Guys,

I am thinking of buying 850R wagon, 1996, auto transmission, 125 000km, single onwer, always garaged ... etc. Nice looking car(on picture). I have not driven the vehicle yet. Will drive it tomorrow. This is in Australia.
I don't have any experience with the 850 series. I am very familiar with 740 89 Turbo - my current car. The basic maintenance is relatively simple.
By reading the different postings I am getting the picture that:
a) (-)850 series are not as reliable as 2, 7 and 9 series
b) (-)the basic maitenace is more complicated and expensive
c) (+)they seem to be safer
d) (+)to some extend are more fun to drive.
Could you tell me what should I look for when choosing 850R (the hooligan Volvo) ?
I have read horror stories about the AC, shocks, bumpy ride, electricals, leaks, ... What are the risks ?
What is someone experience in switching from 7,9 series to 850 ? Is it worth moving to 850 ? Any 850 "gotchas" for novices ?
Any opinion will be greatly appreciated !!!

Regards Steven

I agree with Wolfgang's post. I have a 97 850R wagon w/ 153000 miles on it. Here are the major repairs I've done:

ABS pump (under warrnty before 50K mi)
EVAP (also under warranty, after about a year, I needed to start topping the R134a up every once and a while if I wanted A/C)
Rear main seal ($750 USD)
Driver side ball joint & a-arm (ruined a tire because it failed)

Cheap and easy, but big differences noticed:
swaybar endlinks
Turbo return line seal
Upper engine mount

I do as much maintenance that I can by myself (Timing belt, tune-ups, flushes of fluids, brakes, etc... the dealer charges are nuts and I'm cheap).

I use Mobil 1 synthettic on the AT and engine. It's a hoot to to drive because I can haul a bunch of stuff if necessary and still make people look like morons at stoplights in their pimped-up Civics.

The 17" Volans wheels are awesome, but look out for those potholes-- they ruin tires and rims quickly.

Good luck!

Thank you all for the detail feed back !
I check the history of this 850R. Seems fine. Called the mechanic that had serviced the vehicle. Got positive response.
I will probably buy this car. But I will keep my 89 740Turbo for the moment.
Driving a turbo is like drinking beer or wine ... It's an acquired taste ...
Once you start doing it you don't go back ;-)

Regards Steven

Steven,
There is a later post from a fellow Aussie - Gun740, who would like to chat about an S70. I think he should buy an 854 T6. At least both of you are on the same time zone.

Summer time??? We are waiting for our first big snow.

Klaus
--
98 V70Rawd(101Kmi), 95 854T(85K mi), 88 245(165K mi)

Thank you all for the detail feed back !
I check the history of this 850R. Seems fine. Called the mechanic that had serviced the vehicle. Got positive response.
I will probably buy this car. But I will keep my 89 740Turbo for the moment.
Driving a turbo is like drinking beer or wine ... It's an acquired taste ...
Once you start doing it you don't go back ;-)

Regards Steven

Hi Steven

I see you have some replies - but here is some more info from a fellow Australian:

My 850R manual sedan has 185000kms now (i have had it from 140000kms) and a summary history (which I believe is typical) of the more significant items is as follows:

AC - now on to 3rd evaporator. With latest evap, pollen filter was fitted which should improve life.
Brakes (1) - ABS module died replaced at 170000 with a changeover repired one.
Brakes (2) - warped rear rotors, most likely because some bonehead didn't torque the wheel studs - replaced with non-factory.
Steering rack - changeover at 140000 kms. Was leaking oil.
Clutch - was heavy and noisy. Replaced at 160000 kms. Did rear main seal at same time. I notice you are considering an auto so this should not be an issue.
Heater matrix - replaced at 100000 kms. Was leaking.
Front wheel bearing (only one side) at 160000 kms.
Drivers door checkstrap - badly damaged chassis side anchor point. Had it welded up for $50.
Wheels - should have volans (17x7) on it I believe. Prone to damage from potholes and the like. New replacements are Aus$645 each so check them well. Spare should be same as what is on the car. Can get them repaired for about $150 each if only slightly whacked but it is hard to match the original finish - might as well repaint all 5 of them.
Heater hoses (block to firewall) - one leaked, both replaced - expensive hoses from Volvo.
Climate control - one actuator motor and one sensor at 140000 kms. If there is something amiss with the climate control, the two orange leds on the ECC panel will flash for about 20secs when you start the car.
Engine torque arm bush - a regular replacement but not expensive. I use the original rubber ones 'cos I have found the "plastic" ones to be too harsh. Just consider them to be a 40000 km consumable.

Presently the car is in good shape and running well. Standing up well to the wear and tear of Melbourne traffic. A bit of a sleeper 'cos few people know what an 850R is.

Before I bought the car, when the heater matrix failed, the engine was cooked and required a head rebuild. This cost a heap! Should not have happened if the previous owner was watching out for the coolant level light.

One key is to maintain it regularly (Check service history and receipts), give it frequent oil changes, and make sure the timing belt is changed on schedule. Find a non-factory service mechanic. I save about 50% on my maintenance costs doing this and get better service in terms of providing options (ie types of brake rotors & pads, changeover parts, free loan car, etc.

They tell me if it is an 850, there will always be three things wrong with it (I agree), so provided these are trivial then all is well.

My 850R is fun to drive. I chipped it (Powerchip) a couple of weeks ago and the fun meter has been turned up somwhat it is also more economical than before. I have always run it on Optimax or similar premium unleaded. I consider the maintenance and repairs to not be abnormal compared to other cars that I have owned.

Wolfgang

Steven

oops - just re-read my post. Obviously, if you have an auto, you still have a rear main seal!

Wolfgang

Thank you all for the detail feed back !
I check the history of this 850R. Seems fine. Called the mechanic that had serviced the vehicle. Got positive response.
I will probably buy this car. But I will keep my 89 740Turbo for the moment.
Driving a turbo is like drinking beer or wine ... It's an acquired taste ...
Once you start doing it you don't go back ;-)

Regards Steven

Every model has it's weaknesses and strengths. The AC is weak, but I just add more R134a once in a while. The oil hose on the back of the turbo can leak and the tranny needs to be flushed at least once a year.
The R model has too much power! It is fun to drive and you need to watch the speedometer so you don't get tickets. A little rough on bumpy roads, but it doesn't lean on corners either. Much tighter than your 740, better climate controls, harder to work on the engine, more plastic pieces, and a lower air dam to get caught on curbs.
I like my 854T and 70R, but the 245 gets me there too.

Klaus
--
98 V70Rawd(101Kmi), 95 854T(85K mi), 88 245(165K mi)

I have a 1991 740 with 240,000 miles and a 1995 850 turbo with 142,000 miles. These are my observations so far.

The 850 turbo is fun to drive but I miss the turning radius of the 740. I haven't tried to change the timing belt on the 850 (it was changed before I bought it at 118k), but I know that it will be much more difficult than the 740. I just replaced the heater core in the 850 (wasn't too difficult). My biggest headache right now is the notorious driver's door stop. There is a design defect that causes the weld to break resulting terrible sound every time you open the door. The 850 also tends to have an over active OBDII system that is always triggered by stray codes. I have a code reader and clear them as they come up. Otherwise, the check engine light would be on all of the time.

The other thing that you didn't mention is the main rear seal. This is a weak point and costs around $800-1000 to replace. It seems to be more of a problem with the non-turbo models.

You can find a lot of informaion about 850s at www.volvospeed.com. The repair section (Bay 13) has a wealth of information on repairing 850s.

Regarding the door stop--this is very easy and cheap to fix--go to this link:

http://au.geocities.com/ozbrick850/body.html

I did this myself in less than an hour. And yes, you can lift the door off the hinges yourself, I did. But if you have a helper it will obviously be easier.

96 850T 95k miles

I tried the repair on my 850 last month and it didn't work for my car. If I remember correctly, the access whole was in a different location. I was suprised at how easily the door came off. My son wanted to know why he couldn't drive it without the doors on warm days.

Thanks Dave !
I agree - the turning raduis on 2/7/940 is just great. I can't think of a similar car that can match it. I won't sell my 89 740T even if I decide to buy the 850R.

Regards Steven