Hello to all the Volvo faithful. I have been shopping for either an 850 turbo wagon or a v70 turbo wagon and I stumbled on this site. Can anyone give me the pros and or cons of each to see if it is worth the extra money for the v70. I have it narrowed down to two cars unfortunately there are not too many in my area (phoenix) and both of these cars are out of town and I have only seen pictures. The first is a 95 maroon 850 turbo with gray interior and 65k miles for $9,600 and the second is a black 98 v70 T5 with tan interior for $11,500. I had the 98 checked at the out of town dealer and they said it was a good car and just needed the 90,000 mile tune up plus fuel filter and trans flush for a total of $950. The salesman of the 95 says everything is perfect? Any advise from people with Volvo experience would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Ronnie...bottom line is you should decide which model you want then look..look...look!!! You need to find one that is well maintained. I have a V70R and prefer the V series to the 850. I too looked and looked and found I preferred the V series then hunted for a nice V70. Took about 3 months. There is a lot of "crap" out there!!!!

My wife drives a 95 855 GLT wagon and I have a 98 S70 T5M.
For most people, I think the 70 series would be prefered simply
because it is a much more smoother riding car. Note the 70 series
probably does not handle as well but the compromise between ride
and handling is much better for real world driving.

The drivetrain on a 98 and 95 is practically the same (many more
drivetrain changes started in 99 model year) so engine reliability
would be about the same (how they were maintained being the bigger
issue). (Drive train reliability is pretty good for both of these
cars.)

Owning both, I'd say the 70.

I had to make the same choice a few years back, an 850 or a v70 t5. I'm glad i went with the v70 t5. nicer styling imo, newer body style, and you can't go wrong with the t5 package. 90,000 mile tune up seems way high at $950. You can get the trans flushed at any independent shop for $150 or less, or do it yourself for under $30.00. check out bay 13 for step by step procedures or do a search here. Should have had the timing belt done at 60,000 so don't know how they arrive at the $950 figure. never believe anything the dealer tells you about the condition of the car, most of the time the salesmen don't know anything about the car anyway-they just make it up. the black is a pia to keep clean, but when its clean, its a really good looking car. mine is black too. v70's are prone to a/c evaporator problems, although mine has not had any. some electrical problems with front headlights and turn signals, but there is a recall and a free fix for the problems. you need a special tool to reset the service light on the 98 v70 that you don't need for the 850. i bought one used for $125. lots of little problems, mostly an annoyance, I have not had any big problems with mine and enjoy the ride a lot. good luck.