hello
i am thinking about buying a 940 or a 850?

what are the pros and cons in 850?
how is the repair costs? parts?
MPG?
reliability?
maintenance costs?
is this a good every day car?
at 120 000 miles are they good cars? how long dose the engine last till?
how would you compare it to 740 940?

 

Turbo or non?

 

Pros: Cheap and luxurious
Strong transmission/Engine

Cons: A lot of little things like to break.
A/c Evaporator goes bad and it's hard to repair.
Brakes are soft on some cars
Resale value is kind of bad (although I don't think that's a concern if you're buying a 10+ year old car)
Very very picky about maintenance.

Repairs are more expensive. IT is hard to find good mechanics who are experienced with Volvos/European cars. The dealer is horribly expensive (95 or 110 dollars an hour, I forget which). Parts aren't that expensive. If they're expensive, maybe 5-10% more expensive than your regular Domestic/Import. If you can do a lot of the maintenance and small repairs yourself, these cars are cheap to maintain (same can be said with any luxury car).

MPG: I'm getting around 21.5 with 80% local driving. I have read about guys on here who've gotten as high as 30+ or 28 on highway.

Reliability: They will last forever if you treat them right. A common phrase which applies would be that everything else will break before the engine/transmission goes bad.

Maintenance costs: A lot of the maintenance costs fall under the "repair" costs. To maintain it, it's really the same as any other car and no more expensive...

Good everyday car - Yes since it's very comfortable and reliable.

At 120k miles, I think you're at mid life. I was talking to a guy who was telling me about an 850 w/ 375k miles w/ original water/fuel pump.

As to 740//940, I have absolutely zero clue.

 

You are comparing apples and oranges when you compare the 850 to the 940/740. The 850 is the first of the FWD Volvos with 93 being the first year in the USA. I think the 940 is a very good car and like the fact that it is RWD. But I would much rather have the 850 Turbo. I would not even consider a non-turbo though in either 940 or 850. I agree with everything said by Redturbo850. I did own two 760 Turbos before getting my first 850 Turbo and I personally like the 850 way better. Also consider the 98 V/S70 models which is pretty much the same as the 850. In 97 the 850 GLT had the low pressure turbo which I have in my 97 V70 GLT. It's fast, but not as fast as the high pressure turbo in the Turbo/T5/R models. If you can find a 95 T5R or a 96/97 850 R that's the car to buy.

 

I got my 96 850 turbo after doing a lot of research. I compared it to all other brands domestic and import and found that it has the most features, most horse power, most safe car in the price range. I looked all over in the paper and on autotrader and ebay motors etc. And a year later found an 850 turbo with 68k on it one owner no accidents matience record and all repairs even oil changes done at a dealership. I had to drive a long way and dident even intend to buy the car having looked at so many but once I drove it I was sold. I got it for $4750.00 which I think is a steal. I would say go with the 850 Turbo. Its fun to drive, looks sharp, and is so nice inside it hurts... If power heated memmory leather seats with lumbar support could hurt.

I get 24.5 mpg driving fast, but not stomping on it or speeding. The car is solid and parts are plentiful. I would buy 10 more so I could drive it until I die. Hopefully I just need say... 5 850 Rs.

 

i have a '94 850 turbo for sale. miles are 97k runs,drives,shifts very well . it is automatic trans, pwr sun roof leather elec climate control ,etc. my home ph# 256-381-7625