960 royal Owners?

[Nine40]

Looking at buying a royal.. 1995 top of range model.. short mot and needs new power steering pipes... anybody own one? Is it worth buying i dont know what values are of these as they are pretty rare.. it has a good mot history and 200k miles owned by a volvo enthusiast..its auto and has the b6304s engine

[nmmb1967]

I've got a S90 (was 960) Executive 1998. 90,000 miles and LWB. I spend £700 per year keeping it on the road and in storage 9 months of the year. This is without major parts replacement - alternator replacement, body work, suspensions... Not for the faint hearted. But if you are prepared to invest then you get a great car that;s getting rarer. Exhaust, a/c, electrics, seem to be 960 bug bears. I run a 960 saloon as my every day car and similar things needs checking. Good service and changing things as required help keep it on the road.

So regards your post "....1995 top of range model.. short mot and needs new power steering pipes..." pay less than £1000, get engine and gear box checked with dorr sills and rear wheel arches for rust. expect dings and dents with some electricals not working - heated seats, a/c..spend £1500 coreecting and you'll get a very noce car.

Check car and classic https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1193705 960 executive 142K for £3495 to get some idea of cost.

[Nine40]

Thanls for the info.. i can have the car for £300 iys been looked afyer and has no rust at all , everything else works . One timy ding on
Boot lid. The royal is four seater saloon ..

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Nine40

Thanls for the info.. i can have the car for £300 iys been looked afyer and has no rust at all , everything else works . One timy ding on
Boot lid. The royal is four seater saloon ..

If you need to ask should you buy it then the answer is probably no.

Get it bought and stop dithering!

If memory serves, the 960 Royal was ONLY available as a 4 door saloon and had extra equipment and trim over and above the top of the range 960, supplied/fitted by Nilsson Coachbuilders in Sweden i think. Rumour has it the leather interior was by Hermes (them of fancy handbag fame, not the dodgy courier service!) so wasn't the usual run of the mill 960 with a flashy tag.

[Nine40]

Royal was available as 4 or 5 seater.. saloon, and yes it does have hermes leather .. ive never had a b6304 non turbo so not sure of reliability over my 940 b200..

https://youtu.be/xqzzNvh8_34

[capt jack]

I have a 97 S90, which has the 6 cylinder 3 litre 204bhp engine with an auto gearbox. It’s essentially the same engine as the 5 pot engine in the 850 and p1 70 series cars.

It’s super smooth and quiet, and a joy to drive.

The car is in daily use - I’ve done 30,000 miles in the two years I’ve owned the car. I wouldn’t say that it’s an especially difficult car to own. Spares are available from a surprising variety of sources. Service parts are common with the 850 /x70 cars.

The one worry I have is the fuel consumption. On a long run it’ll top 30mpg, but in everyday use you’re lucky to see 24mpg. With a 16 gallon tank a fill-up comes in at around £90, which will give you around 400 to 420 miles.

The independent multilink rear suspension means a surprising ability to corner at speed, and the smooth power of the engine makes 70+mph cruising a hugely unflustered affair - if you can live with the mpg!

Mine is a 5-seater, with excellent passenger accommodation in the big wide rear seat as well as the supremely comfortable front. Body panels are all the same as the 940, although that won’t be totally true of the Royale.

I recently broke a door mirror and was pleasantly surprised to find that a new heated glass and motor cost less than £25 on EBay.

Things to watch as I understand are creaking front wishbones, oil pressure problems and heater matrix leaks.

We also have an S70 of a similar age, and of the two the S90 is a smoother quieter ride, the S70 handles better and is actually a little more DIY friendly.

If you’ve found a good 960 or S90, and don’t mind the fuel consumption then absolutely yes, go for it!

Jack

[aardvarkash10]

300 quid...

Oh how the mighty have fallen.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

If memory serves, the 960 Royal was ONLY available as a 4 door saloon .

Originally Posted by Nine40

Royal was available as 4 or 5 seater.. saloon, and yes it does have hermes leather .. ive never had a b6304 non turbo so not sure of reliability over my 940 b200..

https://youtu.be/xqzzNvh8_34

That was what i said! Only available as a 4-door saloon, i didn't mention seats as we all know it's a 5-seater.

I'm fairly certain the B6304 wasn't available (certainly in this country) with a turbo but being a Benzine (petrol) 6 cylinder, 3.0 litre, 4 valves per cylinder engine with 204bhp, doesn't exactly need a turbo to move the shell along!

No reason why it should be any less reliable as long as no halfwits have put OAT red antifreeze in it. Drop 0.5L of Carlube ATF-U into the engine oil when you pick it up and you'll be amazed at how much the engine improves on the drive home.

[Nine40]

The mileage i do i can cope with the mpg.. but its four seater as has seoerste seats and a fridge 🥴.. bit hesitant of going from estate to saloon but i think its worth it.. so for £300 plus fuel and insurance and to get the work done for the mot total cost be around £600.. these volvos are addictive 🤣

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Nine40

The mileage i do i can cope with the mpg.. but its four seater as has seoerste seats and a fridge 🥴.. bit hesitant of going from estate to saloon but i think its worth it.. so for £300 plus fuel and insurance and to get the work done for the mot total cost be around £600.. these volvos are addictive 🤣

Have both and insure both as classics, chances are it'll be cheaper than just one car on a "normal" policy.

You might find the fridge door is hidden behind the upholstery so it might still be a 5 seater.

You'll find the saloon a lot quieter and warmer inside in this weather as well, cools down quicker in summer too.