1995 Volvo 850 GLT review from UK and Ireland
"Crude, but good value for money as secondhand"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Evaporator in the airconditioning unit. Changed under warranty by the supplying dealer after 4 trips and virtually disassembling the whole of the car. Beware, they had design fault and are known to go off with ~ 700GBP incl fitting bill.
Dashboard rattles and squeek. Cannot trace it.
Volvo alloys badly corroded due to poor quality.
General comments?
Swedish tractor. Build like a tank and I mean it.
Good heated seats, slow and heavy gearchange (manual), heavy clutch. Ride harsh but excellent handling and brakes.
Engine needs to be pushed to the red line to get any sort of decent performance. 5 cylinder engine is noisy at idle with lots of vibration, quiets down at speed.
Surprisingly good aerodynamics - not much wind noise.
Factory fit stereo is rubbish and cannot be upgraded to decent unit due to the strange slot size.
Generally reliable apart from the airconditioning system.
Good paintwork.
35mpg motorway drops to 20-21mpg in town.
Excellent heater.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Year of manufacture | 1995 |
| First year of ownership | 2000 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2000 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.5 20v Manual |
| Performance marks | 6 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 7 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 4 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 4 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 68000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 72000 miles |
| Previous car | Mitsubishi Colt |
| Date of Entry | 28th October, 2000 |