Marko1

There will be bad ones out there when buying an 850 but that is the same for any car so dont believe all that people say.

I bought a 1996 850 T5 with 93K on the clock, it had no service history and the engine oil looked like it hadnt been changed for years, i used what little knowlege i knew about them and it seem mechanically fine apart from needing a service. My friends with me said dont buy it Vince its a dog, but i knew better. I drove it straight to my mechanic who gave it the all clear!!! (knew i was right)and ive done a further 12K miles in 6 months in all weathers and the car's not missed a beat. The car is now tip top and drives and looks fantastic.

These cars although they are Volvo's first attempt as FWD are great and cheap to fix as long as you find a Volvo breakers yard to supply you with any expensive bits you might need (broken glovebox latches etc). I researched these alot on OZBRICK website before buying one and managed to avoid a bad one by using what i learned. look on this site its only about 850's

First of all id get a standard 850 T5, the reason being is they dont have a flame trap so thats one less thing to worry about, and they have a turbo, the performance and driveability of the T5 is great and will impress you no end.
I stopped off at an independant Volvo specialist whilst contemplating one and asked "Do you get many T5's in with problems?" they replied "we've had 2 in i think........in 12 years!!!! and they were ex police cars" that sold it for me and i bought one and wouldnt sell it for any other car.

THINGS TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION AND CHECK

They eat front tyres due to the suspension / steering geometry this cant be fixed, I live with it. tyres wear out on the outer edges so dont be put off thinking its something serious its a design fault from the factory

Check underneath the front of the engine for signs of oil leaks, they blow rear main oil seals which involves seperating the engine and gearbox to fit a new one, (this is probably the biggest "common" job you may have to do) but its not staggeringly expensive to fix. a bit less than a head gasket job id say. if its leaking oil underneath walk away there are plenty more in the sea.....A rule of thumb in the 850 world is to only fill oil up to half way up the dipstick, this keeps oil pressure down and avoids blow seals.

Check the brakes work .These are cheap to replace and very easy to do so if they are worn its no big deal. ABS modules though are not cheap though and are a common fault, though the abs warning light will come on if its bust.
To check the owner hasnt disconnected a bulb to hide the problem turn the ignition on, the ABS light should come on and be the last to go out. it should not stay on.

Check all the electrics work including the aircon if it has it. Air con is prone to failing and is expensive to fix. £300 approx

Check the bodywork and look for signs of accident damage. "Tip" Volvo front wings (fenders) have Volvo stamped on them near the front ends. So if they dont have these they been changed.

They do have an on board computer which tells you all sorts of things so you cant hide faults. If you find a car ask if the owner minds you getting the fault codes read. you can ask a Volvo dealer to do this and it takes them about 10 minutes. if they refuse are they hiding something ?????

The only thing i would worry about when checking them is the oil leak under the engine. if the car is straight and its been looked after then you could do alot worse.....they are also cheap on insurance too due to the safety aspects of the car and the standard Volvo security fitted to the vehicle.

I tried to break into my glovebox when the latch broke, it took me 20 minutes with a crowbar and hacksaw to open and took the skin off my fingers in the process. Who makes cars so indestructible nowadays ????? Volvo thats who


:) Vince

850 T5 1996 105K on the clock.