Hi,
I am debating whether to buy a 960 / S90 to replace my old warhorse a 240 but I keep hearing alarming stories of blown head gaskets on the DOHC engines, is there any truth in these allegations, or am I being a bit of coward in not taking the plunge.
Regards J.Don.

I've had mine for three years now. 97000 miles and runs purrrrrrrfect. Just change the oil regularly and the S90 will last for ages.

it all depends onthe rpevious owner. like JeffS has stated, as long as you are on the ball with the upkeep, volvos will last a looooooooooong time. get the previous owners maintenance sheet, if poss, to see when the oil changes, etc were done. that way you'll know if you're getting a POS. keep us posted.

Apples and Oranges. Two different cars.
The 960/S90 is not the forgiving car the 240/740's were to a lack of maintenance.
Over all I've had my 97 960 (88K) for 3 years and I love the car. Once you own a 95-98 960/S90 you never will look at a 240 or 700 the same way. As far as many Volvo employees and owners feel these were the best cars Volvo ever built.
The down side is there are lots of electric toys in the car and over time they do break. When they do it is expensive to fix them.
The other down side is the city gas mileage is about 15-16 mpg. Highway is about the same as an automatic 200 or a 700. Most are getting between 25-29 mpg depending on terrain and speed.
You must change the timing belt at <70K miles and you must change the oil at the recommended intervals. The cars love synthetic oil BTW.
I agree with JeffS and the GreekMason if there isn't any maintenance records with the car avoid it like the plague.
Mine was put up for sale at 66K miles because the original owner didn't want to spend the money on a new timing belt. But because the car was maintained by the book and had all the paperwork I bought it.