I am a new member. I am in Springfield, Illinois and own a 1996 850, basic model. I bought it in 2002 with 70,000 miles and it now has 126,000. I plan on this being my last car (and I don't plan on dying early...I'm 56 now).
I want to learn more about good preventive maintenance. I use Amsoil and am used to getting 250,000 out of my cars. I've heard that the 5 cylinder is prone to blow head caskets at or around 100,000-125,000 miles. Is this true and if so, is there any telltale signs of it going to happen?
I love this car and want to baby it to last to over 500,000 miles. Is this within reason?
Also, my father has a 1999 T80 (I think that is what it is...a turbo 6 cylinder). It is a beautiful car, but when he bought it a couple of years ago, it had 70,000 miles on it and it had had a LOT of major work done to it while under warranty. The dealer and my Dad thought that most of the major things that could go wrong had been replaced. He purchased an aftermarket warranty for $2,000, then had numerous problems that weren't covered. Last week, at 112,000 miles, the engine "blew up". The Volvo dealer just said it wasn't worth fixing. They found a used 42,000 mile engine in New York and are going to install it for $3100. Is there any possibility that Volvo will stand behind any of these problems? It's obviously been a "lemon". My Dad is 85 years old and loves the car, but I don't think he has any other choice but to sell it as soon after the used engine is installed.
Please advise.
Thanks,
Steve