Volvo Owners Club Forum - View Single Post - 1994 Gul Volvo 850 T-5R estate manual

Turbodave · Oct 1st, 2015, 12:59

1995 (M)
Volvo 850 T-5R estate
Gul Yellow
Manual gearbox
250,000 miles
MOT: 06.07.2016
HPi clear

Sad day but the time has come to part with my 850 T-5R estate.

The car was bought approximately 18 months ago after it had been sat unused for a period of time. Upon purchase the car was serviced and new track rod ends and drop links were fitted. A stage 0 was carried out along with new plugs, distributor cap, rotor arm and HT leads. Since then, the car has seen minimal use but has completed several 500 mile+ trips with no issues. The original Titans were professionally refurbished last year. To my knowledge the car is standard aside for a BSR exhaust and a MBC, however boost stays within the gauge so it’s safe.

Whilst it’s a straight, usable example of a very rare car… it’s also a 21 years old Volvo estate that has done quarter of a million miles and thus, it has some issues. Nothing life threatening but no point putting on the rose tinted specs so here goes…

The body isn’t great – the front wings are corroded, the tailgate is going and the base of the arches aren’t great. There are also the usual age related marks. It does come with two good wings and a near perfect tailgate, they obviously will need painted. It really needs a full respray… they all do that sir.

It starts and runs fine but the PCV is blocked however it currently runs an external catch tank. It’s not ideal but it’s fine and does the job as a temporary measure. It’s not given any issues in the past 18 months.

The half alcantara seats have gone and it now sports very good standard T5 leather. The T-5R door cars remain and the headlining has also been retrimmed in dark alcantara. Very swish. The rest of the interior is standard and everything works.

It has a whining noise, usually from the passenger seat but also from under the bonnet. It’s either the power steering pump or a tensioner but it’s remained the same since day one. The cambelt history is unclear but the belt does looks reasonably fresh as does the coolant, brake fluid and power steering fluid.

The handbrake is poor, it scraped past the MOT but as it’s seen little use over the last three months, I suspect now needs stripped down or the cables replaced. The brakes don’t bind however. Again, one of those little jobs that I’ve simply not had the time to attend to thanks to house moves and work commitments.

So, in short… it’s far from perfect but with a little time, effort and money it would be a very nice example. I did have grand plans to paint it, do the brakes, suspension and spend my weekends polishing it but my head has to rule my heart and with another 90’s rarity sat also needed TLC, I have to admit defeat. I’ll miss it’s obnoxious colour, its ability to shift wardrobes at 150mph and the sheer drama and fun factor driving it brings but sadly it’s now a case of been there, done that and so it’s time to let somebody take on the challenge and finish what I started but sadly can’t finish.

As for value, I really don't know for sure... who does to be honest as these rarely come up for sale. I will listen to sensible offers but please don’t waste my time telling me it has some issues and it’s rusty. I know this.

I'll start at £2750.00, any less and I'm not sure I could part with it!

The car is in Fife, about 15 minutes north of Edinburgh which despite the rumours, does have rather excellent road, rail and air links and as for getting it home, it’s just completed a 550 mile trip to Applecross and back and never missed a beat.

I’ll add more images later and can email directly to any interested parties.

Oct 1st, 2015, 12:59	#1
Turbodave VOC Member Last Online: Apr 26th, 2024 07:25 Join Date: May 2011 Location: Fife	1994 Gul Volvo 850 T-5R estate manual 1995 (M) Volvo 850 T-5R estate Gul Yellow Manual gearbox 250,000 miles MOT: 06.07.2016 HPi clear Sad day but the time has come to part with my 850 T-5R estate. The car was bought approximately 18 months ago after it had been sat unused for a period of time. Upon purchase the car was serviced and new track rod ends and drop links were fitted. A stage 0 was carried out along with new plugs, distributor cap, rotor arm and HT leads. Since then, the car has seen minimal use but has completed several 500 mile+ trips with no issues. The original Titans were professionally refurbished last year. To my knowledge the car is standard aside for a BSR exhaust and a MBC, however boost stays within the gauge so it’s safe. Whilst it’s a straight, usable example of a very rare car… it’s also a 21 years old Volvo estate that has done quarter of a million miles and thus, it has some issues. Nothing life threatening but no point putting on the rose tinted specs so here goes… The body isn’t great – the front wings are corroded, the tailgate is going and the base of the arches aren’t great. There are also the usual age related marks. It does come with two good wings and a near perfect tailgate, they obviously will need painted. It really needs a full respray… they all do that sir. It starts and runs fine but the PCV is blocked however it currently runs an external catch tank. It’s not ideal but it’s fine and does the job as a temporary measure. It’s not given any issues in the past 18 months. The half alcantara seats have gone and it now sports very good standard T5 leather. The T-5R door cars remain and the headlining has also been retrimmed in dark alcantara. Very swish. The rest of the interior is standard and everything works. It has a whining noise, usually from the passenger seat but also from under the bonnet. It’s either the power steering pump or a tensioner but it’s remained the same since day one. The cambelt history is unclear but the belt does looks reasonably fresh as does the coolant, brake fluid and power steering fluid. The handbrake is poor, it scraped past the MOT but as it’s seen little use over the last three months, I suspect now needs stripped down or the cables replaced. The brakes don’t bind however. Again, one of those little jobs that I’ve simply not had the time to attend to thanks to house moves and work commitments. So, in short… it’s far from perfect but with a little time, effort and money it would be a very nice example. I did have grand plans to paint it, do the brakes, suspension and spend my weekends polishing it but my head has to rule my heart and with another 90’s rarity sat also needed TLC, I have to admit defeat. I’ll miss it’s obnoxious colour, its ability to shift wardrobes at 150mph and the sheer drama and fun factor driving it brings but sadly it’s now a case of been there, done that and so it’s time to let somebody take on the challenge and finish what I started but sadly can’t finish. As for value, I really don't know for sure... who does to be honest as these rarely come up for sale. I will listen to sensible offers but please don’t waste my time telling me it has some issues and it’s rusty. I know this. I'll start at £2750.00, any less and I'm not sure I could part with it! The car is in Fife, about 15 minutes north of Edinburgh which despite the rumours, does have rather excellent road, rail and air links and as for getting it home, it’s just completed a 550 mile trip to Applecross and back and never missed a beat. I’ll add more images later and can email directly to any interested parties.