I’m in the market for a Volvo wagon for my girlfriend. She’d like a safe vehicle large enough to transport two adults, two pre-teen kids, a husky, and enough food and gear to last three weeks or so away from civilization.

Currently I’ve been looking for a Volvo wagon from 1990 to maybe 1996. There appear to be several Volvo models within these years - 240, 740, 850, 960. I’d like it to have a manual tranny and built-in roof racks. She’s got up to $5000 to spend, but the less the better.

Could any of you who have experience owning or working on Volvos suggest what problems or features I should be looking out for regarding these vehicles? Thanks.

Oh, and here’s what we’ve been forced to transport the clan in the last few years. The dog refuses to go on another trip with this car!

I gotta keep this from dropping off the page for at least one day.

from what i find looking at used ones, there are a lot with MANY miles, so that means something i have never owned one even though i LOVE the 850R

------------------

My Photography
My Designs
87 Fiero GT 5-speed.
99 CSVT 5-speed.On life support, waiting its fate
99 Accord 5-speed (Annonomity)

2/7/9 series are reliable and long lasting. I've got one with 250K miles and another with 200K+ miles. The 2 series was phased out around '93, same with the 7 series, but the 9 series is an updated 7 series. Not many 7/9 series made with manual tranny. The 850 is FWD and you won't find many with a manual. The wagons are wonderful utility monsters. With the rear seats down you've got 6' feet of storage from the front seats to the tailgate, you can sleeping bag it in the back of them.

I recently opened up and mic'd my 250K turbo mile engine and it still measured to EXACT factory specs, not even a thousandth off. And it had 5 years of pizza delivery on the engine.

The 850 is the last of the really dependable Volvos. Ford got their hands on them and quality went into the crapper.

stay from the 850s FWD and they break a lot

93 240 is the best and last of the 245 wagons
those cars are bullet proof and will last forever
some 5 speeds too but expect a higher price on the few that are around
ABS and air bag too
no stock factory turbo's but they are eazy to add
call T+ just bolt on the factory parts off a 740 or 940 turbo

740 some rare 5 speeds but they all have a marginal motor with weak rods
stock turbo's T3 are a better turbo then the jap units used on some cars

the best motors are in the 93 up 940's good rods and oil squiters even in non turbo's
also have better control CPUs 2.4 and good OBD with simple flashing lights
but no 5 speeds

960 have porsche built 6 but it uses a valve bending head if the cam drive breaks unlike the 4's
if you break a cam drive belt on a 4 the cost is $13 for a new belt and NO DAMAGE

best cars are swaps 940 93+ motors in a 240 5 speed

good volvo board

http://forums.turbobricks.com/index.php
6 is very costly to remove head replace valves and hope no piston or head damage

------------------
Question wonder and be wierd
are you kind?

While I do not own a mid 90s Volvo Wagon per se, my in-laws have a 1995 850 Turbo sedan(with the 222hp 5-cylinder) with 146k which is still running well on the original engine/tranny/turbo.

ray b, I do not wish to come across as rude, but where are you getting this "850s break down a lot" information?

Patrick, if $5000 is your cap, you should also consider the 1998-2000 V70, mechanically similar to the 850 with an updated interior and exterior. I'd say the the V70 line up to and including 2000 is the last of the pre-Ford offerings.

BTW the 1995 850 is the first car to offer side airbags, and the timing belt is easy to change(not uncommon to have it done by a shop for $200).

brickboard and http://forums.turbobricks.com/index.php
sorry but the 850's just are not the volvo's the old 4 banger are
ie 300k to 500k life cars
and people I know who own them in town
who have all switch back to the older 4 banger cars

btw I have owned 4 240, 2 740, and a 940

140's >240>740>940 are all the same motors and drive train with minor changes over the years
thats 30+ years of slow steady R&D

850 is wrong wheel drive [FWD} and is a all new car with no ties to the older cars
it has a odd 5 cyl motor and a weak drive train that is very costly to fix and breaks a lot
much harder to work on and higher cost parts tooo

a Q from my F-1 board in their teck forum

"Keep in mind that the 850 does not enjoy the same reputation for durability that earlier RWD Volvos did. I dated a girl whose family operates a huge used Volvo sales and repair business, and they wouldn't handle 850s as used cars. Most of them are long gone. ''

------------------
Question wonder and be wierd
are you kind?

Great info guys, thanks very much.

The 850 is a nice looking wagon, but I have to admit I’m leaning more towards the RWD models. A turbo might be fun, but my concern with a turbo is that it’s just one more thing for my girlfriend to worry about possibly going wrong with the car. She needs something durable and relatively maintenance free (within reason).

I’ve copied an ad below of a Volvo that I may go look at today. It has all the features I’m looking for and the price is within my girlfriend’s price range. The only thing that concerns me is that the fella has now emailed me not one but two invalid VIN codes from this vehicle. (I’d like to check out the VIN with CarFax.) I’m not sure if he’s trying to hide something or he just can’t read!

Any comments on the description of this car? Does it sound worthwhile? (Keep in mind that prices of cars here in Canada are generally higher than what you might find in the States.)

quote From local ad: 1990 Volvo 245 DL wagon - $3400 5spd manual tranny, charcoal grey w blk interior, tinted windows recent work; clutch done Oct 06, rear pads and rotors done Nov07, timing belt and all other belts as well as tranny and gear fluids replaced in Aug 05. Oil changes have been done every 6000km for the last 10yrs (since I've owned it). I am the second owner and have all service receipts. I also have upgraded the suspension components; slightly stiffer and lower coil springs, bilstein gas shocks, and fatter sway bars (all IPD parts). This car handles better than any other 240 guarenteed. The car has lived in my underground parking lot since I've had it which means there is no rust!! This is a great car that is just starting to get broken in, the engine is amazingly strong and I have no doubt it will go on and on for years to come. The car does have 255,000km but as I said I know she'll go double that. She is good on gas, with lots of room inside and comes with four winter tires on steel rims as well as four "turbo" rims with summer tires GREAT DEAL

IPD parts is good trick stuffs BUT it may ride a little ruff with the springs bars ect
fine for you or me but GF may want a softer ride so let her drive it some

I guess the price is fair but not a super deal
5 speeds do get more money as they are semi rare
and sounds like owner is a volvo nut


stock volvo turbo's are set up for more mid range not peak power
they make the little 4 add power without a lot of problems
anyway they are eazy to add later

------------------
Question wonder and be wierd
are you kind?

quote Originally posted by ray b: IPD parts is good trick stuffs BUT it may ride a little ruff with the springs bars ect fine for you or me but GF may want a softer ride so let her drive it some

Good points Ray, thanks.

I've emailed the guy and told him the second VIN he supplied is invalid (as was the first one he sent). Maybe we'll be third time lucky.

A good friend of mine is a big volvo fan. He has a turbo wagon and an NA coupe (whatever they're called, not the wagon). Both are mid 90's cars. The turbo has 150,000 miles and runs strong. The other has 220,000 miles (that's like 350,000 km) and it runs like a champ. I would say they're very good cars. He does regular maintenance such as timing belt changes, etc, so there is no surprise they run well. I believe they are both the 5 cylinder engine. The turbo is an auto and the other is a standard.

Dave

[This message has been edited by ditch (edited 01-23-2008).]

Any particular reason to go for a Volvo, Patrick? yes, the early estates were reliable, strong, roomy....and drank gas!! I know I am hooked, and I know it is a 4 litre..but my Cherokees are the best vehicles I have EVER owned, as far as practicality, size, go-anywhereability-and reliability!! Ellie is the happiest I have ever seen her, when she is driving her Cherokee And I bet they get the same mpg as a Volvo!! We call them OVLOV's in Europe That is what we always see in the rearview mirror: ovloV
Nick

[This message has been edited by fierofetish (edited 01-23-2008).]

quote Originally posted by fierofetish: Any particular reason to go for a Volvo, Patrick?

Looks, durability, safety, reputation, relatively low priced (for a used one)...

Yes, your Cherokee would certainly be an improvement over what Anne currently drives (the dog would be delighted ), but neither Anne nor I am interested in a vehicle with a high center of gravity. I don't know how often I hear on the local radio traffic reports about some SUV or jeep which has flipped over. For the number of times we get snow here, a 4WD vehicle just isn't practical.

I'm appreciating all these comments everyone, keep them coming.

Can anyone provide feedback on a 1999 V70XC awd wagon? I may have run across a smoking deal on one and want some feedback. It is a 5 cyl auto.

quote Originally posted by Patrick: I've emailed the guy and told him the second VIN he supplied is invalid (as was the first one he sent). Maybe we'll be third time lucky.

Unfortunately, there was no third time. The seller now tells me his Volvo is sold. I'm disappointed, but I'm also rather suspicious that he was trying to hide something by not giving me the correct VIN to check.

Oh well, there will be other Volvo wagons to look at. In the meantime, I can learn more about these vehicles.

Patrick,

You considered a Subaru Outback? A couple of my friends have bought one of them and they say they are great for hauling around the family. Plus, they are great in the snow. I search and found a couple in your neck of the woods.

http://www.canadatrader.com...0936252&pgno=1&srt=1

http://www.canadatrader.com...0957430&pgno=1&srt=1

.
Loafer, this is kind of interesting - The second Subaru you linked to was one of the very few non-Volvo vehicles I had already had a quick online peek at.

I was considering actually having a look at it in person, but two things sort of scared me off. First, it's a dealer selling it, and I detest used car dealers. And second, I ran the VIN through the local AirCare website and saw a couple of discrepancies in the testing dates. It seems that more than once it was late getting tested. (That’s kind of strange because you can’t insure a vehicle here unless it’s passed AirCare.)



I also noticed that two years ago it had just under 200,000K, so I would estimate (by looking at it’s bi-yearly mileage figures) that it’s probably up around 240,000K now. (Note that unlike the first ad you linked to, the dealer did not report the mileage for this particular vehicle.) Rightly or wrongly, that much mileage sort of scares me away (at least from a non-Volvo wagon).

I’m also a little leery of full time AWD vehicles in regards to gas mileage. Sure, AWD is great when it’s needed the two times a year when we get snow here, but is it really worthwhile if the AWD is helping to gulp down the gas the rest of the year?

[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 01-24-2008).]

In response to a posting above, the V70XC's are the not the same as pre-ford Volvos. Expect quite a few electrical gremlins as well as hardware (radiators, etc.). They just don't hold up like the older ones. Still nice vehicles, but not the long lived monsters of pre-ford.

Patrick, any B230 engine'd Volvo will be ideal, turbo or not, it really doesn't make much difference. I would opt for the turbo, they still aren't fast stock, but are more capable in traffic. Both of my Volvos are turbo B230FT engines. The auto tranny is the same way. They are just as long lived as the engines. Its quite rare for them not to live the life of the car which is easily over 300K miles. The manual tranny M46 used in the turbos is quite weak. But don't beat on them and they will hold up well. The M47 manual used in the non-turbo cars is likewise, just don't beat on it.

If you're really interested in fuel economy, the turbo automatic cars don't have torque converter lockup, the non-turbo cars do have it. Likewise, the turbo cars do not have an optional limited slip differential, the non-turbo cars had it as an option.

[This message has been edited by Rainman (edited 05-01-2008).]

Oooo, nice Volvo wagon, Rainman. (And thanks for all the tips.)

Yeah, I’d like to get one like that, but I’m afraid we’ll have to settle for a wagon more like the one below. I’ll be looking at it tomorrow. I’m hoping someone with a current CarFax account can submit the VIN below and kindly pass on the findings.

quote From local ad: 1986 Volvo 740 GLE Wagon - $1200 263000Hwy. Kms,rare 5 speed, fully loaded with sunroof and CD player, 5 pass., Looks and runs excelent, needs nothing, Excelent, dependable and very economical vehicle. AirCared,Tires 80% YV1FX885XG1024440