I am a big Volvo fan and have been looking for good Volvo 850 to buy. There is a 1994 Turbo and a 1997 also turbo both have around 280 000 km.

Which do you guys think would be better I am wondering which would have less problems because I heard that for these Volvos that 1994s had less problems 1997s.

Also If I do buy one of them what parts do you think should I look at replacing at 280 000. The body of both vehicles is in excellent shape.

Thanks for your Help

 

I have a 94 turbo and love it. You should do the timing belt and tensioner's, if they have not been done as required. Change out the PVC system also if you can not verify when it was done. Finally do a compression test on both, this should give you a good idea of the engine internals. Good luck

 

I would go for somewhere in the middle; '95 T5-R.

The biggest advantage of 1994 model is that you can retrieve fault code from the ECU without any special equipment, whereas 1997 models require OBD-II scanner and many generic scanners (non-Volvo) cannot access certain systems.

So, if you want to troubleshoot electronic control problems by yourself, go for the '94. If not, '97 would be your choice.

One note: '94 models are showing age, and you would have to spend quite a bit of money to make it in good condition (I would spend $2,000-$3,000 to make it as good as semi-new, and for most people the car is not worth spending that kind of money).

The following thread would tell you as to what to expect in maintenance.
https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-850-16/new-volvo-850-owners-read-important-thread-also-applies-s-v70s-9266/

Read a few more replies if you can wait.


JPN

 

Like JPN said, they are all the same model and except for a few cosmetic differences, they are basically the same car. However, for me, the big difference was the fact that up until the 1996 models, you can retrieve the ECU fault codes easily. We have a 95 Turbo for our kids with 203,000 miles on it and over the past 4 years of owning it I have put about 2K into it fixing it up a bit. (tires, struts, timing belt, tensioners, etc...)

 

I would also go with the 94 over the 97. Mainly because you can get the fault codes out of the 94. I have a 94 850 myself and with 193K on the clock, it is still running strong.