I am considering buying a 1995 850 NA with 210KM. Asking $4700 Overall the vehicle is in pretty good shape. Owner has all receipts from the last 13 years. Some recent repairs: New rad, timing belt, exhaust, PNP, new brakes this year and new A/C compressor last year, new shocks, springs on the rear, new tires. Very little rust.

Only two issues:

1. Engine seems to be very very sluggish, even compared to my 95 940. Is this normal? Is this a plugged cat?


2. Front suspension. Springs on the front are very compressed and the front wheels rub on the inside fender liners when turning on bumpy roads. The plastic liners are slighly damaged.

So... is this worth it, given the potential cost of repairs? Is there anything else to look out for? I do all my own repairs.

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks very much

Chris

1995 940 170km - still looks like new.
1990 Nissan pickup 270km

sound like too much to me...

I bought a 1995 wagon with 150k in february for $3500. it was worked on by the best local independant Volvo shop in town for 8+ years and it runs great.

let someone else "bleed" for that one, i think. find a better deal.

good luck!
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-woodsytf '95 850 wagon 160k

Since the exchange rate is pretty even at the present time I'd also say it's way too much. Looks like the owner is trying to recovery some of his recent repair costs. Nice try but .... the price should be around $2700 and even that is a little on the high side. Show him some recent e-bay transactions or "blue book" info.

I just sold my '95 850 Turbo with 180K mi for $2800. It was in great shape with the exception of a few minor cosmetic issues with a front fender and a small hole in the bumper cover. The interior was gorgeous. The worst part was the mileage.

The car you are referring to is a non Turbo? Sounds like to much money to me, but I live in PA, USA. If you work on your own cars, you are in luck because 850's will keep you moderately busy.

The only time my front 205/55/16 tires rubbed was when the fenders weren't exactly where they belonged. There isn't a lot of extra room with that tire. I don't know what would cause that. Bad struts?

The 850 is a heavy car. Some people who have driven all the engines say the non Turbo is underpowered, I think. I haven't driven it so I don't know.

Good luck. Don

Is that $4700CAN? I know our dollar is down, but that still sounds like a lot.

Thanks,

Yes it was non turbo. And while the owner is asking $4700 canadian, it is certainly not my intention to pay this price. I'm thinking not more than $3K assuming there are going to be big costs to do this.

I just needed to determine if the front end issue and the sluggish engine were big $$$ problems.

The tires are 195/60/15s. The issue is the springs/struts are almost shot. I compared to my 940 and the difference in the springs was remarkable.


Chris

Those tires shouldn't cause any sort of rubbing so I'd assume the struts are probably beyond "shot". The non turbos really are slow but you could also have some other issues such as clogged fuel filter, weak fuel pump, dirty air filter, stuck air filter box thermostat, etc. Also check close for burned tranny fluid.

Canadians just charge too much for used cars. I just sold a prestine 1995 854T for $3500, and only 96K miles.

I wonder what the seller did to the front. The tires should have been 205/55/16, any larger and tire rubbing will happen. Holes in the inner fenders are not good for rust protection either.

A "sluggish" engine? The 5 cylinder is very free revving, so I guess you need a compression test to be sure.

Replaced the rear springs? Why? Makes no sense to me. It could also be that the shocks needed replacement a long time ago.

Klaus
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I still miss my 164 and my 854T. Just driving a V70R :)