Hey great site i have to say, i've been lurking around the past few days checking out 850 information and yesterday i bought one!
1993 850 GLT 5 speed, 164,000 miles. Pretty good condition, royal blue(dont know the full color name yet), lots of maintenance done(w. receipts) bought it via Craigslist from a girl living in Brooklyn. Today i registered my new Euro baby and patched up an exhaust leak. Tomorrow i will do a fresh oil change, wash the car which has not been washed in over 4 months(i can tell) and clean the leather.

Pics ASAP

This is my first European import car and already i have started to like it more than i thought...my background is mostly in Hondas, i've owned a lot of them and I just was tired of the norm. Besides, i love this ride, it really does drive like a Swedish BMW [sm=icon_rock.gif]
Thanks again for the great site and hoping to learn and love like the rest of you Volvo fans.

Oh, im also an admin on a Prelude site, if you guys want to know about Preludes, please check it out!

 

Welcome to the forum, I wish you find it helpful & enjoyable.

I myself too am a Honda kind of guy (though currently I'm stuck in Japan and cannot even afford a tricycle). But for a sedan, I think Volvo & Bimmers are the best in terms of performance, and in terms of safety no one still has notexceeded Volvo. Reliability may be a bit shy when compared to Japanese makes, but most of the time you can take care of them by yourself.

850 gives you great handling, even though the fronts are traditional McPherson set-up, as compared to double wishbones. Also, 850s are very straightforward to work on, except I don't like those Torx screws because they strip quite often.

This thread gives you a good info on general maintenance on 850s:
https://volvoforums.com/m_48928/tm.htm

I haven't caught up with Prelude recently, the last model I remember was the one with peculiar headlights (square-ish).

Best of luck to you.


JPN

 

Welcome fellow 850 owner. Let us know what upgrades you decide to do.

 

Welcome

 

Welcome. These people are the best. Good luck.

 

Hey thanks for the welcomes

JPN, yes, i've already read that link you've posted and also favoritized it

Here are some pics:











and a quick few of my weekend car:





Things i've done to the Volvo:
-Registered it.
-Bought new battery
-Fixed an exhaust leak
-Bought a radio wire harness through Crutchfield
-Fresh oil change this morning
-Washed the car(first time in months i bet)
-Cleaned the leather & interior
-Got my mechanic to do a road test, he tells me that i need new pads and sway bar bushings...two things i will adrress asap.


I bought this car mainly b/c i was tired of getting attention from my Prelude. I'm not looking to do any mods to the car other than window tint. I love this 850.

Thanks again for the love!

 

I like. Suggest maybe putting Forever Black or KIWI Black shoe dye on the bumpers and rub strips on the doors. An inexpensive upgrade that will look better. You can see how it looks by searching Black Beauty on the forum. I have during and after pictures posted.

 

Oh cool thanks for the tip!!

I was going to prep the strips and spray them flat black or just rub the strips with brake fluid...but KIWI shoe polish, that's a first! thanks man!

 

Make sure it is KIWI shoe DYE not polish. You can pick it up anywhere like Wal Mart, etc. It's about $3 a bottle and even has a foam applicator. Just have a rag handy to wipe up any that gets on the paint. Incredibly easy mod.

 

^Thanks.

A few more pics:








Ah yes, my cup holder:




Vid:
http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...t=MOV01455.flv

and a little driving after a full oil change yesterday.
Im still getting used to 5 cylinder engines and this gearing, pretty nice so far!!

 

Work on that power shift. Quick foot and a short throw on the clutch.

 

Thanks, no i know how to "race" shift as i do it when i take my Prelude to the track.
I just love the Volvo, how "velvetty" the shifter is and how quiet the motor is as well...
I guess when you're use to 4 cylinders that scream, the quietness is welcoming.

 

Yeah. Learned my shifting driving my brothers 1969 Boss 429 Mustang with a Hurst competition plus shifter. Nothing like it.