Help! 1995 Volvo 850 with 95K?

[Java Man]

What's the issue with the ABS controller? My 94, with 220K turns the
ABS light on occasionally, and shows almost every fayult in the book
when I read it. ABS still works though, even when the light is on.

I had the ABS warning light coming on intermittently along with a few
other electrical symptoms -- shift lock staying on, turn signals
inoperative. It was fixed by replacing the ignition switch.

Rick

 

[Java Man]

I just ran across a 1995 Volvo 850 4 Door sedan with 95K miles for $3750.
I've been looking to buy a Toyota/Honda for under $5000 and ran across this.
But, I'm totally Volvo illiterate. Is this a good model and year? Are Volvos
reliable? The car has only had one owner and seems to be well-taken care
of -- can I get the same mileage out of a Volvo as I could a Honda or
Toyota? Chime in, anyone, please!

I've owned my 95 854T since new, and it now has 85,000 mi on it.

Notable repairs have included:
- disks replaced twice (normal -- they're a "consumable part")
- evaporator replaced
- CV boots replaced (I consider this normal for an 11 year old car
- battery replaced twice
- other normal service (timing belt, brake pads, etc.)

Notably, the exhaust system is original and so far, no problems.

It has been serviced by Volvo dealers since new whenever the mileage has
required it. (Dealers want you to come in every 6 months max, but in my
case that has only been every ~ 3800 mi.) Service is more expensive
than, say, my wife's Honda. But if it's done right, I am willing to pay
for it.

The car has stranded me once -- when the battery died in rush hour
traffic on the way to an important meeting. I blame the dealer -- they
had checked "battery inspected" on every service, but the battery
terminal clamp was corroded clean through! The previous service was 2
WEEKS PREVIOUSLY! If you're from the Vancouver area, that was North
Shore Volvo.

In my experience, there's a big difference among dealers. The one I go
to now fixes everything RIGHT the first time. I have never had to take
the car back when something wasn't done. The previous dealer was
terrible, and the car had to go back for remedial work within a week of
nearly every service. The service personnel came from another Volvo
dealer for which Volvo Canada eventually pulled the dealer's franchise
based on letters from me and many other unhappy Volvo owners.

On my most recent service, the dealer gave me a near-new V50 as a
loaner. It was an interesting drive -- tight, quiet, nimble,
comfortable -- I was quite impressed given that it's a smaller car than
the 850. But when I picked up my car after the service was complete, I
was amazed at how tight the 11-year old 850 felt after putting ~ 100 mi.
on a new car. The 850 feels like it has lots of life left in it.

Rick

 

[John Horner]

People always tend to say that, but I don't think I've ever even seen a
used car with what I'd call an "impeccable and complete" service record.
When you buy used, you take what you can find, check it out as well as
possible and if you like it, go for it. You could get a complete dud
with a great service record, or you could pass up a sweet ride because
the paperwork wasn't saved.

They are out there. For one thing, anytime I sell one of my personal
cars that is exactly what the buyer gets.

True enough, such vehicles are the exception, but with a high end car
like a Volvo you should be able to find one's where the original owner
went to the dealer every six months like clockwork. Somewhere around 1
in 10 used Volvos can be found which are indeed perfectly maintained.

With garden variety cars this is less common, but with higher end brands
they are not all that hard to find if you take your time.

John

 

[John Horner]

I do 100% of my own maintenance, from oil changes to engine/transmission
swaps, so if I sold a car it would be in fantastic shape mechanically
since I'm super anal about that stuff, but it wouldn't have any
maintenance records for the whole time I'd owned it.

Uh, I do my own work as well, and I write it all down. It takes less
than 2 minutes to make the entry in the log book.

John

 

[Stephen Henning]

Uh, I do my own work as well, and I write it all down. It takes less
than 2 minutes to make the entry in the log book.

<whether the person did the service or not>

I have all my service done at the dealer. I used to do it myself, but
found out it is cheaper to have the dealer do it. For example, my '01
V70XC gets an oil change every 7,500 miles. In 180,000 miles, that is
24 oil changes. Say, I pay $20 for a dealer to change the oil, that is
$480 and when I sell the car it is worth at least $1000 more because I
can prove that it had all specified dealer service. I stick the extra
$520 in my pocket, thank you. Don't worry about the pennies, it is the
dollars where the action is.

 

[Doug Warner]

On my most recent service, the dealer gave me a near-new V50 as a
loaner. It was an interesting drive -- tight, quiet, nimble,
comfortable -- I was quite impressed given that it's a smaller car than
the 850. But when I picked up my car after the service was complete, I
was amazed at how tight the 11-year old 850 felt after putting ~ 100 mi.
on a new car. The 850 feels like it has lots of life left in it.

Rick

I took a long test drive in a V50 T5 a while back, Nice, and would
have seriously considered it if it weren't for the issue unavailable
service manuals and fault code docs.. (Owners can't buy this stuff
any more)

I'll may go for an Audi next, or if Mitsubishi brings in their
Evolution wagon, I may consider it as well.
The worst problem with my 850 now is that it burns a quart of oil in
around 3000 miles..

 

[James Sweet]

Uh, I do my own work as well, and I write it all down. It takes less
than 2 minutes to make the entry in the log book.

John

When you're maintaining upwards of 12 Volvos and a Saab along with a
horrendous pile of non car related projects, that 2 minutes to write
something down starts to add up, not worth it IMO, by the time I sell a
car I've way more than got my money out of it, I've only sold a couple
but they were old and cheap enough nobody even asked for service info.

 

[Stephen Henning]

When you're maintaining upwards of 12 Volvos and a Saab along with a
horrendous pile of non car related projects, that 2 minutes to write
something down starts to add up, not worth it IMO, by the time I sell a
car I've way more than got my money out of it, I've only sold a couple
but they were old and cheap enough nobody even asked for service info.

I keep my Volvos 180,000 miles and then sell them for about 1/3 of what
I paid for them. That makes them about the cheapest vehicle I can buy,
even though I do get dealer service. The increased resale value pays
for the dealer service.

 

[James Sweet]

I keep my Volvos 180,000 miles and then sell them for about 1/3 of what
I paid for them. That makes them about the cheapest vehicle I can buy,
even though I do get dealer service. The increased resale value pays
for the dealer service.

Still more expensive than mine, the one I've put the most mileage on I
paid $500 for nearly 5 years ago, spend probably $300 a year in
maintenance, looks sharp and never let me down. No reason to ever sell
it unless I find a nicer one and have no more space for more cars.

 

[LAS]

I just ran across a 1995 Volvo 850 4 Door sedan with 95K miles for
$3750. I've been looking to buy a Toyota/Honda for under $5000 and ran
across this. But, I'm totally Volvo illiterate. Is this a good model
and year? Are Volvos reliable? The car has only had one owner and
seems to be well-taken care of -- can I get the same mileage out of a
Volvo as I could a Honda or Toyota? Chime in, anyone, please!

Daniel,
I just lost my '94 850T in a freeway "sandwich"; rear-ended at 50 MPH,
while stopped - forced into car in front. Bumps and bruises, but wife
and I both opened our car doors and got out. All electrics still work
work and the car runs (after blowing out the muffler due to a crushed
tail pipe). The car had 102K on it, Ran sweet always, but was properly
maintained (real important!) Anyway, now with estimated repairs pegged
at over $11,000 and extensive unibody damage, its a write off, and I'm
real sad.

My advice? Buy the car, it might save your life.

Larry