... The only concern I had was a rear end crash with the kids in the boot, I assume that Volvo wouldn't have allowed the seats to be there without stringent testing first.
THE COSTS OF OWNERSHIP
As I said I have recently had some work done to it, which may seem expensive but in my mind ... Read review
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A review by safariman72 on Volvo 850 January 14th, 2007
Author's product rating:
Reliability
Good
Road Handling
Excellent
Looks
Good
Fuel consumption
Satisfactory
Advantages:
Loads of space, comfortable ultra - safe .
Disadvantages:
Thirsty if you are heavy footed . Parts can be expensive .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
THE GOOD BITS
The performance is quick and if you bear in mind it's a big heavy car it's quite surprising. The four wheel drive system is good, pulling out in damp or wet conditions is surprisingly quick and safe. Cornering in the wet is probably the most surprising yet. With it being a big heavy car you would expect it at the first sign of water to be a bit slippery whilst cornering. Nope not my 850 maybe its the 4wd maybe its the 850 in general but it seems to grip and grip. The abs works as abs should, and stops the car effortlessly.
The interior is half leather and there are signs of wear on the drivers seat, the usual wear on the gear stick , pedals and steering wheel. All the electric windows work, the electric sunroof does now i greased the runners.
THE BAD BITS
The stereo, double din radio cassette (double width). Finding a double din cd player is going to cost me about £100.
The heated seats do not work, but I haven't checked the fuse yet. The rear door panel rattles and is loose, a common fault due to age I believe, although there is a repair kit on a well known auction site for approxiamately £10 so it isn't going to break the bank.
This car will comfortably seat 4 adults, 2 smaller children and a toddler on the arm rest booster seat. The only concern I had was a rear end crash with the kids in the boot, I assume that Volvo wouldn't have allowed the seats to be there without stringent testing first.
THE COSTS OF OWNERSHIP
As I said I have recently had some work done to it, which may seem expensive but in my mind isn't bad and I'll explain why.
Two front tyres were low, new ones fitted balanced. £70 the pair.
Car was stuttering when driving and squealing when pressing the clutch.
New clutch plate, pressure plate, release bearing and slave cylinder. Cost £335 fitted in about 5 hours.
Clutch didn't seem like it was going but the bearing was making an annoying noise. Turns out the clutch was low, the pressure plate wasn't applying pressure, the bearing was shattered and the slave cylinder was leaking. So for 3 months it has been faulty.
New spark plugs and ignition leads. £20.50 for the plugs and £89 for the leads. Volvo parts I might add. If I could have afforded the time to wait for the local parts place then it may have been cheaper.
Distributor cap and Rotor Arm £20 and £12 respectively. The rotor arm in mine had shattered, according to a mechanic friend and the bloke at Volvo 2 days later, it shouldn't have even been running. Yet it drove me home at around the speed limit.
So far it has cost me approx £494 in repairs, there is still a few niggely faults the main one being the rear panel which I will get done sooner rather than later as it's annoying. After paying only £570 anyway its still a bargain, as I shouldn't have to change the clutch again for a long time.
THE VERDICT
The car is amazing, 21 years old and still feels like new. Full service history, well maintained and an absolute pleasure to drive. It makes you feel safer and more relaxed. You can get an astonishing amount of junk in the boot, and when you put the seats down, it can be a bed.
From the owners crash stories on the internet (search Volvo Forums) I don't think I will be venturing far from a Volvo anymore.
Advantages: You can burn off a Porsche 911, or load it up for a summer camping trip, either way a very useable car! Disadvantages: Some problems on some models are possible, eg Turbocharger can suffer from severe driving.
So, everybody likes the Volvo 850 range. But which is the best, which is the ultimate, which is the fastest, the sportiest, the most quality of all 850 models? Well, it has to be the T5R We have had our T5R for a couple of years, and we paid around 16K for it. It was second-hand but with very low mileage, excellant condition and in the Primula yellow we wanted. As it stands with its 17 inch alloys and extra low profile tyres, the semi-tinted glass ... ...very quiet and the usual Volvo whirr can be heard. So, its a volvo with alloys. Not quite... Infact it is also very fast. It can beat a Porsche 911, and the car is an estate! It drives superb and very fast. The report saying that the T5R is the volvo for hooligans, is totally right. You can enjoy racing the XR2's, XR3's and the Ford Escort Rs Turbo's. But ofcourse it can beat them all. The amount of power is quite obvious when trying for a 0-60mph ...
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Advantages: roomy, safe and reasonably economical Disadvantages: people look at the car and not me!
...Sven is a bright red Volvo 850 2.0 GLT Saloon. He has got a whopping great spoiler on the back, and is definitely the strong silent type.
The condition of the car was very good indeed. The interior was spotless, the engine was quiet and it is just a lovely car.
So what bells and whistles has it got, I hear you ask. Well, if you shut up and wait a second, I'll tell you...
Sven has the following features that make me, sorry him, look even sexier:
... ...and heated mirrors
Heated front seats (oooh, matron!)
The back seats fold down, which is very handy as I went to IKEA and bought a bed for Ellie last week. The interior is half-leather, but unfortunately there are no whips and chains... sorry, got sidetracked there!
In terms of performance, the car has got 134bhp under it's lid, and can do abouy 125 mph I should think. Being a respectable law-abiding citizen I have only ever driven at the speed ...
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...years ago I bought a Volvo 850 T5 Auto CD Estate. The new V70 had just come out - a rebadging exercise - so I got a secondhand car price for a car with 50 miles on the clock. The car is a dream to drive, it handles like a sports car, is a comfortable as a limo, can carry more than most vans, and is as safe as a Volvo. To date I have 90,000 miles on the clock, and, although not a speed freak, have tested its acceleration and top speed in Europe, and ... ...foibles). The service by Lancaster Volvo was faultless, but the Volvo dealer in Burnley was poor and returned the car without the turbo connected - so much for their road test! all in all it is a great car, and I cannot fault it. There is only one thing more satisfying than knowing you can overtake a Porsche and that's knowing you can overtake a Porsche with a chest of drawers in the back. I thoroughly recommend this car to anyone who wants power, ...
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Advantages: Just read and you will find out! Disadvantages: Servicing should be completed regularly and some problems can persist in some vehicles.
So, everybody likes the Volvo 850 range. But which is the best, which is the ultimate, which is the fastest, the sportiest, the most quality of all 850 models? Well, it has to be the T5R
We have had our T5R for a couple of years, and we paid around 16K for it. It was second-hand but with very low mileage, excellant condition and in the Primula yellow we wanted. As it stands with its 17 inch alloys and extra low profile tyres, the semi-tinted glass ... ...very quiet and the usual Volvo whirr can be heard. So, its a volvo with alloys. Not quite...
Infact it is also very fast. It can beat a Porsche 911, and the car is an estate! It drives superb and very fast. The report saying that the T5R is the volvo for hooligans, is totally right. You can enjoy racing the XR2's, XR3's and the Ford Escort Rs Turbo's. But ofcourse it can beat them all. The amount of power is quite obvious when trying for a 0-60mph ...
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Advantages: Got the power, big, safe Disadvantages: drinks fuel, lack of power in low rev range
A large volvo 850 saloon, 2 litre engine, used my traffic and undercover police, I picked up the keys, stepped inside, the first thing you notice is how comfortable it is, with lots of room inside, loads of legroom, headroom, I put the key in and turn it, you hear a loud roar from the engine, and think this could be fun, pulling away I became disappointed, I have seen rolling road graphs and know the high power is in the higher revs but the volvo ... ...know someone who had a Volvo 850 like mine, and on the motorway, hit a porsche boxter, this spun the boxter sideways and the volvo continued to push it down the road, before applying the brakes. When the police arrived on scene, the volvo was used to move the boxter to the hard shoulder, and the only damage the volvo recieved was a broken headlight. The Porsche was a right off.
This is a similar story as mine, on a motorway slip road, waiting to ...
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Advantages: Reliable, cheap on fuel and great fun with the carrying capacity of a removal van! Disadvantages: None, except perhaps getting a little old in the tooth!
...Living with the Volvo TDi is a pleasure; there you are travelling in comfort with up to seven of you if you have the rear child seat option and your doing 40 plus mpg while travelling with the whole family at well above the UK legal limit.
Owning one of these will constantly leave smiles on your face, help move the office, family, friends etc etc the back with the seats down will take two five drawer filing cabinets plus the trolley to move them around with, yep you can even take the mother in law! Well down to the tip, its great for all that garden rubbish and boxes that everyone seems to accumulate.
Add to all this a car that is comfortable, safe and built with Volvo rugged reliability and this could be the last car you buy because they are also renown for going around the clock mileage wise!
Servicing is every 10,000 miles and isn...
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Advantages: huge amount of space, great bulid quality, fantastic ergonomics Disadvantages: breeze box styling
...This is a truly fantastic car if you are in need of lots of space, comfort and reliability. I own a Volvo 940 2 litre turbo, T reg estate, and it really is as good as new. With a lot of tender love and care this car can go on for decades. Despite its heavy cumbersome appearance, the two-litre turbo 940 can deliver an excellent driving experience with great handling (power steering, abs as standard). The turbo kicks some speed into the experience if that appeals; but lets get real, people who buy a Volvo 940 estate aren't looking for a sports car! What really appeals is the cars interior space. If you have a large family and regularly travel with lots of luggage this is the one for you. I bought my Volvo 940 estate from an antique dealer, who upgraded to the newer but slightly smaller Volvo850. The boot is massive and no space is wasted...
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Advantages: Space, power, comfort, auto is standard Disadvantages: Width, servicing and parts costs, residual values
...We have owned a Grand Voyager 3.3litre LE from new, two years and 30k miles ago. It's been a great vehicle to carry six people in individual comfort, but so could claim a number of other MPV's. The difference is that the long wheelbase gives an extra couple of feet boot space compared with others in this class. We have four children, ranging from 11 to 16 years, and on their return to school on a Sunday evening, the piles of bags and boxes and pets has to be seen to be believed. Previous cars included the Mercedes 230 TE estate, Volvo850 estate and a Mitsubishi Spacewagon, and this Sunday trip was becoming impossible. Holidays en famille were no fun, even with a roof box. The Voyager has proved to be a great success, and it can swallow up all the luggage for seven, as we have done in the last year.
The downside is that it is not just...
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