Hi everyone,

New here, just registered. My daughter just passed her driving test for her driver's license. I have been looking for a whileand two days ago, after looking this car over, Iwon it in an Ebay auction for $2,425.00
Its a 1995 850GLT with 168k miles. I know the miles are high, but the car appeared well maintained and Volvo I thought had a reputation for reliability and safety.
Its very nicely equipped with more gadgets then my 2002 Ford Taurus.I thought my biggest worry wasgoing to be talking my daughtr into the Volvo, but it was quite easy. Safety was a big concern because she is a new driver. Reliability was next.

I fully assume I am going to be sinking some money into this car soon as no used car is without its issues. Unfortunately I won't be able to do much of the work myself. The Condo association where I lives prohibits vehicle maintenance and repairs on their premises with the exception of adding fluids and interior cleaning.

My daughter lives with my ex wife and lets just say even after 11 years, I am not too welcome there. So I am going to have to find and use a repair facility, probably near where she lives.

From reding the forum a little, I see where a lot of emphasis is placed on the timing belt. I will have to inspect this closer. Repair records do not exist for the vehicle. The original owner passed away and his family did notkeep the records with the vehicle. I was wondering if Volvo USA might have service records if the owner wentto a factoryservice center? If so does anyone know if they would provide copies?

As to the vehicle itself. The next big hurdle is getting through the NJ state vehicle inspection process. If any of you are from NJ, you know exactly what I am talking about. The good news is ifit passes, I am absoutely assured its in very good shape. Ifit doesn't pass, it might be a very expensive process to get it to pass. Unfortunately because the vehicle is over 10 years, they do not guarantee it passes inspection in its condition. The vehicle does have a warranty from Ebay, but its only for reimbursement should the vehicle not perform as advertised.

I am wondering if there are any things specific to this vehicleI should be on the lookout for. I am attaching some photos taken of it so that you may comment and or offer any words of caution, criticism or perhaps kudos for a good purchase.

 

Nice looking Volvo.

If they had it serviced regularly at a dealer, yes, they will have the records. Our local Volvo dealer records things by Vin#. When we bought the car and took it to them, they already had it in their system. It was pretty cool.

 

Most people put a sticker on the cover on the passenger side of the engine when they change the timing belt. Look for some kind of date and mileage as to when it was last changed. If you don't see anything, take it somewhere and have them check it. The best thing to do if you are not sure is to have it done. It was due at 140K and the schedule is every five years of 70,000 miles whichever comes first. Like 92Typhoon said, if it was maintained at a dealer or authorized Volvo repair shop there should be a record on file.

Looks like a great first car for your daughter.

 

Welcome. Bought an 850 for my son for many of the same reasons you picked one up for your daughter. Since you don't know about service I would change oil, check power steering fluid, brake fluid, anti freeze, transmission oil and change any that looked bad. New air filter would also be advisable (I use K & N). If it doesn't have a six CD changer I would find one on ebay and install it for her. You have the SC 811 radio which has a hook up for the CD changer. Just pull your head unit and see if the cable is already attached. Mine was. We also dyed the bumper& door rub strips with KIWI shoe dye, painted the grill black, tinted the windowsand put a spoiler on. Also most of the speakers were busted so we replaced 6 of the 8. Upgraded to 16" wheels off my S60 (mainly so I could put 17's on mine). Have the battery checked. If it is weak then I would replace. You don't want to have them stranded in the middle of nowhere. Buy her a can of fix a flat, some safety flares, a set of jumper cables and any other safety equipment you feel is warranted. He thinks it looks really good, and so do I.

 

It is a very-well maintained one, I can tell just by looking at the pics; no sign of abuse.

See my 1st & 2nd replies at: https://volvoforums.com/m_48928/tm.htm

I would go after all fluids + filters + tune-up items. Check the tyre pressure as well, and dump a large bottle of Techron fuel system cleaner into either a half tank or full tank and drive until the tank is near empty (actually, dump the cleaner first and then add fuel; read the instructions on the bottle). This should clean out some sludges.

Since it is a non-turbo, you do not have to use full synthetic oil. Regular oil would suffice but make sure to use the OEM oil filter (called MANN-the same filter used by the dealers and the only difference is that MANN filters don't have "Volvo" logo).

Hereare on-line vendors some of us here have been using to buy some OEM parts:

FCP Groton of CT:
http://www.fcpgroton.com/index-exec/

eEuroparts:
http://www.eeuroparts.com/home.aspx

Also check out the recall items and have them done at the dealer, free of charge if they haven't been taken care of:
http://www.autobuyguide.com/1995/12-...lls/index.html

Best wishes on your daughter & her Volvo.


JPN

 

Thanks everyone for your input. I was wary of bidding for a car on ebay, even after taking a look at it, but so far the experiences has been fine. The price is in the ballpark forthe car and if it is really as well maintained as it looks, then its a bargain in my opinion. I will be arranging to have the oil changed and the seller is ensuring all the fluids are filled before we pick up the car on Saturday.

I am curious, about the changing the oil. Am I right in that you are recommending I do not have the oil and filter changed at my local National Tire and Battery (NTB)maintenance facilty? I am not sure what brand of oil filter they use, but does it make that much of a difference?
Additionally I was going to start using one of the newer high mileage oils or a total synthetic because of their increased performance. I am not worried about the extra $$, its worth it forthe piece of mind I will have.

 

I would personally avoid having my Volvo serviced at anywhere other than the following3 places:

- Myself.
- An independent shop specialising in Swedish/Euro makes.
- Dealer (you need to know your car or they'll make sure to take advantage of you).

And I would have only ASE-Certified Master Technicians work on it, even for oil change.

The OEM filter (MANN) has check valve in it and keeps oil from draining back to the oil pan when the engine is shut down. When you start the engine the next time, it will immediately receive oil supply. Some aftermarket brands' filters seem to have check valve as well but I don't know which. Other members could tell you which.

Full synthetic oil is not necessary for non-turbo engines and you will not have much of extra improvement for the money. Full synthetic oil is most suitable for high-performance engines (turbo/supercharged, variable valve timing, etc...). And I don't know what benefits a high-mileage oil can provide, regardless of what the bottle says. You would not have problem using regular oil, as long as it is of a name brand's. Follow the owner's manual for recommended viscosity; it should be either SAE 10W-30 for most regions or 5W-30 for frigid climate.

>the seller is ensuring all the fluids are filled before we pick up the car on Saturday.
For me, "filled" isn't enough. I would replace at least the following fluids, unless you're sure they have been done very recently:

- Coolant/anti-freeze (50:50 would suffice for most North America but some frigid places may require thicker solution)
- Brake fluid (neglected way too often)
- Transmission fluid*

*If it has never been changed, leave it and only top-off if necessary.

Let us know if you have more questions.


JPN

 

Right now I just change my own oil. It takes me about 15 minutes and cost less than $20. It's cheaper and quicket than taking it somewhere and waiting and very easy.

If you want NTB to do it, got to fcpgroton and buy a Mann filter forabout $5.00 and take it to them and tell them to use it. They should not have a problem with that. For some reason I trust the NTB I use here, but stay away from places like Jiffy Lube.

I use Synthetic Blend Valvoline 75,000 mile oil. I buy a fivequart containers at Wal Mart for around $12.00. I don't know how you can beat that deal. Then you can put the used oil back into the container and take it back to Wal Mart for recycling.

 

congrats on the purchase! It looks super clean. I would recondition the seats too. Since they're light i guess cracking won't show up too well but it never hurts to show them some attention.

 

welcome to the forum! use Forever Black on that trim/bumpers and the car will look good as new! Look at the results.. https://volvoforums.com/m_100929/tm.htm

~jon

 

Nice car. Unless the looks are deceiving, I would say this one has been well taken care of. If it has been treated properly, 168K is nothing. These models, with proper care have been known to easily reach 300K.

Good purchase for your daughter. We got one for our kids and after having them for awhile, I would not put them in any other car.

Glenn