 1995 model. What changes in a couple of years, once it hits the 25 year mark? Will it "become" a classic car?

It's difficult to get any valuation on either car. The only place I've found so far that can put any value on either car is "Zuto". Both are around the £500-£700 price range. I'm not experienced in selling cars at all, so I'm going slowly, and trying to figure it all out. I want to do right by dad, but he wouldn't want me to keep the car purely out of sentiment.

It's a classic story, "Boy meets car, boy loves car. Boy meets other car, boy also loves other car. Now, both cars are stood, cross-armed, staring at each other on the drive, and boy is stuck having to choose between them."

What would people's advice be? I know this may be a biased audience, but I'm hoping to get sage advice from those far more experienced, and far more knowledgable than myself.

Thank you.

This thread might help you with the leak issue, as the chap in there had a leak in his 940 too.

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=281539

Regarding some of your other points, anything over 20 is a classic car and so subject to very cheap classic car insurance. A 940 TDi also shouldnt be significantly slower than a 75, unless its the V6 model. Check for boost leaks.

As to what car to keep or what to buy in replacement, that is something that ultimately only you can decide as only you know your scenarios and have first hand experience with the cars.

As above really. If you ignore the sentimental attachment - would you be happy driving and caring for your late father's car anyway? - it may come down to you standing on the drive and facing two glowering cars and tossing a coin to decide.

I think the acceleration difference between the two is just my lack of experience with driving turbos. If I floor it, and stay at the top end of the gear for a lot longer than I would in the Rover, before shifting up, it does accelerate fairly quickly. It always seems like I'm racing, though. I'm used to being able to just accelerate through the gears.

I now understand why dad drove like he did, and found my car hard to control. All the power in the 75 is at the low end of each gear, when you put your foot down, it accelerates through the gear really quickly. I'm now realising that dad wasn't an aggressive driver, he was just a Turbo Diesel driver.

Yep, off-boost my 850 T5 is slower than my girlfriends (and my old) 1.4 Corolla, despite being literally twice as fast to 60mph. You have to keep turbos on boost to make progress, which feels odd in diesels known for their low-end grunt.

The Volvo has been in the garage for the last couple of months. Trying to sort out the leak. Despite it not raining last night, and the sunroof being sealed shut, and the rear footwell being bone-dry yesterday, today the catpet is saturated. I'll have to do some proper research on it.

My heart says the Volvo. My head says the Rover. My head is more easily swayed than my heart, usually. The Rover will be harder to fix, as the parts are much harder to get hold of. It's also much more expensive to insure. The age, and the way you have to drive it, are the main downsides of the Volvo. And, of course, the sticking accelerator, and the standing water. If I leave it on the drive for a few weeks, and drive the Rover, it causes the seatbelts, and steering wheel to grow mould on them.

@ Apache tech
Best way to find the leak is to dust the interior with talc. The leak will leave a trail in the talc.
Follow the trail and find the source of your leak.Works everytime allbeit a bit messy.

It usually ends up with a puddle half an inch deep, but I'll try it. Someone once mentioned the outlet for the air con is under the driver seat, which could be causing it. But, the car doesn't have air con, just a regular cooler.

I'm not clear exactly what Rover you have but having experience of all engines none have turbo lag - not the 1.8T nor the BMW diesel (although there are two power outputs - CDT & CDTi).

I've owned a 75 V6 and an MG ZT CDTi, both fine cars without a doubt. With both I think you have to be a little resourceful when you need parts, although consumables for either aren't a problem.

If I had both I'd probably keep the one in the best overall condition - can't comment on insurance as that's a personal thing.

Jon.

The Rover isn't a turbo. It's a Rover 75 Tourer Club SE. 1.8 V6 (Petrol). Both cars have small issues that I live with, and are both otherwise in pretty good condition.