Our '93 850 GLT has been a faithful car ever since we purchased it in Sep. 1997. Absolutely nothing has ever gone wrong with this vehicle; all we do to it is bring it in for oil and filter changes every 5,000 miles. It is serviced ONLY at the dealership. In fact, ever since we bought the Volvo, we've been putting it away in storage every winter. It goes in the garage every Oct. 31 and doesn't come out until April 1. I can't wait to take it out for the spring!

99 S70 5 Speed 75,000 miles
95 850 Wagon 5 Speed 110,000

I nomally don't reply to threads but I have to sing the praises of Volvo. Sure, these cars arn't perfect. My 850 has a harsher ride than a BMW or Audi but it will probably last longer than both. So far I have done almost nothing to this car!

Brake Pads: 80,000 Miles
New Bilstin Struts/Shocks 90,000 Miles
Timing Belt/Tensioner 60K

Plus oil/filter/sparplug changes.. Thats it REALLY. oh plus a couple of burnt out light bulbs.

My 99 S70 which has gotten some bad reviews has had nothing done to it other than oil changes etc. I am fanatical about maintainence and these cars have been just awesome and reasonable to maintain.


Good luck to anyone who buys.

J-

I love my '93 850. It's a 5spd w/o the turbo. Fun to drive, very reliable - I have owned it for the past three years (put on 30,000 mi) now has 133,000 miles.

Significant positive points:
*great gas mileage ~25 - 31mpg (city/hwy)
*steering/handing
*utility
*luxury features
*unique style

Bad points during my ownership:
*had to replace throughout bearing at the clutch when I bought the car - no big deal... I put in a new clutch while I was at it.
*reverse light switch on tranny - inexpensive procedure
*I don't know if this is bad, but I have to replace the "soft" parts in the front suspension as the car ages - normal
*has to replace BOTH front wheel bearings (hubs) as they failed simultaineously, $500
*had to replace thermostat - normal
*replace timing belt every 50,000 miles ('93 model year specific)


In my honest opinion, this car has been worth every single penny and time spent in service. It will be in the family for a very long time.

From all of the replies I have read, everyone is happy with their 850.

My happiness is tempered by dozens and dozens of little, very expensive failures.

Yes, my 850 Wagon (about 65,000 miles) has never left me (my wife actually) stranded, but it sure has cost us a lot in time and money, to fix--and I do most of the work myself.

That door snapping problem (a true design flaw)--am I the only person who has experienced it? This is a problem which will NEVER go away.

Many electrical device failures (true reliability problems), like the window switch cluster, and the ignition switch, and the reversing light switch, and the many, many, many replacements required of headlamp, dashlight and switch bulbs. There is hardly a month that doesn't go buy where I don't have some small electrical failure--I feel like this is a Lucas electrical system.

The air injection pump problem (a true design flaw) and VERY expensive. Again, am I the only person with this problem.

And the air conditioning evaporator problem. I have been lucky enough to not have experienced this problem but, again, a VERY expensive problem.

The point is that any car typically suffers from a "genetic" problem. My 79 Accord went through water pumps every 50,000 to 80,000 miles. And I can remember that every Accord owner who I talked to was taken by that same problem.

But with my Volvo, there is not a single, genetic problem, there are a dozen genetic problems. With the Accord, I had not a single other problem, besides regular maintenance, so the water pump problem was acceptable.

But when you have a car which is marketed at a higher level than most, and has dozens of genetic problems, some of them chronic, you get a bit frustrated. Is it that I live in Chicago and the temperature variations bring out these problems? Are you guys who have "never had a problem with your 850" living in Palm Springs?

Why is there such a disjoint between my experience and the experience of so many of the "satisified" owners? Have I been living with a lemon, or is my experience quite typical of Volvo ownership?

Let me know guys.

Ken

V70T5M, 1998 88,000 miles. Not really "unreliable". Mine's left me stranded exactly once when the battery failed. More "maintainance intensive". Lots of rattles, squeaks, and relatively minor, although frequently expensive-to-rectify problems.

It's fun to drive. In fact, if you're looking for a station wagon with a lot of power and a manual transmission, there are only one or two or three others to choose from. If I didn't have it, if it were stolen, wrecked or lost I'd consider a new one. There are also only three manufacturers who are serious about safety, Mercedes doesn't like manual trannies, SAAB has put the pedals so close together that I can't drive them with my size 13s, and that leaves Volvo.

-Phil Punxsutawney

I just purchased my sixth Volvo
1988 740 wagon - still have it
1987 740 turbo sedan - T-boned by a drunk driver, daughter and friends OK
1990 740 turbo sedan - still have it
1990 740 wagon - sold
1995 850 wagon - love it
1995 850 sedan - love it

See a pattern? The two 740s have half a million miles between them. They still are safe and reliable.

Yes, the postings talk about problems, but like another poster said, most people have no dreadful problems, they read this board to help others.

When I bought my first Volvo my mechanic said - "No more Chevrolets for Jim Sousa" - He was right. He also told me that this was true for almost all of his customers that bought Volvos.
--
2 8s & 2 7s 600,000 miles total

I have a 97 850-R I bought new. I love it. Any problems were minor and under warranty. It is very solid, even after 55000 miles. What I would change? Take away the performance struts and replace them with softer ones---and replace the 17's with 16's for a slightly softer ride, and keep the sway bars. Take the rear deck spoiler off. It impairs my rear view. All of these are trivial issues. The only thing I have to replace at this point is the passenger side visor. For some reason the tension to hold it up has failed, so it now hangs at a 45% angle. It is a little annoying, but a new one is $115. It starts every day like clockwork. I keep a regular maintenance schedule on it. I have replaced the engine thermostat--piece (15 minutes and $20)of cake fix, the battery--the factory batteries only last 4 years anyway, the tires--17" Khumo's only last 25000 miles and that's when you baby them, the brake pads--all the way around, takes 15 minutes per corner(no disk warping either).

Sure the car could probably be better built, and then it would cost more--so would the parts. Look at BMW and Mercedes and their maintenance and parts prices (let alone insurance) and you will see what I am talking about.

It is an excellent car for the money, at least the 94-97's are according to my local dealer mechanic with 97 being the best year, and anything newer is something to think twice on. I have owned a 94 850 base model(I was sad when I sold it, to buy the 97 850-R), an 84 626 Mazda(a beautiful car sold at 175000 miles still running strong), a 74 Pontiac Trans Am(piece of junk I had--too many problems to list), and a 72 Pontiac Firebird(nice driver until someone toasted it in a intersection).

If I had to do it over, would I buy another Volvo? I would buy the 94 & 97 I had and have again. I don't care for any of the newer models.

The other things I love about my car--it is paid for, I know who drives it and how hard, and what kind of care it recieves.:-)

i love this sleeper. safer than any other car out there. as a plus, u get to haul 5 people and a ton of luggage. that square wagon back sure can pack a lot of things. only problem i have with this car is the rattling, and how the road seems to be transmitted through the cabin (having the long open space in the back of the wagon doesn't help either, acts like resonating chamber, hehe) rather than being absorbed but the car.

You'll find a lot of people here with lot's of nice things to say about their beloved bricks. Most have turbo which I didn't get & now I wish I had. I'm very happy to look at, and drive my '97 115K miles recently acquired. I am about to cheerfully pay a lot for an oil leak repair, so get the flame trap replaced frequently.
-The ride is stiff, so it seems to be, smooth road/ smooth ride, & rough road/ rough ride. This appears to be a function of the sports car design elements.
-People here talk about warped brake rotors, and how the wheel lugs have to be torqued to 81 ft/lbs.
-The intermitent wipers are a flaw, but I picked up a replacement relay switch at ipd that solves this $68 and 10 mins. of contortions under the dash.
-My creaky back seat was cured with a bit of Vaseline (suggestions from this forum & links)
Lastly I've only read about one a month that really complains about their car, and that seems like a combination of frustration and fussiness. The info here is the most valuable thing, any question large or small is answered, so tat you can know a heck of a lot in a very short time. I love just taking mine around the block

I have a 95 turbo wagon and love it. If you go back through the postings here you'll see lots of the same questions so it's not like everything on the car is problematic.

Also consider that a forum like this will attract those looking for help or advice and not the satisfied owners who have no problems. I never went looking for a Nissan Sentra site to say how trouble-free my car was. (There's an idea.)

I'd say the problems are minimal and if you're a do-it-yourself type lots of it can be done easily. Service history is important as is having the car checked out by either the dealer (1 hour labor charge at my local) or an independent shop like I did and they didn't charge anything.

Again I really like my car and I bought it knowing that the A/C evaporator is a weak point and that I'll likely replace a PNP and shiftlock switch eventually.

Best thing I can say is that after lurking here for a while before purchasing my car, is that for the first couple of weeks after buying I was gun shy, waiting for the service or check engine light or flashing up arrow or any other posted problems to arise. Now I just drive it, not quite like I stole it, secure in the knowledge that if anything does come up, I can find answers easily on line and likely take care of it myself.

By the way, my '93 Ford F150 and '96 Dodge Caravan haven't been cheap to maintain going to the dealership. I never got out of there for less than
$500-$600.

I say go for it!

Regards,
Erwin in Memphis
--
Regards, Erwin in Memphis, '95 855t

I have a real love/hate relationship with my 850, right now I am hating a bunch of nagging little things:

1) The suspension is way too harsh- *every* bump in the road is transmitted into the cabin, and in turn it causes a lot of squeaks that I am spending time trying to do something about. Especially in the dash!!!!!!!!! And the glove box will not stop rattling!!! As you can see, it's driving me crazy.

2) Cabin noise is louder than one would expect for a car of this price range.

3) No intermittent wiper, no cruise control idiot light. This is standard stuff that should be on this car.

4) Had to have both the evap and compressor replaced. And still, the compressor constantly cycles on and off while the a/c is turned on, which can't be good and it's annoying.

So, I am not quite as sold on my beloved 850 as I once was, and am currently in the process of deciding whether or not to sell it, even with only 55K. My advice is like many others: 1) test drive the car extensively to see if what bothers me, bothers you; 2) try to get a car with it's service records available; 3) definitely get a BUMPER-TO-BUMPER warranty if at all possible; 4) Don't pay too much- the used car market is incredibly soft these days; 5) If the a/c doesn't blow cold don't buy it under any circumstances; 6) Pull up the cowling by the passenger side of the windshield and see if there is a pollen filter installed- if there is that's a good sign.

That's about all I have.

Hello,

I have a 97 850R sedan and it has been VERY reliable(knock on wood) It had warranty work for minor things 4 times. I would suggest buying an extended warranty though. I did buy one because I had heard that the A/C evaporator can break. Mine did and the warranty paid for itself.
I like the solid feel of the car, smoothness of the engine, seats, but I wish there was more room in the back, as I am 6'3. We are out growing it and I may have to get a larger car like a 300M so the kids can be in back without pushing my seat. I plan to keep it as long as we all fit then it will be hard to find a replacement, I would love to buy another Volvo but I don't think there is enough room.


Rich S

97 BSR S3 850R

You have come to a site where people go to talk about their cars and find answers to their questions. If you consider that there are tens of thousands of people visiting this site and only a few questions every day, then the reliability of these cars shines through.

I absolutely love this car. I have owned a 1966 Volvo 122 Wagon, 67 Mustang, 76 Toyota Wagon, 76 Ford Van, 85 Civic, and a 91 Ranger. My 97 850 R Wagon is without a doubt the best car I have ever had. Does it have problems, occasionally yes...but so have all my other cars too. In 4 years it has only been in the shop once for a non maintence problem, and that was for a vaccum leak in a hose that eventually goes on all 850's. If I had had access to read this board back then I would have fixed it myself.

Bottom line......buy a car with service records, don't skimp on the service, understand that this is a european car not a tin can econobox, and enjoy the ride.

One complaint.....I can't fit tires larger than my 205/45/17's

--
Nathan Valles, Black 855R, Tint

There are tons of 850s out there. There are bound to be problems with some but from what I have seen they are a solid safe cars.
I have the latter S70 and as much people may say things about it, whatever has happened has been fixed under warranty without any hassle. Most of these cars hold up well with things that come and go, but they are things you deal with to have a better car than an old shakey breaking honda.