Hi Everyone! I currently drive a 1993 940 wagon with almost 280,000 miles. It has always had some trouble going from 2nd to 3rd gear, has no working AC, sunroof needs to be closed with a screwdriver, can't adjust the driver's seat, the gas gauge fluctuates, and it seems like I'm pushing it when I hit 70 mph (like it wants to kick down but doesn't, unlike my 240 wagon, which I could drive 90 mph with no similar feeling).

A friend of mine has a 1996 850 turbo wagon with about 160,000 miles that has been very well maintained. I'm wondering if I should buy this car.

My Volvo shop says that the 850s can have piston issues at higher mileage and other engine problems, and also that the 850s are more costly to maintain. They think I should keep my 940, which I've put thousands of dollars into over the past years yet still have the issues that I mentioned above.

Any thoughts on your experience with the 1996 850 turbo wagon? Hoping for some advice before making this decision.

Wishing you all a lovely day,

Susan Free
York, PA

One caveat about older Volvos.

They were expensive when new and their parts are still expensive, no matter how old they get.

We had a '96 855R that we drove for 11 years - I still loved to wring it out the last day I drove it.

Unfortunately it needed $4200 worth of work to make it worth $4500 Blue Book. ( That car sold new for 42K in '96! )

When I traded it in, the sales manager told me that they would whole sale it - I told him to take it for a ride, a couple of days later, he told me that it was a real nice car - they had it on the lot for two months before they sold it to someone!

Thanks for all the input, everyone! I truly appreciate it. Wishing you all a great weekend!

No don't buy the car! In a short while you will experiencing all the things you are now, except with a different car. 20 years old is just too old! Buy new! Put away the mechanics tools unless you get an adrenaline rush from breaking down in the middle of nowhere or not making it to work!

Hi dg,

I'm not in the market for a new car at this time. Just wondering if you're a Volvo driver?

Thanks for your input,

Susan

I am a volvo driver...I have a 94 that I love dearly, but it gave me enough problems last winter that a bought a new car and keep this one to tinker with and haul stuff around with the hitch it has. It was a great car but with the transmission light blinking (speed sensor that doesnt seem to affect the car) need for timing belt job (700.00) pcv job (700.00) and new tires and a leaking sunroof, non-working stereo, and just tore up drivers seat that you can't replace, it was time to move on.

After you have it checked and assuming it has no major issues, I would suggest you go ahead and buy that car.

I have been the owner of a 1995 850T sedan for almost 22 years (bought it new in 9/1994), I try to have it maintain well, and 200+k miles later it still goes really well (probably its acceleration from 0 to 60 mph has gone up from 6.1 to 7 seconds but that is OK!). At this point, my younger son mostly drives it.

On the light side, our 850T had
(1) an encounter with a light pole; the damage to our car was less than $1 (the touch up paint), while the private property light pole move right and left for a while;
(2) a 'light' encounter with a fairly new Porsche 911 (our car's damage was $0.30, i.e., the touch up paint; the Porsche's damage was ~$1,400)
(3) a 'light' encounter with our garage with slight damage to our ... garage. There was no damage to our ...car

Make sure the AC works properly, the evaporators tend to leak and are a real pain to replace. The engine and turbo are very strong and reliable. The sunroof can leak in a carwash and the fix for that is not fun.

I bought a badly maintained 1996 and it cost me about $1200 in parts to get it reliable. A few of those dollars went into deleting the SAS and recovering the front seats. If you can't wrench it yourself, it will very expensive at a shop.

Check the timing belt replacement interval (70K) as well as the cabin filter (if it has one).

The turbo 850 is really fun to drive! Watch out in wet/slippery road conditions, there is enough torque to make both front wheels break loose at about 4000 rpm in 1st gear!!

--
Keeping it running is better than buying new

Hi,
I have a 96 850T Wagon with about 150,000 miles had it for 3 years , love it , handles very well, gobs of power , as one of the fellows said spend a $100.00 and get it checked out by a dealer or other competent mechanic, just my 2 cents worth

Thanks! Sounds like you've had a great experience! With appreciation, Susan

Reading the other posts reminded me of a few things: my wife was out of town when I found the `95 855T so we had to wait a few days to test drive the car. It was summertime & we took it out on the highway sunroof open, etc, kicked in the turbo which led to my wife saying immediately "We HAVE to buy this car!". Honestly, the car was in immaculate condition, serviced at the local dealer. It was a great leap forward from driving our 240 which was a fine car but hardly in the same class.
My daughter skidded thru a city stop sign on a icy road one winter in her 850 & hit a KIA. Subsequent damage was : a slight scuff on her front bumper & almost $2K on the KIA. `Nuff said!
Hope the 850 deal works out!
Rich

I have a 95 850 wagon. No turbo. My car is still significantly faster than a 940. You'll be amazed by the power difference if you buy the 850 turbo! My 95 has 249k on it and still runs well but needs a little work. I had a 240 for 11 years and my take is that 240 had more problems than the 850 but it usually cost less to fix the 240.

BTW - Your mechanic is wrong. 850's do not have piston problems. The bottom end of the engine is very strong! With high mileage, they can have valve seat wear and start to burn oil. My car burns a little oil. Not too bad for 249k...:) This can probably be avoided if you use premium gas only in an 850 turbo. Synthetic oil changes are also highly recommended.

Rich's suggestion to have the car checked out is a good one. A well maintained 850 is a joy. A poorly maintained one could eat your wallet!

Hi Jwalker. I'm thinking that we've spoken before in some other Volvo thread (maybe the 200 or 900 thread? Your name sounds familiar! I'm excited to drive this car just to see the difference in the power. The 940 was NOT well maintained before purchase, and I sunk LOADS into it (and it still falls short with the things I mentioned that are still wrong with it).

Doing my best to make a good choice and get advice first. Thanks so much for your input!

I think the 95-97 850's are the best years. The 1998 V70 (updated 850) is also an excellent car.

BTW - I bought my 850 with 160k so don't be afraid of the mileage. I didn't invest much into my car at first as it was well maintained. As Klaus mentioned, check the timing belt replacement interval. If the AC is leaking through the evaporator and isn't too bad you can simply recharge it as needed to avoid a costly repair. At that age and mileage, a few other things to check would be the radiator, front end and suspension parts.

Yes Susan, I think we spoke before in either the 200 or 900 forum. Best of luck with the car search!

Jim

My experience: wife had a `95 850T wagon which was excellent car & had around 450K when she sold it to buy an XC70. The car was still running very strong & we likely should have kept it for a 2nd car.
My daughter had `96 850 which she drove all thru her college years & sold it to a friend when she moved to the west coast. Her friend still has it 4 years later & again, this 850 is running strong.
Spend $100 & get the car checked out if you`re seriously considering.
Rich

Hi rancherrick, glad to hear yet MORE good news on this car. Sounds like you really got a lot of life out of yours before venturing into the XC70! I appreciate the feedback!!