1997 Volvo 850 review from North America

A/C evaporator.

Ball joints/control arms.

Fuel pump relay.

Interior fan relay.

Brakes.

Exhaust.

Minor interior light bulbs, etc.

I own an 850 non-turbo wagon with over 200k miles. It has the winter package (TRACS, heated seats, Winter trans mode), no sunroof, and manual seats. It also has the non-computer climate system. My wife and I picked it up for $3000 as-is from a local dealer, and while we'd probably never buy another car from the place, I'd buy another Volvo in a second.

This car had 150K on it when we bought it. The body didn't have a scratch or a speck of rust on it, and the interior looked brand new. It was a one-owner car that had been dealer maintained, and was finally in need of repairs that if done at the dealer, would have cost more than the car could be sold for, so the owners traded it in for a new Volvo. Our dealer bought it from the Volvo dealer, and we found it the next week.

It had some minor issues, and issues very common with 850s with this mileage - rear brakes were shot, fan relay was shot, exhaust leak, and the A/C evaporator leaked. I did all the work on it myself, however, and that's where the savings are. For another $600 in parts and a few weekends of wrenching, we have a car that should easily last to 300K miles or beyond.

It's very easy to work on, and the parts are literally half the price as any Honda I've owned (google "Foreign Car Parts" and "Groton, CT" to find the Volvo parts Holy Grail as I did, plus locate a U-Pull type junkyard or two - your wallet will thank you for it).

I've replaced the A/C evaporator (1 day labor, $125 part), both front control arms, all brakes are now full Brembo (<$250 for all four wheels), patched the exhaust leak, replaced a few relays with junkyard parts (at about a buck each and have a few functioning spares of each too) invested in a set of snow tires on the stock steel wheels with 4 new Continental tires on 16" Turbo wheels, installed a custom stereo with amps/sub, and that's it.

This is the best car I've ever owned, period, and I've owned Hondas/Acuras, Mazdas, a few Fords, Suzukis, a Porsche and a couple VWs.

The car has never left me sitting, and I commute over 100 miles a day in it. We've driven it across PA, down to Cape May, and all over the place, and I have never even considered that the car would leave my family stranded.

With the snow tires, it's as good in the snow as the 4WD Geo Tracker I used to have up to about 12 inches or so. The winter package is great for the Pocono winters we experience.

The car has lots of room for kids, dogs, parts hauling (I also own a Jeep and a 74 Alfa), shopping, and whatever else you can think of. The doors open and shut solidly, it's quiet on the highway with decent tires on it, and it's comfortable for very long stretches at a time. It's also a Volvo, so it's got 4 airbags and is probably the best car to own in an accident.

The only gripes I have are performance - it's not the turbo, so it's kind of a dog. It's faster than a Civic or something like that, but compared with other cars in its class (Benz, BMW, Audi, etc.), the non-turbo is slow. The turbo, on the other hand, is one of the faster cars in its class, and with less than $700 in mods can be a 300+ hp monster with a few hours of work. My wagon also has a bit of body roll in turns, so springs and sway bars are probably the only other mods I will do. If I could do things differently, I might spend more time looking for a turbo. That being said, the non-turbo is quite a bit less maintenance-intensive and probably more reliable in the long run.

Things to watch for with 850 Volvos:

Transmission - the autos are weaker than the stick. Make sure it shifts well and doesn't have burnt fluid in it. If there's any question about the trans, run, don't walk and find another car.

Timing belt - Every 65K-75K. Insist on documentation. Unlike the Hondas I've owned, the Volvo has an interference type engine. If the timing belt goes, so does the engine.

It will need relays and interior light bulbs. Period.

It will need an A/C evaporator. Period.

Rear brakes are lousy and warp every year without fail, no matter the brand, as the rotors are entirely too thin and non-vented for a car this size. Front brakes are awesome and will last several times as long as the rears. With new brakes, this car will stop hard enough to knock the wind out of you. Braking is probably its best performance category (unless it's a turbo, of course).

Other than these few things, the 850 will be one of the best cars you'll ever own. If you are handy and can do basic maintenance yourself, you'll love this car especially after you do the Google search outlined above. I've never regretted buying this car, and I intend to hand over the keys to it when my two-year old son can drive. I'm sure it'll still be running if I don't wreck it.