Is a used Volvo 850 a good choice?

[jeffsenpai]

Good day,

I am considering buying a used 1993 Volvo 850 GLT. It has 104,000 miles on it,but seems to be in pretty good condition. I test drove it, and the only 2 big problems I noticed is that the accelerator seemed very stiff to push with my foot. I also noticed that some of the service lights on the dash were lit up, not too sure what these mean though.

My main question is this: Are Volvo's very expensive to repair parts/mechanic wise? (compared to a Ford/Toyota etc). What I basically need is a good car to get me around town reliably. I am a car novice, so repairing things myself may not be too much of an option. Do you think a used Volvo is a good idea to purchase? For a 93' model with only 104,000 miles on it, it seems very nice. I am taking it to a Volvo mechanic tomorrow, hopefully that will shed some light on my questions as well.

[Ozark Lee]

I am going to guess that the car is 4,000 miles overdue for a timing belt.

On a '93 the belt should be changed every 50,000 miles . With every other timing belt change you also need to change the water pump as well as the tensioners and rollers. I'm not sure what the shops charge but I just bought the parts to do mine on a '96 and it was over $300.00 for the parts.

If the only light on the dash was the service light that is no big deal at all. It is an oil change reminder light and it is easily reset. If the Check Engine Light is on that means the car is mad about something. The

[matthew1]

Buy a Toyota or Honda, unless the Volvo you're looking at is less than $1000 and the lights don't signal anything major, and the timing belt's been changed -- twice, by now. Maintenance records would be a big plus.

[chuckcintron]

The only people I recommend a used Volvo 850 to are insane people like me who don't mind spending most of their awake moments underneath a car's hood, or underneath a car. Or surfing the internet looking up "how do you fix..." information.

Really poor choice for someone who doesn't do repairs themselves. Especially if you don't have rock-solid proof of all prior maintenance and needed repairs on the car as being absolutely up to spec.

I bought my son a used Honda Accord two-door sedan, automatic. It's got no soul, but it has almost bizarre, faultless reliability. And, it gets around 33mpg.

His tool kit consists of his car key. I have a stacked roll-away with about $8,000 worth of stuff crammed in it.

-Chuck

[JRL]

I would stay away from a 93, 1st year car.
They made wholesale changes to the 94 model

[jtp]

As the proud new owner of my first volvo I've got to speak up for the 850 (although I own an s70, but its basically the same car.) I almost bought a camry before I got the s70 and I'm so glad I didn't. When you drive a honda or toyota or nissan you can just feel the lack of personality. Its like the car version of that Matrix villain who clones himself infinitely, it may be indestructible but its also boringly generic.
You probably know more about cars than I did when I got this volvo (which is not saying much) but in the mean time I've been reading up on the car here and at some other forums and I've got on order the offical volvo dvd repair manual for my car and it barely cost me anything (search 'vadis' at ebay.co.uk). Plus when something goes wrong virtually every question posted here gets a good answer, so you won't be left out to dry.
So to wrap up... if you want to do a little work to have you're family in a fun, extremely safe vehicle (not to mention your lower lumbar in those nice volvo seats) do the right thing and go for the volvo. If you do though, make sure it has full service records and I have also heard bad things about 93's at edmunds.com. If you are mostly out for reliability go for a non-turbo 850/s70 made after 93.

[DieselDoNicely]

Dont buy a 2 litre one, gutless and pig jump quickly to mind.

DDN

[chuckcintron]

Sure, nobody here is trying to disparage the 850 -- I love the car. But, for someone who states that they are an automotive repair novice so doing their own repairs may not be an option...I can guarantee that unless prior owner has trustworthy documentation of routine maintenance and needed repairs taken care of, then this is a recipe for a huge headache.

Uh...ABS light on...let me take it to the mechanic...new module...$500
...PNP switch failed....$300 parts/labor
...A/C evaporator....$1500
...PCV system clogged...$700
...front struts...spring seats...sway links...etc...$1000

I never recommend these cars to non-wrenchhead friends or family.

Now, some people drive these cars into the ground...don't care if they need to add a quart of oil a week, or if they are launched in a completely different vector after going over a bump in the road, or if they have to add a can of r134a every other Sunday...for folks like that then yeah if you can get the car cheap then why not.

-Chuck

[Maxbaby]

So being that my 850 is my first and only Volvo, do our intrepid commentators in this post feel that the rear wheel drive 7 and 9 series is a better way to go?... Just curious.

... and my 93 has 350,000km on the clock, burns no oil, runs like a charm, and I've had to put a nickel here and a dime there into it in parts. (Shocks, Struts, sway bar links cuz I was there anyway, PCV system/flame trap, seat heater pad and seat recline cable, trunk struts, antenna mast, defrost/floor flap in the dash). I've done the work myself which is why I love this board... has provided me with endless information. Not for the faint of heart but certainly not beyond a novice who wants to learn.

[jtp]

Ya, if you're not going to try and do some stuff yourself I can see going for a Japanese car, although the most reliable car I've ever owned has been an 89 Oldsmobile cutlass ciera. Having a kid in the backseat also probably has a lot to do with why I think volvos are worth the trouble. I'm definitely going for an 850 wagon when I can afford to dump the olds.