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-   Volvo 850 (https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-850-16/)
-   -   First post and first Volvo. (https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-850-16/first-post-first-volvo-65046/)

xszydx Aug 16, 2012 11:33 PM

First post and first Volvo.
 
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After searching for a fun to drive 4 door European sedan for $3000 I finally found my mate.

Bought this 1996 850 Turbo with 123k on the clock from its original owner.. all for $2000. The body is almost perfect and the interior in decent shape with every option available in 96.. Brand new Pirelli tires as well. She drives smooth and was very surprisingly quick and responsive.

I am planning on giving her some new pieces to make her quicker and prettier. Just have to find a good Volvo mechanic here in Phoenix.. dont have the time to do it myself all the time..

Thanks for having me! More pics to come later..

http://flic.kr/p/cTeHZG
http://flic.kr/p/cTeJQj

xszydx Aug 16, 2012 11:37 PM

Pics werent working from flikr.. attached them instead.

slimflex2 Aug 16, 2012 11:39 PM

welcome to the forum.that is one nice looking car.

xszydx Aug 16, 2012 11:57 PM


Originally Posted by slimflex2 (Post 326045)
welcome to the forum.that is one nice looking car.


Thank you sir. Kind of excited I can drive her to work in the morning

slimflex2 Aug 17, 2012 12:03 AM

l love that color. do you have any maintenance history about your car?

xszydx Aug 17, 2012 12:07 AM


Originally Posted by slimflex2 (Post 326053)
l love that color. do you have any maintenance history about your car?

All of it.. performed at a local Volvo dealer in Scottsdale. But nothing major.. fuel pump was the biggest one that I saw.

I need to take it to get the check engine light, well checked. (Owner said it comes on ond off at will, got reset all the time) get the timing belts looked at, get the turbo checked out

Oh and it burped a tiny bit of fuel when I filled it to the brim from under the car.. may have to replace a seal

slimflex2 Aug 17, 2012 12:17 AM

thats good.GOOD price too.suspension wise, is it all stock? if you want to make it look prettier, go for some 17s or 18s with some low profile tires.LOL.makes your car look muscular.

slimflex2 Aug 17, 2012 12:20 AM

my friend has the same car but in white color. he has on 18 inch rims. his car looks sooo good with projector headlights. always want to race me but keep telling him no because l am not the race type of guy.lol. you will learn a whole lot on this forum. you might end up DIY. l love working on my car.

xszydx Aug 17, 2012 12:30 AM

I believe they are 16's right now.. I do want to change the wheels. BBS style maybe, 10 spoke maybe, idk. But possibly lower a hair get the paint redone ( pic doesnt show all the sun spots) possibly black out the emblems and of course needs new tint

Only thing I cannot figure out (because I am lazy and dont want to go out to the car) is what model it is.. from what I could find is it is a base turbo. Because it only has one power/memory driver seat. But it has every option in the book other then that..

Kiss4aFrog Aug 17, 2012 12:32 AM

Welcome and keep us in mind should you need any help with her ;)

xszydx Aug 17, 2012 12:49 AM


Originally Posted by Kiss4aFrog (Post 326059)
Welcome and keep us in mind should you need any help with her ;)

I most definitely will.. I may need a lot of it. Wont try to sound so much like a Volvo noob

ibified Aug 17, 2012 12:51 AM

Welcome aboard - you'll love it here. Read up on a lot of the FAQs - they have them for everything here, including maintenancde, repair, things to look for, etc. For parts, you can look several places, depending on what you are looking for. I usualy buy replacement parts from www.fcpgroton.com and performance parts from either www.ipdusa.com or www.vivaperformance.com. You'll learn the ropes of what's what for parts pretty quickly, and dont hesitate to ask if you have any questions - we all love our cars here and are more than happy to help you keep yours running strong for many years to come.

And by the way, your model is 850 turbo sedan. also known in Volvo circles as 854t ( 4 doors, turbo, vs 855t, which is the wagon) and should be a pretty good car for you, especially with such low mileage.

xszydx Aug 17, 2012 12:58 AM


Originally Posted by ibified (Post 326062)
Welcome aboard - you'll love it here. Read up on a lot of the FAQs - they have them for everything here, including maintenancde, repair, things to look for, etc. For parts, you can look several places, depending on what you are looking for. I usualy buy replacement parts from fcpgroton.com and performance parts from either ipdusa.com or vivaperformance.com. You'll learn the ropes of what's what for parts pretty quickly, and dont hesitate to ask if you have any questions - we all love out cars here and are more than happy to help you keep yours running strong for many years to come.

And by the way, your model is 850 turbo sedan. also known in volvo circles as 854t ( 4 doors, turbo, vs 855t, which is the wagon) and should be a pretty good car for you, especially with such low mileage.

Awesome. Thanks my man. I wish I had more money to put it to stage 0 right now but funds are a little tighter until I get my bonus check and the end of the quarter..

Only have about $500 to throw at it now.. what to do?

Kiss4aFrog Aug 17, 2012 01:56 AM

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First, take your significant other out for a date night. Once you've put a smile on her face use what's left to do a basic tune up on your vehicle. First things first ;)

Do you have any history on maintenance on it? It's an interference engine which means that if the timing belt breaks the pistons slap the hell out of the valves and can do so to the point of turning the head into garbage. Timing belt and timing belt components are the number one thing to be concerned with. No history, do it right away for insurance against losing the motor.

Do you have any problems, concerns or leaks presently with it? Handles ok ?? Idles ok ?? Accelerates ?? Notice any smoke out of the oil dipstick tube with the stick pulled out at idle ??

ibified Aug 17, 2012 03:29 AM

first two things I would do on it were it mine (and this is provided that they are due to be done/dont know for sure) is timing belt and PCV system. You can check the PCV system fairly easily - with the engine running, pull the oil dipstick tube out a little bit, if smoke/vapor starts coming out, you need to do the PCV system. As kiss mentioned, these are interference engines (even the turbo models) and as such, the timing belt is of utmost importance. Parts for the PCV system will set you back $100-140 or so, depending on model, and timing belt kits are in the $300-$350 range.

Since you mentioned the term "stage zero" I am assuming you read the FAQ, so you know what else is involved in getting there. You're already off to good start!

ibified Aug 17, 2012 03:35 AM

Oh, and you had mentioned lowering it - I just did mine along with a complete rebuild of the suspension - shocks, struts, strut mounts, bearing plates, driveshafts, lower control arms, hub bearings, springs (H&Rs), and outer tie rod ends. Good times....okay not really, but the end result was SO worth it. Rides like a brand new car now.

As for wheels: To me, its tough getting wheels for cars that are gold/tan in color. Nothing looks right to me. Mine is black and I'm running the Volans (850R wheels) on mine. Shop around and see what you like. if you go to tirerack.com, they have a page where you can view what the wheels look like on the car, which is a pretty cool feature. Let us know how you're progressing!

rspi Aug 17, 2012 05:47 AM

Hi and welcome to the site.

That is my favorite color, gold, pearl white, yellow, red, I would own any of them all day long. But there is something about that gold.

As most have said, the Timing Belt and PCV are the top two things to deal with. You may have seen the NEW 850 OWNER thread. Read that and you'll be way ahead of the game. Doing a little of the work will make you an owner not just the driver (as one woman put it). Focus on getting the mechanics straight before the looks. Nothing like having a nice new set of wheels sitting on the side of the road because of a blown heater hose.

Have fun!!!

Brick850 Aug 17, 2012 06:36 AM

Welcome to the site, car looks really good :)

*sigh* what I would give for a turbo.

boxpin Aug 17, 2012 08:28 AM

The only cars I have seen with dual power seats are 'R' models. Almost all Volvos are well equipped. I have only seen two that did not have power windows. Basically if you have wood trim your not a base model.

Take that money and do a Stage 0

xszydx Aug 17, 2012 08:35 AM


Originally Posted by boxpin (Post 326098)
The only cars I have seen with dual power seats are 'R' models. Almost all Volvos are well equipped. I have only seen two that did not have power windows. Basically if you have wood trim your not a base model.

Take that money and do a Stage 0

I would, but I'm pretty sure a stage 0 is gonna cost me way more than $500 haha


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