Help needed with buying advice after viewing an 850R

[DomF1]

Originally Posted by Bigfella666

Dom

Where about sin town are you happy to have a look if I can find a couple of spare hours

All the advice you have had to date is spot on, even without a gander I would suggest £2k is absolute tops for this girl

Thanks for the offer, it’s much appreciated. I put an offer in, in line with the feedback here and your comment but it was too low. I think that the R badge and recent advertisements of high figures has made them a bit more difficult to gain a ‘fair’ price. It seems the investment potential is high at the moment I guess so sellers have that on their side.

Oh well, I’m sure there will be another opportunity and given the level of work, potential expense and my lack of free time at the moment maybe it’s for the best... I really did want an 850R though :/

[christheancient]

Genuinely true...

I started scrolling through the pictures and my Display Driver crashed (gave up in disgust?).

Seriously...

That car looks decidedly neglected. An 'R' needs to be loved and that one hasn't.

[Turbodave]

Originally Posted by barrybritcher

I know they go for mega bucks when restored but this one looks a lot of work. Maybe get an s60r as a base to start from instead. Cheaper to buy and will be future classic

I can't work out if that's written in jest or not?

Taking on a rough 850 is fine if you're handy with spanners and have the space and time to invest time and money into it. I think people tend to forget how old these are now and thus, maybe it's best to see it as a 25 year old car and thus, it will need work to bring it up to scratch but what you want from the car and what you can achieve really comes down to personal circumstances - can you fix it or can you write checks and get a man who can to fix it?

An S60R will never be a future classic. For a start, nobody really cares about fast Volvos that aren't estates... the whole "thing" is the fast estate and an S60R is just a pretended to that throne. Add to that, they are seriously complicated and thus if you think an rough 850 is dear / hard to get up to scratch, you should try taking on an S60R that has suffered neglect over the years. Yes they're very good when they work but as an investment, no chance. If anything, buy a manual V70R instead.

Basically, it comes down to the individual... nothing is beyond saving but it boils down to your abilities, be it DIY or be it to throw cash around. Bolt on parts are simple on an 850 and they're not dear. They very well engineered cars but I'd be more concerned about the oil leak and rust as contrary to what many say, Volvos do rust and rust very well at that. Maybe best go back with somebody who knows them and then make a worst case list of what it needs and what it'll cost to be brought back to a standard that you'd be happy with. Then decide if that's something you're in a position to do. If not, walk away or it'll just be an unachievable project that will consume time and money.

[barrybritcher]

S60R will def not depreciate below the 3k mark. No way. It can only increase

[Shinsplintz 101]

You dont say whether the car is a factory manual or auto, estate or saloon . Its makes a difference. The manual estate being much more desirable & thus expensive.

There's nothing there that looks too scary - offer 2k and budget 2k for immediate stage zero, pcv & new turbo CHRA an TCV plus other odds and sods. That'll get you a car in good running fettle which is going to be worth at least the money & time you've sunk into it.

After that you can spend as much or as little as your buget allows - but an R will need to have at least a grand thrown at it every year (conservatively) if its driven regularly to keep on top of gemeral ware & tear, with a bit of proactive maintenance too. If something major goes wrong then you face a repair bill of a couple of grand tops (eg engine rebuild, replacement gearbox, full suspension rebuild all around etc..) but thats it. The R is a standard 850 T5 in a dress. Parts are easy to find & inexpensive. Just keep ontop of the jobs & it'll keep ahead of you in appreciation & be a pleaseure to own & more importantly drive.

If you don't want it let me know. I'll buy it & restore it. Always after an R project - but only if its a manual & ideally an estate! - and for sensible money.

Cheers, Morgan

[Shinsplintz 101]

Originally Posted by barrybritcher

S60R will def not depreciate below the 3k mark. No way. It can only increase

I bought one for £1500. And let it go for the same money. Not even that much wrong with it.

There ar P2 Rs out ther for less than 3k. But buyer beware. Someone wise once told me they were a volvo with Ferrari running costs. A nasty one will empty your pockets quicker than 3 days in vegas.

I also agree with the volvo & estate comment. The cars that will appreciate the most in this marque will ultimately be the estates. Saloons are just so audi/bmw/ford. Volvo own the estate niche. Long live the flying brick!

[Bigfella666]

You are welcome Dom

Some folk have endless pockets and much time on their hands - you would need both had you paid more than £k 2 for this gal

In my opinion you did the right thing and will not be kicking yourself anytime soon. I waited 18 months before the right P1 R came along, she was cheap, cost me 1000 + hours so far and not all jobs are done. And the next MOT cost me a small fortune, welding, new Nivomats etc and even though I was able to import them tax free it all added up to a very tidy sum indeed

Lets not get onto the subject of the second one I bought in April !

Best of luck and fingers crossed

[DomF1]

Cheers... the search will continue! It just could have been a really cool project if it worked out time and finance wise (which it hasn't). Its now on the market for those with keen eyes.