850 T5 or 850 R - what is best value

[ruswatson17]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to the forums, I've just joined up as I'm looking to purchase a Volvo 850 in the next 2-3 months but I'm looking for a bit of advice!

An upcoming job change is about to significantly reduce my commuting distance and I'm looking to off load my current boring diesel hatchback for a turbocharged variety of 850. My budget is likely to be around £3.5k, but could stretch a bit further for the right vehicle. This budget seems to give me a bit of a dilemma between going for something at the bottom end of the 850r market or at the top end of the T5 market. My head says a good T5 would be a safer option but what are the realities of buying a "cheap" R? Is there much of a difference in reliability / running costs / parts availability between the two? Also is the 850r a significantly more rewarding drive than a T5?
Are there any expensive services that I should be looking out for proof of when viewing a car? I've read stories about dodgy PCV valves - are there any other faults known to these cars?

I used to run a 2002 Saab 9-3 Aero HOT so I'm used to the tyre / fuel costs of a similar powered engine.

Thanks in advance for any help!

[Cookeh]

T5. Your budget won't get a decent condition 5 and there isn't much in them performance wise anyway. Good condition T5s are available for significantly under your budget which would leave lots of funds left over for power and handling mods or to tidy up any issues or problems the car has.

PCV definitely worth checking - it's a cheap enough fix and not something you can really check history of as they can go for 100k or more without issues sometimes. Plenty guides on here as to how to check it.

Also worth checking for oil leaks, especially rear main seal. It's only an £11 part but requires dropping the gearbox to fit so the labour is immense.

If the car has nivomat check they work properly, though most have been replaced by now.

In the 850 section of the forums there is a huge list of things to expect and check for.

[ruswatson17]

Thanks very much for your response, I'm having a look at that 850 post as we speak. Didn't know about the Nivomat suspension issue so that's a good one to look out for! Out of interest, what do you think market value for a good t5 is? There's a well written advert for one near me (NE Scotland) for £2700 but a similarly specced (albeit auto rather than manual)one with history and less miles in SE England for £1350

[Cookeh]

Manuals are becoming much rarer and so commanding a higher price. I paid £1500 for mine, which was average miles, decent bodywork, but rather poor mechanically. A good condition one with good mechanicals and good bodywork should be around £1800-£2000 in my opinion (for a manual). The price on the auto sounds about right.

I would be happy to pay £2500 for one that was properly sorted with lots of evidence supporting recent work, just had a Stage 0, recent cambelt, history of frequent oil changes and servicing,and was in great condition. Do remember that these engines are recommended to run on semi-synthetic oils which should be drained and replaced every 5k.

As food for thought a manual gearbox swap will cost around £1k.

[DSK]

850 T5 with lots of change left over would be most logical.

I would also keep your eyes peeled for a V70R/S70R as they seem to fetch a little less than the 850R/T5-R's but are the same cars in a different body and better interior (IMO).

[ruswatson17]

thanks very much for everyone's input. I think my mind is set to go for a good t5 rather than a cheap R! Now just to wait for a good one to come up within a reasonable distance to me!