how great is the 850 or How I used this site

[j-dawg]

I am also surprised at 21 years with no rust on the body panels.

i was attracted to 850s even as a wee lad, for some reason, but after my last car began to succumb to rust the main thing drawing me to the volvo was rust resistance. i can only recall ever seeing two rusty P80 cars, and they both stood out precisely because it's such a rare sight.

mine spent its early life in the northeast and has been in the midwest for a few years now. not a speck of corrosion on the chassis. everything else can be fixed, but rust is a dealbreaker. once you start seeing the bubbles creeping in on the fenders of a honda...sure, it'll go to 300k with oil changes and a timing belt, but is it worth it when its days are numbered? FWD volvos just don't rust, so stage zero is always achievable. that's what drew me to them.

[osman]

As long as I can keep buying them for between $500-$1000 I will keep fixing them, driving them and selling them, keeping good cars out of already full salvage yards. They need the space for all the Chrysler sebrings, Mercedes ml320's, and BMW X3's.

[dosbricks]

kahl, I can relate to the attachment you feel for these machines. We bought our S70 new and picked up the wagon about a year later. Soon after that the dealer in our smaller city closed which was the best thing that could have happened for me. It started me looking for information online to purchase parts and do maintenance and repair--which led to this great forum!

Now in our retirement, they have aged with us, but the bodies are still straight and they look great, so we have no plans to buy any other cars and are committed to keeping these in good condition. We have learned from the experience of others and that knowledge creates a bond with the vehicle. Besides, you have to respect the quality with which these hockey pucks are put together.

[cn90]

I am also one of the few car owners who hang on the cars for as long as possible.

I bought the 1998 V70 new in Chicago, it was totaled in Oct 2012 @ 125K miles.
I was going to get a "newer" 2005 2006 S60/S80 but somehow the classic look of S70 brought me back to the 1998 year. I bought a well-maintained 1998 S70 GLT at 145K, it is now at 160K and runs like a charm b/c I brought it back to Stage zero.

I personally do not care for the "modern technology" (well, I can live with it but I don't care for it). Things such as throttle by wire (we have a Honda with TBW at home) or direct ignition.

There was nothing wrong with conventional throttle or cap/rotor system. But modern engineers decide to do away with these things, only to end up with ETM issues (which they fixed) and burned ignition coils.

Give me a car with technology from yesteryear (conventional throttle and cap/rotor) and I will be glad to drive it.

[rmmagow]

I had always liked boxy wagons. Volvo, VW, BMW whatever, really just like wagons for some reason. I bought my first a few years back, a 98 R, loved it but was seriously afraid of it since either this site didn't exist or at least I didn't know about it. Sold it and drove my old MB W123 sedan for a few years. Saw the V70 I own now at a shop where mostly Volvos were being "wheeler dealered" and this one the owner drove so when it showed up outside with a sign, I bought it. 155K then, 218K now with lots of work but very little money needed. Bought my wife an S70 because she wanted a sedan version of my car. We are both happy. I'm 2 years from retirement and plan to grab any decent 98's I run across to play with in my dottage. They are pretty impressive cars considering the age and miles on them. Only my old Mazda 929 ever came close to them. I drove those to well over 250K but they get to a point where they just can't be fixed anymore.
I do plan to find a nice 2004~2007 for taking on trips and such - maybe. The 98's seem reliable enough to run cross-country. Hell, 218K what's another 6 or so. This site and it's helpful members make it all possible