Seeing as my car ('93 850 GLT, "White beauty" is her name) just turned 102k miles last week, I was wondering to myself how many 850 owners ask their vehicles to perform on a rigorous, everyday basis or just once in a while.

Since I'm in school at the moment, I don't drive my 850 very often, but when I do, it is always on the weekends and always on a long road trip because I love to drive long distances. I have driven from Burlington, VT to Concord, NH just to have lunch and driven back to VT, all for the thrill of it. And it is all interstate driving that I do, and my car almost always sees 80+ mph and 3000+ rpm without fail.

I'm just curious to see if the other 850 owners out there are intending to drive the wheels off their cars, just like 240 drivers often do...


Juan P.
'93 850 automatic, 102k miles owned since 41k

My 850 wagon has > 175k and still gets driven at 90+ on a regular basis - talk about the ultimate family truckster. Best thing - it still runs strong and gets thumbs up from the certified Volvo service facility for mechanical condition.

My 97-855 is used for my business. Weekly in town trips and quarterly 1000-1500 mile road trips. With only 72K she is still spunky, but there comes a time when she will either be a relibility risk or appear a little dated. I plan to use her for work another two to three years and then keep her as my around town classic. I wish I liked the way the new V-70s. Thats part of what keeps me with this fabulous car for 7 years.

We bought "Magnus", a black '96 855 T-5, in late December 02 with 66k. It now has 91k so yes, we drove the hell out of the car in the first year of ownership. That has changed now, as we've bought a new-to-us second car with less miles that my wife uses for a long commure. I drive the 855 to work every day (5-7 miles) and we've used it for all of our long trips from upstate NY to: VT, Philly, MI, NC, FL, OH, and so on.

I would like to think the car will be a 200k brick but I don't know if it will. It just doesn't seem as bulletproof as the old 200/700 cars. We do all maintenance religiously but still we've hit most of the well known 850 trouble spots in the year we've owned it. Par for the course, maybe. It does run great despite those problems, and on the highway, wow! That T-5 is a rocket sled.

--Dan L.
Binghamton, NY

96 855 T-5 91k miles
00 Saab 9-3 36k miles

MY 93 850 glt 5 sp just turned 100k

I bought it with 30k on it years ago, and drive the crap out of it the 93
is a better car than my 97 850. I have changed the oil every 3000
and kept up with all the maint.

my evap leaks but I fill it twice a year for 12 bucks thank god
I have a 5 speed, I understand 93 was a bad year for automatics.

I drive mine about 75 miles a day. Mostly highway.
By the way, long highway trips are easy miles on a car
(even at 80 mph). No braking, no engine shifting, just
rolling along with a pretty constant engine speed.

Cab drivers are the ones that demand a lot from a car.
10 miles under a cab drivers hand in a city is more wear
then 100 miles on the highway. Police use would also be
pretty hard, too. I know 850s are used as police vehicles
in some countries (that says a lot).

Now the hardest use, I bet that is delivering newspapers. Our
newspaper carrier drives a toyota from house to house. He
accelerates, brakes, throws the paper, repeats.... Man that has
to be a lot of wear on the car.

Well I have a 95 GLT 2.5 20v, I drive around 60 miles a day half of that on narrow bumpy bendy irish roads, this car handles them like a dream, and it has never let me down ever! It does everything I ask of it. I keep it serviced regularly with all volvo parts and and fully synth oil. no intention of getting rid of it....

i have almost 230k km or 140 something miles on it.
Its been a good car, never let me down. I do the regular maintenance on it.
I've had the car 2 years now and done the brakes once (I got free parts from a friend) 02 sensor (finally did that - never worked right from start)
tranny flush, timing belt/serp belt, dash lights, new set of wheels from hitting deep pot holes, Sway bar end link, right and top motor mount. I did everything except timing belt/serp belt/right motor mount.
Everything works on the car and I tend to be hard on the car.
If theres space ahead of my I'll let the turbo go.
Hwy speed when available is 100mph. (most people up here cruise at that speed anyways. I like the bottom end on the car anyways. The turbo off the line rocks and its not even in sport mode unless I feel threatened.

I will probably drive mine until the monthly cost of upkeep surpasses the cost of buying new and then I will buy new, or unless I can afford something newer and better sooner.

Rick in Centennial Colorado

i deman a lot of my 850. i do a lot of highway driving, especially in the summer and a lot of city driving. i put about 45,000 miles on my car a year.
--
Drew

Drew- What year's your car?