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All else being equal, the 850 is probably the best choice. IT simply offers things the others can not that may prevent a specific type of accident or trouble.
The 850 can be had with side airbags (96+ standard). Dual front airbags on all. I'm not a big believer in airbags, but in highspeed accidents they're LIKELY to help. At low speeds not so much- my mother was actually burned by one in a Chrysler in a minor parking lot crash. (Volvos supposedly don't deploy below a certain speed). The cars all have massive door bars and body reinforcements- I'd say the shell of each is about equally strong, but the 850 has the advantage of 20+ more years of design and engineering work. The 240 shell goes back to '67 and was a landmark of that time... today a lot more has been done in regards to design.
The 850 has active safety features as well- 4-channel ABS brakes, Traction control (don't get one without TRACS!), Winter mode in the trans, and simply having FWD improves foul-weather traction. The 240's have RWD and open differentials- this makes winter driving not impossible, but more challenging. There are advantages both ways, but for the most part the 850 is better where traction is poor. They handle better as well and stop so short that they scored one of the best braking ratings Road and Track magazine had ever seen. That alone might save your bacon someday.
Why don't I have one? Because I don't have the tools and knowledge to work on them myself. They definitely need to be serviced by a shop oncesomething goes wrong with them. The 240, or 740, I can fix myself for the most part. So that's what I own. What'll I get next? PRobably an 850 but there's no guarantee.
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Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: '87 244DL/M47- 221K, 88 744GLE- 202K, 91 244 181K, 88 244GL 145K
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