So I am 20 years old and I need a car that will get me from 1 city to another and possibly a car that I can go for drives in. Long story short, I am about to buy a 1995 Volvo 850 Sedan 4D. I have a few questions that I would love to have an answer to before buying this car, Are parts hard to find when it comes to looking for a part for this car? Second, what are the general prices for used parts?


Thanks.

 

Parts are really easy to find both new and used (lots of 850s retired to yards after a head gasket or similar expensive repair cost more than the car).

What parts would you be considering to go used for - body panels - odd trim etc?

Are you looking at a turbo or an NA? Key things on the 850s - 1) timing belts are due 7 years/70K miles. Easy enough to do provided you have a tool to release the serpentine belt tensioner. They don't have VVT so its mark the cams, crank first, then replace the idler, tensioner and belt (water pump is optional - do it if it looks suspect).
2) the PCV system needs to be checked. To service this requires removal of the intake manifold and if clogged replace the trap and hoses and rod out/clean the ports. avoiding this and your engine will turn into a bleeder as the crank pressure will push out cam and crank seals. 3) Front suspension noises are usually spring seats or sway bar bushings/end links. Easy enough with the right tools. stick with OEM or Genuine Volvo for any rubber suspension bits. Struts are Sachs, so easy to find at fair price - no reason to go with cheap after market. 4) stage 0 tune up is a good idea to baseline your new purchase - check the spark plug wires for a date code - if over 4 or 5 years, replace the plugs (simple copper cores work best), wires, cap, rotor. 5) Brakes on the 850 are about as easy as they come. Only special tool is a 7mm allen socket for the fronts. The rears have a drum style emergency brake - not uncommon for the shoes to rust up and fall apart so it would be worth inspecting. Last thing I'd do is replace all fluids if they haven't been done recently - distilled water flush for the radiator, refill with aluminum friendly "green" coolant (no orange Dexcool), transmission drain fill (using JWS-3309 spec fluid), brake fluid flush, power steering fluid drain/fill (turkey baster from the top works fine - refill with standard ATF).

After that the key thing is to be able to do your own work for most maintenance items. Its still a 20+ year old car so stuff will break from time to time but if you get started off clean the car should last for a while more.

 

They are pretty indestructible, but of course you need to be able to fix a car. If it won't start, not just any mechanic will work on it. If you work on it, you get used to them. There is a very fine "new owner's" thread in the 850 forum that touches on the maintenance they need.