im looking into buying a 850. i read the thread on what to look for but i want to make sure i get a total package without wasting any money or time.

 

93- the ugly duckling
94/95- interchangeable
96/97- interchangeable (also interchangeable mechanically with 98)

all interiors are the "same". I don't know, what else do you want to know?

 

well the 2nd gen ford explorers have different engine setups. such as the 96 comes with gt-40x heads and intake plus it is a full roller engine. the rest of the 2nd gen 302s only came with a gt-40p heads and intake and no roller engine which isnt as good performance wise. so i guess thats just an example to what im looking for for awnsers. just differences, pro, cons, best platforms blah blah blah you get the picture. so if there is anything that you guys can tell me i would gladly appreciate it! thanks guys.

 

Same trim specific engines 94-97, with the exception of EGR in 94/95 and SAS in 96/97.

 

i see you have 2 94's. would you recommend a 94? im sorry if im asking alot of dumb questions but i just dont want to be stuck with something good whe i could of gotten something better. yah know?

 

94-97 are all the same. I have two 94s by chance, has nothing to do with the year. I just find where the best deal is, 95+ 850s have some better styling (tail lights, interior switches) but mechanically they're all the same.

 

i searched on yahoo and the only difference in tails would be that the 94's are more square right? i didnt find anything on switches tho. but oh well i guess i will just keep my eyes out for an 850. but i reeeeeeally want a rwd or awd..

 

Correct, the 95+ tails are rounder, don't have any amber, they just look better. If you want RWD, 200/700/900 series are all RWD.

 

oh wow i didnt think they all were. i guess i'll be doing research on those next. but for now i definatly want to go 850 sw. so ALL the 900 series are rwd? but probibly not turbo tho eh?

 

All the 850s are pretty much the same. The one plus to the 94 - 95 850s are that they are OBDI so you can check all the codes for everything under the hood.

As for the 900 series being turbo, they do have turbo models. For example, my old 940 was a turbo intercooled model. Most of the 960s were not turbo.

 

ok sweet. thats good to know. other question i have is if all 9 series cars are rwd, and which cars had the 5cyl turbo?

 

850s have the 5- cylinder, turbo available. as has been said, 94-97 are for the most part mechanically the same. 94 and 95 are OBD-I, which makes certain things easier for the home mechanic. 93 is kind of a bastard car- has different headlights, 4- lug hubs, and a few other one- year differences. They're not bad cars, but parts can be a bear to find sometimes. All 850s are FWD, aside from a few (I think) 97 models, which were available with AWD. If you want RWD or AWD and a turbo, look to the 940 turbo, which is RWD and a 4- cylinder (and very easy to work on) or 98 S70/V70, which are available with AWD and are basically an 850 with different styling. All the AWD S/V 70 models are low pressure turbocharged.

 

thanks that awnsered ALOT! you guys have helped out alot and i think i found one in mass on craigslist i want to go and see.

 

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the 1992 model. The US was the only market not to get an 850 in 1992. I know someone who used to live in Canada and was driving a 1992 850 until a few years ago. From what I could tell the car was identical to the 1993.

Also, to answer your other questions, the 850 is the only one with the 5-cyl engine. On pre-1998 Volvos, the middle number usually states the number of cylinders the engine has (there are some exceptions such as the 780). There was never RWD on the 850; one of its big claims to fame when it came out was that it was the first FWD Volvo sold in the US. All 900 series are RWD. I'm not sure if they ever made AWD on these as an option, but there was never a FWD 900 series.

 

so what are pros and cons from the 5cyl to the 4cyl? rwd or fwd? i would normally say rwd but with the rwd volvos having 4cyl engines and the fwd having 5cyl what do you guys recommend?

 

It's all personal preference. If your not tuning, you may not see a big difference in 4 and 5, it depends what your plans are, what you want to do with the car, which style you like better, etc.

 

As for the 900 series, the 960's (also S90) are considered luxary cars and are NOT mod friendly. The 940 comes with a 4 cyl turbo model that has mod options. They are all rwd cars. The 850/S70 are smaller, sportier cars. The S70 is probably the most comfortable car I have ever driven, prior to 2000. The 960 is a very smooth car that was designed to compete with the MB, BMW, & Cat's.

All of the 960's are loaded. The other models come with several trim options. Heated seats, leather, etc.

 

Read this interesting article on Wikipedia about the benefits of the extra fifth cylinder: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight-five_engine

As for the best year 850's...I would suggest you look for a 95+ car. Yes, the 94's have the OBD1 like mine, but there are certain things that may be a problem. For example:
- if you get an early-94 model, your timing belt and tensioners are different and somewhat harder to find.
- the PCV system is also different. Most of our trusted vendors sell PCV kits for 95-97 cars.
- the transmission in the 96-97 is slightly different because of the speed sensor. That's not a downside for the 94-95 cars, but in the event that you need to replace the transmission, it is much easier to find a 96-97 transmission.
- some 94 cars don't have side airbags, traction control and passenger power seat.
- the interior switches in the 95-97 cars are better (if you get a 94, you can interchange them, but you have to buy the new ones)
- as stated before, the tailights are different on the 94, but you can easily change those (I did it)

 

hmm i guess that 5th cylinder does make quite a differenceand thank you for all that info guys. im going to try to find a 5spd wagon because i love the way the wagons look lowered with a nice set of wheels and all. anyone know how much the wagons weigh compared to the sedans? i know that from what i have done for research there the sedan is only 3 tenths of a second faster in the 1/4 and 0-60 so thats not too bad of a compromise.the only thing i dont really like about the wagons are the tail lights... THERE HUUUUUGE!

 

http://maine.craigslist.org/cto/1501666745.html

so i think i have found the 850 im going to get what do you guys think? im going to email the guy and get some more info i will keep you guys posted for sure and post pics if he has any!