1997 Volvo 960 Project Pt. 0 - $800 Worth of Headaches

If anyone who reads this follows me on social media, you will know that I recently picked up a 1997 Volvo 960 wagon off of Marketplace. The body is in pretty good condition, but its definitely a little rough around the edges. The car itself has over 190k on the clock, and all of its history up to this point is a mystery to me. Surprisingly I am only the 3rd owner of the car, and I intend, or at least hope to, get the car back into a running / driving condition.

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While I was able to drive the car home, it definitely needs a lot of work before I would consider actually driving it anywhere. As it stands it needs (in no particular order):

  1. Timing Belt and Serpentine Belt

  2. Oil Change and Fluid Flush

  3. Oil Cap Gasket

  4. New Spark Plugs and Ignition Coil (Misfire on Cylinder 3)

  5. New Idle Air Module

  6. Headlight Bulbs

  7. New Taillight Assembly and Bulbs

  8. New Brakes

  9. New Front Suspension

  10. Fix Seat Rail Motors

  11. Interior and Exterior Deep Clean Detail

There is likely other stuff, but these are the items I would consider to be the ‘bare minimum’ of what needs to be done to at least get it running and driving around. There is a good list of cosmetic items that I also have planned like fixing the missing trim and fuel door. Thankfully this car, and its parts, are dirt cheap and will allow me to experience the world of RWD Volvos. I’m hoping to do some videos and a lot of write ups on this car. Much like the P3s, there arent a ton of enthusiasts around the 900 series cars, much less the inline 6 versions. So stay tuned, and if you have any recommendations or tips for me please feel free to send a comment below!