Hi, I am looking to purchase a new car. I have only own sports cars and am looking for a sporty sedan. I have always loved the 850 but I have a few questions. Realistically, with a car that has been well taken care of, how mechanically reliable is it? Is maintenance expensive? How is the fuel economy? Things like that, if anyone has any input, I would really appreciate it, thanks.

Salim

 

Volvo is a very reliable car. The 850 inparticular. Volvo anything is exspensive, but you if buy the parts and do the work yourself it will be better on your wallet. Fuel economy is good. I forget what most people are getting but it isn't low.

What year 850 turbo? How many miles?

-RMS (Rear Main Seal), look into it.
-Vaccum lines
-Intercooler hoses
-O2 sensors
-Belts
-And so on

Look into those items when buying the car.

 

MPG usually runs anywhere from 25-30 on the highway and around 20 in town. On both of mine I am getting around 23.5 combined. I can get as high as 28 if I try real hard on the open highway. I have heard of people getting 32, but I know mine will not do that good. If you really want the Turbo, you should try to find a 95-97 R or T5R (95 only). That's what my white one is, and I really like the looks and performance. They are getting harder and harder to find though. Make sure the timing belt is being changed every 70K too. Don't hesitate to ask quesitons. There is quite a bit of information here and on volvospeed.com. Good luck.