[cash68]

I'm looking at getting a Volvo 850R, seems to be well maintained with no real issues. Love the look, and the performance, sucks that it didn't come with a manual transmission though.

 

[shigzeo]

not sure what your question is. you just telling you are getting a car? if volvo: wagons are best. we had like 4 of them as a child - swedish tractors are amazing. love em

 

[cash68]

No, just wondering if anybody knows any common problems I need to look for.

 

[shigzeo]

right. like all european cars: the engines are phenomenal and the wiring is bad. your windscreen wipers will probably short and taillights etc. nothing to worry about but it is european. other than that, i envy you ery much. that is the best looking volvo ever made and consequently one of the nicest cars ever to grace the road.

 

[Jaska]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cash68 /img/forum/go_quote.gif No, just wondering if anybody knows any common problems I need to look for.

If it's more than 10 years old, a new one will likely last more than 10 years longer than it will

That, and it probably uses an obscene amount of gasoline. OK if you travel most of the time with a large family, or if you carpool. Otherwise, so very uncool

 

[Signal2Noise]

Don't forget to buy a nice pair of sandals when you get your Volvo. Maybe the dealer with throw some in for you and the family!

I'm considering the XC90.

 

[DanTheMiataMan]

Volvo's run great but when they break cost tons to fix due to parts. Also when ford bought them in like what 1998 or something their reliability went down at a steady rate as they started using ford parts. No clue about the 850R though.

 

[mrwinick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanTheMiataMan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Volvo's run great but when they break cost tons to fix due to parts. Also when ford bought them in like what 1998 or something their reliability went down at a steady rate as they started using ford parts. No clue about the 850R though.

x2
my 1997 850 was a maintenance nightmare. Anytime anything broke it was $1000 to fix. To repair the ac you need to take off the entire dash. There are two oil pans. if the top one leaks you have to pull out the engine. for a broken visor they wanted to charge something like $250.
on the other hand, my brother has an 850R wagon and loves it. ridiculously fast, but a gas hog.
I'd stay away from a volvo. based on my experiences with the volvo I buy vehicles solely based on maintenance cost. (I now own hondas)

 

[cash68]

It gets about the same mileage as my SVX, but lacks AWD. My SVX has 198,000 miles, and I'm considering ditching it for something different. It's been a phenomenal car.... but... I don't know. Change can be good.

 

[cash68]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrwinick /img/forum/go_quote.gif x2 my 1997 850 was a maintenance nightmare. Anytime anything broke it was $1000 to fix. To repair the ac you need to take off the entire dash. There are two oil pans. if the top one leaks you have to pull out the engine. for a broken visor they wanted to charge something like $250. on the other hand, my brother has an 850R wagon and loves it. ridiculously fast, but a gas hog. I'd stay away from a volvo. based on my experiences with the volvo I buy vehicles solely based on maintenance cost. (I now own hondas)

A/C isn't necessary for me. Plus, I can fix it myself for $60 on ebay.

Other than leaks though, did it ever leave you stranded? I do most of my own work, so dealer cost doesn't really scare me. I've found that dealers regularly overcharge everything anyway. Love hondas, but I want a winter car, and Hondas rust out so easily here in WI.

 

[928GTS]

Swedish cars are usually extremely reliable and will usually give many years of good service. Don't be afraid if the car you're looking at has high mileage as Volvo's and Saab's are just starting their lives at 175,000 miles. Just make sure theres a good service history with the car. Flip through it and see what was done,if it looks like there has been a lot of big work done one after the other in short intervals then perhaps you might want to avoid that car.

However drawing on my experience from owning Saab's(hopefully this might help a little)you should look out for the following:

Turbo(the seals usually start calling it a day around 180k)
Headgasket(usually around 150-175k but once you replace it you won't ever have to worry about it again for an equally long amount of time)
A/C(for some reason the compressors in these like lunching themselves and the solenoids tend to go)

Other than that they're pretty much faultless. I love Swedish cars to death and they can be made to go very quickly for a lot less money than most marques!

 

[krmathis]

Volvo make/made solid cars.
Maybe not all up there on performance, handling, design and such, but they last "forever"

 

[mrwinick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cash68 /img/forum/go_quote.gif A/C isn't necessary for me. Plus, I can fix it myself for $60 on ebay. Other than leaks though, did it ever leave you stranded? I do most of my own work, so dealer cost doesn't really scare me. I've found that dealers regularly overcharge everything anyway. Love hondas, but I want a winter car, and Hondas rust out so easily here in WI.

never left me stranded, but when my wife took a job 45 miles away I immediately sold it and bought a honda-I just didn't trust it. 1997 was a bad year for the 850 and my experiences were not good.

it isn't just dealers marking things up for volvo though. volvo's business model seems to be to slightly change parts and accessories from one year to the next so that they don't fit even the same model from one year to the next. I had to find a visor from a salvage business b/c I wouldn't pay a couple hundred bucks for the volvo replacement.

my parents have owned hondas continually from the 1980's until today in the midwest and never had rust problems.
good luck.

 

[digger945]

I once owned a 1974 164-E. One of the all time best cars I ever owned. Auto, straight 6, four door. Superb piece of machinery IMO.


Good to see you back cash.

 

[Edwood]

Have you considered Suburu for winter weather handling? A bit more fun to drive, and with the right snow tires, exceptional winter weather handling. I like the smaller sized wagons they have available.

Now their styling on the other hand....

I love Hondas, but not in winter climates. My old and heavy Mazda MX-3 has gotten me through so many bad winter situations and never left me stranded. I even passed a lot of SUV's stranded and abandoned on the roadside in the midwest.

-Ed