James,

My 850 is a 96 GLT non-turbo with 125,000 miles that I purchased a year and a half ago for $4,300. Car was really clean in and out and dealer maintained. This is my fourth Volvo and to date I have put 20,000 miles on it and it has been no more expensive than any of my other three bricks. The 850 series is absolutely addictive to drive... As for longevity, some fellow posted here the other day that he has over 300,000 on his 850.

As with any Volvo they do love their maintenance, but all Volvo's require regular work. If you are not a do it yourselfer, be prepared to put a few of your dealers kids through college over the next few years as dealer rates are getting rather ridiculous. If you can turn a wrench and do some basic diagnostic work, you could enjoy the crap out of 850 ownership...

The few things that all 850's seem to have in common as areas of concern are:
1. ABS module will fail around 80-90K. Vic Rocha in southern California will rebuild your module for around $150. Compare that to the $1,000+ the dealer will want.

2. AC evaporator will leak. This is a $1,000 repair at an indy and way more at the dealer. Whole dash comes out for this one and a few DIY's have done but all said it was a PITA...

3. Ignition switch failure. The electronic portion of the ignition switch will fail over time and a whole host of electical issue will appear as it fails. Easy DIY project. $50 for the part and twenty minutes will cure.

I am sure that some of the other poster have things to look for, but these are the big three... Remember that it is critical that the timing belts on 850's be changed every 70,000 miles. Broke timing belt equals new engine $$$.

Try you best to reduce the price ($1,500 - 2,000, but if you are comfortable with the car and price, buy the car and drive the wheels of the thing....

Oliver
64 122S
66 1800S
86 245DL
96 850GLT