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Volvo 850 wagon, $1000
Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 2:29 pm
by kevm14
Paint pretty faded. Front seats not in awesome shape. Only 138k. Wonder what's up. Would make a great winter beater if it's mechanically sound. Also somebody clearly tried to detail it.
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Zoom in to see odo.
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Re: Volvo 850 wagon, $1000
Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 6:20 pm
by Bob
Thinking Maxima replacement?
Re: Volvo 850 wagon, $1000
Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 6:46 pm
by kevm14
I am thinking that yes. But what I really should do is go back in time like 8 years and get a winter beater...
Re: Volvo 850 wagon, $1000
Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 6:54 pm
by kevm14
VW Vortex weighs in. Yes I went directly there for threads.
A) 850's have proven to be one of the most reliable European cars in service. We used to see examples with 200-250k come into the shop on a regular basis that had nothing other than regular maintenance performed. 300k is a bit of a stretch, but for that price of entry who cares?
B) While everyone you may know has had to barf up a kidney to keep one running, that is not whatsoever the norm for most 850 owners.
There are a few very common issues with 850's:
-AT trans fluid needs to be changed every 40-50k miles; trans failure can be a result of not doing so
-Drivers door check strap can break. Easily repaired by a body shop for $200
-ABS control unit; can be DIY removed, car can be driven while removed, rebuild cost is ~$100
-A/C Evaporator can fail. This can be prevented by a cleaning procedure, but once it fails it's a dash-out job to replace.
-On wagons, the rear hatch clips break, causing the inner decor panel to rattle. IPD sells a cheap repair kit that is very DIY-able in a couple of hours.
-The upper motor mount bushing fails. IPD also sells an upgraded part for this, and this is also DIY replaceable in a couple of hours
-The transmission selector switch can die, which gives symptoms of AT failure. It's not--and also not that hard to replace.
-Rear main seals sometimes fail, most often on Turbos. This is a subframe-out job; most techs will bill 10 hours for it. The 3-4 850T's I've known personally haven't had this failure
-Again, on Turbos the turbo oil return line has a seal at the block that can leak. It's about a $5 part and takes maybe 10 minutes to replace at an oil change.
That's about the size of it. Other typical issues--window/mirror switches get crap in them, requiring removal and a healthy dose of DeOxit, etc. But nothing catastrophic.
For $500, say? Buy it. Worst case, you have to buy a good used engine/trans to throw in it at some point.
Turbo sounds like it has more issues.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volvo_850 ... ted_States
Probably the N/A 2.4L I5 (oooh) with 168hp @ 6300 rpm, since it is badged a GLT. This is a good thing. However, if it is a 97, then it has a light pressure 2.4L putting out 190hp and 199 lb-ft @ 1600rpm. Which probably drives nice but not good for a beater.
Like all other Volvos of the 80s and 90s, these are not that heavy so performance is probably adequate.
Re: Volvo 850 wagon, $1000
Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 7:05 pm
by kevm14
You'd think these would be a dime a dozen but I can't find shit for comps on Autotrader.
Re: Volvo 850 wagon, $1000
Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 7:11 pm
by Bob
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/5188872993.html Turbo and not a wagon. Not sure how much you care about the wagon given the SRX...
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/5127949447.html
Based on these comps, it seems like $1000 is the going rate.
Re: Volvo 850 wagon, $1000
Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 7:12 pm
by kevm14
He forgot to add: "Drives great, only issue is some idiot backed it into a curb"
Re: Volvo 850 wagon, $1000
Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 7:13 pm
by Bob
kevm14 wrote:You'd think these would be a dime a dozen but I can't find shit for comps on Autotrader.
Most people won't drop the $50 for an Autotrader ad for a $1000 car. Try craigslist.
Re: Volvo 850 wagon, $1000
Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 7:13 pm
by kevm14
Has a compression issue in the 3rd piston head, but other than that, the engine is in great shape.
Should reword to: "Engine has unique feature that allows operation to fail-over into a 4 cylinder as a casualty response."
Re: Volvo 850 wagon, $1000
Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 7:14 pm
by kevm14
A beater is supposed to be useful, and wagons are more useful than sedans.
Fun fact: these have a ridiculously tight turning radius. Useful.
The tires seemed marginal but not totally spent either.