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1995/1996 850 T5-R or T5 sedan/wagon...... Undecided?????? 850

posted by  Stew on  Mon Jan 28 21:46 CST 2002
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Hello all

This is my first post to this site and I must say it is a great way to find out information on Volvo. Having never owned a volvo before I'm not as up to date on the intricacies of the cars so I thought I would let the experts have a say. There are several parts

Firstly, I am looking to purchase an 1995/1996 850 T5-R in the near future, and was wondering what the reliability of the turbo is like? By all reports if the services are kept up to date I beleive they are very reliable. Is this the case
or are there other associated problems?

Secondly, I have read on the forums the problems that various owners have had with the A/C evaporators. I know this has probably been covered before by other people but does any one know if this problem is common on cars imported to Australia - is the evaporator fitted to these cars the same as European or American or is it different? If the evaporator has been changed/replaced is there any way of telling?

Next, THe car that I test drove had a squeaky sound coming from under the bonnet when I pressed the clutch pedal in. Any ideas or is normal as my previous car had this noise for many years and did not cause any problems?

Lastly I have read several posts on the "Harshness of Volvo Sports Suspension" Is it really that bad and replacement to Billstein shocks is recommended?

THanks everyone. I really appreciate your views and experience with these cars.

Cheers
Stew







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    1995/1996 850 T5-R or T5 sedan/wagon...... Undecided?????? 850

    posted by  Valles on  Tue Jan 29 05:02 CST 2002
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    Volvo's are great cars. Between my parents and I we have had 4 of them and alwys loved them.

    My wife and I have a 97 855 R (855 = wagon) and absolutely love it. When I first bought it my wife was iritated since she wanted a sedan, but that only lasted for about 5 minutes. Now she drives it so much she won't let me near it.

    Yes the suspension on the T-5 and R models are somewhat harsh, but no worse than any real sport suspension on any other car would be. I'll be buying the Bisteins next year so I can't comment on them yet.

    Engine wise, all I can say is I love it. I run synthetic oil for the turbo, 5000 mile oil changes with dealer filters and I have never had an engine related problem in 80,000 miles except for a leaking vacuum line once last year. Just be sure to change the timing belt regularly! a broken timing belt means a new engine. on the other hand, I've never heard of a belt breaking at less than the recommended change interval.

    Stock it is a great ride. Fixed up with aftermarket goodies it is even better.
    --
    Nathan Valles, Black 855R, Tint








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    1995/1996 850 T5-R or T5 sedan/wagon...... Undecided?????? 850

    posted by  steve s on  Mon Jan 28 22:14 CST 2002
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    last visit: Thu Mar 10 02:18 CST 2011
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    96 didn't have t5-r, was the 850r. turbo is great, since it's a small turbo on a small engine that had it's displacement reduced for greater heat dissipation/better longevity. no problems. volvo 850 platform itself is harsh...ever since it came out...bilsteins seem to take a bit off the edge...but they themselves are hard if u go for the heavy duty series and not the tc series. if the shocks are not new (that is it's the same set from the factory) then u might want to replace it...bilsteins have lifetime warranty to original purchaser. btw, if u choose the t5-r or r with the 17" rims, stay away from pirelli p-zeros 205-45-17 that were stock. from my experience (and what i've seen here), they bulge and break easily on potholes; plus they're not that great on wet. go for kumos or bridgestones or yokohamas (don't know if all's available in australia, check it). as for squeaks...that's the second most common complaint from owners...i have a few (could be because it's highlighted by my suspension mods). other than rattles and occassional tough time on rough roads, u'll luv it.







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