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volvo 850 reliability 850

how reliable are the 850 series volvos compared to the earlier 700 series?
I heard that the 93-95 are not very good, whereas the 96 and 97 were back up to snuff for a volvo, (excellent reliability).
thanks
dan








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    volvo 850 reliability 850

    I purchased a 94 855 for my wife two years ago. Now let me state that this vehicle did not have a previous happy life as it was owned by a couple in the throngs of a divorce settlement and the car took a far amount of abuse. That said, we have had some expensive repairs that I feel were not related to the previous owner. The following have given us grief:

    A/C evaporator coil
    Drivers power seat cable
    Tail gate rattle
    PNP switch
    Heater blower motor
    Console shift lock

    And now the car had to be towed to the garage due to a locked up left rear wheel from delaminating parking brake shoes.

    We have an excellent mechanic who used to work in a Volvo dealership and he has been doing our service for 27 years and he tries, really tries to keep on top of things, but this Volvo is not on par reliability wise with previously owned models. I have a 98 S70 with 140,000 Kms on it that I don't expect to get the same lifespan out of it as my recently sold 84 240. That one went 360,000 Kms and is still in service today. But time will tell.








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    volvo 850 reliability 850

    I would say overall reliability is good, but the reliability of the subsystems is in serious need of improvement. With "little things" not behaving as planned and costing hundreds of dollars to replace, you end up with a vehicle that is not keeping up with the best cars. Other manufacturers are improving faster than Volvo, particularly in the electrical systems. Even though Volvo is now marketed as a "near-luxury" car, I think the wiser way to buy them and run them is with as few bells and whistles as possible. The basics of the 850 are bulletproof.

    Steve.








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    volvo 850 reliability 850

    We have a 96 850 wagon with 100K. The PO maintained it to the hilt. Going thru the service records, all he really replaced was front brake rotors outside normal maintance items. I did the dist cap, rotor and wires this afternoon and considerng they had 100K on them they looked pretty darn good. Car runs and rides like a dream. I'm at a loss to explain why some folks just have one thing after another go wrong. Maybe it's the moon phase it was built under?? We also have a 91 740 with 191K. It's been bulletproof with no major problems.

    bl








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    volvo 850 reliability 850

    We have a 1995 850 turbo wagon with 113K. We bought it as a lease return in 1998 with 51K. I’ve done brakes myself a few times (rotors and pads), replaced fluids religiously every year (tranny, brake, coolant), top and bottom motor mounts, and plugs cap and rotor on a regular basis. Other than that, the most expensive maintenance I’ve done is to replace the two molding strips that run over the top of the car ($320). Our 850 has been extremely reliable.








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    volvo 850 reliability 850

    While I have only owned our '98 S70 for a few months and put ~2000 klm on it, from the service records at the previous owner's dealership the only unusual repair has been to replace the hydraulic modulator. Other than normal regular servicing & consumeables, the car's history and conversations with the previous owner shows that it has performed without any problems. I intend to keep the car for at least another 5 years and will be doing all the preventative maintenance on it myself with the help of other 'brickers' and sites such as Bay 13, Matthews volvo site and 'ozbrick'.
    --
    '98 N/A S70 135,000 Klm








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    volvo 850 reliability 850 1995

    I bought my 1995 850 GLT in Feb. 1999 w/ 71000 miles from a dealer auction - it has now 131000 miles. I had to change ABS module ~ $450.00 from junk yard, one ball jt (arm) ~ 150.00, radiator $400.00 and one engine mount $140.00 - all the prices include parts and labor and done by my mech.
    I myself replaced the top engine mount ($12.00), plugs, rotor and cap (~$100.00), cleaned egr. I do my brakes myself ( they wear fast here in NYC).
    My Air cond. needs recharge every year w/ 12 oz of freon ( do it myself as well as tranny flush).

    I don't think I spend a lot in 5 years - w/ any american car of this mileage it would be much more.








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    volvo 850 reliability 850

    i've got a 96 850, 120k, and it has been the most reliable of the four volvos I've operated over the last fifteen years. One ac evaporator has been the biggest expense and really the only failure.
    Wish the 99 v70 could come close to the 96 850 in reliability and quality.








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      volvo 850 reliability 850

      I think it depends on personal experience. Overall, I think the 850,S70, V70 have been pretty good.

      I have a 1995 850 wagon (5 speed) with 148,000 on it. I have only changed brake pads once (Original rotors), timing belt twice, serpentine belt, shocks (Upgraded to Bilstines) thermostate, plug wires, cap, rotor etc. what I would consider basic preventative maintainence. I flush all the fluids alot, change the oil ever 6,000 miles (Synthetic)

      It has been super.

      I also have a 1999 S70 with 108,000 on it (5 speed) I did have to replace the heater core on this and while I was at it replaced the evap. about 800 for both combined, parts, labor. One clutch sensor went (40 bucks) a few light bulbs (tailight, headlight)other than that it has been flawless.

      I specifically ordered the cars with european specs, ie 5 speed, manual seats, I even ordered manual climate control in the 99. The dealer thought I was nuts. Keep it simple, less to break.

      John.








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        volvo 850 reliability 850

        At last another guy that thinks like me, keep it simple. All those fancy gizmo's cost a fortune to fix when they fail, even doing it your self.








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          volvo 850 reliability 850

          I'm like you and John!
          We have a '95 & '96: both N/A, manual climate control, sunroof & seats and we never had major problems with our bricks.... knocking on wood!!

          --
          Dennis








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          volvo 850 reliability 850 1997

          I have a 97 T-5 with 96K on it. I just replaced the front brakes and rotors a couple of weeks ago. I love this car. I have had it for 4 years. The only things I have done are normal maint. items and a few performance upgrades. IPD upper strut brace, K&N filter, ss/kevlar brake lines and ATE high temp. fluid. When the exhaust goes, I will upgrade to the TME high flow from IPD.

          The only broken part is the ABS/TRACS module. I may opt to fix it with a junkyard part or just leave it. We don't get too many days of really slippery roads in the S.F. Bay Area.

          I plan to drive it as long as it will keep running.

          My 87 740 GLE has 190K and it gets 30+mpg!







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