1993 Volvo 940 S Wagon from North America - Comments

We have had to replace the radiator, which is normal for these cars.

We have gone through 3 water pumps, all of which have failed while driving causing over heating.

Seats look horrible. I've seen seats in much better condition with more than 130,000 miles. 128,000 miles is relatively low for a 13 year old vehicle as well.

Gas gauge sender unit in vehicle failed. Almost $500.00 to fix.

I have 2 dome lights fail to do a faulty circuit boards that would short out. This caused "Fuse 5" to blow every fuse immediately and there are many accessories powered by Fuse 5.

Front drivers side door panel is puckering out causing speaker grille to not fit on tabs and gaps between the door frame.

A deer was hit going about 35 MPH, and the airbag didn't deploy. No one hit the steering wheel, but it makes me wonder if it'll deploy at when its really needed, or maybe when its not. The deer hit in the bumper/crushed the front of the hood/grill/left headlight.

The AC no longer works. It may just need refrigerant, but the compressor doesn't ever cycle on. I haven't actually taken a look at that yet, but it hasn't worked in over a year.

This car has been fairly reliable. I guess I could call most of the problems minor, although still in a large number and quite annoying.

This car wants to make me feel safe, but because of the deer episode described above, I'm not sure if it is. The car did take a lot of the impact when the deer was hit, making it feel very sturdy, but there was no airbag deployment, which I would think anything hitting the front at 35mph should deploy them. I've read a lot that they will sometimes deploy by just hitting someone going slower than 10 MPH!

The performance of the car is absolutely horrid. Slow is an understatement.

I can't remember the comfort of the car when we first got it, but now its very bad. It is very noisy making it hard to talk to anyone in the car. There is a lot of wind noise and creaks and squeaks. The ride comfort is also bad. It doesn't seem to soak up any bumps, making the already "rattly" interior, even worse. I find some of the ergonomics not very good either. As with all European cars, the cup holders are horrible. You can't put a cup in the front cup holders before you put down the parking break, otherwise you either can't put the parking break off, or your drink won't fit at all. The radio controls are also hard to use without having to look for too long to find the button you want.

Overall, this will be my last Volvo. The reliable has been so-so, and for its time it was a safe car. By todays standards, most cars are as safe as Volvo's were once claimed to be, and are more reliable.

It's actually deceleration rather than speed that sets off the airbags.

If you knocked the legs out from under the unfortunate deer so it slid over the car, you might find the deceleration was not sufficient to set off the airbags.

Yes, this is a slow car, but didn't you test drove it before buying it?? Besides, I've driven the same car and yes, it is not a sprinter, but it does have adequate acceleration and passing power. Maybe it feels a bit slow to you after driving your Ferrari. This car is reliable as a rock. Any radiator problems I would blame on poor maintenance or use of the wrong fluid. This may also relate to the water pump failure.

True, the trims and leather are not the best of all times, but this is a 13 year-old car for crying out loud!!, what were you expecting?. In case you didn't knew there are products out there that treat trims and leather like armor all. If you wanted something fast and new, you should visit your BMW or Mercedes dealer.

I did not know about how the airbags worked, but have since learned quite a bit about how they work. I was wrong there.

As for the radiator problems - this car was serviced by a Volvo Specialist. Radiator problems are NOT uncommon in these cars. The upper fittings were made of plastic, and after years of heat, they become brittle and break. That's a design flaw in my opinion. As for the water pumps, they've failed, I've serviced the car regularly, and that's all I care about. They've been OEM pumps as well, not some cheap after market stuff of questionable quality.

As for the leather, you're right. It's a 13 year old car. But for the mileage, I've seen cars with more mileage (aka more sitting time), and the seats were in better condition. Volvo leather hasn't even been considered the greatest quality.

As for test driving it, it was my moms car initially, and it has been passed down to me (although she won't let me sell it). So, I didn't really have a say in whether it was fast enough or not. Hey, at least I've got a car - but from my experience with the Volvo I've got now, and what I've heard about the new ones (being unreliable), I'll look else where when I can afford a new car.

It sounds like your mechanic has been putting the water pump drive belt on way to tight which ruins the bearings.

I've owned 7 Volvos to date and the one thing that I have noticed is the drop in interior quality. I sold my 1979 245 and bought a 1 year old 1981 242 and while I loved the car the interior was made from sublevel materials. I'm very surprised you haven't had to have your head gasket replaced with the overheating.

My leather seats also look horrible. My 1992 Mercedes with 60k more miles looks brand new.

We don't believe in spending $$ for "depreciating assets", and will not pay more than $7,500.00 for a car. Do much research and find an honest mechanic. Save your $$ for something that is a real asset.

CPA in Charlotte, NC.

We have a 1987 wagon with 220k. The body and interior (velour) are in such good shape that we will completely rebuild all mechanicals because we know what a good car it is. The ignition switch has worn out and is causing some electical problems at this point, but we don't believe in "depreciating assets". We also own several real SAABS and have no payments or high insurance expenses. I think so many people display their financial stupidity by driving vehicles that will all lose value instead of ones that are known to have longevity.

Is Volvo now owned by Ford. The car is ratted below avearge in lemonade car books.

RE Ford & Volvo - Yes. Ford does own Volvo Cars (not the people who manufacture trucks, buses & marine engines) and I have heard many people say that the quality went down when purchased by Ford, but I have no personal experience as to that subject.

I can tell you that the rear wheel drive Volvo using the non-turbo 4 cylinder B230 engine (I have no experience with the turbo models) is safe, dependable and, considering how much it weighs, good on gas. I have had the 240, 740, and now the 940, and all are great cars, and great cars for safety if a deer runs in front of you, which is how two of my cars ended their lives. (The cop at one of the accidents saw all the body damage to the front left where the deer hit the car, and wanted to know where to have the car towed - my wife told him she was going to drive it home, which is what she did!)