past_the_moon What's the reputation of the 960 wagons? are they like the other _60 versions that Volvo put out previously? Are the engines any good? I have a 740 wagon and am thinking of an upgrade.
If you're in Australia, 960 / V90 wagons are very hard to find. No more than 50 were originally imported between 1991 and 1998. They are different to 740/940 in that the hood is alloy and the firewalls are different, from YM95 the design of the front and (independent) rear suspensions changed radically from the 4 pot versions. Having both a 940 turbo wagon and a 960 wagon, the difference is quite amazing - the 965 is much quieter internally and generally softer than the 945, and is preferable to take on a long trip.
The B6304S 3-litre engine will physically fit happily into a 700/940 body, an engine mount change is required. If keeping the 960's auto trans, you'll also need to salvage the shifter and the transmission controller. The later the engine number, the better - early B6304 block castings can be porous. Engine management is either Bosch 1.8 or 4.4 depending on the year. They give roughly 200 BHP out of the box. Whiteblock M90 transmissions can be had from Europe for these cars. As with any alloy engine, regular oil and coolant changes must be done and not ignored; as with any whiteblock engine, timing belt changes MUST be carried out at or before the scheduled time - later B6304 engines had a longer specified belt life than engines with the earlier (thinner) belt. These cannot be ignored as belt failures mean bent valves.