Hi, I am new here but I have been looking around for a while. I am a broke 18 year old that is looking at buying a 94 850 Turbo Sedan. It is blue with tan leather and has 150k miles on it for $3500. I have always loved the design of the 850and I want one really bad but have a few questions.

1) Ive heard both sides of the story when it comes to maintnence with the 850, that its free of problems and that its a money pit. What kind of repairs am I looking at with this mileage volvo?

2) I ran a carfax on it and it seems to of been serviced at a volvo dealership as all the repairs have been listed on it, but despite it being maintained well am I gonna be looking at lots of issues that are expensive to fix.

3) Any other things that I need to know about the 850 as a heads up for owning one?

Picture below is identical but without blue interior

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Hi cvilleelk,

Greetings from Yokohama, Japan.

>that its free of problems
Negative. 850s have some chronic problems and depending on the mileage & how the car has been treated, there are some things that are guaranteed to fail/need servicing.

●The timing belt is one of the most important items to be taken care of. It needs to be replaced at every 70,000 miles (112,000 kms)/5 years. If not done, the related components (idler pulley, tensioner pulley, tensioner damper, etc...) also need to be replaced with new parts (I usually replace these peripheral parts at every other belt change/120,000 miles, as I replace my belt at every 60,000 miles).

●The A/C compressor & evaporator are notorious for failing. If you don't use A/C, it is not an issue but if you do, the evaporator is a pain to replace. If the R134a (refrigerant) is leaking slowly, you can get by by keep adding R134a.

●Some suspension components, especially the fronts, wear out. The upper spring seat is notorious for failure, and the ball joint may be wearing out too. On '93-'95 model, depending on the VIN, the ball joint is bolted onto the control arm and can be replaced separately.

●The brakes may need some servicing, including pads & rotors replacement. The ABS module is noted for failure due to engine heat & poor manufacturing. The module, though, is repairable for '95 & later models.

●Depending on how the car has been treated, it may need a good tune-up. Also, expect the Check Engine Light to come on often with no drivability problems.

Lastly, before you spend your money, make sure to test drive & take it to your mechanic, or to the nearest Volvo dealer/shops that specialise in Swedish/European makes for pre-purchase inspection.

I hope this helps.


JPN

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I definitely agree. Don't dare to trust the sales guy. If he doesnt allow independent inspection then walk away. If I were you I'd get a 97 with low mileage.

 

On both my 850's that passed 150K I put a good bit of money into it right at 150K. If quite a few repairs have been done already (i.e. the evaproator) then it's a good buy at that mileage. I can almost guarantee the evaporator will go. As far as brakes go, they don't last all that long, but work good, are relatively easy to change and are not that expensive to diy. If you are handy with a wrench and like to work on cars, it's a good one to get. If you want a car that rarely needs anything and just keeps on running troulbe free, get a japanese car, Honda, Toyota, Nissan etc etc. To me these cars are boring.

 

"The A/C compressor & evaporator are notorious for failing. If you don't use A/C, it is not an issue but if you do, the evaporator is a pain to replace. If the R134a (refrigerant) is leaking slowly, you can get by by keep adding R134a."

What are the symptoms of this? How do I know which one has died? Or even if I just need to change the freon..

 

Hi Jimmy,

>What are the symptoms of this? How do I know which one has died? Or even if I just need to change the freon.

They both could cause the compressor to cycle on & off continually. But if the evaporator has developed a leak (which is guaranteed), the system pressure will drop and eventually you won't get cold air. If it's the compressor, it may need re-shimming, for which Tech has posted a re-shimming instructions. Also, the high-temp switch may need to be bypassed in some cases.

Changing of refrigerant is not necessary, but re-charge is. You can buy a re-charge kit at an auto parts store for approx $40. Thecorrect system pressure is 25-33 PSI at LOW side. A kit often comes with a pressure gauge, so you will know if the system pressure is too low or too high.


JPN