Why is the 960 cheaper than the 850s[850][1994]  Mr. Volvo -- Wednesday, 5 September 2001, at 10:16 p.m.

 Was just looking in the papers to see how much my 850 is worth ( with the way the economy is going, maybe I shouldn'thave
 looked.) I wondered why the 960 is cheaper than the 850s. You would expect that with higher model numbers, the cars should
 be more luxurious and more expensive no? It is just than the 960 looks too boxy?

 The 960 is actually a freshened up version of the 760. Kinda the way the _70 were of the 850.

 The 960 is based on late 70's and early 80's technology, freshened up in the early to mid 90's, while the 850 didn't appear until
 the early to mid 90's, thus benefitting from almost 15 years of technological advancements.

 "...benefitting from almost 15 years of technological advancements..." did you have the self-asphyxiating A/C evaporator, or
 Volvo-recommended-not-to-be-serviced-until-it-dies-for-$3,00 transmission in mind? :>) surely I jest. ---PD. (BTW, I forgot the
 impossible-to-fix-gotta-replace main wiper assemblies, and the...oops, gotta run; there's more for chapters 2 thru 19,
 later)--PD.

 It depends where you live but in most areas of the US (especially where having a RWD car is a DISadvantage) the 850 would
 be a more preferred car because of its FWD drivetrain, sportier looks and ride and more room (especially for the rear
 passengers). Overall, it is a model that has done much better as a trade-in.

 Yannis
 --
 '01 V70 T5 M, Classic Red/Graph L, Sunroof, Rear Spoiler, Cold Weather, 4CD Surr.Sound, K&N Air Filter, 17" "Tethys"
 Alloys

 I own both cars, a 1992 965 and a 1996 855 TLA. It the older technology and boxy style that makes the 965 cheaper to the
 consumer. But it really comes down to what you really want from your Volvo. While the 965 is the top of the line and has all
 the extra goodie for 1992, its comfort level and number of goodies offered falls short of the 1996 Limited Edition Turbo. They
 are really two different types of cars and appeal to two different driving segments of the Volvo population.

 The 965 sits higher, is slightly heavier, is slightly bigger and has just about the same get up and go. There are certain aspects
 of each car that attracts its driver. My wife's car is the 965. She does not like my 855 because she fells it harder to park in
 tight parking lots and she has to wait on the turbo to spin down each time before turning off the engine. As for my self, I perfer
 the 855 because I like the roar of the exhaust and the feel of the car through the corners. The acceleration is just about the
 same between the two cars but the 855 feels more sports car to me (a former Porsche 911 owner 2x). My wife does not like
 the turbo lag on the 855, while I find the constant acceleration of the 965 boring.

 As for reliability I'd give the 965 much higher marks than for the 855. Is that the price of the newer technology? It may be the
 result of having one model at the end of its production life span while the other is still in the early stages of its production run. I
 wish both of these models had as good a history as the 240 series did, because that is the model that made Volvo. Ah, more
 simpler is more better (excuse the English)!
 --
 Jim N Phx; 1996 855 TLA, 1992 965