Advice on an 850

Good choice - there aren't many cars around with more roomy interiors!

Avoid cars with air conditioning then. The system is a notorious source of trouble, although thankfully my car didn't have it specified so this is second hand knowledge.

You will need to search for a little more detail, but the ABS ECU on certain model years (I think around 94, but you'll need to check) has a habit of failing. Check that the ABS light in the dash comes on with the ignition (i.e. make sure it's not been removed!) and goes out after the car is started.

I am assuming that you are interested in an estate? If so, I think you'd be better off with one of the 2.5l engines. I have a 2l 20v saloon and performance is perfectly adequate (better than expected, actually) but the engine does like being revved to get decent power out. I would imagine the estates would be slightly heavier and would need a little more power, but the best thing is for you to test drive a few.

General advice - don't buy anything that doesn't have a very comprehensive (and preferably dealer) service history. It seems the 850 can be very reliable and long-lived if serviced according to schedule and using quality parts. Look for signs that money was spent when it was needed, not grudged and temporary/cheaper measures taken to "solve" problems.

I'm delighted with my 850, it's a very spacious, comfortable, thoughtfully designed and well-built car which is also very nice to drive. I doubt you'll be disappointed!

You may find the following useful;

If you do buy a volvo, it's well worth joining the VOC for advice and discounts on parts and servicing. They also have a good 850 forum which you can use without being a member. Have a read of that and you'll see what kind of problems can arise.

Cheers,

AJ

Wow, loads of info, thanks. Yes. an estate is what I require. The Golf hatch has been brilliant & faultless, just need more room.

James

comprehensive

We are in the process of going from a 93 mk1 850 2litre 20 to a 97 S70 2.5

10, the 850 having covered 110k with relative ease.

As AJ says, the 2litre 20 is adequate but does have to be revved hard to perform- not alot happens below 4500rpm and even less below 2500rpm. If you drive it like this to make reasonable progress expect 23-25mpg, with a manual box. The auto actually suits this engine better and is less tiring to drive fairly quickly.

Avoid the 2litre 10v like the plague. The 2.5 10v is probably the best of the naturally aspirated engines, taller gearing than the 2 litre and alot more torque- its also better on fuel. Manual is best. If you go for the 2.5

20v manual or auto doesnt matter.

In the case of any 850 expect nothing less than a full dealer service history and or lots of receipts. These cars will do 200k fairly easily but only with good maintanace- at least every 10,000miles with an oil change half way.

On early J-K-L reg cars look for

Leaking heater matrix's- dash doesnt have to come out unless it has a/c but new matrixs are ~£300 and very rare 2nd hand Lots of creaks and rattles, Saggy rear suspension on estates Clonking from the front anti-roll bar bushes (easily fixed but soon comes back) Non working a/c from a burst evapourator- dash does have to come out. Slipping auto box. Worn out clutch (£400 to change) Some 'hum' and alittle bit of grabbyness on taking up drive is normal. Failed ABS units- lamp on- make sure no one has taken the bulb out- make sure the abs works. Noisy hydraulic tappets on the 20valvers due to insufficient oil changes. Cambelt change- 50k on early cars, 70k there after- there is a sticker on the cam cover saying which. Evidence it has been done- if your looking at a

100k+ car budget for replacement waterpump, belt, tensioner too. A broken belt spells the end for the engine. The occasional failed front wheel bearing. Seat heater wires fall off and the heaters stop working- fiddly but easily sorted.

On later cars 95 and on-

10v models the exhaust manifold flex pipe can break- the manifold (£350) is integral and the whole lot has to be changed. A./c / climate control problems. corroded rear discs.

Abit of a list, but hope it helps when you go to look at cars.

Tim..

again, Thanks.

No one has mentiond the 2.5 Diesel yet ? You certainly get the mileage, but do they get smokey at a certain age ?

James

I have owned a '93 854 (180k miles) and a '95 855 (120k miles). Both had AC and were very reliable. The key is to leave AC on in the winter. If the seals dry out they will leak. The AC only actually runs when defog or cooling are required, but this keeps the seals in good shape.

The problem areas in the 850 were:

From '93 to '97 the AC was a problem. But as I said, if used properly, it is OK. There is not difference between getting a car with AC and just not using it if it fails then not getting it in the first place.

The '93 model had automatic transmission problems. They occured for me at 100,000 miles.

From '93 to '00 they had a record of having electrical wiring problems. Those that had the problem should have been serviced and be OK now. Make sure you have a record of service.

From '93 to '98 the brakes had a record of having problems. Primarily with warped rotors. This was agrivated by over-torquing the lug nuts.

I have no data on the '92 model since it was not imported into the USA.

I have the 2.5 TDI - '96 model

82,000 miles, and regularly serviced Around town expect 30+ mpg, and on long runs such as Cornwall, I get 40+ mpg - but this is with a very full load (2 kids etc. plus enough stuff for an Arctic expedition) and thrashing down the motorway - where it is safe to do so - still only 2,500 revs though. Had to have rear disks changed last service (80k miles) abd it eats tyres pretty quickly, but apart from that it is a dream to drive. I'd love a new car (who wouldn't?) but there is nothing wrong with this one, so I can't really justify the expense.

Good luck with your search - I believe diesel 850s are comparatively rare.

AB

Juper Wort wrote:

Hiya chappies. I have a 1997 2.5 TDI V70, which has now covered 227,000 UK miles, yes

227,000. This is the best car I have ever owned, and I am concerned that the new V70 will not meet it on quality and performance when I come to trade it in. As you probably know, the V70 is very similar to an 850, just with some minor facelift touches. I have done all servicing myself, except for cambelts. 0-60 in the diesel is below 10 seconds (10.2 0-62 in the book I believe), and is certainly ample, especially at 50-70 mph when overtaking e.t.c. I get 44 mpg no matter what I do to it, town driving, motorway, e.t.c but I did get over 50 mpg when I went to Cornwall in November. Cruise control is marvellous at getting fuel consumption down, and heated seats are essential!! I have seen lots of 850 TDIs in the UK for less than 5 grand, and my mileage should tell you than 110,000 is nothing to worry about! I rarely go over 2500 revs, sometimes 3000 when overtaking. Interestingly, the 50-70 time is faster in 5th gear than what it is on 4th. As mr AB wrote, these cars are a dream to drive. When I was looking for a car, I was looking for an 850 TDI for about 8 grand, but I found a V70 model for £8500, so I grabbed it! As a previous poster mentioned, You will have to replace belt tensioners when mileage gets high. My aux belt tensioner seized when I was driving, and it unscrewed itself from it's single-bolt mounting and dropped off. Didn't even break the belt! When I got my cambelts changed soon after this, I had the dealer change the tensioners on those too. It only added £80 to the price. If you are any where near cambridgeshire, and want a good look in a V70, you're welcome to have a browse over mine. As for smoke, Mine required new injectors at 160,000 miles. This cost £300 for factory replacements, and cured all smoke problems. The volvo is a good choice, good luck with it. p.s Cambelt change on the Diesel is 80,000 miles, and costs about £350. Some non-franchise dealers will now do cambelts considerably cheaper than this.

"AB" wrote in message news:8KIDb.1786$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfep3-gui.server.ntli.net...

I understand that AC requires frequent / constant use for lubrication, but the trouble is if you're buying a second hand car you have no idea how it's been used. Over here, especially, very few people know anything about AC (it's been comparatively rare until recently) and they only use it when it's hot outside (i.e not that often!)

As for having it but not using it when broken - to me at least it kind of spoils my enjoyment of the car if things are broken. Currently the only thing in that category on my car is the driver's heated seat, and even that bothers me!

I have a '93 auto - transmission currently fabulous (114k miles), but saying that's just asking for trouble! I nearly always seem to read of this particular problem regarding cars in North America. Maybe it's because autos are a higher percentage over there though?

Cheers,

AJ

I have a 97R S70 2.5 10v SE for sale if you are at all interested.

Chris

What a fantasic amount of info. Great work. It seems strange talking about air con & heated seats etc. My wife currently uses the Golf, but my daily driver to & from work is a 30 yr old Beetle ! I activate the air con by winding that thing on the door, & the only thing heated is the rear screen, not even me !

There is a Volvo dealer local to me, so shall go & have a look at what they have 'round back'. I know its going to be a bit more pricey, but hopefully things will be somewhat sorted & there should be some sort of warranty.

Someone once said you can get ex police cars at the auctions cheap, but they may have holes in the dash !!

Thanks all.

James

Hi Mr James. I think there is a company with a good website for ex-police Volvos, called expolicevolvos.co.uk or something like that. (can't find it myself, you'll have to google!). They advertise in the auto trader, and you'll sure get one for £5K. They fit new engines in some of them I believe. There may be a few small holes in the dash from where radio equipment was mounted e.t.c, but I believe they usually remove part of the dash/stereo to fit their own panel in, and then revert to original when they sell them. Perhaps an officer will reply to this post and fill us in! Dealers don't seem to sell many 850s these days, I assume they all go to the car auctions. I asked about trading in my V70 TDI, but they said that anything with over 100K on the clock can't be covered with the Volvo warranty, so they just get rid. P.S My heated driver's seat broke at 200,000 miles, and I just fitted a set of leathers this autumn, ready for winter use. They've also got Electrical movements, and position memories. Lovely jubbly. I had to wire in the seat movements myself, coz I couldn't locate the loom for this option, but it wasn't difficult for a sparky like myself. If you catch the seat overheating in time (before it burns through the cloth), you can replace the element, with integrated thermostats for £35. The seat-base cloth is fixed on with keyring type wire hoops. Have fun, and get searching! Cheers. Joe Landy. Peterborough UK.

Just to give you an idea, I recently paid £2900 for a 1995 2.5SE 10v estate,

88K, FVSH, immaculate inside and out, private sale.

The servicing is a plus point- they cover the mileage quickly and are serviced according to factory specs about every 3 weeks - month with genuine parts, so anything that is worn out or needs replacing is replaced. You are not likely to find problems with suspension, brakes or steering wear. Any major faults have to be declared at the time of sale (if its an auction)

The constant running is also good- cold starts and short journeys at low speed kill the mechanical bits in short order. Alot will just cruise the motorway at a steady 65 with the occasional burst to 3 figure speeds.

However, in some cases yes they are driven very hard and will suffer some scrapes and minor dents. With the 70 series cars at 150K+ miles the only major mechanical problems you're going to get is a knackered gearbox, manual or auto, and a knackered clutch if its not been changed. Turbo failure and main crank oil seal leaking occasionally too which is over £500 to rectify territory.

With both 'boxes remember Volvo do not advise a change of fluid and at this mileage the autobox will not have a huge amount of life left in it, compared to one thats been owned privately and oil changes insisted upon.

So its alot of car for the money, if you can cope with white paint and factor in the cost of having the roof holes filled and other bodywork tidied, adding a stereo and the slight risk of gearbox problems then go for it.

Tim..

I've owned my '96 850 5-speed since new and it has had relatively few problems, but some can be very expensive.

The ABS controller failed and the part alone cost me $500. This is purely a design/mfg. issue as there is nothing to maintain with regard to this unit.

Another problem with my car was that the front ball joints where completely worn out by 60k miles, which seems low to me. Again there are no great fittings, so maintenance is not an issue.

My car is a manual transmission model and the tranny has been faultless. There are apparently some common problems with the auto transmission electronics which are to be looked out for.

With a used car and where costs are a big concern I would avoid the turbocharged models, simply because they are more complex and can put more stress on the driveline.

All in all I have enjoyed the car, but it is not without it's problems. Do not buy a Volvo thinking that no repairs will ever be needed.

John