I have a chance to trade in my old 850 on a 2004 XC70-70,000 miles. Appears to
be in excellent shape inside and out but the high mileage concerns me. Its
coming off lease and looks like reg. maintenance has been done. Asking 16K.
Seems like a good deal but I don't want to be spending all my time at the shop
like I've done recently with my '94 850(133K). Thanks for any suggestions.

I replaced 96 850 wagon with an 05 XC70.

The difference in ride quality is... a lot. As one person mentioned, XC70 rides so much better, my 850 really was full of rattles to a point it got embarrassing.

Anyhow, when purchasing a used car, always get pre-purchase inspection by a Volvo mechanic. Even if you're purchasing from a dealer, take it to another dealer, or an independent Volvo mechanic, before you make any deal. Some charge for it, some don't, but it's definitely worth the money.

I always do, and on my last purchase, it saved me having to do pad and rotors. It was on a CPO that was supposed to be all prepped to go. You can use it for getting more discount, even if you don't have the selling dealer fix them for you.

I would prefer high mileage to a car that has been relegated to the weekly grocery run. At 16K, make sure that it still has good tread; you don't want to spend an additional $600 in a couple of months.
The 2004 will make your 850 feel like a rattle trap!!! :)

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

As always, run CarFax and get as much maintenance history as possible:
My wife has a 2003 XC (60K miles) no problems of any type as long as you keep four(tread matched) tires on the car. It rides slightly higher than a V-70, which improves visibility and the traction is the best I have experienced.
My wife give up her 96 850 when she got the XC.
As for the 2004 XC I believe the cars are similar and have all the improvements (?)..
I have a 2004, V 70 (non XC). The car has 80k miles on it and has been trouble free.
These cars are used in the Conn. area of the country, for weather comparison...
Art

2004 modell has the never awd system from haldex and isn`t as sensitive to tire sizes as the earlier models.
--
V70 2,5T -98

We know that, but when you buy a car from a dealer, it should come with good rubber and matching tread. Especially for $16K.

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