Los Angeles - running 1993 850 going to the dismantler?

[JimBee]

I'm still hanging on to my 93 850 GLT. It had some blemishes when I bought it in 2008—my first Volvo. I'd been looking for a used sedan and suddenly began noticing Volvos all around me in Minneapolis. So when this one popped up on Craigslist, I took it for ride and was immediately smitten. I'd never driven a car with such smooth and apparently well-engineered mechanics. It's a manual. It shifted like it had satin linkage and the gearing had a great feel. Plus the spontaneous acceleration at the touch of the accelerator, which it still has at ~200k miles. Seller let it go for $1k. That purchase took me to the junk yard many times, initially for a replacement sunroof, headlight and marker lights and MAF's.

It's showing its age, but still looks perfect on one side from ten feet away. There are a couple of rust spots on the roof panel and the right rear door and front fender, though I have clean OE replacements that I might get around to installing some day. Also in inventory there's a clean dash pad and 5 speed manual trans. Somebody had pulled the engine and left the trans there on the ground—I couldn't resist. Got the shifter, too. Hey, when you're in it for the long haul, it helps to have some spare parts.

The emerald green color and sport wheels still draw some views. It's been very reliable. I drive it mainly in the winter and will continue to do so. That low first gear with good tires pulls through 4 or 5 inches of snow quite deftly. Even during February's zero degree days it started every time.

I'll take it through a car wash with underbody spray in the next couple of days and park it until late fall. Until then, I'll be driving my two 855's. These cars have served me well since 2011 so I plan to keep them in the family for the foreseeable future. I would like a gentler ride over rough surfaces, but the pluses help me live with that.