I've posted some questions here already so thanks for all the feedback.

I'm looking at buying a 1994 850 turbo. It has 116,000 miles on it. Kbb is somewhere around $2,500. I might be able to get it for a lot less than that but there are some issues. I have never owned a volvo and don't know much about them. I'm trying to figure out if I should jump on this or not.

Pros:
it rides good
paint and body are in good shape
radio sounds great
miles are pretty low

Cons:
the ac and heater doesn't work
the ds roter is badly grooved
the headliner is falling down in the back
the current owner has not changed the timing belt and doesn't know if it was ever done. He said he has owned it for about a year and didn't drive it very much
it needs tires

He had it listed for $2,850, then dropped it to $1,700. While I was driving it and asking questions, he offered to sell it to me for $1,200. He seems motivated to sell it because he needs the money.

I need a car that I can drive about 400 miles a week with a high level of dependablity. I don't mind doing the work myself.

I've read thru a lot of posts here. There are some great threads. The heater/ac is probably the blower or the relay. Maybe even just the two fuses. Or could it be more than that? All those problems seem simple to fix.

The timing belt would need to be done but what else?

What do you guys think a fair price would be?

thanks for reading and for your input.

 

A good rule of thumb is to take the www.NADAGuides.com value and subtract the maintance & repairs that need to be done to the car. Not sure where you are located but an A/C job can cost you $2,200. It's over $1,000 for an A/C compressor and cost more than $800 to have the evaporator replaced.

If you are handy, you may be able to do a lot of the repairs yourself. Parts + your time can add up fast. Volvo's can take the miles as long as they are in decent running condition. If the timing belt has not been replaced, neither has the PCV system. I'd try to get it between $500 - $900.

 

Does it have the OBD-II port under the coin holder behind the shifter? Does it have a CEL? Some people pull the bulb out.

 

I would do it. Offer the lower price mentioned.

My guess is the blower motor is not working for the A/C and Heater. Unlikely that these two seperate systems would fail together.

Rotors are easily replaced.

Timing belt is not hard to do.

Honestly, the headliner would be my biggest beef.

 

I don't know if it has the obd port. check engine light was not on but this dude probably couldn't figure out how to take the bulb out if it was

I was thinking $700 so maybe im in the right ballpark.

 

116K is nothing on one of these cars. I have 195K on my 94 850 and drive it everyday without an issue.

I would take it for 1200 and have to put in maybe 500 dollars into it and you will have a great car for a long time.

 

I just got back from talking to him. I had $1,000 in my pocket. I took a jack with me and it was leaking oil. He wouldn't fess up to knowing about it but there wasnt much in it when I checked the dip stick and there were two quarts of oil in the back seat. It looked like it was up where the timing chain is on the passenger side of the engine.

I would be changing the timing chain immediatly anyway. I'll do a search to see about oil leaks here in the forum.

I offered him 600 and he said no. we talked some more and I said I would give him 700. he said he is firm on 1000.

I walked away

 

I think walking away was a good thing. I went 300 miles to check a 850 out. They were asking $2,500, I offerd $1,600 because it needed a tranny. They said no and I walked.

Then I looked at a S70 T5 about 400 miles from me. They were low on oil and the rest of the car was simply ragged out. They wanted something like $4,500, came down to $3,500 and I still walked. I don't think the car was worth buying since it was low on oil, blowing blue smoke, and just looked like they NEVER cleaned the inside. They asked me how much I would give them. I suggested that they give it to someone that needed a car, like a single mom. If I had to buy it $1,600 was tops for me.

I usually say that any running car is worth $1,000 but I don't think I would stick to that really. Some are only worth $500. Unless you are a mechanic or a person that has a few of the cars for parts, it's not worth the risk.

Oil leak, timing belt, brakes, rotors, PCV, hood liner, A/C, heat,... Where does it end??? I have sold 3 nice Volvo's for under $200. One for about $135, one for about $7.35 and another for $1. All three were running fine and looked good, except for the most expensive one, it had some rust.

 

dude... have a 850 turbo for sale?

 

So I looked at another 850 turbo here in my city for sale. They wanted 1500, said they would take 1300. It was salvaged and body repair was horrible. It had about 150,000 miles and no maintaince records. It didn't drive good at all and felt much more sluggish than the first one.

Then I found a 1995 with 105,000 miles and all the maintaince. It's an 850 turbo and looks great, from the pictures. It's about 300 miles from my city and its a little more than I have right now, but I think I'd like something like that. I'll just wait and save. I've been reading about these cars here and cant wait to own one. Seems like if I get the right one and take care of it, it could last a long time. Not to mention a total sleeper with heated seats and great sound.

 

Yes, wait for the right car. Like I said in my write-up, it wasn't worth the trip to view a car. It would be best to have a CAR INSPECTOR check it out for you 1st. Photos can be very deceiving, you have to know what clues to look for.

Watch for ads close to you. Go look at the cars and don't be afraid to make them an offer. Check back with them after a couple of weeks and make another offer. I have made people offers and a month later seen that they had reduced to my offer price.

If I see any deals I'll let you know.

 

Everything that RSPI is saying is spot on. I did not do what he is asking when I brought a 98 XC70 last year and it blew up in my face. Long story short, there will always be another car.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1994-...item3ca75c75e5

This is for sale at some auction or dealership. On the website they are asking $2,995. Its a few states away but I've been looking and there are not a lot of Volvo 850 turbos around right now. The only downside is the small sentence that says you have to manually downshift when its first cold.

 

Manually downshift on an automatic? If there's a mention of transmission problems I wouldn't bother, it's just asking for trouble in the future.

 

That car is a beauty. I would like to know how he did the reversed intercooler...does not look like a kit.

 

With this pipe:
Pipery

And I'm pretty sure this hose:
this one right here!

As for the bottom, I think it's fairly simple as well.

It's a nice car, the only thing that would persuade me from not buying it is the supposed shifting problem.

 

It would cost about 600 to ship it. Ive never owned a volvo so I dont have any idea whats normal. Every car has its quirks but this doesn't sound "normal". Wish I could drive it.

 

No, that's not normal. Just look for one in your area, shipping a car just counters the price IMO. Search your local CL as well.

 

ive been looking in my area. Nothing so far. Id even fly there and drive it back if I could find a great deal. Im buying it cash and money is tight. id like to find something around $2,000 that needs minor work that I could do myself. I want one with turbo, and mileage to be around 100,000 but less than 130,000. seat warmers are a deal breaker strangly enough. Gotta have them. I'd like the spoiler but don't have to have it. Matching tires would be awesome. I'd drive that car from texas to fresno if I could find it.

 

Finding a turbo model with 100k for 2 grand that needs minor work is going to be tough, but doable. You could with that maroon one, but if this transmission problem escalates and eventually leads to it needing a new tranny, then your going to have to pay close to a grand for a transmission (unless you can find one local that does not require shipping and from an independent person and not a jy). And if you can't do a transmission swap yourself, having to pay a shop to do it for you.