Hi All,

First post, take it easy on me. I got a great1998 Volvo S70 as my first car a while ago and really liked everything about it except it's colour and inability to run faster than my friend's Civic! My dad needs a new car and I'm going to give this one to him, so I've been looking for a T5 M for a while, but they're hard to find up here (Vancouver B.C.).

I just found a 850 R (automatic) on my local craigslist and spoke with the seller. He seems pretty genuine, and according to the ad (below) has done the below maintenance before selling. What do you guys think I should be most concerned about if I am thinking of buying this car? I must say the guy was older, which I think is a plus, and sounded like he really loves this car (could be a memeber of this forum for all I know). His reason for selling is that he has another Volvo wagon, 2 kids and is moving to a place where he can't keep both cars. And for the record, when I asked him if it was standard transmission, he said if it was he wouldn't be selling it =).

I really appreciate any advice you guys could give me. Also, for the non-Canadian's 225KM's = 140miles (my current s70 has 102,000 KMS) and this is another concern I have, since the car has higher mileage I'm not sure what might go. Also, our Canadian dollar is around $0.90 to $0.97 US right now.

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/rd...961270683.html
WHITE
850 R COMES WITH UPGRADED INTERIOR
BLACK BOTH SEATS ARE POWER
CD STEREO WITH CHANGER IN THE TRUNK
ALL WINDOWS ARE TINTED WITH WINDOW VISORS
CAR IS LOWERED ON 17 INCH ANTERRA RIMS AND LOTS OF TREAD ON TIRES
COLD AIR INTAKE
JUST HAD FULL TUNE UP DONE(CAP,ROTOR,PLUGS,WIRES,FUEL FILTER)
NEW BATTERY
BOTH FRONT STRUTS
ALIGNMENT
CAR HAS 225XXX KMS
TIMING BELT DONE AT 201K
NEW SERPENTINE BELT
AIR CARED TIL FEB

 

thats a pretty good price but doesnt have factory rims.. so if you wanted the R rims that would be a couple hundred..good nocatiation. also the tint jobs can look bad if not done right. best thing to do is to go and see it and drive it. i actually saw one myself a week or 2 ago.. it rides nice but also remeber its 13 years old.. so its not going to be perfect.

 

No worry about going easy on folks: we never eat people until they get at least 10 posts. =)

That being said, I would check and make sure it's an R before you buy (you should be able to verify it by code on the ECU of VIN). I dunno why somoene would upgrade seats in an R model...unless they were just ragged.

One thing I cannot stress enough though: maintenance recrds are CERTAINLY something that should be available to you.

The price seems a bit high to me. For the money, unless you HAVE to have an R, you can buy a regular 850 turbo and make it as fast as an R for a lot less money.

My T5 wagon had 150K miles on it, and while it needed a few things (most of which I have done already) I still only have about $2500 in it total. I feel pretty confident that I could blow a stock R right off the road.

 

Price seems fair but it does have mods. There are pro's and con's to them. Does it mean it has been driven hard? Or just trying to get the most out of the car. The R has a 58 in the Vin. Looks to be in good condition but those pics are hard to tell. The best thing to do is look at it and drive it... hard. Find out when the PCV system was last REPLACED and check it for smoking and leaks. As one explained, it is a 13 year old car and R's drive harder than the S70's. Rougher ride with R suspension, lowered, and low profile tires.

 

Thank you for your responses you all make really good points. Below is a long read, but I thought I'd reward your great responses with something worthwhile.

The car looks pretty good after checking it out. The exterior is above average for a 13 year old car, and the interior is immaculate. The guy obviously loves the car and did have a lot of maintenance records. Also, it is in fact an R. I think I'm attracted to it due to the novelty of having something "rare". Another great thing is for the price point, I know I'm getting a luxury vehicle with great performance.

I'm not a speed demon so I wouldn't be upgrading the vehicle much. The vehicle's stock ability impressed me more than enough. I'm looking for something practical with a "fun factor". I don't mind the rougher ride, it felt okay, but certainly I can tell there is a huge difference between the R and my S70 @_@. The seats didn't seem upgraded to me, they were the stock suede and leather seats.

After much thought, I've decided to pass on the vehicle simply because I want a stick shift and also due to the higher mileage. Oddly enough, I didn't like the fact that it was lowered, it was actually a turn off for me. Also, my dad wants something "newer" than a free S70 from his son. Go figure. Right now my mindset is that I will not buy a new car till I find one that's exactly what I want. Obviously a used car won't be perfect, but I'm not going to settle for an auto when I want a stick shift. I'm looking for a good S70 T5 M/850 R or T5 M and depending on if I get a new job, I might consider a 2005+ S40 T5 M or C30 T5 M.

Once again, thanks for your help guys, and I hope to participate more on this forum. It's been fun owning a Volvo as my first car, and learning how to fix little things. The community seems really friendly and there are a lot of helpful guides and videos. So far I've replaced my front right door actuator, a droopy driver sunvisor (MOST ANNOYING THING EVER), refilled my A/C and changed my power window control unit with the help of these forums and youtube videos!

 

Good news is you can get an 850 Turbo with a five speed in Canada. Not sure you can get the 850 R with a five speed though?

My son has an 98 S70 T5 5 speed, that is in real nice shape. In 98 the R only came in AWD, so you can't get an R with a five speed. He has a 98 V70 R also.

Personally I really like the 850's better than the S/V70's. I like the R's or T5R's much more than the plain T5 also. Harder to find and you might have to pay a little more.

Good luck on finding a five speed 850 R. Many of them have been converted.

 

Thanks! I have seen two 850 R's on sale the past year, this white one and one red stick shift so I guess it is possible to find one. The toughy is that there aren't as many Volvo's up here. I agree with you, the 850 series looks meaner and more aggresive, compared to my S70.