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Disappearance of 240s? haha. I hear ya, but I still see tons of those cars running strong in the streets of CT! Anyway this happened to me as well, I had 240 and an 850 fell into my lap. 1996 850 Turbo Sedan with 88k miles on it for $2,500 - I couldn't believe it. I agree with all of the previous posts - it is a more complicated car but not insanely hard to work on. Tonight I just replaced the drivers side CV driveshaft/axle (CV Boot ripped open and grease was all over, i figured replacing the whole axle was easier than repacking the boots with grease). Not that bad (I recommend just dropping the 2 A Arm bolts and don't deal with the ball joint - first time I did it, it was a 2 hour endevaour. Previous comments on the ball joints are true, its annoying). Ok so here are a few surprises I have fixed: the drivers side door catch wears out and then can affect the frame. Apparently this is a quirk of the 850's. Don't neglect it or it will start to crack the frame. If you hear it clicking, replace right away to save yourself aggravation. I had to get a friend to weld a piece of metal in to save the mount so I could replace the door catch part. The drivers side window guide, that part fails too. There is a metal slot covered with felt that guides the window glass down into the door when you lower the window, there is a tab of metal that attaches it inside the door assembly and this tab breaks off eventually. If you go to a Volvo dealer, they sell the part and it is only like $25 and it is an upgraded design so it is worth getting the Volvo part (the tab part is beefed up from original tab design). I did the entire PVC system that Klaus was talking about...took me about 6 hours but not that hard. I did 02 sensors, not that bad. The engine bay is much tighter than a 240 but doable. The tranny fluid flushes are super simple. First job I ever did on the car was timing belt and all tensioners, I thought it would be impossible but it wasn't - just take your time. Again a tight engine bay but manageable. I put the OBX stainless steel turbo back exhaust on mine, it is an amazing improvement (the car pulls so much better from a dead stop with that turbo back exhaust). Oh another part that failed was the turbo oil cooling lines. Kind of a pain in the ass but if you do that job (I think you said yours is non turbo but this is just general knowledge I suppose at this point) be ultra careful with the tiny little green o rings at the thermostat housing. I learned this the hard way with oil spilling out after not seating them correctly (twice). Ended up buying an all new Oil Thermostat Housing from Volvo dealer after this, made the job much much easier. Now it doesn't leak a drop of oil. Other than those items I have had no problems. With 222HP the turbo model was exactly double the HP from my 240DL = fun in the sport mode. Solid car, no major problems at all just basic up keep and maintenance. I am only 3 years into owning an 850 but I am loving it. OH I ALMOST FORGOT. Another 850 quirk will be your ignition switch. When I first had this problem I was 400 miles away from home and real worried. When you start the car the ABS and TRACS lights will stay lit, and your headlights won't work and you can't shift the car out of park. This is the ignition switch, they go after a while. All you have to do is gently jiggle the key after starting the car, and it is fine. Mine is in this state currently and I know the ignition will go on me eventually but jiggling works for now. Guy at Volvo dealership that owns an 850 told me this.
I love my 850, it is such an upgrade from the 240 its insane. Roomy, comfortable, and I lucked out with low mileage and every single option on the car (even the electronic passenger seat and all). I drove 5 people through a snow storm to see our buddy's band up in NH and it took 7 hours in a blizzard and the car never hiccuped, slid on the road (driving on pure snow) and the heat was amazing. Such a solid car! Sorry for the rambling, im done now.
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1989 240DL B230F w/ 223k miles. Stock, except for some Virgo's and my stereo.
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