I'm new to Volvo and Saab but have always loved their styling. I've been a German car guy and own 2 Audis now but have wanted a Volvo or newer Saab for a while. I've been seeing some with higher miles (150,000 and above) for sale at great prices ($3500 and under) and was wondering about reliability and repair costs versus saving a little longer and going with a newer, more expensive model. I really like the mid-90's style of Volvo, mainly the 850 GLT and 850 wagon but I'm not sure about the investment. I'm not worried about re-sale value, I just want to enjoy the car. Anyone who would be willing to part with some info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and i look forward to being an a happy Volvo owner and active member!

 

My in laws have owned Volvo's, Saabs and Mercedes for quite some time. For some reason they enjoy driving the Saab the most, and just flat gave up on Mercedes altogether. Before my father in law passed away he said he likes the V70 for riding comfort and always took it on long trips, but preferred the Saab around town. He did say that routine maintenance and repairs was more expensive in the Saab and he always had more problems with them. They really only had two Volvo's and probably went through three or four Saabs. After he died my mother in law kept the 01 V70 and thats what she drives now.

The 850 is really getting up there in age and you will have to expect to spend some money on it. You needtofind one that has been very well maintained. I like the newer S60's quite a bit and would probably go that way instead of buying a 10 to 15 year old car and hoping for the best. I really like my 97 850 R, but it does have problems and I am putting money into it.

 

thanks for the info! Now you got me lookin' at S70's and S80's. I like the syling of the S80 more but if you know of any issuses i should be concerned with, let me know. Thanks again!

 

By a newer one STAY away from the 1999,2000 and maybe even the 2001's.

 

Greetings from Vermont,

Listen to both Jim & Tech, Jim & his family have been driving many different Volvos and Jim knows quite a bit about them. Also, Tech is the top-dog on this forum and everyone has great respect for him, including myself.

As Jim has noted, expect some major work to be done on a car with many years & miles. As in the caseof 850's, the major areas to look for are:

Engine:
Routine service items (plugs, wires, distributor cap & rotor, fuel filter, air filter, throttle body cleaning, inspection/replacement of vaccum hoses & elbows, clearing trouble codes in the ECU, etc...), timing belt & peripheral components, coolant change, thermostat change, coolant hoses, etc...

Gearbox:
Replacement/flusing of the fluid, clearing codes for automatic gearboxECU (Dexron-III/Mercon for auto, gear oil for manual).

Suspension:
Struts & shocks, ball joints/control arms, front strut upper mounts, spring seats, top caps, bump stops, special washers, sway-bar link rods, etc...

Brakes:
Pads, rotors, brake fluid flusing, clearing ABS codes, etc...

Expect to spend between $500 and $3,000 for parts alone for a car like 850 in terms of age & mileage. Cars should last a lot longer than they used to, but they don't, because of neglect/owners not following scheduled maintenance.

I wish you luck in finding a decent Volvo.


JPN

 

Others' advice here is good.

Some other tips. The four cylinder engines are arguably the best Volvo ever made. They are pretty much unbreakable and last forever if well maintained.

The best models for longevity are arguably the 240/740/940.

A Volvo turbo is a good thing, but only if the car has been maintained.

The best place to buy a used Volvo is from a private owner who has loved the car and maintained it.

Expect to spend some bucks in the first year to put the car into shape. My general rule of thumb is that a good Volvo will cost about $5,000 whether you pay that much for it, or less. But, then you'll likely have a very nice car to drive.

I've had three Volvos go over a third of a million miles, two of them without engine rebuild. They really do last if you care for them. And they tend to be ultra reliable which is why these forums exist.

Good luck.