1996 Volvo 850 Turbo review from North America

Air conditioner leaked as typical when I bought the car.

At 98,000 miles it was time to replace the upper engine brace bushing.

At 100,000 miles, the sunroof trailing drip pan's connection to the rest of the sunroof carriage broke. I fixed it with creative use of a paper-clip and super-glue.

The ABS computer slowly degraded over the course of a year from working, but failing occasionally to firing an totally inappropriate times.

Thermostat stuck open at 108,000 miles.

At 112,000 miles the heater motor has started to sound like there's a chicken in the glove box who really wants out.

At 112,000 miles the trunk appears to be getting heavier and heavier.

The Volvo 850 is a very good car if you know what you are getting into. The first of Volvo's US Front Wheel Drive cars, the early years (93/94) worked out the kinks in the US engine, leading to rock solid idles on the 96 and 97s.

I have been very impressed by the handling of my 850, although the sport suspension makes the ride more than just a little firm when going over less than perfect roads.

The trip computer makes interesting statistics like fuel economy, average speed, and miles remaining of gas simple turns of a knob; while the electronic climate control makes keeping two front passengers warm and happy a thoughtless task. The fuel tank is large enough to easily go 350 miles between refills.

I perfectly intend to make my next car a Volvo... However, I will be anticipating the upkeep costs.