Hello to all. I am new to volvoforums and i must admit its a great site...keep it going. Let me just say thank you in advance and sorry for being so verbose. I just purchased a 'supposedly' clean '97' 850r wagon which is quickly turning into a nightmare. The good: exterior/interior are in great shape for age (about 140k)...8 out of 10. Now for the bad: had my mechanic check it out after the purchase (extremely stupid i know, but it looked so good) and it needs work. For starters it needs an odometer gear. For sure it needs valve cover resealed, possibly camshaft seals as well. Needs timing belt/water pump and complete tune-up (plugs, wires, disty cap/rotor). Needs PCV system along with related things. Needs rear main seal sooner than later as well. Needs upper engine and tranny mount. Also needs every fluid flushed/filled...and haven't even inspected suspension and axles! I've researched and found some of these jobs easy to do...and others not so much. Not familiar with volvo's so I'd sooner have my mechanic do it correctly the first time. Purchased car for $3600 (yes I got porked ). My mechanic is estimating at least $1500 off the top (not including rear main seal)...with more charges surely to be incurred if more is found wrong with it. Surprisingly enough I drove the car 800 miles home in current condition . All i felt was vibration from bad mounts/worn suspension and smell of oil from leaks...cruised at 85mph strong for 11hrs . Not sure if this is a testament to how well they are built or I just got lucky. My question: Is the car worth fixing and keeping? (possible $2k investment) or should i just count my losses. Hearing from others that there is always something to fix is disheartening . I am hoping for someone's expertise in volvo longevity to guide me...PLEASE! Any advice is appreciated...and no I do not have a silver spoon so repairs will be paid with sweat and tears...maybe even blood...

 

For the price you paid for it, I'd fix her up. After the fixes and a full Stage 0, it should be a pretty solid car.

I did the same thing and had my indie mechanic go through mine after I drove (only) 100 miles home. I paid 4k for mine and I've easily put in 2K+ into it. I knew it was going to need some work, so I fixed the things that needed it ASAP and now I can work on the rest a little at a time. It's worked out great and the car's had very minimal down time as funds and time permit. There is a lot of good info here on Volvoforums as well as Volvospeed.com. Take your time to read the info on the forums and get to know the car. This really will make things easier for you.

These really are great cars but just like any 13+ year old car it is gonna need some lovin.

Oh, And welcome to VolvoForums.

 

yeah i would totally say its worth it i paid $800 for my 1995 850 Turbo wagon non running when i got it i dropped 400$ in the first week but did the work myself and its been great needs small things here and there but thats normal

 

If you fix everything that's wrong with it you probably can expect another 80k miles easily. Since you already own the car, you might as well make it work.

 

Sorry to hear, a real bummer when you purchase something that you expect to be better than it is.

Do you have to have your mechanic do this work? You should be able to find everything you need on this site and with the help of us. Most of us do our own work and are pretty familiar with the cars. You could save hundreds. If you run into problems just start a thread, explain the problem and post some good clear pictures so we can see. If you have tools you should be able to pull off the repairs for everything listed above. The rear main might be beyond if your not too mechanical(engine yank) but everything else you could do.

 

I have to chime in with everyone else; I have a 97 850 GLT with just over 200K miles and I love it – some wonder why, but then they don’t own one! There are many cars out there with more miles than me; I think she’s just getting into her prime. Your drive home is an indication of how solid these cars are built, not just luck. When I was married, my wife ran the car without doing an oil change for a VERY long time. I checked the dipstick and found NO oil on it, and it still ticked along like a trooper. And yes, I kept the car and dumped the wife

Regardless of your “Grease Monkey” ability, I’d have to say you’ll be able to fix the odometer yourself (might as well change all the bulbs in the dash while you got it apart), and most of the tune-up stuff, including the timing belt and PCV. I just bought suspension parts for all four corners and without any experience, I feel confident that I can do it with the write-ups I’ve read.

Along the way you’ll find out what some of the common problems are for the 850, but you’ll also find how to repair most everything yourself. This forum and matthewsvolvosite.com are the two sites I visit constantly to figure out what to do. Good people sharing their experience. Good step-by-step write-ups and pictures.

You can get parts from fcpgroton.com and ipdusa.com who know Volvo’s well, and you can usually find coupon codes for them.

So welcome to the Volvo family!

 

Wow...thanks for all the input guys (and gals if any). I sincerely appreciate it...and of course the warm welcome. Judging from the feedback I guess I might as well knock the cobwebs off of my tool kit. I have been an Audi man for many years now and have been spoiled with dropping it off at the dealer. Financial issues forced the change so I guess this comes with the territory. Just trying to find out what to do first at this point. Again, thank you very much for all the input. I just really hope you all are right lol.

 

You'll be glad you made this decision!

Here is a link to lots of helpful fixes.
http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/index...s-for-repairs/

Like I said, fix the important things ASAP, then do a little here and there! I'd really get cracking on a full "Stage 0" pretty quick too.

Then once that's all done, Happy modding!!!!