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I have two daughters driving '95 850s, we think that they are fine cars. In the last 8 years we have suffered one accident - my younger daughter was t-boned by a drunk driver that ran a red light - Totaled 744 Turbo, no injuries! I am confident that the 8s will protect us as well as that 7 did.
That said, after lurking this board for 6 months or so before purchase I took the following precautions.
1. All three 850s were examined by a dealer that I trust - each car was put through Volvo's certification process, plus had a compression check. This cost me $150, but yeilded a two page report.
2. Before purchase, all needed repairs were completed or planned for - the cars were and are in top shape right now.
3. I purchased an aftermarket insurance policy for each car. Depending on their mileage at purchase they have 2,3,& 4 year coverages.
Unfortunately - I have done better than breaking even on all policies. (this is against conventional wisdom)
With approxamitely 3-1/2 years and 45,000 miles driven we have had the following repairs that I do not consider to be wear & tear.
- 2 evaporators
- 1 AC compresor
- 1 ABS module
- 1 brake caliper (perhaps wear & tear)
- 1 climate control fan
- 2 turbo leaks
- 1 main seal leak (repaired before purchase)
We love to drive our 8s, but unless you take precautions, or can budget appropriately, they are not inexpensive to drive.
You should do a search on purchase information because there are hundreds of posts each month that address this issue. Consider that this board is for repairs, so it attracts people with car problems and dealer issues.
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3 8s & 2 7s 740,000 miles total
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