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Cambridge MA Volvo Mechanic 850 1995

Just got me a '95 850 Turbo. Saw it and man, it looked fantastic, like new. 36K miles on it (!) and I swear it still had that new car smell. The leather looks like it's never even been sat on. I know I shoulda brought it to my mechanic and all, but I looked under the hood and it was just amazingly clean (looking). Plus, someone else almost bought it out from under me, so I just went ahead and did it. $11K plus my '92 Accord EX with 155K miles on it.

You all have been so helpful, just reading the posts here has given me a lot of insight into what I've gotten myself into here, and mostly I'm really happy about it. The A/C blows nice and cold, so that's a relief. Anyhow, a couple of questions:
Does anyone know a good Volvo mechanic in Cambridge/Somerville/Arlington MA? And is a dedicated Volvo guy (or woman... maybe even better still) important? My high school buddies who own the Sunoco station near where I work said to just bring it in to them. They took care of my Honda for a long time and they're good guys. I do get the sense that the Volvo is a finickier car than the Honda, but wow, it's soooo fun to drive I think it will be worth it.
Also, when I registered the car, the registration came back with 850GLT on it. I called my insurance guy, and he said that was how it was registered by the prior owner. But it doesn't say GLT on the body anywhere. It has leather/sunroof/TRACS and turbo, and it does say Turbo under the 850 emblem on the back. Does this tell me anything? Will this affect my insurance rates?

Thanks for all your help, this site is a great resource.








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    Cambridge MA Volvo Mechanic 850 1995

    Joe,

    When I purchased my car back in 95, the registration also came out as GLT wagon. My car is a basic (N/A) model. It has no effect on the insurance cost. I just leave it like this for almost 7 years.
    I don't know any Volvo specific garage in Cambridge, sorry. However, don't try Boston Volvo. This is the biggest dealer in Boston, their repair service is too "formal". They miss most of the little stuffs after the repair that you need to take care of them yourself. I absolutely don't recommend it to other Volvo owners in Boston unless they like the free car wash. I go to Dalzell Volvo in Dedham, at least they do a thorough repair service.

    Ching-Ho Cheng
    --
    1995 855 NA, Bilstein Shocks, K&N Filter








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    Click and Clack? 850 1995

    A couple of PhD's from MIT. Wonder if they still run the Good News Garage. (Switchboard.com lists them at 75 Hamilton St, 617.354-.5383)
    --
    (98 S70 T5SE misc mods, mostly lighting) (92 940GLE)








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      Click and Clack? 850 1995

      If the car registration came back as a 850 GLT and there is no mention of the Turbo leave it as is!!! Your insruance will be lower, as all "Turbo" model cars run the higher premium insurance rating.

      However, Volvos in genreal have lower premiums becuase of their safety so the 2 may even themselves out.

      I would strongly suggest that you only take it to a Foreign car specialist who EXCLUSIVELY deals in Volvos, Saabs, BMW's etc. I am sure they guys did a good job on your honda but hondas are relatively less picky to fix. PLUS with a Turbo model only take it to a someone who knows these cars otherwise you may run into more problems.

      Also, i am sure you know (and find it in your owners manual) but here is somehting to ALWAYS do with a Turbo.

      1: Let the car warm up before driving it on a highway. A Cold car will do a lot more harm to the turbo

      2: Let the car idle for ATLEAST 30 to 60 seconds before turning it off. This allows the turbo to cool off after you drive long distances or fast.

      With your lower mileage car your Turbo is probably in prime condition but you have to make sure you take care of it otherwise you will run into problems with it when you start adding miles on.

      Another great place for resource is

      www.volvospeed.com

      They have excellent information on maintainance, repair, modifications on Volvos.

      Good place for OEM or after market parts is

      www.ipdusa.com

      For Tires


      www.tirerack.com

      Good luck with your car, you got a great deal!!!!!







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