Hi
I have been looking into buying a volvo 850 for $4500. The car is a 97 and has 70,000 miles on it. It is the base model not the turbo. I have not gone to look at the car yet but it is apparently in very good condition. This will be my first volvo so I'm not sure what to look for.I was wondering if there are any questions I should ask the seller before purchasing the car? Any help is appreciated.

 

Read the sticky first.

 

Welcome to the forum, I hope it is helpful to you.

While the model year & mileage are good, many members, including myself, would go for turbo models. Thereare not much reliability differences between NA & Turbo on 850s, as long as one has properly been maintained.

When you buy a car, make sure to do a visual walk-around; exterior, interior, engine compartment, trunk and the undercarriage. Try to look for fluid leaks, rusty spots and any signs of damage/deterioration. Then take it to a reputable, fully-certified ASE technician for a pre-purchase inspection. Make sure to test-drive it and check for smooth engine & tranny operations, strong & squeak-free braking, normal gauge readings, etc...

I'll let others add on.


JPN

 

Read some of the other threads. There is one right now about what to look for when buying an 850.

 

Read as much as possible so you know what problems people face and give you foresight on what to look for. Read, read,read...saves you LOTS of headaches and $$$

 

thanks for the help. Im going to look at the car on sunday.

 

It is in the mentioned list, but the one thing I cannot stress enough is a RECORD of proper and timely maintenance in the cars past

 

Apparently the volvo I'm looking at has been serviced on time at a local shop since its purchase. It only had one owner so it seems it seem like a good deal. I have looked over the lists mentioned and they have been very helpful.

 

Seems a good deal. Make darn sure that the timing belt & related pulleys & tensioner have been done within the last 70,000 miles or 5 years.


JPN

 

You may want to check this out. If this post is illegal sorry. Good-luck!
http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/index...90566&st=0

 

A well maintained 70K mile NA for $4500 or a well maintained 140K mile turbo model with mods for $3800? Personally I would go for the turbo model, but that's not an easy decision.