yea man i understand and i realize im on a volvo forum for people who love volvos.

that being said u guys have all been very helpful i feel plenty comfortable buying an older volvo.

i cant quite figure out hookuspookus but if hes really had as much trouble with his cars as he claimed id like to kno the details at least.

and about the commercial...never seen it myself but if thats what he was talking about that ridiculous bc it was a commercial and npot a crash test...when are products not exageratted in commercials??

i suppose this commercial is falsefying crash tests too then
(watch it til the end)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpI0q52wHxg

thats just the way advertising is, overexaggeration

 

When I am looking to buy a car I want to hear both, good and bad. Especially bad, tendencies for pitfalls, weak-spots, etc.

Hookuspookus has had misfortune in his ownership of Volvos; above all, he reports that his wife suffered head injuries. If I had that, and the car was the culprit, maybe I would be blasting Volvo too.

However my experience has been the opposite -- recent crash (low-speed, but still a free-fall) 6 weeks ago on the 850, and another crash over 20 years ago -- actually my friend crashed my 240 GL going at 80 mph at a 35 mph turn. Him and his girlfriend were hospitalized. When I went to the scene, police told me that the car had actually saved them. That car had no airbags, and they were not wearing the seat-belts. One thing I know is that Volvo's steel is very high quality. Sweden is known to be a large producer of high-quality steel. 850s engine is a proven engine that Volvo has made for decades. Owners of Volvo built in the 70s, 80s and 90s love their cars. Things started to change after the late 90s.

I love cars in general, working / exploring them. It's just therapeutic to me to relieve stress. We currently have 4 vehicles in my family. I can't work on one (wife's new SUV, she won't let me and I don't blame her). My injured 850 will be retired soon / being replaced with the V90. I actually plan to use the 850 as a beater in the City for another month or so, until the snow/ice is over. By the way, I can't believe how many car-body parts I see on the streets now that snow has melted a little. I have also never seen so many potholes/caves as this year. Last night I ran into one, although the 850 did not break in half, I was kinda glad it wasn't the V90.

You gotta look at each vehicle within other circumstances -- if you need a yard plow, Volvo ain't it. If you want to spend $ 10k, and never want to see the engine compartment again, while don't care about looks or status, just go buy a 2-3 year-old Corolla. Many factors there.

My conversion van (gasser) can probably swallow both of my Volvos inside (exaggeration!!), so if parking is a concern, that's another factor.

 

if his wife suffered head injuries as a result of something negligent on the part of Volvo, I'm sure we all would have heard about the lawsuit against Volvo by now.

I think that for whatever reason, he got a bad deal on a volvo at some point and holds it against the car and not his being rooked by someone. Are volvos tough automobiles? sure are. Will they hold up getting hit by a freight train? nope. But neither will anything else that anyone is likely to be driving. I wouldnt put my odds of being hit by a train any higher if i was in a hummer.

 

I can say that I have owned many Volvo's built before 2000. What I like best is the fact that they look good or should I say in good condition all the time. They just don't fall apart like most cars. If you take care of them A LITTLE, was the paint often, the car will look good and hold up well. I like a few other cars but they just don't drive and feel as solid as the Volvo. The ones that do are a lot more costly.

 

I've been working on my grandaughters 1996 850 turbo (Great car) and bought a top tak scanner on ebay($65) that works super on the 850 and every other obd2 car I've used it on. It turns off "Check engine" light, monitors sensors, I/M status, Freeze Frame Data, etc. This car has about 118k mi. and has needed very little done to it since new.

 

i have a 93 Volvo 850 5-speed Manuel, still runs like new and i trust it will continue for as long as i live, great and reliable car, but if you have the option, definitely get the turbo.