Hey guys! Since my last attempt to buy a 850R didn't go too well, I'm still looking for a car.
My main question is - how is the 5-cyl 20v engine supposed to sound if it's running well? The 850R that I tried had a weird sound at idle - reminded me of an old VW diesel. Is it supposed to be like that?

Are there other things I need to be careful when looking at 850s?

Right now I have found a supposedly well-maintained 1996 black 850 N/A, 5spd with 150k miles. I'm very tempted...but it's 300 miles away from me (it's in the DC area). Naturally, I want to be as sure as possible in the vehicle if I am going to go 300 miles to see it.

There is also a nice 850R in the same area, but it costs more and I am not sure which I like more - having a Turbo, or having a manual gearbox...Hopefully, I can check both of them.

 

No, they're not supposed to sound like diesels! It should sound like a well tuned, well lubricated piece of fine machinery.

Reminds of the first 850 I looked at; it had lots of valve noise too. It was at a used car dealer and the guy tried to tell me, "they all sound like that, it's normal". Don't buy it!

If the engine has been sitting for awhile (several hours or more) you will hear some valve train noise until the oil gets to the top end, but the noise should stop within 2-3 seconds, at most, from start up.

So on this car; how do you know it has been well maintained? If it's a dealer, don't beleive anything they tell you (if they tell you the sky is blue, go outside and check...). In any case, ask to see documentation; service records, etc. Get the VIN before you go and run a CarFax; then see if the CarFax data aligns with the maintenance records you get from the current owner.

I would NEVER buy a used car without having it thoroughly ckd out by a mechanic I trust and/or by myself (I'm an ex-tech); that's going to be quite difficult hundreds of miles from home base. Unless you're an expert in buying used vehicles, steer away from anything that far away.

In general, and in addition to all the other stuff you look at in a used car, always have your tech ck the compression, and the alignment. If the engine has been abused it will generally show up in the compression test and the alignment ck will tell you if it's been in serious wreck. Stay away if either test comes back bad (unless the price is right and you really want a project car).

Getting all this stuff done BEFORE you buy won't guarantee that you won't get burned, but it will certainly decrease the odds that you will. If the seller has any problems with you having the car checked out first; run (don't walk) away from that vehicle! Happy shopping...