Hi Doug. I am an expert in diplomatic vehicles. Although it is possible that this vehicle was used by Swedish diplomats, Volvo is universally the most popular vehicle for use by ambassadors, diplomatic and non-diplomatic consular staff. This is because of two reasons. Firstly, Volvo is not seen as an expensive brand compared to Mercedes, BMW, Audi, so it is not perceived as a show off car or a waste of tax money. Secondly, Sweden is a historically politically neutral country and regularly brokers peace deals between countries that do not have bilateral relations, so buying a Volvo is not seen as a political statement. The visiting Swedish prime minister is also unlikely to have used a standard, non-armoured diplomatic vehicle. Very interesting car, thanks for showing.
@@ivanlowjones It's nothing to be ashamed of though. There are experts about many different things that are niché. Often they're just very passionate people who fell in love with something. Could even be busses and stuff.
The 960 Executive and the 960 Royal are actually different trim levels. The Royal was even more luxurious with a center console in the back with phone and a cooler compartment and an upgraded audio system.
That's not necessarily a hard fact. Some of these came with interchangeable badging and that would be the "Tier 3" option. This is a Tier 2. Also, there's Royal badging on the chrome trim in the front, from 1995, before many remember the Tier 3 Royal even being an option. Many people confuse that, as most people think in terms of packages, but these were customizable to a point.
@@ramadhanisme7 A Tier 1 Executive doesn't have the fancy rear seats. It remains a 5-seater, but still has the extra leg room and some of the electronic options...a more understated take than this.
These types of videos before ridiculous super cars any day of the week. Not to rob Doug of the satisfaction, but just a tad more of these would be much appreciated!🎉
@@paulie-Gualtieri. I figure they would fall in to the more normal daily driver videos. Sunday. However, a sports or weird EV could be in the other videos.
A quite interesting fact is that Nilsson Special Vehicles made and still make a lot of different vehicles based on Volvo models. Here in Sweden their ambulances and hearses are a common sight on our streets. They also produce and outfit special vehicles for fire departments.
If you go into the Car Talk archives back in the mid 90's there's a call from someone living near the Swedish Embassy in DC complaining about a Volvo limo with an alarm going off middle of the night - asking Click and Clack the best way to covertly silence it - I kid you not. THIS COULD BE THAT CAR!
Hey Doug! Previous 3rd owner of this car, here. You're absolutely right- the car gives a very stately feel- you are just absolutely guaranteed to arrive fashionably late! I'm glad you finally reviewed the car, and keep up the awesome work!
what a pleasant surprise! I have an italian market 1991 960 Turbo (16v, 2.0, 190hp), absolutely love it! BTW, the "stop" button on the seat control is there to block the position, so you don't accidentally change it.
My dad had the S90 version of this car. He loved it but the couldnt drive it anymore. His work payed for the petrol but the 6 cylinder drank a bit too much for their liking. So he leased a vw up for free from them. I want to buy a volvo myself now and everytime I see a 960/S90 I show him the ad he always says" oh Jan, that car drove so great". Beautiful car
@@BL-yj2wp yes, but back when there were few speed cameras on the russian m4 highway that goes south from moscow, i used to floor it for hours (210 kph downhill, 180 uphill), and it did about 14l/100km, which is quite good. At anything else involving fuel consumption it did suck. I had a friend with a 4.6 FCV, which drank about the same (and went about the same).
@@BL-yj2wp 204 hp and 0-100 km/h in 9 seconds is quite normal for that kind of European car in 1995. I don't know what this host is comparing with? A Tesla?
I owned a ‘95 960 sedan for a while. It was a great car; that era of Volvos were my favorite. One thing you didn’t point out was the hood struts. Flip the red rocker on each strut and you could open the hood 90 degrees which made it a breeze to work on. Those wheels were very common on the wagon variants, especially the later V90 models. The front suspension is actually based on the 850 model. The rear differential was also a self-locking unit that provided much better traction when thing got slippery. One other design quirk was the transversely mounted fiberglass leaf spring for the rear suspension - similar to what the Chevy Corvette of the era used. 😎
My wife's first car was a used 760 GLE. Comfortable for the two of us and typically Volvo safe, but oddly for a car built in Sweden, it was *horrible* in the snow. This 960 brings back some fond memories. Thanks, Doug.
It's a small world! Four weeks ago in the hometown of Volvo, I rode the airportshuttle and recognized one of the other passengers as diplomat Jan Eliasson who was the Swedish Ambassador to Washington D.C. in 2001 when this car was sold on. His brother was CEO of Volvo Cars. (The Prime Minister at the time was an arrogant fat guy)
I had a V70 from the first model year, when it was really just a rebadged 850, so I appreciate Volvos of this era. Thanks for showing us this one, Doug. Also I had that exact same Alpine 6-disc CD changer in my '92 Civic EX.
Clicked on the video so fast. Lol love these types of vehicle reviews. Hope he does the aptera solar powered car soon. That thing looks like its from back to the future.
Those motors were amazingly durable but they were no rockets. The most interesting version of this car is the S90 (produced in 96-98) with the interior by Hermes.
You missed a quirk and/or feature. The 960 has probably the best stock steering angle of just about anything ever built. If you crank the wheel to the stops it looks like a a drift car. It goes almost 90 degrees.
I loved the 850 from this era, but the 960 had pretty good lines. However, going earlier a few years, the 780 was my favorite of any of them. By the late 90s, seeing those was pretty rare even in New England. It would be great to see Doug review one of those, if any ever came up on the auction.
My first car was a Volvo 850. I loved it. It was such a quirky, fun and sporty car. Very under estimated since it was a Volvo. Mine had the winter package which included the wipers on the headlights, and people loved it. It had a lot of features which spoiled me as a teenager. Had it for years.
In the mid 90’s this was actually perceived as one of the better options for Ambassadors. Volvos attention to safety made these cars very desirable for important cargo. Also the inline 6 was designed to be smooth… that’s it. In the same year you could get an 850 T5-R with 247 hp if you wanted to get where you were headed faster. Great review! More Volvos please!
my best friend's dad had a 960 back in taiwan and later sold to my uncle (they were friends also). I drove it every other year whenever I visit back home. It was comfortable and smooth.
So nice to see a classic Volvo, really excited about this video. Especially because this car might have the very same colour my 02 S40 has, code 343. Would you make a video of that first gen S40? I think it's kind of a historically significant vehicle, since it was the very first non-boxy Volvo after many decades and the first vehicle to wear the naming scheme used to this day, although it was originally intended to be called S4 (but I guess you know why that got scrapped), designed by Peter Horbury who sadly passed away a few months ago.
@@leo.f.v.andersson I mean kind of fair, and a similarly radical change in design, but not as big as after this in the 90s. Plus the 480 is a quirk in itself :D
What @DougDeMuro seemingly fails to notice is that the rear side window is actually just gone. The 960, as Doug shows, has a window beyond the door. This one does not, but only has a stretched door, which has two windows in it, as would the regular 960. In fact, without the extra window in the C-pillar, the limousine looks a lot like the 960's predecessor, the 760. THAT is no co-incidence, since Nilsson would already have developed a 760 limousine and then, when the 960 replaced the 760, it would have been cheaper as well as structurally stronger to base the new limo on what they had for the old 760. So that is probably why it lacks the window a 960 would normally have had.
For the past two decades, my father and I have owned a minimum of 10 Volvo 960s. These cars were excellent value for their price range. Prior to the Covid pandemic, one could acquire a decent one in the UK for anywhere between £1,000 and £4,000. Moreover, they were affordable and uncomplicated to fix. Whenever one of them developed a major fault (which was always the head gasket), it was cheaper to buy a new one rather than fix the old one, which is why we have gone through so many of them. However, in recent years, it has become increasingly difficult to find parts for them. We have had to resort to cannibalising the non-runners to keep the best ones running. Now that they are approaching 30 years of age, they are starting to show some pretty expensive faults. Our last two running Volvos were a sedan 960 that developed a hairpin gasket leak into the coolant while we were driving on the motorway, causing the radiator to detonate, and a silver estate that we recently managed to part exchange for a 2000 Honda Legend to replace the green sedan. The silver estate was a beast, but the exhaust was severely rust-damaged, which meant it needed a rebuild, and it had skimmed brakes because we could not source new ones. The 3-litre inline engine sounds amazing when the exhaust ends at the manifold, but it's not sustainable for one's hearing! As much as I love these cars, finding parts for them is becoming increasingly difficult. Unless you have a garage, time or a lot of money, getting newer Volvos seems more future-proof. While these cars are amazing to drive, fun, comfy, and head-turners, it might be better to look at something newer. For the price, you can pay to get one of these fixed if it goes wrong; you could get something much nicer.
I have a 95 Volvo 940 in factory amethyst purple with the euro headlights. My favorite car ever and I paid $100 for it. These cars are reliable awesome and I’ll probably keep mine forever
I personally love Volvo automobiles. Not just the visual appearance of such a car, but what they are entirely as a quality, Swedish made vehicle. The type of person who drives a Volvo, in my personal opinion, is somebody who isn't necessarily rich, but most definitely has disposable income, in the very least. They want and enjoy a vehicle that provides great levels of driver/passenger safety, top-of-the-line reliability, all held together with a touch of understated luxury, class and maturity. That's why, I love Volvo automobiles.
Is this "tell me about your cool old Volvo" day? Ok, I'll play. Red 87 740 Turbo, bought used, with the black /white houndstooth fabric upholstery. Saweet ride. Fast, upright, upstanding, sporty, great color, great five-spokes. I bent both left rims coming off the freeway too exuberantly, shall we say, got lucky. Local gas station had two used ones just sitting on a shelf!
From the side, at first glance it really looked like the '80's Lancia Thema! It would be AWESOME for you to review that car, Doug. The Thema 8.32, with the Ferrari V8, was like the Italian rival of the first BMW M3
Lancia Thema 8.32 is a very cool car indeed and it is technically the top model in the Thema range, although the 2.0 16V Turbo is actually similarly fast if not more. But the Thema is part of the larger segment (E), so it would have been more fair to compare with BMW 535i E34 (M5 at the time is much more powerful). BMW M3 E30 is a car from the D segment (smaller), so I would be comparing it to Alfa Romeo 75 3.0 V6 from italian side at the time.
You're right! My mistake! It was more comparable to the M5 of the time. And right, the 2.0 turbo was evenly powerful as the 8.32, however the 8.32 was more luxurious and if I'm not mistaken, was the first car ever to have an active spoiler to raise automatically from the boot
Way back in the 1970s-1990s, Volvos were widely used in Indonesia as fleet vehicle for high-ranking state officials, such as ambassadors, ministers, and/or heads/chairpersons of non-ministerial agencies. Today, Volvos have strong community and specialist support in major cities, and models with original state official documentations with low mileage may fetch high prices.
My father used to own 960 2.9 (the exact same color scheme outside and inside). I was a kid then, but we still think it was a very friendly car. Simply nice to live with.
Doug is the kind of guy who rides directly behind the chauffeur instead of the passenger side where the front seat is moved forward for even more leg room.
These were badged as 960 or S90 Royal in China and sold in Volvo dealers back in the 90s. Had serval examples maintained and repaired in my shop last year, and a real long stretched Nielson limo done this year.
I have been looking forward to Doug reviewing a 900 series Volvo for ages. In the perfect world, he would have found a 97/98 S90 Executive top level model with the built in fridge, etc, all in good condition. However, this is still pretty cool. Thumbs uppp!
Remember when Doug would tell us how tall he is from the back seat? That would be a good idea in this car, he makes it look like regular size legroom back there.
I love these volvos, the last rear wheel drive Volvos. It was the IRS MK2 with very little unsprung weight, with a composite leaf spring :P Whiteblock engine made by volvo and porsches weissach engieneers, coil on plugs, 24 valves etc.
Oh, and the EU models got either a 2.5l with 170 hp or a 2.9/3.0l with 204 hp... The 2.9 is technically still classed as a 3.0l, as itvhas 2.9xxl, so more than 2.9 and a bit less than 3.0l :)
Hi Doug. I am an expert in diplomatic vehicles. Although it is possible that this vehicle was used by Swedish diplomats, Volvo is universally the most popular vehicle for use by ambassadors, diplomatic and non-diplomatic consular staff. This is because of two reasons. Firstly, Volvo is not seen as an expensive brand compared to Mercedes, BMW, Audi, so it is not perceived as a show off car or a waste of tax money. Secondly, Sweden is a historically politically neutral country and regularly brokers peace deals between countries that do not have bilateral relations, so buying a Volvo is not seen as a political statement. The visiting Swedish prime minister is also unlikely to have used a standard, non-armoured diplomatic vehicle. Very interesting car, thanks for showing.
Feels weird to see Doug speculate so much
makes sense, thanks for explaining.
How does someone become an expert in diplomatic vehicles? Seems like a very niche area of knowledge.
@@ivanlowjones It's nothing to be ashamed of though. There are experts about many different things that are niché. Often they're just very passionate people who fell in love with something. Could even be busses and stuff.
🧢🧢🧢
The 960 Executive and the 960 Royal are actually different trim levels. The Royal was even more luxurious with a center console in the back with phone and a cooler compartment and an upgraded audio system.
That's not necessarily a hard fact. Some of these came with interchangeable badging and that would be the "Tier 3" option. This is a Tier 2. Also, there's Royal badging on the chrome trim in the front, from 1995, before many remember the Tier 3 Royal even being an option.
Many people confuse that, as most people think in terms of packages, but these were customizable to a point.
@@chrisbcrust so what is the tier 1 options like?
@@ramadhanisme7 A Tier 1 Executive doesn't have the fancy rear seats. It remains a 5-seater, but still has the extra leg room and some of the electronic options...a more understated take than this.
@@chrisbcrust it is a little bit unusual for a tier 1 is less fancy than a tier 2 in my opinion
Nicest is the "Hermes" variants (Royal III)
These types of videos before ridiculous super cars any day of the week. Not to rob Doug of the satisfaction, but just a tad more of these would be much appreciated!🎉
Super cars are cool to see too. What's boring is the shower of new Mercedes and BMWs and crap like that... I don't even watch those anymore...
@@WatanabeNoTsuna.lol it's the opposite for me 😂
@@WatanabeNoTsuna.supercars also are gorgeous to drive imo.
Jag håller med dig Olle. 👍
I swear we need a specific day of the week for cars like these to look forward to
New boring SUV Sunday, Supercar Tuesday, and Quirky Car Thursday.
@KartKing4ever
Where would you pitch electric cars since viewing figures are low
@@paulie-Gualtieri. I figure they would fall in to the more normal daily driver videos. Sunday. However, a sports or weird EV could be in the other videos.
Tuesday and thursday for
THIIIS
I propose Weird Car Wednesday!
A quite interesting fact is that Nilsson Special Vehicles made and still make a lot of different vehicles based on Volvo models. Here in Sweden their ambulances and hearses are a common sight on our streets. They also produce and outfit special vehicles for fire departments.
Nilsson Special Vehicles imo has 305bhp like 1966 Ford GT40.
If you go into the Car Talk archives back in the mid 90's there's a call from someone living near the Swedish Embassy in DC complaining about a Volvo limo with an alarm going off middle of the night - asking Click and Clack the best way to covertly silence it - I kid you not. THIS COULD BE THAT CAR!
I remember that episode!
Hey Doug! Previous 3rd owner of this car, here. You're absolutely right- the car gives a very stately feel- you are just absolutely guaranteed to arrive fashionably late!
I'm glad you finally reviewed the car, and keep up the awesome work!
what a pleasant surprise! I have an italian market 1991 960 Turbo (16v, 2.0, 190hp), absolutely love it! BTW, the "stop" button on the seat control is there to block the position, so you don't accidentally change it.
1:39 the kitty in the bottom left corner 😂
Doug the kind of guy to get jacked and have a "Doug Life" tattoo on his abs.
Doug is jacked, he’s got a 17 pack under that shirt
You mean "Cars and Bids" tatoo? 🤣🤣
So good
My dad had the S90 version of this car. He loved it but the couldnt drive it anymore. His work payed for the petrol but the 6 cylinder drank a bit too much for their liking. So he leased a vw up for free from them. I want to buy a volvo myself now and everytime I see a 960/S90 I show him the ad he always says" oh Jan, that car drove so great". Beautiful car
Paid 😊. Cool comment.
They are thirsty and slow indeed.
@@BL-yj2wp"slow" yes, but oh so buttery smooth, their place is cruising on the highway.
@@BL-yj2wp yes, but back when there were few speed cameras on the russian m4 highway that goes south from moscow, i used to floor it for hours (210 kph downhill, 180 uphill), and it did about 14l/100km, which is quite good. At anything else involving fuel consumption it did suck. I had a friend with a 4.6 FCV, which drank about the same (and went about the same).
@@BL-yj2wp 204 hp and 0-100 km/h in 9 seconds is quite normal for that kind of European car in 1995. I don't know what this host is comparing with? A Tesla?
1:41 love how the cat just casually walk by the Volvo 960 EXECUTIVE
I owned a ‘95 960 sedan for a while. It was a great car; that era of Volvos were my favorite. One thing you didn’t point out was the hood struts. Flip the red rocker on each strut and you could open the hood 90 degrees which made it a breeze to work on. Those wheels were very common on the wagon variants, especially the later V90 models. The front suspension is actually based on the 850 model. The rear differential was also a self-locking unit that provided much better traction when thing got slippery. One other design quirk was the transversely mounted fiberglass leaf spring for the rear suspension - similar to what the Chevy Corvette of the era used. 😎
yeh, i've always wondered what that leaf spring design was about.
It was a cool party trick.
Now THIS is a true quirk you are featuring!
My wife's first car was a used 760 GLE. Comfortable for the two of us and typically Volvo safe, but oddly for a car built in Sweden, it was *horrible* in the snow. This 960 brings back some fond memories. Thanks, Doug.
They were terrible in the snow, and not even that safe.
Yes, but with a 20Kg sandbag in the back and a full tank it was much better. Sand used for going uphill
@@heidelbergaren5054 Most cars don't need that. I really don't like them, never have. Thirsty, poor to drive, not that safe.
I had 740 while living in Arctic regions and it was awesome in the snow and on ice. I guess Finnish winter tyres played their part as well.
@@Barbarian75 Winter tyres are essential. I have always used them on my V70.
It's a small world! Four weeks ago in the hometown of Volvo, I rode the airportshuttle and recognized one of the other passengers as diplomat Jan Eliasson who was the Swedish Ambassador to Washington D.C. in 2001 when this car was sold on. His brother was CEO of Volvo Cars.
(The Prime Minister at the time was an arrogant fat guy)
I had a V70 from the first model year, when it was really just a rebadged 850, so I appreciate Volvos of this era. Thanks for showing us this one, Doug.
Also I had that exact same Alpine 6-disc CD changer in my '92 Civic EX.
SORRY for the cat cameo! His name is Kevin haha. Glad you enjoyed the Volvo Doug!
I saw that
Beautiful car. Very classy and the colour is gorgeous. Back when Volvo were truly astonishing cars. Thanks, Doug. I admire your work very much.
Clicked on the video so fast. Lol love these types of vehicle reviews. Hope he does the aptera solar powered car soon. That thing looks like its from back to the future.
Really want to see Doug review an 850R/T-5R wagon, one of the coolest estates I know of
Those motors were amazingly durable but they were no rockets. The most interesting version of this car is the S90 (produced in 96-98) with the interior by Hermes.
Not safe today, but tough mechanicals
You missed a quirk and/or feature. The 960 has probably the best stock steering angle of just about anything ever built. If you crank the wheel to the stops it looks like a a drift car. It goes almost 90 degrees.
I loved the 850 from this era, but the 960 had pretty good lines. However, going earlier a few years, the 780 was my favorite of any of them. By the late 90s, seeing those was pretty rare even in New England. It would be great to see Doug review one of those, if any ever came up on the auction.
I have one
780? Sweet!
Omg, it's my car!!! Well sorta at least, mine is a later normal version, the S90. I literally just woke up and saw this on my notifications!
It wouldn’t surprise me if Doug reviewed The Beast or the Presidential Suburban
My first car was a Volvo 850. I loved it. It was such a quirky, fun and sporty car. Very under estimated since it was a Volvo. Mine had the winter package which included the wipers on the headlights, and people loved it. It had a lot of features which spoiled me as a teenager. Had it for years.
I got 850 T5, fun and reliable car's and actually pretty fast car's too for it's age.
@@mohis5664that’s awesome. Mine was a GLT. It was peppy but on the heavy side. I loved seeing the red or yellow R or T5.
In the mid 90’s this was actually perceived as one of the better options for Ambassadors. Volvos attention to safety made these cars very desirable for important cargo. Also the inline 6 was designed to be smooth… that’s it. In the same year you could get an 850 T5-R with 247 hp if you wanted to get where you were headed faster. Great review! More Volvos please!
Nice to see I’m not the only one that enjoys these type of reviews vs the newer ones in the garage.
@Doug DeMuro: Thank you so much for this one. As a Swedish German young man it makes me happy seeing Volvo reviewed.
Just saw this and I’m so so so excited!! One of my favorite cars of all time!!
my best friend's dad had a 960 back in taiwan and later sold to my uncle (they were friends also). I drove it every other year whenever I visit back home. It was comfortable and smooth.
I'm so glad Doug hasn't abandoned reviewing older cars
So nice to see a classic Volvo, really excited about this video. Especially because this car might have the very same colour my 02 S40 has, code 343. Would you make a video of that first gen S40? I think it's kind of a historically significant vehicle, since it was the very first non-boxy Volvo after many decades and the first vehicle to wear the naming scheme used to this day, although it was originally intended to be called S4 (but I guess you know why that got scrapped), designed by Peter Horbury who sadly passed away a few months ago.
The 480 wasnt that boxy either :)
@@leo.f.v.andersson I mean kind of fair, and a similarly radical change in design, but not as big as after this in the 90s. Plus the 480 is a quirk in itself :D
What @DougDeMuro seemingly fails to notice is that the rear side window is actually just gone. The 960, as Doug shows, has a window beyond the door. This one does not, but only has a stretched door, which has two windows in it, as would the regular 960. In fact, without the extra window in the C-pillar, the limousine looks a lot like the 960's predecessor, the 760. THAT is no co-incidence, since Nilsson would already have developed a 760 limousine and then, when the 960 replaced the 760, it would have been cheaper as well as structurally stronger to base the new limo on what they had for the old 760. So that is probably why it lacks the window a 960 would normally have had.
For the past two decades, my father and I have owned a minimum of 10 Volvo 960s. These cars were excellent value for their price range. Prior to the Covid pandemic, one could acquire a decent one in the UK for anywhere between £1,000 and £4,000. Moreover, they were affordable and uncomplicated to fix. Whenever one of them developed a major fault (which was always the head gasket), it was cheaper to buy a new one rather than fix the old one, which is why we have gone through so many of them. However, in recent years, it has become increasingly difficult to find parts for them. We have had to resort to cannibalising the non-runners to keep the best ones running.
Now that they are approaching 30 years of age, they are starting to show some pretty expensive faults. Our last two running Volvos were a sedan 960 that developed a hairpin gasket leak into the coolant while we were driving on the motorway, causing the radiator to detonate, and a silver estate that we recently managed to part exchange for a 2000 Honda Legend to replace the green sedan. The silver estate was a beast, but the exhaust was severely rust-damaged, which meant it needed a rebuild, and it had skimmed brakes because we could not source new ones. The 3-litre inline engine sounds amazing when the exhaust ends at the manifold, but it's not sustainable for one's hearing!
As much as I love these cars, finding parts for them is becoming increasingly difficult. Unless you have a garage, time or a lot of money, getting newer Volvos seems more future-proof. While these cars are amazing to drive, fun, comfy, and head-turners, it might be better to look at something newer. For the price, you can pay to get one of these fixed if it goes wrong; you could get something much nicer.
My father used to drive that for the embassy. We have pictures of it growing up.
My neighbor had the 960 wagon for 21 years before getting rid of it
I have a 95 Volvo 940 in factory amethyst purple with the euro headlights. My favorite car ever and I paid $100 for it. These cars are reliable awesome and I’ll probably keep mine forever
As a Swede i find the red STOP buttom beneath the seat quite quirky indeed, that interior also looks very nostalgic as my first car was an 850.
Just picked up a 2004 Volvo S80 Executive, amazing car, amazing features and a 3 liter straight 6 bi turbo. Absolutely love the car
Volvo ❤
got a friend who owned this, the hood was rusty but it was comfortable inside. it's like a car for old people.
Selling my 960 today, going to miss it dearly. They are amazing cars.
Imagine having Doug come to your house to review your car.
And saying Ford focus every 30 seconds.He is like biden, got earpiece that says 960 every 20 seconds.
@@MrGubovas😂😂😂😂 no lies detected
Would be a dream come true
I live in San Diego and...he has 😅😂
@@elmayimbe_the_amateur_mechanic which car?
Thanks for making vids for us real car nuts Doug! I check every day to see if there are new episodes out for cars like this lol
Never saw an engine mounted that way in a Volvo, because I owned an 850, S70, V70 and now XC70
It’s too bad this one doesn’t have the optional backseat printer
I personally love Volvo automobiles.
Not just the visual appearance of such a car, but what they are entirely as a quality, Swedish made vehicle.
The type of person who drives a Volvo, in my personal opinion, is somebody who isn't necessarily rich, but most definitely has disposable income, in the very least.
They want and enjoy a vehicle that provides great levels of driver/passenger safety, top-of-the-line reliability, all held together with a touch of understated luxury, class and maturity.
That's why, I love Volvo automobiles.
Is this "tell me about your cool old Volvo" day? Ok, I'll play. Red 87 740 Turbo, bought used, with the black /white houndstooth fabric upholstery. Saweet ride. Fast, upright, upstanding, sporty, great color, great five-spokes. I bent both left rims coming off the freeway too exuberantly, shall we say, got lucky. Local gas station had two used ones just sitting on a shelf!
Just bought a 940 estate from 1997. Never have been so in love with a car i owned! ;-)
From the side, at first glance it really looked like the '80's Lancia Thema! It would be AWESOME for you to review that car, Doug. The Thema 8.32, with the Ferrari V8, was like the Italian rival of the first BMW M3
Lancia Thema 8.32 is a very cool car indeed and it is technically the top model in the Thema range, although the 2.0 16V Turbo is actually similarly fast if not more. But the Thema is part of the larger segment (E), so it would have been more fair to compare with BMW 535i E34 (M5 at the time is much more powerful). BMW M3 E30 is a car from the D segment (smaller), so I would be comparing it to Alfa Romeo 75 3.0 V6 from italian side at the time.
You're right! My mistake! It was more comparable to the M5 of the time. And right, the 2.0 turbo was evenly powerful as the 8.32, however the 8.32 was more luxurious and if I'm not mistaken, was the first car ever to have an active spoiler to raise automatically from the boot
Way back in the 1970s-1990s, Volvos were widely used in Indonesia as fleet vehicle for high-ranking state officials, such as ambassadors, ministers, and/or heads/chairpersons of non-ministerial agencies.
Today, Volvos have strong community and specialist support in major cities, and models with original state official documentations with low mileage may fetch high prices.
The thing I love about Doug he reviews every type of car new or old👌🏽💯🌹 and I love it.
As a 1994 Volvo 940 owner, I’ve always liked these special government and executive Volvos from this era lol
This Eldorado-esque C- pillar looks so good I dont understand why the standard car didn't have it
My father used to own 960 2.9 (the exact same color scheme outside and inside). I was a kid then, but we still think it was a very friendly car. Simply nice to live with.
I have owned two V90's, which was that volvo branded the 960 wagons for the final 3 years. this video brings back a lot of memories.
I see that yellow 850R in the reflection, video coming im guessing?
Love the way Doug says curvaceous 15:38
The 740 wax the start and was the eye candy back in the late 80’s early 90’s
My first car was a Volvo 850 T5R. Totally bonkers as a first car but I really liked it.
1:40 "Hello there"
Doug is the kind of guy who rides directly behind the chauffeur instead of the passenger side where the front seat is moved forward for even more leg room.
🫨!! My uncle had one of these! Good memories…🥹. RIP Unc!🙏🏾
As an owner of 1997 S90 Royal Executive I approve this video
"A a very Swedish take on luxury, it's nicer, better, but it's just not over the top"
Never heard anyone sum up the Swedish ethos better than that.
I had a 960 wagon and I have been waiting YEARS for this review!!
Cars had more character back in the day. Last 15 years have been SUV mania.
Nobody gonna mention that cat at 1:42, haha. 🐱
These were badged as 960 or S90 Royal in China and sold in Volvo dealers back in the 90s. Had serval examples maintained and repaired in my shop last year, and a real long stretched Nielson limo done this year.
I have been looking forward to Doug reviewing a 900 series Volvo for ages. In the perfect world, he would have found a 97/98 S90 Executive top level model with the built in fridge, etc, all in good condition. However, this is still pretty cool. Thumbs uppp!
I just recently purchased a 1997 Volvo 960 and this made me so happy
Remember when Doug would tell us how tall he is from the back seat? That would be a good idea in this car, he makes it look like regular size legroom back there.
I had a 97 960. I can testify to its reliability. I bought it with 180k miles and sold it with 300k a few years later with no major repairs needed.
Huge fan of your channel Doug! Those quirks-and-features focused reviews are great, can make any car sound interesting
This is beautiful. My dad had a -97 960 which was the car I learned to drive in 15 years ago.
Shout out to the cat who walked through the bottom left corner of Doug's shot at 1:41-1:42.
His name is Kevin!
So is the 2005 Lexus LS430, you should review it you’ve already done the LS 400 and LS 460
I had a ‘98 S90 which was the same car but just with a different name plate. I miss it so much
1:41 a cat appeared in the bottom left of the screen lmao😂
Doug could not get hold of -98 volvo V90 or S90 smh. This 960 is nothing unfortunately compared to those.
My daily is a '98 S90, and it is almost exactly the same as a facelift (94/95-97) 960. The S90 equivalent to this would be the Royal Hermes variant.
I learned driv8ng on a volvo 960 in Montreal. Back when it was only a 10 year old car
I actually drove past a 6 door Volvo 960 once! Idk if it was home made or if it was a real Pullman but it was spectacular!
Had a 1998 v70 base and it was the best car I ever owned. Reliable, useful and not fast, but fast enough!
my first car was a 1989 volvo 740 turbo standard and it was awesome had it from like 1998-2001
This was very cool 😃 It is always a good day when Doug reviews an old, quirky car.
This is the kind of content I subscribe for!
The "Sweedish Power" joke is a Doug classic!
I love these volvos, the last rear wheel drive Volvos.
It was the IRS MK2 with very little unsprung weight, with a composite leaf spring :P
Whiteblock engine made by volvo and porsches weissach engieneers, coil on plugs, 24 valves etc.
Oh, and the EU models got either a 2.5l with 170 hp or a 2.9/3.0l with 204 hp... The 2.9 is technically still classed as a 3.0l, as itvhas 2.9xxl, so more than 2.9 and a bit less than 3.0l :)
Why is Doug speaking about my favorite car company in T-shirt of my city?😂
This is my favorite Crown Victoria
I LOVE the return of the outdoor crappy camcorder Doug!
The rare cat cameo at 1:41.
1:40 kitty at bottom left corner
I love these nostalgia videos. No one does it better than Doug!
Volvo in the 90's was the absolute peak of Volvo.
Love your videos❤
The 960 gets me so nostalgic, to me it’s a beauty and just what a Volvo should look like. 😍
1:41 New co-presenter? Furry McMeow!