Hi,

I am looking to buy a used Volvo 850 to replace my aging (20 years!)

240.

I have found a 1997 850 GLT (light pressure turbo model) from a

private seller who has excellent credentials. The car is in amazing

condition. Everything is spotless. All regular maintenance has been

performed and the only problem has been a dead battery.

So, what's the problem? In a word, mileage. In 4 years, the car has

done almost 94,000 miles (150,000 kilometres). So, in mileage terms,

we're looking at a 6-8 year old car. According to the owner, the

majority (50 - 75%) of the mileage has been highway driving.

The owner is asking about $13,250 US ($21,000 Canadian dollars).

I have three questions that I would very much appreciate some help

with:

1. Should I consider buying the car at all?

2. If so, what would be a reasonable price? Edmunds.com says

$13,000 US. KBB.com says $12,650 US. Both quotes seem too high to

me.

3. If I buy the car, should I also buy an extended warranty? I am

concerned, given that none of the major components has had to be

replaced, that I might face an expensive repair bill for a new

transmission, suspension, etc. I got an Internet quote on a

comprehensive extended warranty for 10 years/48,000 miles for $2300

US.

Thanks very much for your help on this matter.

Jon.

buy the Turbo it is a fun car.. 1997 is less problem than the early one... I would forget about the warranty and save myself $2500

We love our 1994 850 Turbo I paid only $7.500 for it it have 113,000 the car is clean excelan condition... have it for 1 year now... love it do most of the work myself... no major problem yes... transmission still good...

car have all the option 6 cd changer. and leather interior....

get yourself a turbo ..... None turbo is a no no for me....

My '94 855M has been flawless for the past 230,000 miles. The '97's were the best crop of 850's. Don't let the low miles on the one you're looking at scare you. You may end up replacing some wear parts from time to time like on any car, but believe me when I say that I feel far better throwing money into repair parts on my 850 than on most any other car I've owned in the past. This baby runs and runs. The bodies are galvanized, so no worry about rust. The engines are now time tested and proven to be as reliable and long lasting, if not more so than any of the older Volvos. So your only risk is replacing the odd wear part. Once replaced, the given item is as good as in a new car and you're good to go.

The other post re: evaporators is a good one. Also, make sure the tranny fluid doesn't look too ragged or smell burnt. That could set you back some dough if i t is bad. Lastly, a good undercarriage inspection, looking closely for any oil leaks, is definitely worthwhile. It's the little stupid stuff (like rear main seal) that'll cost the big bucks,unless you like doing the labor yourself.

As for the price....I'd maybe haggle a bit on that one. I have a buddy selling an immaculate '96 850 with about 80k miles for 10 grand. Base model, cloth interior. Just for comparisson.

Of course, I don't know what 13 grand gets in other cars today. You're probably smarter to buy a used Camry or Maxima when all's said and done, anyway...but that's no fun.

good luck

claude

Unless thaye have gotten way better than my '94 Turbo I would never recommend one of these to my worst enemy. I have a very good friend who gave up on his '97 in disgust after endless brake trouble to which Volvo finally would not "make good" in any way. Another very close friend who is a college auto tech teacher makes a very good side living appearing on behalf of Volvo in product liability and lemon law cases and he urges anyone who will listen to avoid Volvo. I have had a litany of isuues on mine (PNP switch, bad turbo, funky door trim, power seat failure, and finally a burned exhaust valve at 120K miles) so despite my affection for the speed and handling I will NEVER buy or recommend another Volvo.....

On the other hand my '89 Accord (sold at 300K miles), '84 Civic (sold at 104K miles), my daughter's '97 Civic and my 2001 S2000 are and have been virtually trouble-free. Your choice

How do you really feel Bob?

I have owned domestic and foreign cars. I recently gave up a year old foreign car that has a great reputation, due to severe problems. No car company is perfect, however, let's see any manufacterer stand up to Volvo's ( long standing ) safety and crash test statistics.

Everyone in my house now drives a Volvo. Have I had problems? Yes. I also realize that every carmaker will put out some lemons but the stats are right there for you to look at. Tell me would you rather be in a Honda in a head on crash or Volvo that you are "disgusted" at?

Syd

Family of Volvos

Bob- I suppose if I had the trouble you've had, I'd be looking elsewhere too. Mine has been stellar all through it's life, but I do not have a turbo, and do think the manuals are better trannies. A burnt valve truly stinks but is certainly an anomaly for the white engines. My Volvo dealer who does nothing but Volvo has done 2 or 3 top ends in all the thousands he's serviced. As for nit picking stuff like electric seats and brakes, c'mon, we all know the seat back cables die from time to time, as in any other car (40 bucks and 60-90 mintes labor for the layman) Volvo 850 brakes are well designed and work fine provided you use OEM pads and rotors. All the problems I have seen are compatibility issues with pad materials, etc. The system is butt simple. My brakes have lasted close to 100k miles twice now before requiring rotor and pad changes, and the calipers have just started to go bad. Did three this spring and sumer after over 225k miles. The cars do like to be maintained, but are no more trouble prone than any others.

But by all means get a Maxima, or Accord. Most cars today should easily last a couple of hundred thousand miles provided they are cared for.

claude

'94 855M 230,000 mi

'99 9-3 Viggen 38k mi

My mom bought a 97 850 GLT in 2000 with 74K miles on it. The parents have put about 17K miles on it since then with very few problems. Get it checked by a mechanic, and if that all checks out well, I'd say go for it. I'd pay maybe $11 or 12K for it though.

Jon- first off, I bought my 97854T5 with a 103K mls 20 months ago; It now has 125k. apart from normal maint things, i haven't had any real issues(except the ABS/TRACS which can fail on a 1yr old S/V70 or any 850). Most of my money has been spent on improving my ride and I ain't fixin that ABS item anytime soon. I would try to get the price down to $11.5-12K the most. I bought my ride for $13.5(including tax and other fees) and i have a T5 w/ most options(SF,Heat-Leather, sport susp. cold/weat pack, etc). So if the car is in excellent condi., milage should be a blessing to you cause you can get a better deal $$$$. Use the saving to do a thorough tune up(flush the tranny) and enjoy the LPT. good luck,BD

Jon-

I really don't see any reason to avoid the car purely due to mileage. You should be doing as you have done so far: looking at the condition and maintenance history of the vehicle. Get it checked out thoroughly by a Volvo mechanic and see what he/she says. If it checks out, the mileage could very well be a blessing which you can use to haggle down the price.

Some things to watch out for on early 850's:

1) Leaking A/C evaporators. Before you buy, check that the air conditioning runs well. That might be hard at this time of year but it's worth it if the car has A/C. The evaporators sometimes fail, which can lead to a $1000-$1500 repair bill due to the complexity of replacement. If records show that the refrigerant has been topped up recently and/or frequently, be suspicious.

2) Someone should correct me if this doesn't apply to 97 cars, but the rear main seal had a tendency to fail at a young age on early vehicles. If it's been replaced already, you're probably all set. If not, that's another expensive repair ($1000+) which could come up. Again, it's expensive due to labor costs. The engine has to be hauled out of the car to access the seal. But this might not even be a problem with 97. I had this happen on a 94.

I don't want to scare you off, because this could be a good car for you. But I want you to be informed of the major issues with early 850s. Check them out and use your best judgement. Best of luck.

Tim

Jon - have a good dealer check it out. I just bought a 95 850 with 98k on it, and it is the newest Volvo i've purchased.

I bought my 88 740 with 113k, and now it has 228k and it just traveled 12k to Edmonton, the west coast, the south and back. This wagon was loaded to the roof and never complained.

My other Volvos have 158k and 216k. Pick a good dealer. join AAA, and don't worry!

My family owns three 850's, 2 1995 NA's and 1 1997 NA, all of them have around 85,000 miles, none of them has ever had a problem. The are great cars. I would pay $11-12K.