I've owned both 94 850 and now have 97-R. Both cars are nice. I just happen to speak with the dealer today and asked him about how other people liked their 850's and how well they're built. To my surprise, he mentioned that 97 was the best year of the 850 and that everything 99 and newer had more than a normal level of mechanical problems(in other words, stay away from 99 and newer), they weren't built as well.

95 was the first year for the t-5. 94 had a t5-r, and the regular turbos were listed as turbo on the back.

Hello All,
Thanks for your advice. I am now re-thinking my options. The 94 turned out to be a very nice vehicle. I drove it and it is very tight, quick, quiet, no rattles or clunks. The S-70 is beautiful. The dealer is an a-hole. They refuse to move on the price at all and will give no warranty.

On the advice of a couple of you, I searched for a 97, 850, T-5. I found one with 76K on the clock. It is from a place in Berkeley, CA. called Autometrics. They are an indepedent shop and they sell cars. I drove it last night. It needs shocks/struts, front tires, and a new upper motor mount. All records are there. 1 owner CA. car. It is in good shape. There is one ding low on the pass. door. It has all the options. They are asking $14,900. They will give a 3mo/3000 mi. warranty. They will also give 6mo./6000 mi. on anything they replace during their shop check/repair. They also are offering a free next service! I also think he will negotiate on the price. I am going to pursue this one. Anything I should look for in particular?

Thanks for all of the great help.

Allen

We just purchased a '95 850 GLT for $9k from a private seller. I'd pass on both the deals you are looking at if the prices are non-negotiable. However, we haven't even owned the car a week yet so I'm no afficionado. Have you driven the cars yet? Do they have maintenance records?( I'm a stickler on records- particularly from the vehicle's first 20k miles.)Good Luck and have fun

I was just at a Volvo dealer looking at a '99 V70T5A winter package, metallic silver, leather, 38k, remainder of factory warranty, all service records, Volvo CPO out to 100,000, 2 3/4 more years....$20.3k

Think you can do better in this environment.

There are bazillions of these things coming in off lease. Try the end of the month, they have quotas to meet.

-Bill the Cat

I'd say the S70 (I own a 98 S70 T5M and a 95 855 GLT). The ride
is much more civil. Improved safety (bettr knee protection,
stronger B pillers and side airbags, improved steering wheel
"crush" characteristics). Of course, the 850 is very safe, too.
You get a CD player with the 70 (not sure about the 94 model).
The 70 also has a bit more ground clearance and oil changes
are pretty easy (hmmm, thats really a minor point, isn't it -- shows
how close they are).

The torque is about 10% greater and the turbo is actually a little
bigger starting in 98 (as I recall). Newer electronics mean the
70 series start easier (again, not a big deal).

The interior is a toss up. If you like classic Volvo interior
styling the 850 will be truer to the heritage.

The 60K and 70K service are fairly expensive (70K because timing belt
replaced) and you have that coming up on the 70. Brake rotors and
pads will probably be needed between 60 and 70K, too. So, the 30K
difference between the two may not be as great as you think since the
850 has had (should have) major service and should be less expensive
to maintain for a while (excluding major component failure).

I'd still, go with the 70.

Tough choice. Nice problem to have.

Advantages of the S70 are: 1) 33k miles gives you two extra years of life. 2) You can put VisionPlus lamps in the S70 (best behind e-codes, but you can get e-codes for the 850). The 70 is also reported to have a nicer ride.

Advantages of the 850: nicer interior (in my opinion).

If you go for the S70, make sure the light socket service required by previously issued recalls has been done.

--
(98 S70 T5SE misc mods, mostly lighting) (92 940GLE)

Hey! I would go for the S-70. The S-70 may have some little quirks with bulbs and other electrical items, but I still think it is a better choice than a 94 850. Are you sure the 850 is a 94? I don't recall a T-5 in 94. I know there is a Turbo 850 in 94 but it is not a T-5. If you said you were looking at a 97 850 T-5, I would go for the 850 then.

Jimmy