So I need a car yesterday. The car needs to have sleep-in ability and be $3000 or thereabouts. I found two cars that seem about right and while I have yet to inspect either, both seem like good choices. I have the GRM buyer's guide for the Volvo which makes me feel better about buying it but I know the vortex community is awesome. So what should it be: 1993 Volvo 940 Turbo 1995 VW Passat VR6
Any other ideas?
You fail at linking 
but get the Volvo, no brainer. When you want to have more fun with the Volvo, just turn up the boost.
edit- you fixed the links, I change your fail to pass.
Agreed. Volvo wagon all the way.
True, but the torquey, lagless VR6 also has its own performance advantages. I was thinking about the RWD vs. FWD thing, but both cars are automatics and this is going to be more of a practical thing.
I'd go with the Volvo.
As far as other ideas, Buick Roadmonster/Caprice/whatever they called the olds
Volvo.
Cheaper to maintain, easier to work on, less expensive to go faster.
My 1997 Outback wagon is in your budget and sorta close to home. (Just add working brakes...)
If it were between the Volvo and the VW, I'd take the Volvo.
I'd say take the VW if it were a 5 speed, but the autos do kinda suck.
I'm biased. Been driving Volvos for 25 years.
When they break (which isn't often), you take your box of about 20 tools, and fix whatever's broken. If you can't figure it out, folks on the Brickboard will help you.
VW's of late seem to have riliability issues. When they break, you write a check to a specialist shop, or read VWVortex and try to get past all the rice.
If that Volvo was close to me I would own it today. It would be worth the flogging I would get from the wife. Seriously speaking.
I love VW's but in all honesty, Passats are a pain to work on and parts are a bit expensive. I hate doing anything on the wifes Passat. They are really nice cars though.
white_fly wrote: The car needs to have sleep-in ability...
Though my Volvo wagon is a 850, I have slept in the back (intentionally.) When all is folded down it makes for a truely flat floor. I added a foam pad and it was down right comfy for both me and my wife. I expect that the 940 is similar.
Purely from my own experience of driving and working on my friend's 2.8 Passat and my own 745ti, go with the Volvo. It feels better to drive and is way, way, way, way easier to work on.
One of the ultra-suck things about those VWs is that whatever breaks, you'll always have the odd one. VW doesn't just use one type of rear brake caliper, for instance. They use 3. And you'll have the one that is the hardest to service. And each one of them needs a special tool.
Maybe your alternator will go out. Of course, your car will have the hardest to find one and nobody on Vortex will have ever seen a VW alternator quite like yours. You'll discover that your car uses one of 5 alternators VW used for the Passat and of course it's the only type that will actually fit your car. Naturally, you'll have the 15.741mm socket you'll need to remove it because a 16mm will round out the bolt and a 15 won't fit at all. If you fit a standard socket to this godawful bolt the whole car will pee oil all over your loafers until you relent and finally take it to a $1,039/hr specialist who also has never seen this particular alternator before.
Then you'll just put a piece of dynamite in the tail pipe and wonder if you should have gotten something easier to work on and more reliable like a Jaguar or Lancia.
Volvos are quite quickly becoming the 4 door Miata in terms of popularity. I already have a Miata and now i am getting a hankerin' for a turbo brick.
