1993 Volvo 850 glt review from North America

Crankcase breather system clogs constantly. This last time it caused so much pressure it blew the rear main seal, (a $1200 fix for the main seal, a $300 fix for the breather element). Why didn't Volvo use a plain-old PCV valve?

The electronic components burn out prematurely, power seats, power antenna, etc. They are all very expensive to replace.

Leather seats wear through prematurely.

Has a tendency to flood in the winter, after which the compression is lost and ATF must be poured in the cylinders. A real pain!

The a/c went out and would be so expensive to fix I just rolled down the windows.

I currently own three 1993 850 GLT's. (One is a parts car). Almost everything is expensive to fix on these cars!

I am going to sell all three cars as soon as possible. I can't afford them anymore. The upkeep has exceeded the value of the cars many times over. I am finally waking up to smell the coffee!

The interior is not thought out at all. There is no place to even set a book in the front. The switches are positioned in inconvenient places. It is virtually impossible to vacuum in between the seats. If you drop something in between the seats - kiss it goodbye.

I hung on to these because of my positive experience with my 740, but this is not at all as good a car as the 740.

Positives are that it is a very attractive, safe car that handles very well and has nice acceleration for a 150 hp engine. They still turn heads today.