I'm a new member
I also have a 97 850 wagon (non-turbo) in great condition
The best thing is that this car was FREE

I'm interested in a 5-spd swap as well as a turbo swap.

But I have read so many threads that say the turbo swap is not worth it.

What exacally makes it so difficult? I indend to do as much work myself as I can to save some $$$

What are the most common issues with a swap?

And what kind of power can I get out of the N/A engine in there now, should I decided not to do an engine swap.

 

5 spd swap will make the car more fun. Only performance things you can do is exhaust, intake, and tune.

As regards to a turbo swap. All those threads that say it's not worth it say it for a reason. You'll spend twice as much on a turbo swap then if you would just buy a turbo 850. And it sounds like you're fairly new to the Volvo game, and if you don't know the 850 engine bay from top to bottom, I wouldn't even consider it. Stick to basic mods first. And if you haven't yet, full Stage 0 before you do anything performance related.

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