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Thinking of getting an 850 (current 940 turbo owner) 850

posted by  anarchyx34 on  Mon Dec 13 16:19 CST 2004
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last visit: Thu Feb 21 03:14 CST 2008
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I've been looking to replace my 940 lately and I'm starting to consider the 850 models, a turbo wagon specifically. They seem quite a bit different than what I'm used to in the RWD volvos so I need to ask some questions. I'm not even sure what I should be asking but I'll try.
How 'tough' are they, and should I avoid high mileage ones? My 940 has 213k miles on it and runs near perfect. I bought it 2 years ago with 171k miles and barely anything's gone wrong with it. Same deal with my previous 740. So I'm not afraid of a RWD brick with 200k miles on it. But I'm not sure I can say the same for the 850's. I see lots of them with 150k miles in nice shape but are they pretty much shot by then? My main concern is the transmission.

What's the difference between the 850 turbo and 850 R aside from the obvious (a little more power, wheels, different seats, etc..). It seems to me that it's basically the same car running a few psi more boost and the I'd probably be better off with a non-R model.

How hard is it to work on? The RWD cars are a breeze, the FWD cars look tight as hell.

What aside from powertrain requires the use of a scan tool? And what cheap scan tools are available aside from the powertrain only "actron" scanners that you can get at sears?

And lastly what is the best year for these cars? Is 96 any better than a 94?

Maybe I'll explain how I intend to use the car. It will be used mostly as a daily commuter. My commute is a long 80 miles round trip and is often in bumper to bumper traffic, so comfort is paramount. I tend to drive cars a bit hard, well, because it's fun , but not outright beat the crap out of them. Aside from commuting, I use the car to run around town to do errands, weekend trips at times, etc...

Also I've only driven one of these. A '96 850 GLT sedan. I was quite, quite impressed. It seems 10x more refined than my 940 (which is my biggest complaint with the 940) and the 5 cyl engine has a unique sporty growl to it. It also handled a lot better than the 940 (my next complaint).

Thanks everyone!


ps. another question... is it true that the cold weather package gives you heated rear seats?? That's awesome if true...

--
'93 945 turbo. A big comfy box.... and a '90 Mazda 626 GT turbo, 16psi on upgraded turbo and a bunch of other mods.






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