I'll post this on the other page also, but am hoping for input from 240 types. My wife's '91 240 was rear ended and totaled last week, so am looking for a replacement. Our first thought was 240, of course, but probably should consider other options too. Any experiences with the 850 sedans? What kind of longevity can I expect? Any particular problems to look for?

Thanks,
Bob

The 850's are nice, watch out for the transmissions!!
I work at the volvo dealership and most of them I have
driven have slipped or just dont drive. Go with a newer
S70 model...There alot alike but more updated. Goodluck!

All good stuff, folks. I certainly agree about the virtues of the 240's. We probably have a million miles total in the several we have owned. Just considering a change. The dual airbags in the post 240 cars is a consideration, among others. Anything we buy will have 70000-125000 miles on it, and I do perform most of the maintenance and some of the repairs.

Thanks again.

With an 850 you want the upgraded evaporator for sure, no dripping rear main seal, an unlit ABS light and no transmission lights or glitches, although the PNP switch is owner replaceable for us bricksters.

Bob,

Do you know if the 97's got the upgraded evaporator? Just drove a very nice 97 GLT wagon today.


Jim
--
90 244DL 260k :)

Sorry, you have to look on the pipes through the firewall in the engine bay for the white paint marks.

I have a `91 240 wagon with 201,00k and a `93 850 with 151,000k. I like both of them immensely. The driving experience is completely different with the 850 being a much more comfortable and pleasant car to drive and the 240 being well a 240 in it`s own special way. Maintenance wise the 850 has been completely trouble free except for standard wear items. I think once you drive an 850 you`ll buy it. Good luck!

We bought one of the first 850's in Dec of 92 after a long run of 240's. It's driven mainly by my wife and has 150K miles. We are the original owners and I change the Mobil 1 diligently at 5K mi. Earlier this month, at its annual inspection, my mechanic passed it easily but let me know he noticed more pressure in the crankcase than normal and feels the engine is showing wear. This matches the gradual loss of power we have seen over the last few years. We have had red block cars with 200-300K miles with no sign of wear. The 850 has had excellent maintainence all its life but is unlikely to match any of my 240's for longevity.
As far as a driver goes, it's been a great car with no major problems.

Skip
'93 850GLT
'83 242TI Flathood

Are you eliminating the 700/900s ? They are much more similar to the 240s than the 850s are and some are newer than the last 200s.

I prefer they style of the 240s, but 700-900s are more practical than 200s these days. I'll leave it up to the boys on the 850 board to tell you about those.
--
Andy in St. Paul. '89 244 160K mi, '91 745 209K, '91 745 213K

Thanks for the reply, Andy. We are looking for a sedan and I don't like the styling of the 700-900's.

OK, I'll give you one big advantage to the 200s these days. But this only really matters if you do your own maintenance.

200s are at the age now where there are many going to the boneyards (most unnecessarily, but that's another matter) so used parts are very available and inexpensive. I'm sure this isn't true of the 850s because it isn't even true of the 900s yet. That's not to mention the room you have under the hood of a 200.
--
Andy in St. Paul. '89 244 160K mi, '91 745 209K, '91 745 213K

From a mechanic/shop owners view point I would like to see you in an 850. They have more problems than the 240's, the problems they have are more expensive, and are less user friendly. The 240's are more reliable, cheaper to fix, and more user friendly. Often times the stuff that wears out in your 850 is the comfort and convenience stuff like sun visors, window switches, glove box lids, speedo gears, air bag covers, seat upholstery, wiper arms, a/c evaporator$, heater cores, cluster bulbs, seat motors, and then they have their mechanical problems too: rear main seal$, engine mounts, coolant temp sensors, vacuum elbows, radiators every 100K or so, rotors every other pad change and then routine maintenance. On the subject of maintenance they have a slight edge over the 240, no valve adjust and no coolant changes(according to the book).
Now to be fair to the 850 the 240 does enjoy a certain amount of the same problems but it is far cheaper to maintain. Consider if you will the cost and difficulty difference between engine mounts, rear main seal, a/c evaporator, and cluster bulbs on the two. In 20 years I still have only done a small handful of evaps and heater cores on the 200 series and there is not a summer that goes by that I do not see a few of each from the 800 series in my shop.

Ultimately the choice is yours but if your goal is to help make my lease payment every month or spend more time in your driveway and on this board maintaining your car then I would say the obvious choice is the 850. If, however, you have more time than money and you would like to spend that time doing something other than fixing you car I suggest you search out a well maintained 240.

My .02 cents
Mark

Thanks, Mark. Those are the kind of things I needed to hear. I'll probably keep looking for a nice 240. We bought the totalled one back and I have it back driveable, so I have time to search out a good one. I appreciate everyone's input.

Bob