Dear all,

planning to relocate to Europe soon, and sell my great 745 turbo wagon here in US. Might be going for 855 (turbo?) over there or 945.
Would be really glad to get comments on 745 vs 855 on all possible respects, such as driving, maintenance, etc.

...why some of them come with 4 pedals?!:
http://195.149.144.149/images/53/5374571438.jpg
(always thought 3 pedals is enough for a manual...)

Thanks in advance!

It would depend upon your needs. If you have a family to cart around, a 850 would be a nice large (for europe) car. Otherwise, a small diesel car would be best. Gasoline is very expensive in Europe, diesel is cheaper. We rented a VW turbo diesel a few years ago. It was easy to park, had plenty of interior space,was a blast to drive, and energy efficient.

I would surely go for the 855, it`s in another class compared with the 7 - 900 series. depending on how much money you are going to spend i would go for a 94 - 96 because of the design changes volvo made 94, it feels a bit more modern.
new hedlights and rounded of edges on the buttons and controls.
in EU tou will find this car with 2.0 w/wo turbo 126 ws 165 hp (not shure on the hp:s but close to those numbers anyhow) 2.5 w/wo turbo and 10 or 20 valve, 10 valve wo turbo 140 hp, 20 valve wo turbo 170 hp, 2.5 turbo 225 hp and the awd with a low pressure turbo on 193 hp:s, 97 in s/v 70 the 193 hp engine came without awd also.
the 2-7-900 volvo is based on the same engine/tranny and all and all is a base construction made in the 70:s, no bad words about these cars but a 850 is in another league because its a modern car developed in the 90`s.

Ever thought about 960? if youre still thinkin strong about rwd this s a nice car.

Claes
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V70 2,5T -98

thanks for the input.. 855 might be good choice when going for extra performance and safety. two frontal airbags and side airbags, the first car in the world which comes with that in the standard package. Check this story about 850 however: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volvo_Cars#Safety_reputation_under_question
Some people say that the 850 maintenance might be more tricky than for 900 series however. Interestingly, in Sweden 945 models go up to 1998, and 'modern' 855 were stopped one year earlier in 1997.

960 has got more narrow headlights than 945, which is probably more aerodynamic but loosing that lovely boxy look which 94x/74x/24x have.. :-) and of course the engine is different from 74x/94x.

All fwd cars are more difficult in service and therefore also more expensive in repairs but the only thing (almost) that is more expensive to work with is the tranny.
Parts are probably a little more expensive also.
960 has a one cylinder longer 850 engine wth rearwheel drive and therefore a little less expensive in work with the tranny but this was volvos top of the line and the part are even more expensive than the 850.960 91 to 94 has still got the "box" like shape youre after
74x/94x is probably the more economic choice but the safety is better in the 850.
Parts for the 7-900 is cheap in sweden and you can do most of the work yourself.
850 are a little more expensive but is a smother ride and a safer one.
lots of pro:s and con:s.

the answer about closing year for thedifferent models i think is easy, they sold them as long as they could make money out of them, 240 production years 1974 - 1993, and the 740 82 - 92, ergo one year earlier than the much older 240.
91-92 they manufactured 240:s 740:s and 940:s side by side, that is more strange than 850 and 940 beeing produced side by side, after all they are different cars from the wheels up.
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V70 2,5T -98

...thanks for more input. Found in the ads that some 945s were equipped with sidoairbags and spoilers. Not bad! Also found another good website, http://www.traderamotor.com

Depends on which country you are going to live in. Check this out:

http://cgi.ebay.de/Schoener-Volvo-740-940-Kombi-TUV-neu-EURO-2_W0QQitemZ140215320588QQihZ004QQcategoryZ9872QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The taxes are pretty cheap for this 1991. But you should look for an 855 diesel because of the high gasoline prices.

Klaus
EDIT: Germans use periods instead of commas in numbers.

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

- thanks for the link. At least odometer reading in that ad seems to be honest (>200.000 km). EU is there for a long time, so when the common standards for vehicle registration, gas prices and taxation would come? Stop joining the new countries and concentrate on the unification! - and now it is getting into a geopolitical debate... :-)

- do not know much about BMWs, but indeed there is much more variation on volvo models you can find in swedish ads.

Hmmm that's a foot rest.
Have you lived/driven in europe before?
I can only imagine what fuel cost must be like with such a huge car in europe..if your bent on the volvo 850 look for a diesel tdi..
Just my opinion..figure 19gallon tank at 5 euros a gallon that's over 7 bucks US.
You do the math..undoable for me..just silly money to be burning..
A car in europe that does not get 35-40 mpg is considered a HUGE waste and would never sell..

- thanks for the tdi suggestion. For sure I know about the gas issue...
BUT I am going to drive may be one day a week or so ...weekend trips, transporting big suff, etc. volvo is more a matter of principle here; maybe safety and style as well..

Even newer volvos are not much better on gas than their older models. Seems like they keep on adding hp-s and counting on those people who go for lux standarts and do not care what the gas price is.

All we get over here is one or two engine choices, if we are lucky. European get 4 or 5. Ever seen a BMW 312 or 316? That's 1200cc and 1600cc.
Volvo has a 2L 850.

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

Sorry for the tangent..
To get back to your original question.
The 850 is a wonderfull car but does not feel like a 740 at all..in many respects the 850 feels like any other normal car not so much like the robust 740/240 series..
Plus its a FWD car so..maintenance is a bit more tricky..but such is the price of progress..
All in all im happy with my "upgrade" i i've had 240's 740' and 940 before this..and i dont think ill be going back..well i would maybe for an early early 240..gotta lovem
'