Sourcing a front driver's side door

[artXisXdead]

1995 850 Wagon

I'm trying my best to stick with a white door as I'm a little ways off from repainting the car (keeping it white). I've done some preliminary digging and can't find it locally. I was wondering if anyone here has had any luck on ebay or with any other private sites.

Thanks

[Ozark Lee]

Don't limit your search to the wagons, the sedan doors are identical and interchangeable.

My neighbor across the street, a retired college professor, has trouble with mundane things like backing his car out of his driveway and he managed to cave in the doors on both of my kid's cars. For my daughter's car I got really lucky and found a near perfect replacement at a local pick-n-pull. I think I paid $50.00 for it and it took all of 45 minutes to swap it out. Other than a slightly different shade of tinting you couldn't tell the difference at all.

On my son's car I was never so lucky but his was the dark green color that wasn't as popular as my daughter's white car. Salvage yards are what they are and the inventory is in constant motion. Particularly with white, I would say your odds of finding one are pretty good if you are patient. The other options are places like Erie VoVo or Tom's Foreign but the freight tends to eat you alive. I have not had good luck buying body panels from places like eBay since most of the sellers don't have the means to properly package them for shipment.

...Lee

[abscate]

If you get one from Erie I can help Milgram ship it to you, from NY to PHL area.

[MadeInJapan]

Got a rear door for my T5 70 several years ago also from Erie. It was a great price especially since it was less than $500 shipped and insurance paid out like $1400... then window and lift mechanism I was able to sell for more savings overall! I installed my tinted window from the original car in it rather than going to get matching tint.

[bmdubya1198]

Also check Craigslist for people parting out 850s in your area. You never know what you might find.

Got a rear door for my T5 70 several years ago also from Erie. It was a great price especially since it was less than $500 shipped and insurance paid out like $1400... then window and lift mechanism I was able to sell for more savings overall! I installed my tinted window from the original car in it rather than going to get matching tint.

I'm sorry, you paid $500 for a rear door? Was it made of gold?

[E Showell]

If you don't mind a day drive to Pa. you can get a complete door at Harry's U-Pull It for less than $50 including all switches, glass, interior door panel, etc. You can check inventory on-line and it includes the color of the car in question as well as the year. What the computerized inventory won't tell you is whether the car listed in inventory still has the door you need on it, or whether that door is undamaged. Hazelton has the largest inventory.

[SonicAdventure]

I had to laugh when I read this as I have had my own driver side door travails.

When I bought my V 70 the driver side door had a huge dent in it, the lock didn't work and the window was off track.

Long story short, I found a guy with a same year and color s70 with a blown head gasket selling the entire car for $400 on eBay. I told him the car was nothing to me, I only wanted the door. Paid him $200 cash for the door, he scrapped the rest of the car. I was willing to pay a little more than junkyard prices since it was the same color exterior and interior and had similar paint aging...you cannot tell the door hasn't been on my car all along. Plus, after I stripped all the good parts off my old door (glass, all switches, wiring, mirror, window regulator, etc) I now have a kitchen cabinet full o' good OEM Volvo parts should I need them in the future. If I could have bought the whole car for $400 I would have, but I live in an apartment and already have two cars. Simply couldn't swing a 3rd.

For a white 850, I would hold out for a parts car if you have the space. Strip everything useful and scrap the carcass. There are people selling blown motor or failed AWD 70 series cars in my area for between $300-500, maybe a little more for one that might pass inspection. Several trips to a junkyard for various parts could cost you several hundred anyway; if you can just buy a white parts car. If we were talking a P2 body or newer, yeah, try to just buy the door. But 15-20 year old cars are right at their "parts car" prime...never will there be more potential to get them dirt cheap and still lots of serviceable years on the used parts. If we were talking about 240 or 740 series cars, most "parts cars" are total dogs sitting on flat tires under a pile of trash in someones' garage or full of rats nests in the back of someone's yard. The 850 and 70 series cars are prime pickings in the parts car realm at the time of this writing. Another 5-10 years and that won't be the case.

Good luck. If I see any white 850s for sale cheap I'll post links.

[abscate]

Also check Craigslist for people parting out 850s in your area. You never know what you might find.

Got a rear door for my T5 70 several years ago also from Erie. It was a great price especially since it was less than $500 shipped and insurance paid out like $1400... then window and lift mechanism I was able to sell for more savings overall! I installed my tinted window from the original car in it rather than going to get matching tint.

I'm sorry, you paid $500 for a rear door? Was it made of gold?

They are actually Platinum

[MadeInJapan]

Maybe it wasn't that much but with quick shipping to TN it was close to that if I recall. The good news was that the paint was a perfect match and I made out well when considering what insurance paid me and what I got for parts off the door (and old door). The bashed door went to the scrap yard along with other scrap metal and I made $ there too. All and all 30 mins of labor and the door was a perfect fit (including the window a swap- I still have the untinted window). The door is still on the car to this day and you cannot tell it was ever a replacement.

[JimBee]

I agree with SonicAdventure: But 15-20 year old cars are right at their "parts car" prime...never will there be more potential to get them dirt cheap and still lots of serviceable years on the used parts.

When i bought my 93 850 in 2008 U-pulls around Minneapolis were well stocked with 850's, including regularly arriving 93's. One reason I've stuck with the 850's, is that wonderful inventory. The cars are solid and with used and occasionally some new parts, should be serviceable for 30 years or more, especially since I don't put high miles on them. Time permitting, I regularly enjoyed harvesting trips to these yards for several years. I have quite an inventory of parts now, to keep 3 850's runnable. That was a fun era, shopping for the needed part, finding a few other newish looking parts. I miss it. The last couple of years has been back to the obsessions with real world stuff, pulling together a few decades of professional work.

Several years ago, somebody backed the corner of his big van into the rear drivers side of my dark green 855, really caved it. He told me my car was against the curb and up off the ground. Window and internals destroyed. I knew the guy, he was apologetic. I knew where the replacement door was. He went with me, we pulled it came back did the switch. He bought the door—$39.00 complete (which saved us both insurance hassle). The hit couldn't have been better placed, only a very slight wrinkle on the side panel by the latch. Replacement closes perfectly with no adjustments needed. No suspension damage that I could see. Drives fine. After a run through the car wash it still has some luster. It's a 5 speed manual with an exhaust tone that has a little attitude. It's a keeper.