Hi All,

I'm new to this forum and don't know enough about 850's to make an informed decision. I like the 850 and would like to purchase one as my next car. Are there any problem areas I should be wary of? For example, one mechanic informed me that the 850 transmissions tend to have trouble after 100,000 miles. Is this true or not? Anything else I should know? BTW, I will probably purchase a non turbo. Thanks in advance, George

I have a '94 855T with about 128k mi on the clock. As you probably know by now, these are good cars, but do have their share of peculiar problems. As mentioned earlier, I would not shy away from the turbo models as long as they have been maintained and have records. (i.e. oil changes every 5k mi or sooner) T-belt changes are every 70k mi and have to be done religously. The A/C evaporator is an issue and I have heard that they may have sorted it out by the '96 or '97 models. Failure of the shift interlock microswitch and power seatback adjustment are common as well. O2 sensor failure can be a common occurrence as well. In the end, the cars are solid and I surely enjoy mine, but be prepared for some possible maintenance expenditures. If you are looking for a car that only requires gas and oil changes, this may not be it depending on how well maintained your example is.

http://kinovolvo.velez.ws/
This is the correct web-site.
There is a lot of info on 850's.

Also look at a similiar question on this website appearing on Aug. 25 asked by a MR 240.

http://www.kinovolvo.velez.ws/
for problems and it's frequency.

Also look at a similiar question on this website appearing on Aug. 25 asked by a MR 240.

Non-turbos actually struggle on hills, highway passing etc. Turbo gives power on demand. Dont be afraid of Turbos, Volvo has the best turbos. Turbo as a part is typically 100% reliable, there are many other parts that can be problematic.

I'm also in the market for an 850, and asked a similar question a few months ago. I won't try to repeat all that was said in response to my inquiry and to other similar inquiries, but one of the problems that keeps coming up is the AC evaporator, which apparently can go out frequently and be in the neighborhood of $1000 to fix. Posters on this board have also said to make sure to change the timing belt every 70,000 miles. Failure to do this can result in VERY expensive damage to the engine.

(If others don't chime in here with other potential problems, do a search through the archives of this board for similar inquiries.)

Also, check into the windshield wipers. Some (er, mine) doesn't sweep the entire driver's side of the windshild. The arm lifts totally off. It appears that the wiper motor was installed at an incorrect angle, but i've not dug too far into it.


'95 850 GLT 93k mi