posted by
someone claiming to be John S
on
Fri Jan 7 16:35 CST 2005 [ RELATED]
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Hey everyone, long time 240 owner here, I got a phone call from my mother today who found a '96 Volvo 850 "T" she liked a lot, I went and checked it out a bit, they want $5800 for it, 128K miles, 1 owner nice blue color.
I sat in it and I was talking to her on the cell phone when I finally realized it was a turbo. She then said, "Oh im not sure I want it now".
Are there any issues with having a turbo? She obviously doesnt want the car for performance, but I explained to her the turbo doesnt really kick in unless you want it to. She seemed to be okay with the idea of it at that point.
My concerns: The auto tranny, and the Turbo issue. The volvo shop said that he has never seen a turbo go bad in the 850, and has only seen 1 transmission go bad and that was because the woman beat the crap out of it (lost 1st and 2nd gears and drove it that way for 2 years!).
Theres no turbo wheels on this anymore, which I took as a good sign- usually performance people like those turbo 16" wheels- where the woman took them off in favor of the regular issued wheels I would assume that means she didnt "beat" on it or drive it hard. (Maybe im wrong).
The other thing is, it has slotted rotors all around, so maybe it was driven hard, or do the stock rotors simply warp easy hence the need for cross drilled?
Thanks a lot guys kinda just fishing for some thoughts here, looks like a clean car just kinda worried about the tranny and the daily driving of a turbo, thanks a lot.
Heres a pic:
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Drilled rotors do tend to make a noise when the brakes are applied. Don't know whether your mom would find this annoying or not. The noise is amplified by the speed. I believe it's caused by the air being forced through the holes by the pads pressing on the rotors.
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posted by
someone claiming to be Nicholas J
on
Fri Jan 14 10:53 CST 2005 [ RELATED]
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I have had a '97 854 N/a and a '94 855 T, and I've loved the turbo much more. There may, of course be some normal things that go wrong (A/C, O2 sensor, knock sensor, PNP switch...), but get the transmission fluid flushed right away, and it COULD be a great car for another 100k easy.
-Nick
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The only issue with a turbo is wether or not it has the 'sport' suspension. Sport = rough. Your Mom might not like that. Good looking car, offer a lower price and take it home. Your Mom will love the heated seats!
Klaus
--
98 V70Rawd(101Kmi), 95 854T(85K mi), 88 245(165K mi)
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I have a 96 850T with 96K miles. Absolutely love it. When I bought it (new), I replaced the turbo wheels with the GLT wheels just like in your picture--liked the looks better. Even if the car was driven hard, shouldn't hurt much as long as fluids replaced. Do the tranny flush, simple (www.volvospeed.com), and use Mobil 1 synthetic ATF. I use Mobil 1 motor oil also--synthetic even more important with a Turbo.
Be sure the timing belt was replaced at 70K, if not DO IT NOW. Lose the belt, lose the engine$$$. You might also flush the brake fluid. I wouldn't worry about the rotors, when it comes time to replace just put on standard rotors. On these 850s, you should replace rotors and pads as a set to insure against squealing and other issues--and work them in carefully the first few miles. I replaced my front rotors and pads about 10K ago, zero problems.
Watch the temp gauge--thermostat can stick without warning and if it sticks closed, you overheat quickly and--new engine$$$ Thermostat is a 15 minute job to replace.
Only thing to worry about with the turbo is to not rev the engine before you shut if off. Some people do that, don't know why--if you do, the turbo is spinning at high speed without oil. Not good.
These are more complex cars than the 240 and require more maintenance but really fun to drive. If the rest of the car is in as good sphape as your picture indicates, I would grab it. Should be good for another 200K (or more) with proper care. And check with this site, invaluable for maintaining this great car.
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Do a flush on the tranny.Won't hurt.
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The turbo engine has a reinforced block, the crankshaft is forged, not cast, and the exhaust valves are sodium filled. It's a much stronger engine than the NA cars.
There are a bazillion maintenance issues with the FWD Volvos but the turbo engine is not one of them.
Do you really mean cross drilled rotors? (Those are cross-drilled Brembo rotors for a Volvo below.)
I can't imagine why anyone would put cross drilled rotors on a gently driven car.
-BTC
'98 V70 T5 5-speed, 154k mi, front IPD stabilizer bar, rear factory HD bar, Bilstein HD, Volvo strut tower brace and skidplate, e-codes, V-1, Mobil-1 since new, Michelin Arctic Alpins
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posted by
someone claiming to be John S
on
Fri Jan 7 17:12 CST 2005 [ RELATED]
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Thank you very much for the reply! Those are indeed the rotors on the car, the only thing I can think of is the woman had issues with slamming brakes on, warping rotors? Im really not sure why you would need those unless you were driving hard, but then you would need the 16" wheels to go along with them.... Who knows, its a clean clean car anyways and I hope it holds up for another 100K miles with no major issues (tranny/motor/turbo).
Thanks again for the reply!
-John
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Problem with cross drilled rotors is that they are somewhat prone to cracking under normal circumstances. They're also more expensive than the direct replacement rotors. I suppose it's possible that they wound up on the car because that's what the parts place delivered or it was an "innovative" idea on the part of the tech who installed them.
It's usually the solid rear rotors that warp, BTW.
Some people adjust the speed of their cars with the brakes instead of the throttle, these cars tend to eat brakes. I've gotten over 60k out of a first set of pads, and 100k out of rotors, but I drive a manual.
-BTC
'98 V70 T5 5-speed, 154k mi, front IPD stabilizer bar, rear factory HD bar, Bilstein HD, Volvo strut tower brace and skidplate, e-codes, V-1, Mobil-1 since new, Michelin Arctic Alpins
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posted by
someone claiming to be 85dude
on
Sun Jan 9 16:39 CST 2005 [ RELATED]
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Here's my 2 cents on this deal. First 5800 for a 96 Turbo is not THAT bad. 5000-5500 is more Ideal,but it depends on what part of the country you are in.
I cant believe no one has said check the A/C. If it doesnt work. Just add $1000 to the price NOW - That is what it will cost you to replace the evaporator. Volvo's Achiles Heel. Wouldnt want your poor mom to be driving around in the 90 degree heat. Those cars heat up too as the air box is shared with the heater core so it gets warm down there. So have it checked.
Ok thats my 2 cents...ignore the cross drilled rotors. They were designed to dissipate here better and faster than stocks. Whoever got em obviously LOVED driving hard..dont be fooled the evidence is right there.
Best of all you have a great support network here. I saved over 1500 the past year from advice here alone! Try that with your average car.
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I agree that the cross-drilled rotors give it away as far as hard driving is concerned. The wheels may have been bent or traded on to another car since this one is being sold. Take the car to an independent mechanic and have it checked out. Should cost about $100 bucks or so. Have them put it on a lift and look everything over, have a mechanic test drive it. Find a Volvo owner close by that can refer you to a good mechanic or find an import mechanic with a reputable shop to check it out. THAT is the only safe way to do this. Don't guess. You may make a big mistake. Ask the owner for service records and see if the mechanic will have a look at those.
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posted by
someone claiming to be John S
on
Wed Jan 12 16:13 CST 2005 [ RELATED]
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Well guys, I ended up buying a '94 854 Turbo with 155K miles on it, for get this, $1700.
It has a couple issues- the passanger power seat is stuck down, which from what i gather is a simple fix?
The oil dipstick loses oil from where it meets the block, in other words, the dip stick tube is loose? Any known fixes for this? The owner said it lost a quart of oil every 2 weeks from this.
Also the front right corner "knocks" and "clicks" when you take a sharp corner.
My plan? To replace ball joints, tie rods, brake pads, struts, cv shaft at least on the passanger side, and get an alignment. This will give me peice of mind, and should really make it pain free on the front end for a long time and I hope it takes away any bad noises ;)
Either way, I only paid $1700 for this car and it sure looks nice.... clean title 2 owner car, sure beats that $5800 price!!!!
Thanks to all, and any more comments would be great.
-John
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posted by
someone claiming to be John S
on
Wed Jan 12 16:16 CST 2005 [ RELATED]
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[img]http://i3.ebayimg.com/03/i/03/23/ba/b4_12_sb.JPG[/img]
[img]http://i3.ebayimg.com/03/i/03/23/ba/84_12_sb.JPG[/img]
[img]http://i16.ebayimg.com/03/i/03/24/75/1a_12_sb.JPG[/img]
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posted by
someone claiming to be John S
on
Wed Jan 12 16:17 CST 2005 [ RELATED]
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posted by
someone claiming to be John S
on
Wed Jan 12 16:18 CST 2005 [ RELATED]
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