We have a 95 850 turbo wagon with 180k never has had a major problem. Also have a 98 v70 awd r rusting in back yard with 200k has been junk since i picked it up in Gothenburg. Question is when did Volvo start having quality problems. Son wants to buy 97 850 glt sedan with 147k for $3500. I said do not buy anything after 95. Any advice? Thanks

Bajam,


I'd like to know a few reasons why your '98 V70 R is junk and sitting in your backyard. No offense, I hope, but I think a f.bulous car like that should be brought back from the dead and restored. 1998 Volvos should also not be rusting, unless one never washed the car. The R model is a vehicle that I highly respect and if you got it running again I'm sure it would provide you with more years of enjoyment.

Some advice: give your cars the best care possible. Treat it like a newborn baby. I do it all the time with my '96 850 sedan. Has 83k miles on it and still runs like a top. I just put it in storage for its long winter hibernation,

My 1998 R is hardly ready for the junk pile yet :)

As for 850, 1997 had the best auto tranny, 1998 AWD is the world's worst.

Volvo lost quality control around 1990.

Klaus
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The 164 has a new home, all I am left with are a 95 854T and a 98 V70R :)

Bajamx,
'94's thru 97's virtually the same car.
Avoid 93's - first year of production and has it's issues.
Very happy with our '94 850T wagon.
Armie
--
Luck favours the prepared.

Did you mean "Don't buy anything newer than 95?". Not advice, but an opinion, don't buy anything other than a 97.

Our 95 has been great. Just wondering what other years are good. Sounds like 97 is a good year.

Mine still uses no oil between changes and the clutch is the original one, albeit noisy and stiff on cool mornings. So I'd say "1998" except yours is already in the junk pile.

Maybe it has to do with what day of the week they built the car, and near which Belgian national holiday.

The plastic on the car is world-class crappy, tho.

-BTC

'98 V70 T5 5-speed, 174k mi, heated velour cloth comfy chairs, factory HD suspension, Bilstein HD, front IPD stabilizer bar, Volvo strut tower brace and skidplate, XC grill, C70 jewel E-Codes, V-1, Lidatek, IPD stuff, JB Weld, Original Duck tape, zip-ties, two '06 Honda license plate nut impressions in back bumper (gift from daughter), Mobil-1 since new.

"The two largest English-speaking countries in the world are India (350 million out of 1 billion) and the United States (300 million). By 2025 the number of English speaking Chinese is likely to exceed the number of native English speakers in the rest of the world."

When did they stop building the PV544? 1965?

-BTC

'98 V70 T5 5-speed, 174k mi, heated velour cloth comfy chairs, factory HD suspension, Bilstein HD, front IPD stabilizer bar, Volvo strut tower brace and skidplate, XC grill, C70 jewel E-Codes, V-1, Lidatek, IPD stuff, JB Weld, Original Duck tape, zip-ties, two '06 Honda license plate nut impressions in back bumper (gift from daughter), Mobil-1 since new.

"The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair." - Douglas Noel Adams (1952 - 2001)

Bill,


Yes, Volvo did stop producing the 544 series in '65, although there were some leftover cars sold and titled as '66 models.