Looking for an 850 as a third car, and as a car for my 16-year old son. I expect to pay between 2-5k.
Any suggestions for what to look for? What do you like/dislike about your cars?
I have a particular concern about how they go in snow, and how you deal with that.
Will look forward to your feedback - thanks.

TC

 

Hello TC,

Welcome to the forum, I hope you find it helpful, useful & enjoyable.

Here's my personal opinion:

PROs:
1. Safety.
2. Exhilarating acceleration (turbo only, and may not be a good idea for a 16-year old son).
3. Unparalleled styling, always a pleasure to look at one.
4.Good handling.
5. Durability, competing against Toyota, Honda, Mazda, etc... (ONLY if taken good care of)

CONs:
1. Poorly designed electronic systems. Expect to see Check engine light often.
2. ABS module & Air Conditioning evaporator guaranteed to fail.
3. Lesser quality interior.
4. Age (the '97 is 10 years old now, though this doesn't matter if one has been taken good care of).
5. High cost of parts.
6. Oil leak due to a few different reasons.

Be sure to test drive a possible candidate, open the hood and look for fluid leak, broken parts, and take it to a dealer or an independent shop that specialises in Swedish/European makes for a pre-purchase inspection. This may costs you as much as $100 but is well worth it.Also, shortly after buying, expect a few hundred $ for parts/repair/tune-up. One with full service record would be great, and make sure to verify that the timing belt has been replaced at the specified intervals (every 70,000 miles/ 5 years, except the '93 model which requires replacement at every 60,000 miles). If you could find an S70, it is an alternative as well.

I'll provide you with one of my posts that explainsbasic maintenance items:

https://volvoforums.com/m_48928/tm.htm

Also, please refer to others' opinions as well to get perspective.

I hope this helps. I wish you luck finding a good Volvo for your son.


JPN

 

In my opinion Volvos are an excellent choice of car. I have had mine for about 6 months now and only had to perform the usual fixes- C/V axles, air conditioning, and radio- but I am loving every minute I drive. Yes the turbo models are very fast and I wouldn't recommend getting one if it is for a 16 year old. An N/A 850 (non-turbo) would be your best bet.
Like JPN said the S70 is also a great car. It is basically an updated 850 with a new name.
Either one of these cars are great choices

 

Compared to Japanese cars, best cars for the money.

Only problem is that they can get pretty expensive if you do all your repairs at the dealer (their price is $105 locally).

Edit: In snow, they are like any other FWD car, but 850s also have the added capability of "winter mode" which changes the gear ratios. It feels almost as though you're in 2nd (I think that might even be what it is).

In addition, traction control prevents you from spinning out. Which is kind of bad in the winter if you're going up hills...

 

So the 850 is front wheel drive? Are there any Volvos I should stay away from that are rear wheel drive? - sorry for the stupid questions, but as I said, I'm new to this.

 

850's were the first FWD volvos. The older 740s 240s etc = RWD.

 

Just to chime in.... We bought a 95 850 Turbo for our 16 year old son to learn and drive. He loves the car, and we feel good that he is in a very safe car. It is also large enough for him (he is 6'4") to drive in complete comfort. The one we got for him cost us about 2.5 K and it had 170K on it. Needed about 500 in work (tires, fluid changes, etc) but was well worth it.

Yes, the turbo is powerful, but I believe if you talk to your son seriously about the responsibility of driving and handling a powerful car, it should be ok. SO far it has been wiith mine, but he has only had it about a year......

 

I agree with Glenn 100%.


JPN