Learn me volvo 850glt wagons

Due to recent issues w/ my daily driver, I need to find a second car for the house.

Requirements:

1) Rel. cheap( $2k> )

2) Rel. reliable( compared to a ford explorer which we had no major isses out of until recently or our honda accord which has been perfect)

3) More backseat and cargo room than a 1999 explorer( needs to fit 2 car seats ) and the necess. baby stuff if needed

4) 25+ mpg highway( I drive 60+ miles/day for work )

5) I need to be able to get a year's use out of it.

Still looking at beater minivans for me, gas sippers, etc...but I ran across a 1995 volvo 850 for $900.

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/2681930011.html

How are these as a dd and what are the trouble spots and reliabilty issues? The guy also says that it has a rough idle, that it has 160K on the clock and its a glt model.

What say you GRM??

I really like the ad.

Timing belt, timing belt, timing belt. I've never done one on a transverse whiteblock though.

In reply to m4ff3w:

Is the timing belt an easy first time job for the novice shade-tree mechanic?

i've done the belt. it was shockingly simple.

It was easy in the RWD car, I just don't know how much room there in the FWD car.

In reply to belteshazzar:

cool. I like shockingly simple. Does anything just scream, "Run away!!" from this car?( other than the college kid selling it...)

This is my daily driver.

I bought it in April this year and have put about 12,000 miles on it so far (now at 121k). Like m4ff3w said, timing belt. It's an interference engine. Mine had recently been done when I bought it, so I'm good to go. From what I've read, it's probably not a shade tree mechanic repair, but a good Volvo tech can do it quickly. I'm not aware of any major achillies heel, such as transmissions crapping out or anything. They require a certain brand spark plug. I forget off hand which one, it's the one that it came with from the factory. If you use another brand, everyone says the engine won't run properly. Like any higher end car, they'll require a bit more upkeep than a 15 year old Sentra, but I think they're pretty stout overall.

The cargo/people room is awesome. I've hauled all kinds of stuff in the back, especially with the back seat folded down (big gym equipment, an entire twin bedroom set). I've got 3 young kids and have had them in it with no issue. They all fight over who gets to sit in the built in booster seat in the middle. If you need a versatile DD that's not a van/truck, this is it.

I get about 24mpg in mostly suburban driving. It'll get 27mpg on the highway, but not much more. It's fairly slow, but it handles well for a wagon. Steering is a bit video game like.

Ad is a bit odd. I'd check the car out to make sure it wasn't abused/neglected. But if it was well cared for, they're great cars.

no really, a child could do the t-belt. there was even a lot of space to work, for a fwd.

Ditto- the timing belt on these is really easy.

They hold a ton of stuff and I recall reading that they hold a similar amount of stuff as the same era explorer. the 95 GLT is not a turbo, so it will have less stuff to go wrong throughout the car. You loose some turbo fun of course.

With decent maintenance, 160k is middle aged. If is a 5 speed it is way understressed, ditto with the auto box.

Front suspensions need a pretty thorough replacing at some point well before 160k. The PVC system and rear main seal that are problematic on turbos do not see the same crankcase pressure in a NA so they can hold up much longer.

They handle decently for grocery getting, and I have found them to have he same general sturdyness and build quality as the older RWD Volvos. In some circles that is a sacrilegious thing to say, but I have owned those and at this point I'd rather maintain a FWD by a longshot. If you put a decent suspension under one it will be a much much better handling vehicle than the said explorer if not a sports car.

hmm come income tax time I may have to keep my eyes open for one for da wife... she won't be pleased about no turbo... but sounds promising and simple... I dig volvos anyway... why not add a whiteblock to the family

I took this '95 from 106k miles to 165k miles and then gave it my brother who is still driving it.
I did not know it at the time I bought it but '95 is considered as good year to buy for quality and ease. In the later years the obd and obdII became more complex and difficult.
I would buy another and have recommended them here on the board before.

Air Conditioner Caution:
The entire car is built around the AC evaporator. If the AC is not working, expect that it never will and price accordingly. See previous write-ups:
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/volvo-850s70-eurotrash-or-treasure/8651/page1/

So this is a non-turbo, fwd car that fits most of my list. Not sure on reliability( based on history ), and even the seller admits that he's only owned the car for a year and that the owner b4 him had "fixed some things". I'm gonna try and setup a time to go look at it, and will def. have it checked out b4 money changes hands.

Kinda nervous that it sounds like this could be a real money pit if not maintained correctly and having the current owner being a college kid I doubt that any regular schedule has been kept. I'm using swedespeed.com for info now, so I'll keep digging around.

jrw1621 wrote: I Air Conditioner Caution: The entire car is built around the AC evaporator. If the AC is not working, expect that it never will and price accordingly. See previous write-ups: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/volvo-850s70-eurotrash-or-treasure/8651/page1/

Totally forgot about that. Great point. If the AC doesn't work, plan on doing without. Mine didn't work when I got it. I bought the recharge can at Autozone for $20. It worked long enough to keep my cool during the hottest part of the summer, but now would need a recharge again.

Another good Volvo info source. http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/

Make sure the odo is working. A really simply DIY fix to replace a small gear, notoriously expensive if farmed out. If odo is not working, ask for how long, since you really want to keep up the T belt maint.

The water pump really doesn't have to be changed with every T belt change, as I was told they're overbuilt and pretty sturdy. I changed my water pump only once in 230k miles and that was just a general maint thing with the T belt.

I do miss my '97 glt for all the reasons Klayfish mentioned

The kid says she is running a little rough and that it could need injector cleaning. Just remember that if is was that easy he would have done it!

Here is a good link and video on how to run a compression check on a Volvo.
http://volvospeed.com/volvo_repairs_how_tos/engine_repairs/compression_testing_diy.html
You will need a T30 torx screwdriver because everything on a Volvo 850 is done with torx fasteners. The torx are not a bad thing just something you need to be ready for.

jrw1621 wrote: Air Conditioner Caution: The entire car is built around the AC evaporator. If the AC is not working, expect that it never will and price accordingly. See previous write-ups: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/volvo-850s70-eurotrash-or-treasure/8651/page1/

A few things have to be removed to get to the evap core - it is true.

Everything else is pretty DIY friendly, and most all of the common issues won't leave you stranded. I've had mine for a decade and could probably drive it for another.

If you go look at one pull the dipstick while its running,if it looks like a geyser plan on doing the pvc system.Its about $120 in parts if bought thru gcpgroton etc but must be close to $200 if bought from the stealer,if it needs it buy everything in the system and replace completely.Its a bit of a pita to do as the intake manifold has to come off to get at it. If you don't do it it'll push oil past the rear main and cam seals,potencially soaking the rubber timing belt in oil,bad idea on the interference engine.

I just talked to the guy again and its def. an automatic non-turbo 855glt. Guy has no clue as to what work has been done to it, but I'm gonna stop by after work to look at it. As usual, there are other people that want to look at the car also. So, we'll see how it goes.

jrw1621 wrote: Air Conditioner Caution: The entire car is built around the AC evaporator. If the AC is not working, expect that it never will and price accordingly. See previous write-ups: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/volvo-850s70-eurotrash-or-treasure/8651/page1/

This issue is so painful I blocked it. This and the rear main seal are the two killers. My 850 needs the evaporator done now- I found a very qualified person to do it for $750 moonlighting. I almost cried when he quoted me as Indy shop retail is 1.5- 2K. I have no idea what dealer would want. 10K?

gjz30075 wrote: Make sure the odo is working. A really simply DIY fix to replace a small gear, notoriously expensive if farmed out.

I did the odometer gear this summer. It took 2-3 easy non cussing hours. Change the dash bulbs while your in there. Dealer will want $2000 for the bulbs and FCP has a kit for $20.

Shaun wrote:

jrw1621 wrote: Air Conditioner Caution: The entire car is built around the AC evaporator. If the AC is not working, expect that it never will and price accordingly. See previous write-ups: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/volvo-850s70-eurotrash-or-treasure/8651/page1/

This issue is so painful I blocked it. This and the rear main seal are the two killers. My 850 needs the evaporator done now- I found a very qualified person to do it for $750 moonlighting. I almost cried when he quoted me as Indy shop retail is 1.5- 2K. I have no idea what dealer would want. 10K?

Ok....I can be alittle slow at times, but I'm not getting the warm and fuzzies about this car now. It's kinda scary, actually. I gonna check it out today, but I'm gonna keep looking.

Thanks again.

Dont let me scare you. I really would buy one again. It was a great car that was a comfy cruiser as well as very functional.
Maybe there is too much knowledge but this really is a car that can go 300k miles and therefore the online support to just about every issue is really good.

In reply to jrw1621

I understand what you guys are saying. And I understand that every vehicle needs some level of maint. My concern is that while these may be great cars, the cost to play may wind up being too much for where we are right now. I don't want to buy a "great car" that I wind up parking b/c I can't afford to do the maint. or play catch up from the stuff that wasn't done earlier. Don't worry, its not completely ruled out, but its moving down the list.

jrw1621 wrote: Dont let me scare you. I really would buy one again. It was a great car that was a comfy cruiser as well as very functional. Maybe there is too much knowledge but this really is a car that can go 300k miles and therefore the online support to just about every issue is really good.

I agree 100%, and OP, you dont want to be doing a rear main seal or the condenser (if you need ac.) Those are the two big buck maintance issues. If the car is sound they are very good at what they do. I have a 1995 high pressure turbo 850 wagon that has been at 17psi for 90,000 miles (180k total). The transmission and motor sound the same, and work the same as when I bought the car. It uses a quart of oil or so per oil change (4-5 k) which is pretty much what it used 100k ago. The interior rattles more is the big change. We were going to replace it at 200k but since it has no interest in slowing down we are replacing the AC evaporator and pretty much the rest of the climate controll system and are going to see how far it will go before it gets tierd. They are tough buggers.

Take a torx set with you when you go look at it, lift the hood and remove the 3 or 4 torx screws closest to the passenger side holding the plastic cowl/wiper motor cover in place. Lift the cowl after removing the screws and check to see if there's a pollen filter on the HVAC blower motor intake. Not all came from the factory with filters, and if the dealer ever replaced the evaporator the weren't "supposed" to let it leave their shop with out adding a pollen filter. If the car has a pollen filter there's a 95% chance that it's either been there since day one and/or the evaporator has been replaced at some point, in either case there would be little reason to worry about the evaporator.

Just a little more to put you at ease, my sedan is a '95 GLT and it didn't have a pollen filter until I put one on last spring. it's been in my family since '03-ish and best as I can tell I've still got the original evaporator.

• Lee