850 purchase advice?

DavidH · Post by **DavidH** » 17 Jun 2004, 16:32

My 745T is finally wearing out (260K), and I've about decided to replace it with an 850 or V70 wagon. Other than the obvious take-it-to-a-trusted-mechanic advice, what are the most common problems/weak links to be aware of? I'm shopping the '95-'98, $7-10K range.

Is the performance of the 222 hp turbo engine really preferable to the 168hp and 190hp engines? What about the R engine (looking at one tomorrow)? Are any of them to be avoided on reliability grounds (like the old fergawdsakes don't buy the 760 V6)?

Thanks, David

Tsquared · Post by **Tsquared** » 17 Jun 2004, 17:12

DavidH wrote:My 745T is finally wearing out (260K), and I've about decided to replace it with an 850 or V70 wagon. Other than the obvious take-it-to-a-trusted-mechanic advice, what are the most common problems/weak links to be aware of? I'm shopping the '95-'98, $7-10K range.

Is the performance of the 222 hp turbo engine really preferable to the 168hp and 190hp engines? What about the R engine (looking at one tomorrow)? Are any of them to be avoided on reliability grounds (like the old fergawdsakes don't buy the 760 V6)?

Thanks, David

I like the turbo that I had... I had a hard time keeping my foot out of it. I now have the n/a 20-valve and it performs adequately. With any turbo engine you will have a greater expense because of more moving parts. If they are properly maintained you should not have too many issues with them. In Atlanta a 96 n/a 850 w/ leather with 110k miles will retail for $5500-6500.

As a rule of thumb the 850 will not be as reliable as the 740. Just because of the design differences (fontwheeldrive vs. rwd). Go to www.Edmunds.com for a fairly close valuation on used cars.

The April Consumer Reports gives the 96,97, & 02 as average reliability; 99 & 01 as worse than average reliability; and 00 & 01 as better than average reliability. There is no mention of turbo vs. non-turbo.

Another alternative is to drop a 5.0 ford v8 into the 745. There are a few kits out there for that mod.

There is a supercharged 740 wagon running in the 12 sec range here in NW Atlanta. Externally it looks stock.

DavidH · Post by **DavidH** » 17 Jun 2004, 17:38

It's not the engine in my 745T that's going, it's the rest of the car. It's had Mobil 1 its whole life and I still don't have to add oil between 3000 mile changes. I did have to replace the original turbo at 145k, but the new water-cooled unit is still going--I'm very careful to let it warm up before goosing and spin down before shutting down. I'm prepared for the turbo maintenance issues; I really value the extra punch. I'm just looking for some screening criteria as I begin my search.

thx

Post by **matthew1** » 17 Jun 2004, 22:51

I can't remember reading one item on the web of a turbo-specific problem with 850s.

Compared to the good old days of RWD Volvos, the 850 and newer models don't stand a chance in terms of maintnenance. They're simply an order of magnitude more complex, and the average cost per mile is going to be higher.