Hey guys, just signed up and wanted to pop in and say hello, introduce myself and the new car. I just picked up my first Volvo, a 97 850 Base wagon. In pretty decent shape overall, but has what I'm finding out to be the typical problems (odometer inop, tailgate rattle, etc). She runs and drives great though. Purchased it for $1100 out the door. Don't know much about the car really, the previous owner didn't have it long (~6 months). But the recalls have been performed I've found out And I'm still tracking down the former history, so fingers crossed...

The problems needing addressed are mostly simple stuff that one would expect for a car this age. For example, things like:

Broken odometer gear(s), odometer is stuck at 99,179 miles. When I talked to the dealership that did the recalls in Jan. 2009, they said the mileage was 97,xxx at the time. So I estimate (without paying the ridiculous $100 cost to get mileage read from pcm) actual mileage to be somewhere around 150k-160k. Plan to get this fixed eventually, not as important right now.

The ABS/Tracs off lights stay on and flicker off. Planning to pull the ABS module this week and resolder all the joints inside

The tailgate trim rattles, and needs new hydraulic cylinders. Easy enough fix, not terribly important right now The car came with the kit to repair the clips on the plastic trim, will do it all at once eventually

Hydraulic cylinders in the seats don't work (again, easy enough fix, and more a minor annoyance).

Needs a thorough cleaning, I'm finding fossilized cheerios It was definitely a family car. (It has the added built in booster seat, as well as the folding third row seat)

Outside, its pretty decent for its age. Has a replacement gas door (which needs a new hinge) that is a mismatch color, but will find another dark blue one to match later. The coating on the roof trim is peeling off (another typical problem I'm to understand) and there are a few small dings here and there, but the paint is overall in great shape.

When I picked up the car it had a busted marker light, went to the junkyard and got a "new" one for $10. And its Hella, which is even better

Probably a lot more I'm not mentioning, but you get the gist of it I'm sure A lot of little stuff expected, as I said...I'll get to it eventually but for now the more immediate stuff takes precedence (failed inspection for a ball joint).

I'll post some photos soon as possible, and I'm sure there'll be plenty of questions coming from me Its good to be aboard!

-B