Obviously you are the go to guys for 850 info.

So i'm wondering what your thoughts are on this car? Would this be a wise buy? Anything I should look out for?

1997 Volvo 850 Wagon - Brantford Cars For Sale - Kijiji Brantford Canada.

It would be my first Volvo. And my third turbocharged car. (owned a '96 Saab 900SE convertible and an '02 Subaru WRX). I'm new to the forum here and I'm interested in an 850 because i'm sick and tired of people trying to street race me in my '02 WRX. But I would still like to drive a car that is fun and different.

 

If you look in the 850 DIY thread you will find a buyers guide.

I like the looks of the car. A little sad that the 1st picture has smoke coming from the tail pipe. Looks like a decent deal. They probably paid what they are asking for the car. I would probably get a compression test done, it's kinda of strange that someone would put a car in the shop for a lot of work then sell it as soon as they get it out. Take it for a LLLLOOOOOONNNNNGGGGG test drive.

 

Waits for ZOMG A MANUAL AWD WAGON comment.

 

looks nice, but I dont see anywhere where it says its a turbo. has the same wheels as my 95 non turbo. what does 255 kilos convert to? Price seems a bit high for the mileage. Find out when the timing belt was last done and maybe the pcv service- both expensive maintanience services. i dont know anything about AWD models. In my state a 95 doesnt require a computer check to pass inspection. 96 and up does. Dave

 

AWD 850s had low pressure turbos IIRC.

Google.

255 kilometers = 158.449654 miles

PCV kit is ~$130
Timing belt is ~$40

Not very costly repairs and shouldn't be the determining factor when buying a vehicle, if anything, it should be used in your favor as if they haven't been done, you can use that to lower the price. IMO, if I was looking for a car, I would hope it needed those easy repairs.

 

I thought it was closer to 200k miles. didnt know that about AWD turbos.

I know a timing belt kit is 40 (throw in a water pump) and a pcv is 130 (I just did one- way too many left over parts, throw in a starter maybe) but not everyone is a diy-er. I figured hiring out both of those repairs would be close to a grand. Yeah, use that stuff as leverage on price then do it yourself.

I like to avoid cars that need "mystery" repairs- the light that sometimes comes on, or the bad idle that happens every third tuesday.

 

Thanks fella's.
Talks about the turbo here
"Runs well and with the turbo has more than enough power"

I also had researched that the AWD's were all turbocharged with a LPT.

I'm assuming the "smoke" in the first picture comes from a cold start in low temperature weather. I am up in Canada and this is super common from November - April.

So I would have a few more questions then.
How good is the motor? 2.4.
Does it handle Mods well? I certainly wouldn't be against coaxing a few more ponies to show their faces with a larger turbo some intake/exhaust work and a tune.
Word has it there are only about 250 AWD wagons in Canada so the motor would be quite rare I would assume. Or was that motor used in any other more common volvo's?

I'm trying to find info myself as well. I like to research cars thoroughly before buying them. I'm quite good with DIY things and certainly wouldn't shy away from some PVC piping and a timing belt. Or even more major repairs.
I'm hoping to go look at the car next week sometime and hope to have as much info as possible gathered by that time.

Any other advice or things you've noticed would be appreciated.

 

Well, he wrote at the end of the add that the rear axle was taken apart so the car is 2 wheel drive.

The motors are rock solid. They used them in a lot of LPT cars.

Yes they do mod pretty easy.

If the timing best wasn't done at 225,000 it's past due. Should have been done at

 

I figure if he doesn't know when they were last done i'll just do them right away.

How many hp/tq are people running the 2.4's up to? Not that I would want to run the car as hard as it can go. Any idea as to which turbo on the 2.4? Garret or Mitsu? Maybe a model #? Any idea how many Psi the engine can handle?

How was the electrical in these cars? Any non drivetrain common problems?

Sorry for all the questions..

 

Not to sure about all the HP/TQ stuff. I have heard that most do well up to about 300 HP. Some run 18psi and 16T's but most of those are on the T5 motors (2.3). You can check on www.iPDusa.com and see what kits they offer. That will give you a clear idea of what you can expect.

As for those removed drive trains, no complaints after removal of the shaft.

 

sounds like there is lots of wiggle room in that price...guy is trying to sell an AWD car that is not actually AWD...common things I recall from our 850, AC compressor, odometer, brake relay, but even with the issues is it was a good solid, dependable auto