1996 Volvo 850 850R review from UK and Ireland

OSF steering support arm.

Turbo return seals replaced at 120K miles.

Retractable load cover broke.

Low pressure switch in Air-con system blew.

Think I'll need a gearbox rebuild in next 10k est'd cost £1,500.

For a large estate, the car is very quick and handles excellently. Just as fast as my wife's Audi TT (225). Will see off all boy racers from the traffic lights. Surprisingly for a front wheel drive car it gets the power down very well.

Suspension can be a bit hard, but that's the trade off for excellent handling.

Usual Volvo reliability, this car is good for another 100K.

Interior is a beautiful place to be, the Alcantara interior has hardly worn. Long journey are a joy, with the exception of the (numerous) fuel stops.

Plenty of space for our 2 Labradors and the car has an integrated dog guard. The downside to this is it's very difficult to park, so we've bought a Peugeot 206 diesel as a town car.

Externally the car still has fantastic lines and the 17" alloys still look the part today. Beware these are easily kerbed due to the low profile tyres.

Front tyres will last at best 10K, and Pirelli P-zero's will cost you about £120 a corner.

Fuel consumption in economy mode 22 mpg (combined). Bizarrely though in sport mode I'll get 26 mpg (combined). I'm not alone here, a friend with a V70 T5 finds the same. Those Swedes must just design them to be driven fast.

Warning, if you've got a heavy right foot don't be surprised to see 12 mpg around town.

These cars look great even by today's standards. People of a certain age (30+) know what the badge means and it has a certain cult status. Fortunately most youths don't know what this car is capable of and wouldn't even think about stealing it.

Volvo always make strong cars, the engine on mine should be good for another 10 years. A good example of an 850R can now be bought for about £5K so they can't depreciate much further. All in all a good investment if you can live with the fuel cost.

My tip is to get one of these for weekends and/or long runs, and a small diesel for running around town.