Well i'm the new owner of a 1995 850 wagon (GLE..no turbo) model..The car was well taken car of, was a one owner car(had it carfax'ed). It only has 176 000 km (about 117k miles) on the clock. the timing belt was changed at 124 000km and the compression is still good (ranged from 200 to 195 across all 5 cyl.)
I wanted to know if there is anything i should look out for on these cars? how are they in terms or reliablility? i've read good reviews actually.
In terms of parts...for examble brake pads/rotors, can they be changed at any old shop or does it need to be volvo? the A/C isn't very cold and will get it checked/ filled at a shop...any info would do..
thanks
\fabs

 

One culprit to watch out for is the PCV system. It's about $250 in parts and is roughly a 5-6 hour job (maybe 8 your first time), but it is very simple.. if you're good at follwing directions.

The cars aren't very difficult to work on. If you're slightly handed pick up a Service Manual and the upkeep shouldn't keep you busy more than one weekend a month (oil changes, cleaning, etc.)

My volvo(s) are the most reliable car I've ever owned.. I would drive it to Asia.

 

You can never go wrong with OEM parts. Some aftermarket parts are OK but most won't workwell at all. Particularly brake pads. They will stop the car but you will be deaf from the squeal.

In my experience The rotors are not a big deal. Twoof the three 850's I haveare running on drilled Raybestos rotors that I picked up on eBay for US$150.00 per full set shipped- they have worked great. I don't know if the drilling helps but I have not yet warped one of the drilled rotors and I have warped the rest of them that were not drilled.

You are about to become friends with www.FCPGroton.com, www.eEuroparts.com, and www.thevolvopartsclub.com .

FCP and eEuroparts sell a bunch of Scan Tech parts but they also sell the good stuff. As tempting as it is from a dollar perspective, don't buy the Scan Tech parts!

As far as the shop goes I would prefer one that has some experience with Volvos. There are a couple of things I cannot do, balancing tires and alignments. I took the Platinum in to get the tires balanced and the shop gave me a list of suggested repairs. They were bidding $685.00 for front pads and rotors and they were NAPA parts that would never work correctly.

As far as the A/C goes any decent shop should be able to deal with that. When they tell you you need a new compressor check back in.

...Lee

 

Follow the above advice and stay on top of scheduled maintenance and your car will last seemingly a lifetime