Volvo 850 Wagons
This weekend we bought a 96 850 Wagon with 34k miles from a So. Cal dealership. I've been a long time member of Edmunds Town Hall forums under the Hatchback Saab 9-3 title. I had to search quite a bit around the Edmunds forums to find the general information I was seeking about Volvo ownership expereinces before we bought one.
We shopped for a month in the Los Angeles area before we bought from a dealership in Orange County. I drove as far north as Ventura (1 1/2 hour) looking for quality used Volvos from dealerships. The day before we bought our car I even got a call from a San Diego dealership that had been alerted by an Los Angeles dealership that I was in the market looking for a specific wagon that they did not happen to have in stock.
Our Volvo shopping experience in Los Angeles was generally been very positive. The only distastfull experince we had was at a dealership that also sold an American marque. Typical cheesy salesman sleeze!
The farther North I went looking for Volvos outside of L.A. the smaller the dealerships got but their attitude was still very polite and the sales people maintained a no nonsense approach to showing and selling their cars.
Our last car was a 1999 Saab 9-3 that we leased back in August. After seven months ownership I fell asleep at the wheeel and rolled this car out in the desert. I survived this crash with little more than some abrassions to my arm and a few stitches above my eye where I hit the open sunroof. We really liked the Saab but they no longer offered the same deal and the Vovlvo wagon was really our aspiration.
We paid $20,500 plus tax & lisc. for our base 96 850 wagon with 34 k miles auto, cloth, pwr drivers seat, and premium wheels. They had a couple base sedans w/ loooooow mileage available that we could have gotten out the door for less than $20K but I wanted a wagon! Chase Manhattan provided financing on our car @ 7.35% w/ $2K down. We had a 720 credit rating.
We shopped for a month in the Los Angeles area before we bought from a dealership in Orange County. I drove as far north as Ventura (1 1/2 hour) looking for quality used Volvos from dealerships. The day before we bought our car I even got a call from a San Diego dealership that had been alerted by an Los Angeles dealership that I was in the market looking for a specific wagon that they did not happen to have in stock.
Our Volvo shopping experience in Los Angeles was generally been very positive. The only distastfull experince we had was at a dealership that also sold an American marque. Typical cheesy salesman sleeze!
The farther North I went looking for Volvos outside of L.A. the smaller the dealerships got but their attitude was still very polite and the sales people maintained a no nonsense approach to showing and selling their cars.
Our last car was a 1999 Saab 9-3 that we leased back in August. After seven months ownership I fell asleep at the wheeel and rolled this car out in the desert. I survived this crash with little more than some abrassions to my arm and a few stitches above my eye where I hit the open sunroof. We really liked the Saab but they no longer offered the same deal and the Vovlvo wagon was really our aspiration.
We paid $20,500 plus tax & lisc. for our base 96 850 wagon with 34 k miles auto, cloth, pwr drivers seat, and premium wheels. They had a couple base sedans w/ loooooow mileage available that we could have gotten out the door for less than $20K but I wanted a wagon! Chase Manhattan provided financing on our car @ 7.35% w/ $2K down. We had a 720 credit rating.
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bdbergstra@yahoo.com
$27,000 sounds "O.K." but I'm not privy to all the options on the car your talking about. If it is totally decked out with nearly everything your probably in the ball park on price. We live in a very large metropolitan area with more than half a dozen dealerships nearby. $27,000 on a decked out turbo w/ auto and low mileage would probably fly here in Los Angeles. Check Edmunds Used Car section to get a reasonable appraisal on the vehicle your considering.
About the transmission, we do quite some commuting (traffic jams) so I think the automatic will be more convenient. Besides, the fuel economy you mentioned sounds fair enough.
Does your car transmission have the option sport/economy and Winter? Is there much difference using one or the other in terms of performance and fuel economy?
Thanks again.
Anyway, I'm minorly concerned about having a car with a turbo. I would imagine Volvo has had the time to make a long-lasting turbo by now. Does anyone know how the 850 turbo holds up with 150k to 200k miles? A car under my care would have excellent maintenance. I would not be inclined to buy a car that generally needs a major service (turbo rebuild) at say every 100k miles.
Thanks for any info someone might pass along!
In August 14998 we leased a 9-3, our first Saab, and seven months later I totalled it in the California desert when I fell asleep at the wheel.
The 9-3 (turbo equiped) had great accelleration and enourmous carrying capacity for a car of its size. I racked up one speeding ticket and was able to stuff increadible amounts into its cargo area. The car was not crisp though and it did not give the fit and finish sense I expected for a car at its price.
The A4 is a very nice atractive, if not sensuos, car. Great exterior styling with a sumptious interior. The engine is anemic though its a V-6.
After a five hour drive in the middle backseat of an A4 from Munich to Prague and back I very definitly catagorize the A4 as marginally a four adult hauler.
The 300M looked very nice on the surface and was cosmetically a very attractive car. The engine was loud and unrefined at almost any speed. It had the typical American marque "you get what you pay for" feel to it and I personally believe not much of a contender.
The Volvo base 850/V70 is a brick and its fels like one too. You get no where fast with this car. You do feel safe in this car and you always know just exactly what is going on between it and the road. The 850/V70 feel is a bit peculiar for the typical American but it does give you a strong sense of security.
I've riden in @/or extensivly driven the cars you've listed and for me most of them come close or exceed the Volvo in one or two areas but they don't over all make up for the safety, firmness, solidly built, or know depreciation of a used Volvo.
Nice group of cars yes! But real long term contenders, no!
Interesting note to the Volvo is that the head lights are easily re-adjusted for towing. There is a simple dial under the hood behind the head lights that will adjust your light quickly for towing.
Your trailer is relatively lite but since you most likely you have the sport suspension you'll have to take it easy over any bump.
I do not own a turbo version but I'm sure Volvo took into account the interest in towing when it built the turbos since the 162 bhp base engine really would be a dog under tow.
Hope more enteries to your question will preceed since towing is a basic question to Volvo ownership especially in the wagon form.
Best wishes for the family summer vacation!
These cars were designed to be as solid as a brick but get up an hustle with any sedan that cared to try. The wagons look better than the sedan too!
I think the fact that you know the foibles of the car you might purchase is rather beneficial. I don't know how much you know about cars but if you take a crawl under the car to take a look at the repair from the Corvette you'd get a better idea of how extensive the repair from the rear ending was. $1800 sounds like a rather cosmetic kind of damage so I'd not be inclined to think to badly towards the car your considering.
If you know who the repair shop was or at least that they were a reputable Volvo repair place I wouldn't worry to much about this accident. Since the 850 is a front wheel drive car there really is little that a car like a Corvette could do to the rear end at slow speed.
Brakes are another matter though I tend to believe that current Volvos suffer this problem universally. Volvo brakes are very grabby and if you've ever driven the car your considering you'd notice right off the the brakes are very sensitive but then this accounts for Volvo's unbelievably short stopping distance.
The front brakes on our 34k mile wagon were replaced by the dealership before we purchased it which some what alarmed me too. I've read though in other forums that brakes and the dust they creat on Volvo and Saab's too seem to be a bit problematic but they recommended that you replace your pads with metalic composits from Raybestos next time you got the chance.
Best wishes and enjoy should you decide to purchase this "bargain."
shwneeg,
I notice a harmonic distortion with the rear
window only rolled down. This is not uncommon. It
has also happened in previous cars I have owned. It
can be very annoying when my 5-year old decides
it's time to play roll down the window, however all
I have to do is lock out the windows and open the
sun roof for him. Problem solved
We have the same problem with our 850 base wagon.
It happens only when the rear windows are rolled
down with everthing else closed. I thought at
first it might be related to the tires but you'd
obviously have different tires on your XC than we
do.
Due to the price and some timing issues, we will take ownership in August. We have scheduled the car to goto the dealership for Volvo's standard safety inspection (roughly $100) to eliminate any final gitters. Your response was great. We believe that after we have the car completely shampooed, this will be a wonderful new car to us. Now the big question, will I get my 180,000 miles worth of enjoyment out of this car...
Enjoy, and thanks again
I know the the Taupe color leather your talking about. My wife and I looked at quite a few 96 cars with this color leathr interior and many of them were in quite shabby shape after only 3 years. The color however is definitly the best leather color for a black car in August. Unlike the Black leather, the Taupe shows all the dirt and scratches but with proper regular care you should be able to enjoy these seats for many years. Kids are problematic with your color seats but just roll with in and do your best to keep them conditioned and clean.
Your soon to be family wagon should be cleaned regularly with a cleaner like Kiwi's "Propert's Leather and Saddle Soap." Twice a year application with a simple sponge, bucket of warm water, and hand towel will keep your leather soft and clean for years. There are many more sophisticated ways to clean your leather interior, but this simple soap/ conditioner is cheap, easy, proven and w/o all the harsh chemicals that over time could actually lead to acclerated deterioration of your leather.
Saddle soap is best applied with a simple sponge moistened slightly in a bucket of warm water. Lightly rub the sponge in the Saddle soap and work up a little lather before applying to the leather. Work on small areas at a time and work the lather into the leather and then wipe away with a clean soft towel before it dries. Rinse out the sponge regularly and apply new soap to the sponge.
You'll find an amazing amount of dirt transfered to your towel but you also be conditioning the leather at the same time. Work carefully and reapply if you feel the leather still is too dirty. Avoid rubbing lots of soap into the stitching since this can promote rotting over a long period of time. Be generous with the soap on the areas of the seats exposed to the harsh summer sunlight since these areas tend to deteriorate nearly as fast and the actual seating surfaces.
After you've thoroughly cleaned the leather you may choose to use a matched cream polish over the scrathed, dingy, or sundamaged areas. Remeber to thoroughly rub the cream into the leather and then wipe all the residue away so that the color won't be transfered onto someones pants!
I own a 1978 Cadillac Triple White Seville that I've kept in amazing condition with this foremetioned regimen. You can do it you've just got to do it spend a few hours each year to make those seats last for 180,000 miles.
wagons.
Needless to say, the two Swedes - Saab and Volvo -
take the rear behind the superlative German wagons
from Audi, Daimler and BMW. Volvo's Frigidaire
styling is easily the worst, making it an ideal addition to the Ford stable of ugly.
Your Volvo really is a little too young to know its long term build quality. Turbos have changed a lot from the early years for all car makes. Saab is developing a completely turbo based line of cars and they are at least from early indications light years ahead of those they sold in the early to mid-eighties.
As I read around the net on 850 Volvos before we bought our base wagon, they seem to be pretty solid with a few problems in their eletrical system on the earlier models. Brake wear has definitly been an issue because I've read numerous accounts of early pad replacement. Keep your eye on your front pads and replace them when needed before you do real damage to the rotors. Pads are cheap and they are what makes for Volvo's increadibly short stopping distances.
You've bought a pretty new model and it is much too early to know whether it'll live up to the Volvo reputation. I'm hoping, just like you, that the 850 will indead be a great long term car.
Best Wishes and enjoy your car. Keep us posted!
and make up your own mind.
JP
We bought our '94 850 wagon 2 years ago and basically love it. As it was purchased through a dealership, I decided to spend the extra CDN$1,200 and buy a factory extended warranty (call it insurance 'til 2001). Good thing, there's been aprox. $2,500 worth of service to the A/C. The water pump was also just replaced. Despite the service problems, I'm considering a 2nd Volvo and would recommend it. Consider a warranty if available (make sure it's Volvo factory).
This guy has posted this message all over Edmunds Forums especially in the Saab and Volvo forums. He seems to have a chip on his shoulder against Volvo but he is NOT an OWNER.
You guys may have read a few of "THORN's" postingings on the Swedish wagons reviewed in C&D's "Luxo-Wagons Compared" article in the June issue. Needless to say, this totally inane article chose to compare equally the BMW 528i, MB's 320, Audi A6 Avant Quatro against both the Saab 9-5 and Volvo V70R AWD. Of the three German wagons, only the Audi was nearly the same price as the Sweeds. The BMW and MB were nearly $10k more than any of the others.
Now what kind of comparison is it when you ask the real consumer "Would you spend $10K more for this car" if in fact they only have a set amount of dollars to spend for their car. People shop for the best car they can afford given the dollars they have to spend not becasue a review lists a $10K more expensive car as the "best."
Give me the extra $10K and I'll throw it into one of the Sweeds on after market goodies that'd guarantee to blow the doors off any of the German showroom Luxo-wagon.
The Saab was a bit floaty in its hadeling. the acceleration was great but the car lacked quality. I loved the capacity of the Saab but I felt it really was not solidly put together.
Our new Volvo 850 is very crisp. Everything seems up to what you'd expect from a European car. The Volvo is very crisp, annoyingly so at times. This car is a tank compared to anything else I've owned or driven.
We bought the Volvo because I believed in its resale value but we leased the Saab because I did not.
I am new to this forum and would like to know if anyone is having the same problem with the rear seat belts in their 1996 Volvo 850 Turbo SW. During installation of car seats, my rear seat belts have failed a total of 3 times in the past year. Twice on the left and once on the right. The component on the latch that you switch to "Car Seat" breaks off when we pull on the seat belt to properly install the car seat. This makes it impossible to tighten the car seat properly without the use of a locking clip.
We bought this car used back in July of '98. The dealer has told me that this is the first he has heard of this problem. I find that hard to believe since it has happened to me 3 times in one year. I only weigh 125 and I am not that strong, so if this seat belt can fail with me pulling on it...surely it will fail in an accident, indangering the lives of my children. I bought this car because it was supposed to be safe, but I am selling it because I do not believe that it is.
I understand that 80-90% of consumers do not install car seats correctly. I am not one of those individuals and have had my installations checked by certified safety technicians.
If anyone else has had this problem, or knows someone that has, please contact me at ekcannon@mindspring.com
I have already filed an investigation request with the NHTSA.
Thanks,
Karla
Hope someone will post something about this for you soon
Best Wishes
So now you know that your dream of a trouble free ownership of a used Volvo does not infact exist. I'm only kidding. One major design flaw on the 850 though was that the cup holder pulls out directly over the window switch control module.
Who knows what the previous owner dropped down on top of the switches but I've switched to using a small hand towel under the cup holder if I ever drinking anything in the car. Liquids and electrical switches generally don't get along too well together.
The Volvo was my first break from being a manual transmission purist. I drove a V70 T5 with a 5 speed when it became available, and was less than impressed with the way the engine dynamics worked with the transmission (the auto works MUCH better). Test driving the Viggen sold me immediately...looks, handling, performance, seats, transmission, and it's "almost" wagon-like practicality.
I don't regret my decision, but will miss the wagon when it goes...
Now you're exactly the kind of guy I want to hear from, especially in the future. I say this because before we bought our used 96 Volvo 850 auto wagon we leased a 99 Saab 9-3 for seven months.
I crashed that Saab out in the California desert late one night when I fell asleep at the wheel. The car was totaled and I basically walked away from the accident with a few abraisions to my right arm and some stitches above my right eye.
I have both a lot of good and bad feelings about that 9-3. I loved the hauling capacity of its hatchback formation and its fun to drive turbo engine. I hated the build quality of the car with its unacceptable fit and finish and a totally floaty suspension. When it came time to replace that car we went out and bought the Volvo wagon because I felt more confident in it than I even felt about the Saab.
The Volvo has a much stiffer suspension than our Saab 9-3. I like this feed back after driving the Saab. The Volvo feels like a brick and makes me more confident in its handeling characteristics. Believe me, I know what float is like in a car because I daily drive a Lincoln but I'd never push it to where I confidently know the Volvo could go.
I wish I could say that I trust Saab after my experience but in my heart I didn't at the time we leased our car and I still don't. I like Saab but I love Volvo, electrical problems and all. I believe in the Volvo and know that its depriciation won't kill me. Hell I've even shopped numerous old Volvo's but I've always been leary of an old Saab.
The new Viggen really is the kind of 9-3 I should have had but it wasn't yet available and it doesn't come in an auto. The Lincoln is mine the Volvo/old Saab 9-3 is my wife's. I love the old Saab Aero, but I'd probably choose a T-5 Wagon over it ina heartbeat.
The 240's were indistructable, the 87 740 Turbo wagon good but a little finicky at times, even thought the turbo and tranny(auto)never really acted up, and a 96GLE 10 valve Wagon.
With over 80k on and 1 A/C repair(accumulator about $1200cdn on warranty) I would say the 850 is a fine machine ...if you can get used to a set of front pads every 30k... I have had no electrical problems or any other warrenty issues.
As an everyday family car I don't think anything else comes close for price,comfort and safety. I expect 8-10 yrs out of this car, and given my previous history with Volvos should see it.
I've recently purchased a BMW 323....great car....probably better brakes than any volvo but will it give me 8-10yrs????
BTW, the rental/travel agents I spoke with gave a different answer each time (Avis says manual, National says automatic, etc.), their web sites don't give definite answers either.
Our first choice was the Omega (Catera) wagon, but it's n/a this time around, so I hope the V70 won't be too much of a compromise.
We own an 850 auto wagon here in the States and it seems pretty small by American standards but it does carry a lot and is pretty comfortable with a load but it's no screamer. Manual trans would help with the base engine if your fully loaded.
The 850 middle rear seat has a well designed built in child seat/arm rest but it might be a little uncomfortable over a long haul. I've never sat in the middle back seat to know. The rear seat is well contoured and has plenty of leg room though.
Luggage wise your talking a total box in the rear. My wife and I usually travel pretty heavily loaded when we take a trip in the Volvo, but we've never gotten above the rear seat level with our luggage. Volvo even has safety netting, if so equipped, that'll pull from the rear seat backs up to the ceiling to keep luggage in the rear compartment from sliding forward.
If your rental Volvo is mounted with roof rails you have an entirely new area of storage to utilize. Volvo manufactures sliding bars that'll adjust the entire length of the rails therefore providing infinite possibilities for addition storage.
I suspect the Catera/Omega is slightly smaller than the 850 but a capacity comparision on the U.S. sedans would give you a good insight on the wagons.
Best wishes and enjoy the trip,
Frederick
I had always wanted a Volvo due to it's safety record and comfort. Unfortunately, things keep breaking in mine. For instance, I pulled down the visor on the driver's side, and it broke. When my husband was driving the car to the dealer to be repaired, the cruise control broke and the left blinker was blinking at a faster rate than normal. The dealer could not replace the visor right away, so he opend the back to throw the old one in, and when he closed the door, the open door warning would not go off.
On the way home the ABS and Tracks Off lights came on.
The dealer has been wonderful, but I'm afraid once the warrenty is up, it's going to be very expensive to fix all these little items.
I know Volvo is a trusted car manufacturer.
Can anyone tell me if they think I have a "lemon". This has never happened with our past vehicles. We've always been able to "drive them into the ground". I was hoping I could with this one as well. Please give me your advice. Thank you
I am the owner of a '93 240 wagon. If the new wagon are consisent with the 240 wagon's...watch out! Although I love the styling of the volvo, it is rather quirky with high maintainance bills. I have averaged approximately $1,500 to $2,000 EACH YEAR since I have owned this car. It now has 120,000 miles on it and I am looking for another car...unfortunately, not a Volvo. good luck!
On the used cars the ivory leather seats looked really grimy even after reconditioning and the black leather was totally unacceptable for So. Cal. weather. Needless to say I'm not much of a fan of leather seats anyway.
The T5 is a light pressure turbo that kicks in very early on in the torque curve. The car seems fast because it gets up and goes right off the line. In the manual format this engine would be incredibly fast but you'd definitely feel a lot of torque steer. In the U.S. versions this torque steer is muted by the automatic transmission.
Our base 850 w/ auto is not a rocket but it gets up enough steam for us and we're old school V-8 kind of folks. I'd love a manual w/ this engine but it's my wife's car and she basically hates to drive anyway. I'd say the auto equipped base engine is rather deliberate in its acquisition of speed but not what most driving enthusiasts would call inspiring, it can only be described as adequate.
Best Wishes as you contemplate your purchase options.
Frederick
Fredrick
I'm not specifically familiar with the problem your having, but should you not find postings with the specific information you desire I'll certainly try to direct you to it. Several people have complained that because the antenna is attached to the left rear glass they've had problems with reception but I'm not sure that this is in fact the reason for their troubles.
Best Wishes,
Frederick.
We live in So. Cal. and the talk radio AM station I usually listen to can be heard alway up to Nor. Cal. on a clear night. I love being able to tune into them as I cruise back home late at night.
2001 with a car based on the new P1X platform. The
current S40/V40 is built at NedCar in Born, the
Netherlands, and shares its structure and factory
with the Mitsubishi Carisma. The Ford purchase of
Volvo is understood to have come too late to change the plans for the next S40/V40.
The next V40 will be called V50 because Volvo will
start naming the sedans S and then an even number
and the station wagons V and then an odd number.
Here is the website:
<<A HREF="http://drive.to/volvospy">http://drive.to/volvospy>
Just scroll down to -- Volvo Spy Pictures --
and click on Volvo S40/V40. You might wanna check
out all the other future cars there too!
S70/V70 Replaced by S60/V70.
S90/V90 Replaced by S80/V90.
Volvo SUV.
* What they mean by replacing for the S40/V40 is
changeing the interior and some other minor things
including the name of the V40.
* This is the last year to get the S70(brick
model). It will be replaced by the S60. The V70
will be redesigned.
* They have already replaced the S90 with the
S80. The V90 will also be redesigned.
* SUV, that might be a while before it comes out.
I too was pretty nonplussed when I flipped up the lock cover on the V70 tailgate and found a cheap, ugly plug of black plastic where the lock should be. It's lame to see that on such an expensive and otherwise well-thought-out car.
When I raised this with my salesman, however, he explained the situation as follows: when the lock was there, it was not wired into the VolvoGuard Alarm system. People who approached a fully locked and alarmed car and unlocked the tailgate with their key, rather than the pushbutton keyfob, were setting off the alarm. Volvo got a lot of complaints about this. But with the V70 platform due for replacement in '01 it wasn't worth a big design. So the lock was deleted for the rest of the '99 and '00 model run.
I asked him if he could retro-install a lock in there for me and he said no.
I don't like it, and it's my only serious complaint about the V70, but I guess I understand the reasoning.
Does anybody have any insight regarding the history of these vehicles? I'm a little concerned about the idea of purchasing a vehicle with that much 'commercial' use, especially if it was a rental, taxi, or similar.
Regards...
In Boston they usually don't have sunroofs and the wagons usually have the spoiler...
The WSJ was looking to produce a single ranking system that could compare across the board vehicles across the board. One of the key factors in safety that has often been overlooked is the weight factor of the impact and impacted vehicles in an accident.
WSJ specifically wrote about Volvo since we all know that it is the market leader in automotive safety at least by their own hype. Personally I believe in it to some degree because after all I bought one partially for this reason. But I still daily drive an 1982 Lincoln Mark VI that meets my own need for comfort, bulk, carrying capacity, and its market perception as a big old American car that even a Suburban driver would consider twice when merging.
The WSJ chides Volvo on the fact that even a substantially cheaper car like the Chevy Impala nearly equals the Volvo under its own defined standards of safety. Personally I have my doubts that their talking about the newly released generation of Impala because it is no where near the behemoth of the previous car.
I found the WSJ article both insightful and useful because we all have to regularly make daily market decission on what kind of vehicles we buy and we need to be able to weigh the safety factor equally across the spectrum of our transportation options.
I personally would never buy an SUV because I think they're wasteful of energy and I never felt that the smaller more economical ones were particulary safe with their narrow and tall wheel bases. I could almost never utilize the carrying capacity of a Suburban/Expedition etc. or swallow the gas bill.
The handling characteristcs of the higher rated SUV and vans in this survey are substantially compromised by both their bulk and configuration to the point that I would not consider them an option even if they got equal fuel economy to the Volvo. Finally not one of the equally or higher rated automobiles is currently sold in a wagon version so I actually feel pretty well justified in light of these results.
What do you think?
Best Wishes,
Frederick
TIA,
Siva.
We are expecting our first child shortly and have
the following question. What is the best thing to
put under a car seat to protect the back seat
leather. I am interested in any suggestions and
success rates.