Hi Guys,

Just wanting opinions of how to proceed after I was given bad news yesterday about my 1996 850 wagon in Australia. Some background- it was purchased to be a family car, love the driving, the safety, the 7 seats are just starting to come in handy now our eldest is starting school, love the luxury seating etc. We really aren't in a position to pour money into it as a love car though. Unfortunately have to remain practical and to decide whether it is worth fixing. Here's the mechanic's notes:

Engine compressions down in 3 & 4 cylinders
cover leaking oil
Requires front swaybar link rods
Both sides of steering rack are leaking and have movement- (is this dangerous to driving?)
The right door strap needs repair
The boot mysteriously has locked itself and now will not even fully latch to close
Front suspension requires attention
Needs shock absorbers front and rear.

Also requires 2 new tyres.

I should also mention that the body has some cosmetic damage from minor bumps and scrapes that make the wagon a little shoddy to look at, but don't affect the driving.

So what do you think? second opinion? forget it? I was hoping that this lovely wagon would be the family workhorse that gets us through the lower school years, so my heart is quite broken.

Thanks for your opinions, guys.

 

how bad is the compression?

your (i take it spark plug cover?) isnt leaking oil its most likely coming from the oil fill cap, its a rubber gasket under the cap maybe $1.

sway bar endlinks are $20 a piece from FCP, easy to replace yourself
other than that i dont know, your biggest concern is probably the engine compression. that is if you want to fix it, if you are willing to put in the time and money they are good cars. in the end its up to you though.

 

Why didn't you get a pre purchase inspection? If you paid more than $2500 for the car, you should take it back. I'll be honest with you, if I had a family, I'd have never bought a car with so many expensive safety defects.
If you are going to pay someone to do all that work, I'm sorry to say it'll cost you a lot of money.
If you intend to keep the car, you MUST have the shocks, steering front suspension and low compression looked at. Front suspension will cost $1000 paying someone, low compression probably head gasket, $1500, shocks $250 a corner fitted.
Your only cheap way out is to either have the car bought back or do the repairs yourself. I am trying to be brutally realistic here, you have to make a decision. This car needs significant money spent on it right now. The low compression could lead to a destroyed engine at any time.
Do not fool yourself, with suspension, steering and shocks that need replacement RIGHT NOW, you have no safety.
My personal advice would have to be based on what you paid for the car. If you got it cheap and can afford it, I would spend $2500 on it and get it all repaired. If you paid top dollar for it, well, teh purchase price may have put you into a warranty class for used cars.
I am only guessing, a cheap 850 wagon can be had for as little as $2500, an expensive model as much as $9k.

Regards, Andrew.

 

Thanks very much for both your replies. In answering, we purchased the car 4 years ago from a dealer with a 12 mth warranty attached. We also paid for a safety check at the time. I felt like it was being under-serviced while it was still under warranty and using the recommended service centre. Paid $8500 US for it at the time, which was about 1/4 of the original sale price at new. and with the mileage and the good condition, we thought it was a good choice.

I've also been reminded that the engine mounts are perished, and due to my lack of skill and equipment, it looks like we'll have to let it go.

Thanks for the comment about safety. I guess with all these things, I am driving an unsafe car.

All the best, and chat to you when I purchase my next Volvo one day!