Hi All,


I am looking at my first two Volvos for my son to commute to college with.
I am much better suited to Mercedes and BMW from the 1980's

The first is a 745 T which I described in the 740 forum.
The second is what the dealer calls a '97 850
I think that 1996 was the last year for that model, am I correct?

I drove the 745 last night and it was a decent car, quick but it might be too rough for my son, who is NOT a car person

The 850 is n/a but should still have about the same power as the turbo 740, am I correct?

How hard is it to work on the fwd chassis? The wagon looked almost primitive under the hood.

What gotchas should I be looking for? For example on the W126 MB, you should look for rust in the battery compartment and do the 'tea kettle' test with the oil cap..

The 850 looks like it is on decent shape, but the right turn signal is broken. How expensive are replacements?
Also the center **** is missing from the climate controls, how expensive is that? oh and should a shaft be protruding or does the **** have the shaft on it?

How reliable are the 850s compared to the older models?

Would a car in the shape I described be worth $2800? I know I have not driven it or even sat in it yet so I cannot give a real description, but in general do 850s with 170k go for $2800?

Thanks for your help...

heck, if it drives well, I might get them both and retire the 1984 BMW

 

97 was the last year for the 850. The 98 V/S70 is virtually the same car though. Personally I never cared for the 740's too much. I did own two 760's though and the one I liked and the 2nd one, an 89 760 Turbo, was one I didn't like at all. Got rid of it for my first 850 Turbo, a 94 model. I love the 850 Turbo, but would never own the 850 NA. Again that's just an opinion, but many share that opinion, even my daughters and my son. My one daughter test drove a really nice 850 Wagon NA and said she would never buy it and ended up with a 850 Turbo wagon that was not in near as good of shape, but drove better. Said the NA was a real dog.

Getting used parts for 850's is not hard at all. They are at that age when there are many of them in Used Car Parts (formerly known as junkyards) places.

 

I have owned two N/A's and a Turbo....no comparison, turbo hands down.

All the parts you described are not that expensive.

 

OK, so if I was going to get one for me it would be a turbo. This is for my kid, who only changes the oil after I scream at him long enough...

Is the NA reliable and solid?
How are they on gas?

Thanks

 

Reliability and gas mileage are the same on NA vs Turbo models. I get about 23 mpg combined city/highway and can get as much as 30 on the highway if I really try hard to watch my speed. Driving 70-75 mph I get about 27. Great gas mileage for a car that will go about 160 mph if you so desire and is a comfortable five passenger car.

I had my first 850 up to 127 in the middle of Kansas one time when it finally shifted into overdrive and shot up to 130 before I shut it down. Definitely would hit 150 or more had I stayed on it.

 

my 850 n/a doesnt get that great of gas mileage. internet says i should get about 18, but everything on the internet is pure truth right? lol.