Developed severe ECU problems at 60000 miles, resulting in the vehicle losing power randomly - this made the vehicle both infuriating and unfit to drive. Much money was spent on rectifying his problem.
Only months later, the gearbox developed faults and would not engage reverse gear when starting from cold. Due to the design of the 850, the gearbox would have to be removed completely to gain sufficient access to repair this.
The final straw was when another electrical fault developed. This one again occurred randomly and stopped the warning lights and starter motor activating upon turning the key. However, after ten minutes of waiting, things would start working again.
The Volvo 850 is a delightful, fast and very comfortable car. In the right colour it looks brilliant, and the interior still looks and feels very good. It's also incredibly safe for a car of it's age as well.
Providing the 850 remains reliable, it makes a very good car. However, if you are unfortunate enough to end up with all the problems mine had, it becomes an absolute (and very expensive) swine.
I have a 1996 Volvo 850 GLT. My car is very well taken care of besides that it needs a new paint job. Some of the problems were that the sunroof fuse would pop and I would have to replace them frequently. The most annoying and frequent problem was the Service Engine light.
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