This is my story on how I almost bought a used 850 wagon (97 GLT), and what I learned during the process. Hope others can learn from my mistakes. Perhaps someone will still want it (I can give more details via email, if anyone wishes).

I searched all over the place in the area for 96/97 850 GLT/Turbo wagon (web, wantad, etc). I only have sedans at home (one of them Volvo), didn't want to buy a minivan just yet, so I wanted it as a family car for 1-2 years, to be driven by my wife with very young kids. Safety was the absolutely most important factor, so I had to avoid any car with compromised crash-worthiness. Once we got a new wagon/suv/minivan for my wife, I was going to keep it forever. There weren't that many available to start with, and half the ones I encountered were not kept up well (e.g. check eigine warning light coming on at the start).

I eventually found one for sale by a local shop/dealer (non-volvo) that sells only very clean near-luxury used cars. They got it from a dealer out-of-state, had it driven back by a friend that travels a lot. A different story, but why not. Test drove it, had it checked by my mechanic, had my wife see/drive it, and everything was a go. She loved the color and how it drove, and I liked the car, too.

Carfax/auto check report was excellent (no lease, no commercial, no accident report, had only one owner). I was able to check it with the dealer where it was serviced that it did get routine maintenance, even though the service book was never stamped. I had to do that 'cause no one knew whether the timing belt was changed at 70K or not (the car had >80K miles on it).

The only thing I had wished in addition was traction control (obviously winter package was an option on GLT, which it didn't have). I think the headlamp wipers make it look sharp, heated seats would've been nice, but didn't sweat about them. The color was my favorite, too. It did have all the right squeaks and rattles, wiper lift-off, peeling roofline trim, but those were noise to me.

So, why didn't I buy it?

As we were doing the paperwork, I noticed that the car went from dealer to dealer at least 3 times, the title had to have a second page. One exchange was crossed out and re-done. Got curious a little bit, but I liked the car a lot. After all, I was going to drive forever, so a little blemish on the title didn't mean much to me in terms of 'resale' issues. The fact that the first dealer didn't want it, or couldn't sell it, bothered me a little bit too, but I shrugged it off 'cause I was just about to own a car I really, really liked a lot.

When I took the paperwork to the insurance agent to get it stamped, they said I'd need a notarized letter for the cross-outs as it went from one dealer to another. Huh? Silly me, I should've known that. Took the paperwork back to the dealer, told him to write a letter, get it notarized, get it registered & get plates for me, so I could have my dream wagon. Then, I found out that the letter had to come from the out-of-state dealer that was responsible for crossing out the line on the title. Geez... more wait. I was willing to wait a few days for the two dealers to play phone tag & get the paperwork sent back and forth, etc.

While we were in limbo, I started going thru the process in my head again. Got more curious why it got exchanged by dealers more than just once or twice. Why couldn't they sell it, or didn't want it? Why the cross-outs? Dealers do it everyday, and it didn't seem right and they make such a fundamental mistake.

I ended up doing the unthinkable (by my wife's judgement), and looked up the original owner (name from the title) and asked him questions over a long-distance call. He was very gracious, but my wife got mad when I told her afterwards. He said he intially had to fix a lot of different things before it got reliable (alternator, etc.). No big deal. Then I asked him whether it had any major bodywork done (even tho my mechanic didn't spot it). He said 'no' as expected... but the car was wrecked once. HUH??? The car never collided with another car, but it ran over something some time ago, and had the radiator replaced (so what?), suspension work done (hmmm), turbo component replaced (more hmmmm), totalling several thousand dollars. It ran fine since everything got fixed, he says. He was never a Volvo fan, so got a different brand instead.

Posted the question here, and based on the feedback, and following my instinct (kinda late in the game, I know), I had to stop the process. I just didn't feel safe to have my wife and young kids in the car, not knowing whether the passenger cage had been compromised (probably not), or whether the car would be reliable (probably for a while). Now, I know there are others here that would frown at my judgement and buy the car anyway, but now that I had the information, I couldn't go thru with it.

Had there been no delay in paperwork, my wife would be driving the car, probably with no major issues, but I guess it wasn't meant to be.

So, what mistakes have I made, and what lessons have I learned?
- Understanding what it means to get a used car for my family. Had I been single, I think I would've gone thru the process. If safety is of utmost importance, don't get picky about the color or what neat convenience options it has.
- Not asking to look at the title before making any decision. I knew I should've have, but it somehow felt like asking to step inside someone's house. I was shy on that front. My head would've been more clear, and I would've questioned about the cross-outs. I would've thought about why it got dealt so many times, too.
- In general, when getting information from someone, don't interrupt him/her. Give them a chance to say all they want, and watch the body language/eye contact if you can. When talking to the out-of-state dealer where the car was serviced, the person was actually going thru all the services on the computer screen, most recent first. Had I not stopped her (right after timing belt), she probably would've gone back far enough to mention the major radiator/suspension/turbo work done on the car. Only when they stop talking, ask a question. Get the answer. Then, ask/mention another. For example, don't say, "Was this door panel replaced? The color doesn't seem to match. Are these original tires?"
- When buying from the owner, interviewing the person is very important. Look at suggestions on usedcarbuyingtips.com.
- No single reference will give you all the right information. Carfax gives you info from one angle, mechanic from another, your own instinct from yet another. Add them all up. Don't count on a single source.
- I know there are folks searching for the right used car a few years, but my timeframe is different. Another thing to consider when you want something soon.
- Even if the information is printed on the ad, ask in person. I always ask why they're selling the car. Inheriting another car seems to be a very common reason.

I did spend some money - for carfax, autocheck, consumer reports, Haynes/Chilton manual (yes, got them before buying the car... backwards, but that's me), but learned good lessons for less than $100, so no complaints.

I have to say, though, the dealer that I was dealing with was great thru the entire process. I believe he didn't know about the details, 'cause he got it from another dealer, and was told nothing.

Anyway, this is my way of saying farewell to the car. It was a short, but intense affair.

I left out the name details on purpose. Sorry for the long post, but email me if you want even more details. Oh, feel free to add your own suggestions, and thanks a bunch to people that replied to my previous posts. This board is great.