I picked up my wife's new (used) 850 on Saturday and drove it home, about a 140 mile drive through some mountains. What a pleasure! It seems this model is loaded with every option except for heated rear seats. The front seats are heated, it has the front and rear fog lights, powered moonroof, trip computer, TRACS, ECC, SIPS, automatic transmission modality selector, SC-811 audio system, Falkein (sp?) tires, 138k miles, 140k tuneup including timing belt, etc. It even has OBDII diagnostics. I had made a post earlier regarding which diagnostic tool I should look into. Some of the replies indicated that the OBDII system was unavailable until 1996, another reply indicated that OBDII might have been available in late 1995.

I checked the door panel and the vehicle was manufactured in 1994. The seller included paperwork that indicated the vehicle was sold in March, 1995. Here is a link to some pictures of the car.
http://www.micksmothers.net/gallery2/v/Billy/tempAlbum/Pictures+2005/The+Volvos/

I do have some problems with the vehicle as follows:

1. The check engine light is on. The seller said that the service tech who performed the tuneup said that the O2 sensor needed to be replaced, that it is probably the front sensor. How many sensors does this car have?

2. The driver's seat back won't tilt forward or back. I can hear the motor running and turning off when it reaches the end of it's stroke in either direction. I am assuming that a cable (or linkage of some type) is broken or disconnected. Does anyone have any experience with this problem? I have heard that removing the seat can trigger the SIPS (this is a mechanically-linked sensor system).

3. There is a slight amount of rust on the leading edge of the hood, directly above the driver's side headlight. The paint is bubbled. The area is approximately 3" accross by 1/2" tall. The leading edge also has some rock chips. The body has a couple of other small blemishes, including scuff marks on some of the bumper corners. I suppose that a good body shop can repair all of this as long as I am careful about the cost. However, I would like to find out about some of the undercoating/rustproofing programs that are available. Please share your experiences, brands, costs, performance, etc.


Thanks for the replies!

Ten Sleep