Hi guys. I'm a volvo newb and recently found this 96 850R on my local craigslist for sale for $2800. I have no experience with volvos, but am fairly mechanically inclinded; and would really appreciate some advice. The miles seem pretty high but it looks very clean, I have not looked at the car. I am mainly worried about reliability over the next 10-40k miles that i'd probably have the car for. Thanks in advance!


Here is the ad:






Volvo 1996 850R Sedan

 

I have the same mileage on my car and just took a road trip at the tune of 4,500 miles.

I also sent an oil sample to www.BlackStoneLabs.com and received a report that basically stated that my motor was in awesome shape, one of the best they have ever seen with that mileage.

Timing belt, PCV, Tranny Fluid Change and AC are the only things that would concern me. The car looks great although the pictures are foggy.

https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-...t-today-70707/

https://volvoforums.com/forum/genera...0-miles-71761/

You can hire a car inspector and have them do a compression test.

https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-...-thread-13678/

 

Thanks for the response and resources. Actually I work in auto parts and we sell oil test kits, Not a bad idea to do that. I'd like to do a comp test too for sure.

Actually searching a little farther I found a 97 850r w/170k, looks just as clean if not cleaner. I'm hoping the owner will come down more, because the miles are more attractive to me.







Once again, thanks.

 

The white one looks like a nicer car but really, look more at care and not miles. I tend to shy away from mods but that doesn't mean it hasn't been kept up.

These motors are designed to last 500,000 miles so both have a long way to go. I checked my compression test at 205,000 and the numbers were real high, basically 176 across the board (156 - 186 is the scale). My guess is that the white one is $2,000 more. If it makes you fell any better I sold one of my R's for $5,900 not to long ago.

 

I would probably lean towards the white car myself as he seems to have kept up with service and repairs, but that's just going with what's written in the ads. I personally like the black car better because I love black 850Rs, and I hate it when people paint the trim body color. I just do not think it looks right on the 850, IMHO.

I think both cars were owned by enthusiasts, and were probably taken care of. One key question I would have about the black one is the condition of the clearcoat on the paint. With the age of the car, clearcoat, especially on black cars, tends to fail and flake off (not just Volvos, but most brands do the same thing)

Either vehicle would be a fun car for you to own. The 850R is a rewarding car to own and drive. Yes, you will have to make repairs to the car probably rather often due to age and the nature of the beast. However, if you work on the car yourself, you will develop a better relationship with the car.

 

Very heartening it's gone that far! My 147,000 mile 1996 wagon is a positive baby by comparison

The real key is as RSPI said -- maintenance. I'd want to know what "current service" means. If the seller cannot prove the timing belt, water pump, pullies and tensioner have been replaced, that's going to be about $350 DYI, or $700 if you have an independent shop to do it. Don't trust a mere belt replacement. Make sure these other parts were replaced too.

Then there's the PCV system. The kit isn't expensive at around $150 but very time consuming to replace, and I bet a shop would charge at least 4 hours in labor to do it. There goes another $700.

Then of course is the A/C system. Make sure it works because it's pretty costly to fix in these cars. $800-$1,000? Then there will be "nickle and dime" things like distributor caps, spark plugs, spark plug wires, tires, alignment, minor body work, dashboard lights, windshield wipers, head and foglamp bulbs, serpentine belt, fluid changes, and what-not. "Nickle and dime" is a misnomer as these will add up in a hurry. Your wallet could be a couple of grand lighter before you know it.

So in the end, that black one may well end up to be a $5,000 car instead of the $2,500 car it looks like on first glance. Not per se a bad thing but if you could get the white one for a lot less, you may be better off. But even with that one, ask pointed questions and ask to see receipts. And only trust receipts. My car's prior owner, for example, claimed the timing belt had been replaced recently. In the end though, there was no documentation backing that up, and pulling the cover clearly showed it hadn't been touched in years. Had I relied on that representation, I'd have been screwed.

 

FWIW, I'd be very concerned about the oil leaks on the black one. It could just be age. It could also be symptomatic of a long neglected PCV system, which means there could be other bad seals that would fail in the near future. Those could get pretty costly to chase down and fix.

 

When I picked up my wagon with 188,000 on it, I don't think the tranny fluid had EVER been replaced. Neither had the PCV system. So, I had to replace the tranny, leaking rear main seal and the PCV system.

The good thing about these cars, if you work on them yourself, you can do repairs at your own pace. I had the tranny done in 4 months, did the PCV about the same time, then tire 4 months after that, and so on. 850's are wonderful cars but at the current age, they always need something.

 

Best advice pertaining to these turbo cars. Ask me how I know, $7000 in maintenance/mods in a 3yr span....

 

Not including the purchase price

 

That's only $195 per month. LOL, I'm still trying to get my cost down. I'll have to check it out. I may be down to about $55 per month.

 

I've emailed the owner of the white car back and forth the last day straight. We agreed on $3500, and he's told me a LOT about the car in the time he's owned it. He's only used Volvo OE fluids, and used OE parts for maintenance. He's including extra oil filters and VADIS.

I'll be looking at it this weekend and bringing cash, because it's a 1.5 hr drive for me and I don't want to make the drive twice. He's told me all that he could possibly reveal over email.. So now it's up to a visual inspection and test drive, I'm hoping for the best so I can become a proud(and first-time) Volvo R owner

Thanks for all your guy's help, I appreciate it.. I'll update this Sunday!!

 

Absolutely true. And there's nothing wrong with that. It is what it is. I just see too many people buy old cars not fully knowing the true cost associated with them. I just wanted to honestly highlight some of the costs one may face is all.

I think on the grand scale, you get off pretty cheap with an 850 compared to other cars I've owned -- like my E30 BMWs or my old 2002 C32 (try about 4k per year in maintenance on that one, LOL!). Other than the PCV and timing belt, there's really nothing that you'll have to drop everything and get done ASAP. And as you have experienced, 250k is nothing for these cars so long as they're taken care of.

 

LMFAO I never thought of it like that.

I'll let you know in a few weeks when i'll be able to send out my 816 to you for that mod.

 

In the three + years I've owned my 855R, I have spent over $6k on it, all parts no labor as I do all of my own work. I have rebuilt almost every mechanical component on this car. I honeslty would rather spend the money on this car than a car payment every month.

 

Same here on my daughters S70. She's had it just over 4 years now and I have done everything from a head gasket to rebuilding CV axles. Even with all the work we really enjoy that car. Drove it for over 8 months with a head gasket issue. Lol

 

I bought my car with a blown headgasket. That was such an easy job on this car....except the head was so freaking heavy and awkward to reinstall. LOL

 

My 850's haven't been as bad. It's always something but usually nothing urgent.

I use to really discourage people from buying these old 850's (guess I still do), if the person isn't mechanically inclined. Ignoring things that don't require immediate attention really adds up quick.

 

Looks like a pretty nice car.

Doing the maintenance is half the fun of owning a used car.

 

You need to be a lot more vigilent about maintenance with these older cars. They aren't like cheap and slightly worn version of a new cars, as many treat them. You really have to stay on top of stuff.