Engine light is nearly always on. Previous owner says it relates to the oxygen sensor, which he already had replaced once and has had no problems with since.
Radio antenna needs to be lubricated once in a while to prevent the motor from failing (generally people are too lazy to do this and would rather complain when it breaks).
There is considerable wind noise with the sunroof completely open or with the windows down.
Light squeak in the rear deck (nothing major, but sort of annoying since the rest of the car is so quiet).
Granted I have only put 5,000 miles on this car, I think this is a spectacular car.
The paint is a glossy and a unique green color (not the trendy forest green of the 1990's).
The wheels are very sporty and easy to clean. Overall, the car is sporty, despite the boxy design. In time, most people will agree this car is beautiful.
Previous owner had all dealer maintenance done on strict schedule and it shows.
Aside from a noisy idle, this engine sounds smooth and quiet. The turbo doesn't kick in unless you give good throttle pressure, so the car can be driven lightly or quite hard. When you want to go fast, particularly from a rolling start or anywhere from 5 to 25 miles per hour, this car flat-out hauls #%$.
The handling is decent for a mid-luxury sedan. Smooth and responsive, minimal body roll thru turns at 25-30 miles per hour.
Auto transmission is a little rough going into 2nd gear, I assume because of all the torque the engine produces, but is wonderful into 3rd and 4th.
The interior is very comfortable with heated, 8-way power leather seats with lumbar support. Heat is generated quickly and the A/C is very cold. The instrumentation is rather plain but also very easy to read. 8-speaker stereo has nice full sound at moderate volume, but is not their top model.
Other personal notes: This was the first car with daytime running lamps and side impact air bags (many cars today still do not have them!). This car is loaded with safety features and creature comforts. The best part is, I got it thru a friend for 50% blue book value.
I would recommend this car to anyone looking for a sedan with a nice balance of performance, safety and comfort. It will drive for years and hold its value as well as any car out there.
Volvo 850 turbo is reliable and durable. Its contruction is safe and good looking. No major problem has been surfaced over the past 7 years. With regular maintenance, the life span of this car will normally exceed 10 years.
Proper maintenance and up-keep on this keep should yield you 250K miles or more. That's not to say you want have a transmission go at 125K miles, but it isn't the norm and rarely would an engine go in 250K miles unless you forgot to change the timing belt, it snapped, and all the lifters, pistons and what not banged against each other and killed the engine. So the bottom line is listen to the manual and do your maintenance and 200K+ should be no problem.
Some other items that commonly break on this car are the O2 sensor, gear position sensor, AC Compressor and AC Evaporator.
After owning a 1991 740T with 310,000km, I later moved up for some more luxury. I've now got 547,000km (~342,000 miles) on my '95 850T5. It runs as good as new. Some minor problems have included some electrical issues (more annoyances than anything), but nothing major on the mechanical side. If anything, I've spent the most money on brake rotors about every 60-80K. It's never left me stranded and continues to go strong. Amazingly it doesn't rattle or squeak at all. The build quality is superior and is no less than that of M.Benz, BMW and the Japanese high end cars. My Volvo dealer told me that the car has been well cared for and still has years left. It has been serviced religiously according to Volvo's recommended service plan. Volvo's doing something right to build cars that just won't die. I may try and set some records with this thing! You just won't get it until you get one.
Value? Ha! What about the gas mileage? In real city conditions, you're lucky to break 16 mpg. And all I do is city driving. With gas prices so high, this is an expensive AND environmentally-unfriendly car to drive. (Ironic to see Volvos with "ecology" stickers on them...)
Brake pads and rotors wear through regularly -- a real weak spot, and expensive over time to replace. Mine seem to need replacing almost once/year.
I have had a 1995 850 Turbo wagon with less than 85,000 miles for about 6 months. I'm only the second owner, and have all service records from previous owner who was amazingly meticulous about servicing schedule. I, too, have been very good about going in regularly for check-ups, recommended servicing dates, safety checks, etc. There is no sign of anything unusual in the car's known past. Now, though, when the car hasn't been driven for a couple of days, after starting the engine (no problem), putting gearshift in D (automatic trans, right?), and driving off, the engine starts racing like a mad thing with RPMs alarmingly near 3000! (It doesn't race when idling.) Then "winter driving" light on dash comes on and stays on. Then "check engine" light comes on and stays. (Must stop, turn off engine, let it all rest and start again.) Sometimes several miles roll by with me starting, stopping and driving in the 1st gear of D (very slowly), because it just doesn't want to shift into 2nd by itself. Last time this happened, Volvo mechanic's "diagnostic" tool showed "switch" malfunction (somehow related to gears). Switch was replaced -- nothing changed. I absolutely love my car and would like to know what's up. Don't imagine it could be that a new transmission is necessary at such low mileage and with such good care and maintenance. Has anyone had similar experience that might be helpful to me and my car?
Use Google and search for Volvo-forums, those guys can probably help you out.
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