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Please Enlighten Me On The 850's 850

I agree with the prior poster. I got mine with a trans problem. Tomorrow I get her back from the shop, sans $3000 of my money. Not bitter really, hell - it WENT 108K with the factory fluid, when it wasn't designed to do that. Pretty good, actually.

AN AC should last you 14 years or so, on average. With the 850's, look for one with a pollen filter as stock and then see if you can find out if it's actually been changed from time to time. This will greatly save you in the end, as it prolongs the evaporator's life.

The 855 (wagon) tends to have that interior door panel (rear) come loose. Cheap to fix yourself, but time-consuming and annoying when it's rattling. Sounds like someone typing in the car with you.

If the flame trap is kept clean the RMS (rear main seal) won't become a problem most likely. No, it's really not harder than some other cars. You have to unmate the tranny. So what? Same story on all cars, a few dozen of which are at least as tight/hard/labor-intensive as the 850 - some are worse. Admittedly some are far better and easier.

Everyone keeps harping about the transmission being weak. Again, even though I've bought one myself I don't think so. It really all depends on the owner and the dealership. If the dealership was a religious 30,000 changer of fluid, then the car's probably fine even with a hundred grand on the clock.

If you buy a Volvo 850, check the trans fluid condition and drive it. Drive it HARD when you test it. Look for inconsistancies in the transmission, then when you're done with your test drive, look at it again. Also check that the engine has good compression in all 5 cylinders. Make sure you get the timing belt done unless someone can show you documentation that it was done less than 30,000 miles ago. Of course make sure oil was changed regularly if at all possible. Dealer service a plus but not necessary provided the documentation is there.

CHECK THE BRAKES!! While the brakes on these cars are OUTSTANDING and really can save your butt, they're spendy. Usually they'll tell you at a brake shop that they can't / won't regrind the rotors. They insist on replacement. I'd actually see if I could take it to a brake shop and have them check the brakes. New pads and rotors all around are going to be spendy.

Don't shy away from an 850 because it has miles. It's all about condition. Several folks here are in the 180 and 250 thousand mile range with limited problems, if any. That's very good for any car. They are complicated, though and I suggest having a european car service, or preferably a volvo-only service center look at the car with/for you before you buy.

I'd say the same for any car, though.






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