I looked at a '97 850 T5 wagon today at a used import dealer in northern California. it has $135k miles and looks very clean. He will put new tires on it and do some routine maintenance, and is asking $8900.
(is willing to take my '82 wagon in trade, though we haven't discussed price)
I have always done most of my own work on the only 2 types of cars I've ever owned, a VW bug and three 240 wagons. My level of ability to do repairs is at having rebuilt the VW bug's engine and most everything else except the transaxle On the Volvos, the most extensive thing I've done is replace most of the engine wiring harness with new heat resistant wires and other electrical repairs and replaced the breather box buried under the intake manifold. I've loved these cars, especially my current "82 wagon which I am still reluctant to part with. While I change the oil religiously every 3k I have to confess to being one of those morons who tends to wait to replace the timing belt till it breaks. (I did the job on the side of the road in a mud puddle recently). Although I could retrain myself to be a little more conscientious about maintenance, the bottom line is that I love this car not because I love to work on it but because I hardly ever have to. (I never repaired the AC, just disconnected it instead)
My question: Is this 850 too high maintenance for me and is it more car than I need? Unlike most here, I've never really been unhappy with the 4 cylinder slightly sluggish performance of my automatic brick. It seems to handle fine, since I keep up with traffic on all but the steepest hills here in congested northern Ca. and I can't afford speeding tickets very often. Also is $8900 fair for this car? The only thing of any concern I've seen is some dark stains underneath about where the transmission is but no new wet fluid there.
The same dealer also has '98 V70 123k miles for around 9000. I guess the two are mechanically very similar?