My friend and I just looked at a black 1995 T-5R wagon that's for sale. It has 215,000 miles and has all the T-5R items except factory wheels, swede arm rest and owner manuals in the swede cover.

The asking price is $1,500 however the price was lowered today

It needs love but it could be driven anywhere! Any idea's what its worth?

Better yet, anyone offering my friend a finders fee

Fun facts:
Built date: 03/95
last four digits of VIN: 3034

 

Yum yum. What kind of wheels does it have on it?

If the car is a 3 of 5 with very little rust and no serious mechanical issues, I'd say it's worth $6,000 or maybe more.

 

Turbo type wheels are installed.

I didn't see any rust or crash zone damage (front or back) however I didn't have it on a lift. This is stock, unmodified T-5R wagon but this needs LOTS of love and cleaning.

The following would need to be addressed:
1. tires
2. timing belt completed at 107k now @ 214K
3. A/C not blowing cold
4. alternator
5. stitching on driver seat bottom
6. slight smoke out of tail pipe
7. battery
8. sunroof rails need to be lubricated
9. seat backs didn't recline

I'll be adding more latter...

 

NO NO buddy from what he listed as to what needs to be done l would not pay $6000 for it. l wouldnt even sell my T5-R that much if l had it.

 

Sounds like the car has been forsaken. Driven in the ground like ever other Volvo on the road.

Maybe 1/2 what I suggested. But it sounds like it can be whipped into shape for less than $2000 so it would be a decent buy for someone at $3,000.

 

This is nowhere near a $6k T-5R wagon and trust me, I want one bad. If my friend or brother in-law decides not to purchase, I will let my 850 brothers get a crack at it

I'm helping my friend from work and my wife's brother in locating an 850r wagon.

So if anyone is aware of a loved 850r wagon, please let me know. I will pay a finders fee for one that's located and purchased

BTW - I've updated the 1st post with asking price.

 

The T-5R deal is nuts if the car is NOT yellow. My guess is that Volvo shipped about 250 black T-5R wagons here and people did NOT regard them as "special". So, they have disappeared at an alarming rate. Very few of them have the titans on them and most people like black better than the yellow. I prefer the yellow just because the color is so rare on the T-5R's and the black T-5R's are hard to recognize. A guy spotted mine in Cincinnati last week but usually no one does because the '96 and '97 R wagons were sold in black and there are 50,000 other black 850 wagons on the road. While the yellow wagons can be spotted 2 states away.

I believe only 35 yellow wagons were sold in the US. Since they left the gate with the rare color, people recognized them as being special. My guess is that there are still 33 of them still on the road. At least 2 have been imported. I would be surprised if 45 black wagons are still on the road. Soon there will be less black wagons on the road than yellow wagons, making the value go through the roof.

I take my previous post statement back. I think that wagon is still worth $5,000. Repaired maybe $7,000 or $8,000.

 

Is the slight smoke from tailpipe a worn head or turbo?

 

At $1,500 I would buy it, put about $2,000 in it and sell the darn thing for $7,000. If the car starts and drives, it's worth $4,000. Wish I was able.

 

l will never get a car from RSPI,lol your words are very expensive.lmao

 

Clogged PCV system.

 

Wow! I did the dipstick test while the engine was running but didn't see any vapor coming out of dipstick tube.

I automatically assumed either worn out head or turbo.

Thanks RSPI!!!

BTW - I will be posting pictures tomorrow

 

LOL, parts are not that expensive and most of what was listed as needing fixed can be fixed with $10 worth of stuff which I likely already have. I stitched my own seat, recliners take 40 minutes to repair. PCV now takes less than 3 hours, the timing belt less than 3 hours and cleaning takes about 6.

Get a good set of wheels, tires, and a few other odds and ends and the car is ready. People do pay in excess of $10,000 for T-5R's and wagons are worth more so, say what you want, that wagon is a deal, especially if it has a clean car fax.

About 2 years ago I seen a yellow wagon for sale that had about 200,000 on it, dirty car fax, lots of little cosmetic stuff showing in the pics, and some other maintenance due. The guy listed the car for $6,500 within a few weeks he sold it for $8,600.

There was another guy that found a yellow wagon covered in a garage. He purchased it, serviced it, listed it on eBay and it sold the first shot with NO HISTORY OR MAINTENANCE RECORDS for $6,500. It had V70 R seats, and something else that was not original.

You're taking about a car that can reach 500,000 if well maintained. Heck, I drive mine all over the place without hesitation. They usually give you ample warning if something is going wrong, like a bad axle, failing alternator, etc. OBD-II is sensitive and pops codes to alert you quickly as well. I'd purchase a turbo 850 before a '06 Honda any day. My brother-in-law asked me if my AC worked the other day. I chuckled and told him EVERYTHING WORKS. Not many people can say that about their 5 year old car, let alone a 19 year old car. I pointed out a '99 S70 to a guy today and told him the car was a '99, his reply was NO WAY. Most people think my car is an '04 when it's clean. If I had some Angle eyes, eyebrows, and a little more chrome it would likely pass for an '07. I think it will outlast many '07 cars. An '07 Nissan Maxima with 150,000 miles on it retails for $11,050 and has just as many issues as my '95 T-5R and I'd rather have my wagon over that car any day.

It's sad that people get these cars and drive them into the ground because they are "OLD". Most of these cars are handed down and no maintenance or upkeep is done. When they stop from one or multiple issues, the current driver shows up here or on Matt's site trying to kick start it. Most come here because reputable mechanics wont touch them because they want to fix all of the serious issues and not just roll the dice to hit the straw that broke the camels back. I really wish I could purchase all of the turbo models that are on their last leg and restore them for resale. There are a lot of people that really enjoy them.

 

7 Times of 10 it's the PCV. If it is VERY CLOGGED it will NOT smoke out of the dip stick. The best test is the glove over the oil filler.

There is a 20% chance that the valve stem seals are bad, the car is 19 years old, has likely missed some oil changes and likely does NOT have an OEM oil filter on it. A test drive will tell you if the turbo is weak. Mine was smoking a little when I had 1 vac line cracked at the PTC.

 

I completely agree with your statement

It will be fun to help get this T5-R wagon back to its former glory.

 

I input that data set into my old automobile algorithm and requested a formal opinion. Here is the result:

Ahhhhhhhggghhhh!

All kidding aside, lol, you are going to spend a lot more than you'll be able to sell it for. Good 850R/T-5Rs go in the 4-6k range, and more like 4k with that kind of mileage. So why not wait for one that needs less "love?"

 

Great stories! Very good news The Rs I've seen on eBay haven't borne this out though. Recently there was a beauty of a red 96 R wagon on eBay with 194k on the clock and the factory 3rd row seat. Looks 100% original, including Volans. Price? He barely cleared 2 grand! Reserve not met. Maybe that's an anomaly but I've seen other Rs in the 4-6k range.

Not that I disbelieve you of course. It's probably about finding the right buyer.

I also think the PCV and timing belt changes need a little caution. You're of course a good mechanic and have access to good tools. Not all buyers will be in that boat. The PCV would cost 700 at a mechanic. The timing belt a g if you properly replaced the tensioner, pulleys and water pump.

 

T belt is no more than $600 if you take it to a Volvo specialist.

PCV is easy, just takes 2hrs but it really is easy. 3 months after I bought my 850, I googled the steps.. A little nervous at first, but relatively easy. No more than $120.

 

Well, let's add a little glory to this thread. I just sold a '96 R with bad paint, bad motor, no lower lip, cracked up dash for $1,700. I have a guy ready to put a used motor in it for $600. It will have a new PCV. If I would have had more time here I would have gotten it painted and sold the car for about $4,500. It also has NO radio, no door speakers, and as most 850's do, it needs some other odds and ends, it is a 18 year old car.

There is a guy down the road from me that has what he claims to be a clean white R wagon for sale with a bad head gasket. I wish I had $400 to purchase it. I have a head for it. I might work a deal out on it, have it shipped to me and put it together. That would cost me about $1,500 after the smoke clears. Then I would likely sell it for $4,500 or $5,000. Blue book is a joke when it comes to old cars. It shows AVERAGE when it comes to the sales prices. So, you take 50 cars. Ten of the cars sell for under $1,000 (bad motors, head gaskets, wrecked, etc.). Then 20 of them sell for $2,000, needing all kinds of maintenance. Ten of them sell for $3,500. That leaves 10 that will sell between $4,000 and $8,000 to bring the average to $3,800.

I seen a red '97 R wagon at a gas station near me and stopped to ask about it. The guy purchased it for $50, changed the fuel pump relay and drove it away. Sure he had to dig in and do some maintenance, who doesn't. But a $50 sale will bring the numbers way down. Then you have the cheap people that want to skim out on sales taxes and write $2,400 on the sales papers when they pay $4,500 just to avoid paying the taxes. Doesn't help KBB.

If a car is in good shape, no reason it should sell low. If I could, I would save every turbo 850 that is headed to the bone yard.