Hi,

I am trying to do some research on what to look for before buying a used 850 wagon. I want the car for both a daily driver and for long distance trips.

One car I am looking at is a 1995 850 Turbo w/132,000 miles. Asking price is $5900. Things I have noticed looking at the car from the outside on the dealer lot: Front bumper air dam paint is chipped and scratched(curb rash), small dent in front of hood(no paint damage), tan leather front seats are cracked, rubber strip that runs the length of the roof is pushed down in a couple of spots(no roof rack),rear cargo cover is missing, left rear door lock knob is broken, aftermarket trailer hitch, dry black soot on my finger after rubbing the inside of the tailpipe.

Are there any suggestions as to what I should look for if I decide to take the car for a test drive? Do any of the above faults send up the red flag? I am a novice to Volvos and cars in general(I have always owned older 4wd, manual transmission Jeep trucks, but I am tired of going slow and getting bad gas mileage)

Thanks in advance