Dive in to Volvo 850? - 1997 - READ ONLY

23 messages, Last post on Sep 25, 2002 at 8:04 AM

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What is this discussion about? Volvo 850, Brakes, Electrical, Engine, Sedan

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#4 of 23 brenneke by bodydouble Jul 18, 2002 (6:35 pm)
That's interesting stuff what you said. How about the new platform that the V70, S80, S60 are based on? The S80 had quite a few problems early on, likewise with the pre-2001 V70, from what I have read.
#5 of 23 Is This a Big Mistake? by johnk9jgs Jul 23, 2002 (4:51 am)
I have been looking at a Volvo wagon, a 1994 Turbo with 128,300 miles on it. It looks great and appears to have been well cared for. The previous owner traded it in at the local dealership. I've read that you should get 300,000 miles out of a Volvo, but I have also gotten the impression from many posts that Volvos are a maintenance nightmare. Could a vehicle with this, which of course is out of warranty, be anything other than an expensive venture? I had a 1957 Volvo sedan years ago that was just a wonderful automobile, fun to drive, delightfully quirky in appearance, and virtually maintenance-free. Would this 1994 wagon at $9,000 give me the same driving enjoyment or would I spend half my time taking it to the shop? (Note to REVKA: Is this the right place for this post or should it be a new thread, posted elsewhere?)
#6 of 23 LONG LIVE THE VOLVO 850 SEDAN !!!!!!!!! by vguard Aug 02, 2002 (12:14 pm)
My Volvo 850 Sedan has been a real charm !!! It is the base model and has the 5-speed manual transmission (from what I read, these are a rare find). We have over 160,000 miles on our Volvo and have not experienced anything other cars would not require, with the possible exception of having to replace engine mounts every two years or so (they all don't go bad at the same time, but they do seem to fail in rotation..lol..). The Service manager here said the fact we have the 5-speed manual transmission contributes to the engine mount failure. who knows. The AC issue is well documented, at least in the '95 model (I don't know about any other year). We have found it cheaper to just have the AC serviced each year. If and when we strike a big enough leak to justify replacement, I assume we would spend the money ($1,000+), unless the car had other major problems at the time. Otherwise, it is still cheaper to drop a grand, than purchase a new car. I have said this before and I will say it again.....our '95 850 sedan is as much fun to drive today as it was when it was new (160,000 miles ago). VG
#7 of 23 by bodydouble Aug 02, 2002 (5:33 pm)
That's assuming they were fun to drive to begin with!
#8 of 23 HAVE YOU EVER DRIVEN..... by vguard Aug 03, 2002 (1:13 am)
a '95 Volvo 850 sedan with a 5-speed manual transmission? They are a hoot !!!!!!!! VG
#9 of 23 My 1995 Volvo 850 by pluckon Aug 03, 2002 (8:08 am)
I have a turbo sedan with automatic transmission. It came with low-profile tires and 16" rims, which were a disaster. This has been a common problem among lots of manufacturers who sell cars with low-profile tires in the United States, where city streets are often in bad condition. There was a class-action lawsuit against Volvo on the issue (as well as against other manufacturers). I got a check for $500, which covered about half the cost of replacing the wheels and tires. Now I have 15" tires and a smoother ride and no more flats. The AC crapped out at 38,000 miles, 4-1/2 years into my ownership. Volvo replaced it under a "secret warranty." Now I have 60,000 miles on the car and the only problem is that the seat heaters don't work. For all I know, it's a bad fuse. I think I can let that one ride until December. Other than what I've mentioned, I am quite satisfied with the car. It's fast, comfortable and reliable. The ergonomics and controls are fantastic, and it's impossible to lock yourself out of the car. The climate control is great. Set it and forget it. The stereo is unbelievable. In some areas of the country Volvos have become very common vehicles, which has depressed the resale values. This is good news for the buyers of used Volvos. From what I've read, I think the 1995 Volvo 850 may well be the highest quality car those people built in the past 15 years, the AC issue notwithstanding. I'd highly recommend that year's model for a used car, but I think there were more problems in 1994 and 1996, and when they renamed it the S70 in, what, 1997 or 1998?
#10 of 23 850 and side impact protection by cincy_kid Aug 04, 2002 (12:08 pm)
Hi, Does anybody know what year the 850 met the U.S. 1997 side impact standards? I am assuming they actually met the standards a year or two ahead of schedule. The NCAP site has no side impact data prior to 1997. Thanks for any help!
#11 of 23 help needed with check engine light!!!!!!! by carenthusiast1 Aug 12, 2002 (3:30 am)
My 1995 volvo 850 station wagon non turbo 112,000 miles has had a check engine light going on for the past 3 months. The first time my mechanic hooked it up to his computer he said it was the EGR valve. That was changed and 300 miles later the light went on again. This time he said he took it to a friend of his at a volvo dealership in town and they diagnosed it as an EGR switch. That was replaced and I am now into this for about 500 dollars. 200 miles later the light went on again. I asked my mechanic if I should just take it to volvo, and he said no,, it would cost too much. He brought it to Volvo again and he told me that he should have reset the light after the part was changed and not before..so he just reset the light and well 200 miles later guess what? The light came on again. This time it actually went off for about 50 miles on its own but now it is on again. Can anybody point me in the right direction please. I should say that the whole time that the car seems to be running fine. The only thing I do notice is that when I go to add gas, I do not hear the sound of escaping fumes when I unscrew the gas cap. Should there be a hissing sound when the gas cap is loosened? Does anyone think that replacing the gas cap will solve the check engine light problem?. I ran this by my mechanic(non-volvo) and he said no, that it would not help. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you
#12 of 23 Check Engine Light by cbgrfx Aug 12, 2002 (2:41 pm)
My 1996 850GLT 104K also has the same problem with the Check Engine light. Car runs fine . Dealer says gas cap code keeps setting light off and I may need about $350 in repairs to get light to go off. That was a year ago and check engine light is still on. My solution was to take a small black piece of paper and cover the light on the dashboard. If the car runs fine I wouldn't worry about the light. The computers are very sensitive and doesn't take much to set that light off. If you need to turn the light off temporarily you can always disconnect the positive cable to the battery and then re-connect it, however about 2-300 miles later the light will come back on .
#13 of 23 cicny kid by lancerfixer Aug 12, 2002 (4:23 pm)
I'm pretty sure the 850 met the side impact standards right off the bat--the 850 was basically unchanged (save minor cosmetic changes in '94) and became the S70. I'm almost positive they built '97 side impact standards in from the get-go.