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Volvo 850 Wagons

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#162 of 491 Looking to buy a 850 /V70 by chp3ril Mar 10, 2001 (8:38 pm)
I have been told that a 1996 850t or a 1998 v70 would be good Volvo's to buy I have a 1988 740gle now with 210,000 on it and it's been a great car. I drive 650 to 800 miles per week so I want one to be as good as my 740 and I don't want to spend alot of money on upkeep.
#163 of 491 TRACS doesn't track... by psi1 Mar 12, 2001 (9:02 am)
I just bought a '96 850 wagon with TRACS. Trying it out in snow, I found that I can certainly spin the front wheels. Is this supposed to happen? What exactly does TRACS do?
#164 of 491 RE:Post 159 by losthat1 Mar 12, 2001 (4:24 pm)
Look back over all the previous posts. I would venture a guess that you will find many issues with the 850/V70. Seriously, if you have had good luck with your 88 why not just keep driving it? IMHO the Volvos of the past, including those built in 1988 are much more reliable than any of the more recent. I just said goodbye to my 96 850t after 81,000 miles. The last 20,000 were filled with trips to the dealer and mighty expensive repairs. Good Luck!
#165 of 491 Looking to buy a 850 by zookie1095 Mar 14, 2001 (4:14 pm)
I have about 13,000 to spend on a used 850 do I have a chance? Secondly, is there anyone out there that is happy with their 850
#166 of 491 Happy w/ 850 Wagon but battery's died twice by lesho Mar 26, 2001 (12:08 pm)
To the person who wants to know if anyone is happy w/ their 850, I am. I bought my 850 GLT wagon two years ago after researching Consumer Reports and Edmunds. CR listed the 850 as a "good buy" and I was attracted by the fact that the cars seem to hold their value for awhile. I did go into the purchase expecting my maintanence bills to be higher than my previous Honda Accord, but I've driven Volkswagons before and felt the tradeoff to Europeon styling, etc. was worth it.   I was lucky to find a standard. One local dealer told me that they did not import standrads to the U.S. so I'd have to get a standard. I found the car at a Ford dealership and paid $4000 below book value. The car had upgrades like leather seats, all power seating, and side airbags. The car had one previous owner.   Since I've owned it I've only done the recommended maintanence and oil changes. I DO NOT take it to the dealer. I found a great auto shop that only works on Mercedes, BMW, Volvo, etc. He stamps my book so I can maintain all service records. I did get some of the previous repairs on the car from the Volvo dealer and was surprised that the entire dash board had been replaced as well as several other major items. I'm hoping that the previous owner was very picky and pushy and got stuff done while the car was still under warranty.   The only problem I've had with the car is it not starting due to the battery dying. In fact, the car wouldn't start this morning (new Diehard put in three months ago) and my husband was unable to jump it. We had to remove the battery and take it to a shop to see if there's a problem with it. I'm hoping to hear very soon that it's only the battery. Both times it's died it's been cold out and I hadn't used the car for several days.   That said, I love driving the car. It still looks almost brand new and it's a nice solid car. I don't necessarily agree that it's really comfortable. I rode in the back set once and thought it was a rather stiff and unforgiving ride. My sister has a Mercedes staion wagon that's a year or two newer than my Volvo. I'd take the Volvo any day over the Mercedes. My Volvo is roomier, nicer looking inside (and out I think) and seems to be much more reliable. (The Mercedes is constantly in the shop w/ expensive repairs). Overall, I've been highly pleased with the car. I'll remain that way as long as the reliability continues. I do agree that it's critical with these cars to maintain them religiously.
#167 of 491 lesho by lancerfixer Mar 26, 2001 (12:33 pm)
Couple things- One, 850s and S/V70s were sold with manual transmissions here in the states. The dealer you spoke to is wrong. It's hard to find them, especially the wagons, but they're out there. They were available in the non-turbo and high-pressure turbo models, but not the low pressure turbo.   Two, it sounds as though there might be a small current draw on your battery-- could be something as silly as the glovebox light staying on when the door is closed. If the battery checks out OK, you may want to see if there's any current being drawn when the car is off (of course, there will be a very small amount drawn for things like the clock and radio memory, but your repair shop will know what's appropriate and what's excessive.)   You've got a real find with that 5-speed wagon; I've been looking at Volvos for months now, and have only seen one 5-speed, and it was a sedan. Happy motoring.
#168 of 491 fuel door motor by volvomama Mar 27, 2001 (12:05 am)
the fuel door locks shut intermittently on my 96 850 turbo wagon. I have to take apart the inside right tail light and pull a little lever to get it to open. One mechanic told me the "motor" to the door may be going out, but couldn't be sure unless he saw it while it was inoperable. Another mechanic told me he thought it had something to do with my automatic key....I should "click" it a certain # of times to remedy the problem....any advice??
#169 of 491 DSTC on XC...... by norge003 Mar 27, 2001 (10:22 am)
Can anyone tell me why the XC doesn't come with DSTC like the V70 (as an option).....I am looking hard at buying the 2001 XC but was surprised that the option wasn't available. Even with the XC having an AWD (at times), it still seems to me like it should be available. Any help would be appreciated.
#170 of 491 Happy, safe and sound by FREDERICK Mar 28, 2001 (7:14 pm)
Bought a used 96 850 base model auto two plus years ago and we love the car. We had teething pains at first with little problems that our Volvo dealership immediately took care of under warrenty and provided us with a nice loaner Volvo car each time. We bought the extended 5 year 100K mile warranty before the car got over the 50K mile mark but we've never had to take the car back to the shop since.   We're only at 57K now an moved to S.F. last year where we drive the car much less than we used to in L.A. but it definitly is our vacation hauler. The Volvo is the car both my wife an I most enjoy taking when the ride is going to be long. I have a lot less fear of how our ownership expereince is going to pan out now because it's been quite a while without any problems and the warrenty gives us peace of mind.   I am fully aware of all the problems that this forum presents as the norm to the average reader here but I no longer consider them to be inevitable to our own ownership exerience. Battery power drains, squeaky dashes, sticking window switches, failing transmissions, replaced airconditioning pumps, sticking gas door locks, etc. etc. seem to plague the GLT and R owners but that has not been our case. We just plug along in our wimppy little five and are happy we own this car.
#171 of 491 1995 volvo 850 turbo wagon by asfan1 Mar 29, 2001 (4:57 pm)
We purchased this car because of its performance and safety features. When the car is in working order, it is hard to beat. The problem is the car has been very expensive to maintain. Our mechanic has told us that the evaporator coil for the air conditioner has to now be replaced to the tune of a thousand bucks. I am not necessarily complaining about the cost(I guess I am a little) but does it make sense to make the repairs on this car and keep the car or should I trade it in. I hate to just keep throwing money away that could be used towards a new car. I know other car manufactures have caught up with volvo as far as safety features. If I do trade it in what do you recommend in the 25-30k range.

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