are used 850's expensive to maintain?
 

I've been driving 240's for nearly 20 years and am interested in buying a used 850 wagon. Given the money we have to spend, the car would have to be about 10 years old with 130-180,000kms on it. I also would prefer to keep it for a work vehicle after the family isn't requiring prams, porta cots, etc. and move the family to a smaller second car. My Volvo mechanic said fixing problems with 850's would be more expensive than the old style motors. I like the 850 because of the power and handling, but don't want to be dropping thousands on repairing a transmission, or replacing computers. Any opinions on the reliability of the 850's and expense involved would be much appreciated. Thanks, Michael

I can't comment on the 850 specifically, but the problem that I have had with more modern cars is things like airbag lights coming on. I was quoted 100 pounds to have the airbag light sorted.(This was on a vauxhall). The cambelt (which will probably need the waterpump replcing too) was 300 ! If your local mechanic does't have the diagnostic tools, then you may have to pay main dealer prices for this service. This is why I'm going for a 200 or 700 rather than a 900.

Re 850
 

850s are front wheel drive and more expensive to maintain than 200s or 700 or 900s the 900s are the last of the rear wheel drives

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re cam belts
 

with the vauxhalls you will find the water pump is the cam belt adjuster it is advised to change this when changing belt most modern cars the the cam belt drives the water pump so if water pump goes so does cam belt and the 900s up to 1994 i think don't have air bags and are very similar to the 700s it's the very last of the 900s that has air bags totally different cars to 850 look similar but not

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Hi i always thought volvo's were expensive to keep so i steered away from them until i actually bought one in jan this year. I have found since that Parts are reasonably priced against other vehicles,and don't go wrong as much.They have excellent build quality compared to other manufacturers.There are plenty of specialist secondhand parts dealers about. The 3 850's i have bought in total since jan have been excellent runners apart for one which has only cost silly money to fix.
think about this,
They dont rust like other vehicle
The engine isn't broke in properly at 100k while other vehicles are falling apart
They are safe as houses in an accident
the 850 is an excellent looking volvo ( i think the 850 was a turning point for volvo in looks)
I liked the 850 so much that i am now buying them for my whole family who now love them as well
I have now bought a 93 2.0,94 2.0 and a 95 2.5 all estates which are solid.
If you do decide to buy one i would suggest the following though

1,replace the timing belt and have it serviced
2,if you don't know about cars then have a reputable mechanic check it over
3,check all paper work properly (history,v5,mot's all match up,hpi check)
4,test drive to see if it drives ok and that you actually like the car
obviously these ideas are not just for volvo's but are important in buying a car