I am looking at a 1996 850 Turbo being sold by a car dealer here. It is stated as having 132,550 miles on it, but the dealer acknolwedged that there have been odometer problems on this Volvo (says many Volvos have the same) - he says it has checked out at under 150k - but I am not sure. I took it for a test drive and it ran fine - quiet engine and everything seemed to work. Interior was okay (slight tear in drivers seat, otherwise okay)

I have a few questions:

1. Car has SRS light on it - dealer claims light goes out after driving for awhile.
2. Should I worry about the Odometer problem?
3. Dealer wants $3895 for it - is that a decent price?

 

Is it a 94 or 96?
Your subject line says 94; however, the message says '96.

 

1994 - sorry. There is a 1996 at the lot with about 20k less miles and a different color...also about $600 more.

 

Maintenance history is more important than the mileage difference you are talking about. Car is a 94 so it is easy enough to check the mileage using the under hood diagnostics box. Do a search in this site for instructions.

Key things to look for are:

Timing belt and tensioner should be changed immediately if you cannot verify when it was last changed. Should be changed at 140K

A/C should blow cold. Common problem is evaporator failure. $1200 fix b/c dashboard needs to be removed to get to evap.

Rear Main Seal - If you see oil leaking from where the engine meets the transmission you could need a rear main seal. $1000 fix

Check the front end out as well. At that mileage, you may need end links, strut mounts etc if they have not been changed. Listen for noises from the front end.

Best bet is to pay a local Volvo-only mechanic to have a quick look at it. It wil be $100 well spent.

Good luck and keep us posted.

PS Difference in odometer could be because of an odometer failure sometime in the car's history. A gear fails in the odometer that causes it to stop working. Common problem but the ECU under the hood should have the correct mileage.