Hello,

I have never owned volvo, but I am thinking to have one. I have read the sticky, buyers' guide, and it seems like volvo has no major problems like transmission or head gasket problem...
I want a wagon and I am almost decide to buy 850 R. Either manual or automatic.
How is it compare to s70 or v70 wagon?
For a newbie like me, 70 series and 850's look similar...I can't really see distinctive differences between those two models.
Any best year to buy?
Any reasons to buy 850 R or v70 R over 850 T5?

I also would like to get some advice from members about this car.
Any advice would be great.

Thank you.

 

Do some searching first. There's tons of info on here about the this.

If you live in the states, there's aren't any manual R's. The only way your going to find a manual is if you do the swap yourself.

850's and '98 X70's are basically the same car.

Most people prefer 1998 and older because in 1999 is when ford took over and changed a lot of things, less aftermarket mods that are available.

Only difference between an R and a T-5 is the R's have a suede/leather interior, different front spoiler, and 2 extra PSI at WOT. Oh and different badges.

But, like I said, do some online searching and what not, there's a lot out there.

 

Thanks gilber33,
So people prefer ford volvo more than swedish volvo? How come people prefer volvo that has less aftermarket mods available?
No manual, that sucks, but it's ok. I am not going to track it if I buy it.

How volvos handle compare to saab? Has anyone had both cars? I had saab before and I liked it. I wonder how volvo is when it comes to handling.

 

Pre 1999 are the best years. Saabs supposedly have better handling, but Volvo's better in the straight line. And if you really want a manual, a lot of people do manual swaps. Tech on here has done one and will be doing a write up about it, I am about to purchase a manual transmission for a manual swap that I am doing on a wagon that I'm rebuilding.

 

Thank you for the reply.
So volvo automatic transmission can handle some power? If I get 850r, I will mod it to have around 300whp or close to 300, and I wonder how the OEM auto tranny can handle it....
There is always manual swap, but if auto can handle the power, then I will stay with auto, unless I track it.

 

The 850 Auto transmission is good up to about 350 HP iirc. Although if your going to be slamming through gears (I mean as much as you can slam through them with an auto) then I would stick around 300. But regardless of the tranny, it's recommended not to go much above 300-350 HP on stock internals.

 

Welcome to the forum.

Good luck finding an 850R they are few and far between.

I would look into a 1998 V70R and or 1998 S70T5. An 850R is a great car, but hard to find. Manual swaps can also be done to all three of these cars.

300Hp is doable, but it isn't cheap. You will spend some nice cash to get it to where yo want it and have it be reliable.

 

I don't think 850R's are hard to findl, there's always a couple floating around. It's more about how far your willing to travel to get it. Most of the time there's at least one on ebay, and if you search through CL, there's a couple on there periodically, you just have to wait for one to come up, there won't always be one available when your looking.

 

I am not in hurry to buy it so I can wait for a while and look for the right one. I will keep that in mind about v70r or s70t5.
I have been driving only manual and now I have a mercedes with automatic. I like the merc, but I am a fan of wagon or hatch back. Since I am getting bored of it, I will try volvo. I had saab before merc, and I liked it.

 

I currently have a 9000 CSE turbo and a V70R. IMO - all things basically equal and the Saab will slightly outhandle the wagon because it has a smaller yaw moment, but FWD vs. AWD may level things. I have taken the Saab very fast on on/off ramps - fast enough that my college son was wondering when I was going to brake and then just held on. I haven't done that with the Volvo yet, but I'm sure it will be just as thrilling.

I like the V70R over the 9000 for these reasons:
o More of a sleeper
o More power
o Better exhaust growl
o Better seats (but not better than Aero seats - they are soooo Swedish!)
o Black wagon w/ wide tires (and rims I will paint black) = more badass

 

I have a 94 850 T5 and love it. I brought a tuned ECU off of VS and it puts down more power then the 850R does. If I was in the market for another Volvo wagon, I would get the 98 V70 and drop in a turn. This is the best bang for the buck in my opinion.

 

I just purchased a '96 850 wagon for my wife a little over a month ago. At first I was a little worried about her driving a 155,000 mile car for a 64 mile round trip commute everyday but, after driving it on a 600 mile road trip, I got a good feel for it and feel much better about it. The previous owner had all records and took it to the same independent mechanic for all maintenance and repairs. They seem to be really well built cars and, from what I have read, can last well over 200,000 miles.

 

Yup, mine has 214k miles on it and I don't hesitate to drive it anywhere, my wagon that I'm rebuilding has 301k miles on it before it died, now it's in my hands and I'm going to bring it back to life.

 

I've been told my 850 hasn't even made it into adolescence, as it only as 75K on the odometer. However, it is a well-built vehicle and will treat you right as long as you take care of it. You're in the right place, as there are plenty of very knowledgeable people on this forum who will help you out no matter your experience level with Volvos or cars in general. (I don't work on the car myself but learn several things every time I visit this forum, which has helped when discussing things with the mechanic and has increased my understanding of the underpinnings of the vehicle).

My 850 isn't one of the performance models (it's a base sedan without a turbocharger) but is a pleasure to drive. Almost all of my driving is city driving on the hilly and twisty roads of western Pennsylvania; after having the Volvo for about three years I'm not sure I'd want anything but a Volvo due to its handling. It's also good when stopped on a hill and is the only car I've ever driven that doesn't go back slightly on a steep grade (everyone else in my family has a Honda of some sort and all of them do it, as do most other vehicles from what I've observed of drivers in front of me).

If you live in an area where winters are harsh, the 850 will do you well (provided you use decent tires on it--I recommend the Michelin MXV4). My car doesn't have the traction control system yet has done great even on roads with icy spots. Of course, safety is a virtue of the 850, and if you followed the new car market in the mid-1990s you probably heard about the safety virtues of the 850 (including the SIPS system). Despite being older, the 850s are probably safer than a lot of newer cars due to their construction.

Since you have read through some of the FAQ-type threads you probably know of the A/C issues and possibly that the ABS computers on these cars have their share of issues. The former has been discussed ad nauseum on here while the latter is a very easy and inexpensive repair.

I can't say I know a lot about Saabs but they are said to be decent machines. When I was in elementary school I had two friends whose parents owned Saab 900s and both families were satisfied with them. As far as pre-Ford versus post-Ford for Volvo, most people seem to think pre-Ford was the better era and produced better products (if my mom's 1991 Mercury Sable was any indication, Ford products lagged in quality for some time; the aforementioned Sable ate two automatic transmissions in six years).

An interesting note for those comparing S70s and 850s--the 850 has window controls mounted in the center console while the S70 has them on the door like most other cars. The 850's window control placement will confuse anyone who has never been in an 850 before but after you've owned an 850 for a while you will find it to be second nature and will bump some other switch trying to roll the windows down if you drive a different car (as I nearly did with a heated seat control while driving a Honda on a 91 degree day).

Good luck with the 850 search and welcome aboard!!!