1995 Volvo 960 3.0 Auto Estate for sale

[Sphinx]

Hello All, I know I don't post here very much (if at all) but hope you don't hold that against me while you read this ad Grab a cuppa because this will be a long read with lots of pictures.

I'm selling my 960 estate for 'spares of repair' due to lack of MOT (and tax) and not having the time to fix it, but I really would like it to go to an enthusiast who will finish it and get it back on the road.

A little background on me & the car to help paint a picture; I'm a proper car enthusiast and my pride and joy is an old BMW (can provide pictures here if it helps the sale ) which I've slowly re-built and restored. While doing this, I tend to buy 'runarounds' that tickle my fancy. I saw this and thought I'd tick 'big old volvo' off my list, plus it was handy to lug stuff around in during a recent move. It's been great up until recently when it developed a couple of faults that I know need fixing before an MOT. I have 2 other cars to fix and a house to decorate so sadly, this one has to go before I can finish it.

So here is it:






(couldn't stand far enough back to get it all in lol)














Did have the extra seats but they were removed before I bought it.









I bought the car around 8 months ago from a guy who used it as his second/weekend car and decided he didn't use it enough to justify having it. I used it daily until the MOT ran out in March.

You all know what spec they come with so I won't bore you with all that. It does have an electric sunroof though if that's your thing.

Good bits:
-124k
-Loads of service history, MOTs, receipts, handbooks etc Even has the promotional video! (you can watch it with popcorn too if you still have a video tape player)

The service book is stamped up to 77k and there is a stack of service receipts during/after this. Plus lots of old MOT's.
-3 previous owners before me.
-Tow bar with electric (although I've never used them myself)
-Recent new rear discs and pads
-Recent oil/filter change
(Both of the above done by me with receipts to prove)
-4x good Pirelli P6000's

So lets get down to it:

Problems that it will fail an MOT on (I've not taken it for a test, I just know these need sorting before even bothering:

- Windscreen developed 2 cracks during the frost:


-I think the steering rack needs new seals as it makes the occasional groan when turning (slow parking speeds) and 'pulses' during steady cornering. From everything I've read, it's fairly common and the rack can be re-built with new seals (found on ebay) This diagnosis is purely my opinion based on things I've read here that sound like the symptoms I've experienced.

- Occasionally it runs rich which I think would foul the emissions test. However, after looking into it and getting codes read (lambdas were reading fine) my money is on the coolant temp sensor...which is included in the sale (little blue box in the paperwork picture). Side note is while it was off the road, the battery went flat unsurprisingly, but when I charged it up and started it, it ran and smelt fine (when running rich, you could tell...) so maybe the codes have reset? No idea. I don't think it's fixed itself by any means but it confirms my suspicion of the coolant temp sensor.

- Handbrake will need adjusting: I replaced the rear discs and pads shortly after buying it and noticed the shoes had loads of life left in them.

That's it in terms of what I think it'll take to get through an MOT.

Other miscellaneous issues:

- Remote key fobs are very temperamental, in fact I can count on one hand the number of times I've successfully unlocked the car with them. Not tried new batteries so it might just be as simple as that.

- Central locking works fine from drivers door, but not passenger door (is this a Volvo 'safety' feature? or is it a problem? I've no idea)

- Air-con doesn't work. I won't use the classic line 'just needs a re-gas' because I don't know. All I know is the clutch doesn't kick in when you press the button.

General condition:

Body has it's share of scuffs/dings & chips. All 4 bumper corners have scuffs where people have under-estimated the size (not me I might add). Bonnet has a fair few touched up stone chips.
Here's the worst bumper scuff:


Weird dent on the sill:


There are scratches on the rear bumper where things have been put in the boot, the drivers side rear light has a chip and there was a bubbly bit that's been touched in (interesting note is the boot lid is aluminium...)


Wheels are....round. Other than that, they're pretty kerbed and corroded. Again, here's the worst one:

(the other 3 have centre caps)

It has the classic puckered up leather on the door cards. However, a previous owner has tried to 'fix' this on the drivers door card with some kind of brown sealant. I would dearly love to find this person and ask them 'Really?! Do you REALLY think it looks better now?!':

Oh and the interior handle is 'floppy'...it doesn't spring back. Again, common issue so I've heard.

Drivers seat fairly worn on the bolsters:


The rest of the interior is average really; being beige it does show up the marks. It's clearly been used as a Volvo should so there are little nicks in the headliner etc, odd marks here and there and the worst bit being the trim panels on the driver seats that holds the electric adjustment buttons is loose/broken. Electric seats still work perfectly though. There are several holes in the passenger side of the centre console from what I assume was a cool 90's car-phone. Not sure if a CD changer was a factory option but the wiring is there behind the head unit, but there is no changer in the boot.

All that being said, I am VERY picky (bordering on OCD with my pride and joy) but I'm not here to waste anyone's time, so I've listed everything I can think of.

Price: £500ono
Location: Southampton

My name is Tom, if you've got any questions just ask here or send a PM and I'll give you my number if you want to chat about things or arrange to see it (and buy it )

[Sphinx]

Any interest before the weekend?
Too much? Too much work needed?

[Paffel]

Its a nice looking car Sphinx, but with no tax or MOT its hindering your chances of a sale.

Windscreen - you could probably grab one for under £50 from a breakers, or if you have fully comp insurance....
Rack - i'd personally source another as a matter of course but the groan could just be low fluid?
Coolant temp sensor - will be a small job
Handbrake adjustment - does it hold the car while in "Drive" and Reverse?

I may have had a fancy myself if I could have got it back home! I did the rack recently on my 740 and its not a bad job to do, just a bit mucky and then there's the issue of wheel tracking alignment after - but nothing strenuous.

Paf.

[Sphinx]

Thanks Paf, I appreciate the reply.
I could do the work it needs (had every intention as I've already bought the coolant sensor) but I simply don't have the time at present. My hope was that an enthusiast would see the potential and tackle it.
As if to aid the sale... I'll say that I appreciate your optimism but I'm fairly sure the rack needs more than just a top up. Having looked underneath, I agree it doesn't look like a hard job at all though.

In terms of transport, a car can be driven without MOT and tax as long as it's TO a pre-booked MOT (and the car is 'basically' legal with regards to tyres etc). As you can't buy tax without an MOT, it is allowed as long as the car is insured.

Now, as everybody loves a picture in a thread, have some of my e36 (warning, may offend Volvo owners)
The underside, after a lot of work:


The interior, after a LOT of work:


The exterior, after a lot of work that you can't see:

[Paffel]

Indeed, that rings true regarding the mot and tax, but I might be pushing it if I pick up the car in so'ton and my mot centre is in coventry!

Keep me posted if you get any interest on this :-)

[Sphinx]

Well, update on things; still not sold.

Gave ebay a go and just got lots of stupid questions about things I'd already covered.

Any interest at £400ono?

[Paffel]

Still no bites Tom?

[Sphinx]

No nothing serious.

[Sphinx]

Still nadda.
Am I missing something or can you not edit posts after a certain amount of time? I want to update the price in the original advert but can't see a way.

[Paffel]

No, you only get a 3 hour window to edit posts - however admin can modify it for you if needed.

Shame you're not getting any bites for this - does this have a pass side airbag?