I have been looking at moving from my beloved 240 wagon to an 850, and found the following 1996 850 for $1000 on craigslist:

"1996 white Volvo 850 Wagon with gray leather seats. Recently passed smog check & replaced the transmission, but apparently there is a new hole in the exhaust now so it makes a very loud noise when accelerating and needs to be fixed -- this is why we have listed it $1500 below blue book value. It has a third seat (with the additional cushion). It also had the built-in car seat but it broke -- would not be difficult to fix though if you want it.

Otherwise, the body is in really nice condition -- no major scratches or dents, and we have put a lot of money into the car to keep the engine in decent condition. The "check engine" light goes on sometimes but our mechanic assures us it is a malfunctioning light, not the engine. These things were built to last indefinitely, and we have raised our 3 kids in it. This Vovlo only has about 200,000 miles, so the engine is just about broken in by now. :-)"

Just looking at similar recent posts, I read that issues could be timing belt, flame trap, abs controller, ball joints. Oh, and the cracked exhaust!

What do you think? Is it worth it?

Thanks for your input!