I'm considering an 850 for my teenage son. In the past I owned a '90 740 which was a great car and a 96(?) 960 which I could not afford to repair and had to sell.

What are the problem areas on these cars? I can do things like change the flame trap, O2 sensor and other basic stuff to save some dough but leave the big stuff to the shop.

Used 850's in the Dallas area go for about $3k or so.

Thanks for your time

Bill

 

This may be a good place to start; see my 1st & 2nd replies:

https://volvoforums.com/m_48928/tm.htm

A car's reliability greatly depends on how it was used & cared. I would say roughly 85% or more cars on the road/at dealers or shops are not taken proper care of. Anyway, I would take a possible buy to a certified ASE Master Technician working at a Swedish/Euro makes to do a pre-purchase inspection. This service is worth $120+. I would also test drive one to see if the engine & tranny are smooth, if the car goes straight with your hands off, operate all systems to see which systems need repair, thenopen the hood and checkfor general condition, fluid levels & leaks, etc...

I'll let other experts add on. Good luck on finding a decent 850.


JPN

 

850's have their problems but in general they are very reliable cars and I think, at the price they are now, they are great cars for young people. All three of my kids learned to drive on the 94 850 Turbo we owned at the time. Oldest one ended up with a Nissan Sentra for her first car and both my other two had Honda Accords. At the time an 850 would have been too expensive as a first car.

The most important thing to look for is the maintanence record. If the car has been well maintained it should not cost a fortune to keep it on the road. If it's been neglected, you could be in big trouble. They are known to have problems with the A/C and it's expensive as heck to fix. If you find one that already had the evaporator replaced that is actually a plus, because it's going to go bad and cost about $1300 to fix, maybe more.

One thing I always ask is how's the AC? If they tell me it's fine, but I have to charge it every once in a while, stay away from it. You should never have to recharge it, and if you do it's leaking which probably means the evaproator is bad. Some have had problems with with suspension, but I have never had a problem on the four of them I have/do own.

As you can tell from my signature, I think they are fantastic cars. I have owned an 85 760 Turbo Diesel and a 89 760 Turbo Intercooler before getting my first 850 Turbo. I like the 850's much better. All three of my kids and my mother in law all own Volvo's.

 

Guys great info - I know what I'm in for. If I can find a clean one I'll go for it.

Thanks,
Bill

 

Bill...Last year I bought a '97 850 T-5 with 135k miles for $4800.That may have been a little high but I just love this car.The turboed engine is 5 cyls and rates at 222 hp...Lots of power for me especially coming from a 240 wagon...LOL.As others have said previous ownership and how well the car was taken care of should determine what to be serious abt and what to stay away from.My old '89 240 wagon had a stack of records for everything since day one...very impressive...also lets me know the car was truly taken care of...as though it isnt obvious which cars are taken care of and which are neglected...On my 850 I had the AC problem...and because I know a tech specialist working independently...it only cost me $800 to have the job done...no more leaks and its ice cold...also still have the original turbo and the car now has 150000 miles on it...but the oil cooler lines to the turbo were leaking,so I had those replaced and i noticed improved engine performance and gas mileage..engine has more power and is running smoother too.Overall my experience with the 850 is 99% positve and I would reccommend getting one.The only downside to my 850 is that its a wagon...and as such the interior noise from the road is amplified to the point of annoyance...sedans should ride quieter...but overall this is one of the last reliable Volvos that were made by Volvo. One more thing...I just love the leather heated seats...i can drive 20 hours in them without any fatique...BTDT

 

I purchased a 96 850 GLT for my son last summer. He turns 16 next Monday. I liked the fact that these cars will go forever, are VERY safe and with a few add ons are good looking (Wheels, spoiler, window tint). He loves it and can't wait to get his permit. We went to the high school yesterday and he drove around for a while. I would definitely look at an 850 for your son.