Good second car ?

[slowprop]

Hi Guys,
I took early retirement recently and have been thinking about buying a second car. It would be used a few times a week for local journeys and would need to do a couple of 600 mile round trips a year on motorways.

I'd ideally like an older car with a bit of character so that I have another interest rather than just a car and have always liked the big Volvo estates. So I've been thinking that a 940 petrol automatic would be good. I'm not a mechanic though and there's the rub.

The plan would be to go for a really good example with not too many previous owners and with a documented service history. Also pay to have an engineer's inspection before purchasing. I would hope to be able to get a good one and avoid something that spends more time off the road than on it. Clearly that means spending more initially but probably worthwhile overall.

Do you guys think this is realistic or am I asking for a lot of trouble given my limited mechanical aptitude?

Thanks.

[psl]

Perfect second car. There are still low miles examples popping up with low miles. Always worth paying a little extra to get the best car. They are certainly cheaper to fix the the characterless modern cars that are full of electrics to go wrong.

[slowprop]

Originally Posted by psl

Perfect second car. There are still low miles examples popping up with low miles. Always worth paying a little extra to get the best car. They are certainly cheaper to fix the the characterless modern cars that are full of electrics to go wrong.

Well yes that's what I am thinking. I can also insure it on a classic policy as my no claims is on my current nearly new car which my wife tends to hog. I've been having a look around. Not very much in my part of the country at the moment (Kent). Dont mind travelling a reasonable distance but hundreds of miles just to look is difficult. No hurry though. I'm sure something will come up.

[360beast]

I have had my 940 2.3 low pressure turbo auto for about 6 months now and I love it.

I got 32mpg this week so they can get a decent mpg, my previous daily was a 2003 Fabia VRS and I was averaging £100 a month on repairs. So far I have done the cambelt and replaced the discs and pads all round with brembo items, a service and a few other little bits and I have spent less than £200 on that lot! It has done 176k miles now and runs brilliantly. It has few issues here and there that need sorting but nothing major.

As a long distance cruiser a 940 is perfect for the job, I have done 250 miles non stop in mine and it was faultless and relaxing. I'm driving it to Germany this summer which is just over 500 miles and I'm not worried about it at all!

They are easy to work on due to the simplicity and massive amounts of space so you will probably find you end up fixing things yourself and getting some mechanical knowledge.

[jonnyf90]

Late as possible 940 - 2.3 LPT being pick of the bunch.
If you don’t mind sacrificing mpg and boost (which I miss A LOT!) 960/V/S90 for its silky smooth 6 pot and oodles of class.
Both have plenty of space and refinement 👍

The 60s have more potential to be money pits but a well looked after example should see you well for 10,000s miles 👍

Cheers

[XCR]

Hi.
Mines still available.
PM me if interested.
Thanks,
Mark.
https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=289290
If unsold I'll be taking it to the Lake District for a weekend break at the end of the month.
I'd drive it anywhere.

[classicswede]

940/960 would make a nice car.

Second car there are lots of cars you could pickup as a backup car

[slowprop]

Originally Posted by XCR

Hi.
Mines still available.
PM me if interested.
Thanks,
Mark.
https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=289290
If unsold I'll be taking it to the Lake District for a weekend break at the end of the month.
I'd drive it anywhere.

Hi Mark
I'm getting a message saying I can't send PMs until I have 30 posts. Do you want to PM me with your number. I would be interested in finding out a bit more.
Robin

[slowprop]

Thanksfor your help guys.
Today, I had a look at a 940 2 litre Wentworth, 1995 7 seater auto. It looked to be a solid car. A bit rougher around the edges than I wanted TBH. I think I need to see one or two more but today's was a decent benchmark if nothing else.

My ideal would probably be a well sorted 940, 2.3L petrol, auto, 5 seater with Aircon and leather seats.

I've done a couple of insurance quotations and it appears that on a classic policy the 2.3L. Sports edition and the 960 3 litre I saw on auto trader were quite a bit more to insure. I wouldn't let me get stop me buying the right car.

By the way who do you guys use for classic insurance. So far for me the best seems to be "it's classic car insurance"

[tofufi]

For what it's worth,I use my 1990 740 for more miles than any of my other cars. It's also my newest car.

If anything, it's a bit too good to use as a second car IMO