I just recently got into Volvos and I'm looking for a nice weekend ride and also something i can work on myself.

Ideally i would love to find an 850 wagon. Can't afford T5 version. But there aren't many options on the local market so I'm also looking at 850 sedan and 940 and 960. There are also a few 480s available on my budget. But the fwd and Renault engine combo does not appeal to me.


I value the wagon looks and the space, but the rwd of the 900 series also captivates my imagination.


Can you guys tell me anything that helps me make up my mind? Should I look into the 850 sedans a little more? Also I've seen some TDI versions of these cars. Should I consider diesel? Im only considering manual.


I'm in Europe.

 

Just this, your looking at 20+ year old cars. Show me a car that age with a manual transmission that hasn't been dogged and I'll show you a vehicle that is price way over blue book and way over your budget. And that is pretty much any brand.

 

Not sure I get your point. Do you mean any cheap car of this age will have a bad transmission?

 

the 850 and 700/900s are pretty different cars. Do you have preference of FWD vs RWD? Are you looking for a 4,5 or 6 cylinder? Personally not a big fan of the diesels for anything other than a truck. Do you plan on doing your own repair/maintenance work?

 

Those are some of the questions I'm trying to answer. I do fancy the wagon look and i like the rwd, but if i had to choose between a 850 and a rwd i would probably go for the wagon. But not sure. Especially because there are nice 900 series car deals locally at the moment. So i don't want to get stuck on the idea of the wagon too much.

I'll try to do the most myself. I'm not a gear head but recently got interested in auto mechanics. So i want a car that's reliable of engine and trans so i can drive it for the next 2 years and have some diy fun. Also found a local mechanic that Volvo guys go too that's said to be trustworthy.

 

Personally I'd shop for an 850T but then again I owned a 95 850T wagon for 23 years and about 250K miles (sold it when we inherited a newer car). The T makes all the difference...without that, my next choice would be the 960 wagon with the six. I've seen some really nice 900 wagons too - best being Paul Newman's that had a small block V8 stuffed under the hood :-)

 

That is an interesting analysis. 850t or 900 6 cylinder.
the t5s and Rs available locally are very few and generally fully restored and demanding a high price. Even if i had the money, i kinda wanna do it myself you know!?

Today i went to see an 850 base model wagon, it was in very bad shape. The guy was selling it hard but to no avail, the engine was trash, and so was the rest of the car.

There are a few other 850 wagons non T available, better condition and more expensive. And one t5 at a dealership that by the descriptions seems to be full of problems too. Says it doesn't pass inspection because it needs rear suspension and tyres. Which isn't to bad. And that it was used in film shooting. I would prefer to buy a car that is more modest but better looked after.

So I'm left with 900 series. Not sure there is any wagon available. Probably just sedans. In your mind 900 sedan > 850 non T sedan?

 

I'd say a 960 over an 850 NA, unless you can find an 850 NA with a manual.

 

No, I'm saying that people who drive n=manual transmissions tend to drive the them "more aggresivly". You may well fing an autobox wagon that was driven carefully by a little old couple in St Petersburg. But that car with a manual has most likely been through several 20 somethings that thought they were driving in the Mille Miglia.
My main point is this 20 year old Volvos don't stand up well to abuse. That said, I'd feel bettter in a RWD car, every year gets more complex and complexity adds to failure rate. 940 for me in this case

 

Granted the OP is shopping for a 20 year old car which will likely have needs due to age but I'm not sure if I agree that these cars don't stand up well to abuse vs any other model. As to transmissions, the manuals are very stout but like any MT car some consideration will need to be given to the clutch's fitness. The autos for the 850s is an Aisin AW50-42 - same as Toyota and Lexus where you never hear somebody say "oh those cars don't last". You can check the color and smell of the tranny fluid but thats a standard for any pre-purchase inspection. It was the early 2000 models where Volvo started to have some tranny issues on select models. As with any used car, the most important thing is to note the maintenance history. To me, the major diff between red blocks (ie 940s) and white blocks 850s) is that the 850s are interference engines so timing belt/tensioner upkeep is critical as a failure will take out all the exhaust valves. The other 850 maintenance item to check for is the PCV. if it clogs, it will turn your engine into a bleeder. Again a pre-purchase inspection item.

 

Sorry if I gave that impression. I meant that a 20 YO car with a manual trans mission had a greater likelyhood of abuse than an auto. Abuse causes damage no matter the components
I think that what my 98 S70 had. Just shy of 300,00 and the transmission shifted like new - and that was with my 2 kids having put 2/3 of those miles on it. So true. The PCV was what finally did mine in - kid ran it dry, car had never needed a drop of oil so he didn't bother checking it. The rings were still good but the valve guides were cooked.Wasn't worth a valve job but hated to see it go.

 

940 are far superior as far as reliability and ease of maintenance. Performance, no, 114 HP when new. I tried the 850 back when, even had an R, what a letdown! Better get a Passat. The B230 940 could be the most reliable car ever made. You are lucky in Europe, there they sold until 1998, in the US they stopped importing them in 1995, so you are lucky there. Nobody loves a 960 (Paul Newman's had a V8). They are thirsty, overly complicated and a generally a PIA.