1998 850 R wagon lowered suspension

ElsaS · Post by **ElsaS** » 28 Mar 2012, 20:24

Hi,

I'm very close to purchasing a 1998 850 R Volvo wagon. I love this car! When I drove it though the shocks were terrible, everything else was great. The suspension is lowered and I'm wondering if this could be the reason the shocks seem bad? I'm taking it to a mechanic before buying it and want to ask him to check it out. I am wondering if the lowered suspension is custom or does this model come this way? I'm so new to volvo and am not a mechanic in the least so I appreciate any advice, thanks!

D_V_ENT850R · Post by **D_V_ENT850R** » 28 Mar 2012, 21:12

They do not come lowered. Lowering the vehicle will make a rougher ride. If they just cut the springs that could be a concern but if done right its ok. Too low would be bad. If its a 98 then it would be a V70R. Welcome to Volvo and the forum.

Post by **rspi** » 28 Mar 2012, 22:34

Yea, the last year of the 850 was in '97. You may want to run a VIN check with www.Autocheck.com. If you are NOT handy, you may want to stay away from these cars, they will nickle and dime you to death. Lots of maintenance and more maintenance. Should cost you about $75 per month to maintain.

neworleans · Post by **neworleans** » 29 Mar 2012, 07:39

Most likely you will need to replace the spring seats and sway bars as well. If you can lift the front, hold the tires tight and try to move it and see if you feel any loose, if you do, you may need to replace inner or outer rods...

ElsaS · Post by **ElsaS** » 29 Mar 2012, 10:54

Thank you for all the advice. It is a 97. My mistake. I checked the vin # and it all checks out. Eeesh. Hopefully it won't cost me an arm and a leg to maintain.I may have to put some $$ into it initially which I'm prepared to do. I'm getting a good deal so maybe its worth the extra $$. I'm pretty sure the lowered suspension was done by the Volvo mechanic who owned it for years before my friend purchased it. Does lowering the suspension make it more sporty or something? I would want to change that but I imagine that could be costly.

neworleans · Post by **neworleans** » 29 Mar 2012, 12:28

Just curious, how much are you paying for it and what is the mileage?

RDEJR · Post by **RDEJR** » 30 Mar 2012, 15:04

If/when you remove the lowering equipment... let me know if you want to sell those springs...

ElsaS · Post by **ElsaS** » 01 Apr 2012, 21:09

Now I'm not sure I want to buy it. It didn't pass smog and the mechanic is taking it tomorrow. It has 190k miles. I love this car but not sure I want to buy a car I'm going to have to bring in every couple of months. I also watched the gas gauge go down right before my eyes while driving it on the freeway. Does that mean too much gas in the mix? Gas mileage is really bad on this car for some reason. Like 12mpg. Its super fun to drive though and everything else is in tip top shape. I've seen 4 other pre-owned Volvos and all of those had either rips, tears and stains, duct taped dash on the inside,dents, some had bad brakes, broken windshield,etched paint etc...this one is squeeky clean white , immaculate leather suede interior, new tires below $4,000.00 ( but that could change since hes having to put more into it before selling it ) ho hum