So...

I ended up falling into a 93 850 sedan with 130k on the clock, bought from an indy shop (ashburh european in Sterling, VA). So far, it seems like a very good car, but I've got reservations and questions, having never owned a Volvo before.

The trans, when driving around town, seems to shift an awful lot... upshift, downshift, upshift, downshift. on the highway, it does very nicely (super smooth -- I can see getting some tickets in this car ;-)) I just read a bit about the trans issues -- in the 93 specifically... how can I avoid becoming another statistic? is the frequent shifting a symptom of anything? Should I use "3" around town?

I didn't get an owners manual with the car, so there's all sorts of fun in trying to figure out just what the car is trying to tell me... for instance, I'm getting a light on the dash, most times at startup, lasting for 10-30 seconds. it looks like a lightbulb with radiating lines, and it's sort of orange-ish. WTF is it? Fluid levels are normal, and I cannot find any burnt out bulbs.

Is Valve tapping normal? it's not "pronounced", but I can hear it. It sounds to me like a lifter.

other than these issues/questions, this really does seem like a nice car. it's very smooth, and it's got some good guts when you get into the throttle. I guess I'm just a bit nervous since it's my first experience with this model of car. I know that some Volvos are legendary for their durability, but it seems like some are legendary for their faults as well...

any way...

Blue skies!

--skip