Hi I'm new here and hope to learn a lot from the site.

I'm looking at a 1997 850 wagon. The car has 150k and is pretty clean. the owners was $4k for it. Is that a good deal ?

ANyway I have not looked at the car yet. What type of thing should I look for? I know every cars has it weaknesses, so what type of problems are recurring or common problems with these 850's ?

The 850 bible - the old testament:

Generally v.reliable and in my opinion more so than the later v70 models

Common Probs on 850s:

Top engine Mount - This sits above the cam cover and bolts to the bulk head(fire wall) They have a rubber bush in them - nearly all (if still original factory fitted) have a design fault where the rubber bush splits or goes completely. Volvo later produced a modified aftermarket replacement that (in the uk) costs around £50.00 sterling. If it is or has gone then the car will judder slightly when pulling away (manual transmission) and when starting. Its a simple fix if it has gone but I would knock some money off the asking price. Also, if left un-fixed it puts more strain on the 2 bottom mounts - these are hydraulic and will be costly fix.

Brake Master Cylinder - On both the 850 and C70 I have had, they both had faulty brake master cylinders. The master cylinder is located on the servo, again on the bulk head (fire wall). If the cylinder has gone/is going/or has leaked in the past there is usually staining and corrosion on the servo where brake fluid has leaked, also the clutch (manual transmission only) and brake pedal will feel spongy and dead with excessive play in them- 850's are well known for their excellent brakes and the pedal should be firm with plenty of feel and the car should stop sharply in a straight line without any hands on the wheel.

Door Check Straps - On the 850 if any of the doors click at all when opened then the check strap is either loose or damaged. This might not sound serious but doors can jam open if this fault isn't sorted. The fault itself is a tricky repair requiring the door to be removed and the strap welded.

Head Gasket - Not a common fault and not usually a problem until 200+K miles, however it is still worth checking as repairs will run into 4 figures if it has gone or is going. Turbos suffer more head gasket failures than the NA engines. Best ways to check:
Open bonnet, when car is not warmed up, release the coolant expansion cap to release any pressure. Check the colour of the coolant - it should be clean and not greasy. replace the cap and start the car, give it some hard revs i.e. blip the throttle several times hard and imediately switch the engine off, now get your ear close to the expansion tank cap and very slowly release it there should be no air escaping (i.e hissing) as the cap is released. If it does even very slightly, this could mean the head is pressurising and that the head gasket is on its way out. Other indicators of possible head problems - The heater will stop working, temperature gauge rises under hard acceleration and drops when easing off. Water in the oil (Mayo like substance on the oil cap). Greasy coolant. Sooty Deposits in the coolant expansion tank. If you are really worried then get a professional check done. air and gurgling noises coming from the expansion tank when the radiator hoses are squeezed with the cap off.

Thermostat - 850's have good cooling systems and the temperature needle should sit dead centre all of the time - if its sit below this then thermostat is not working properly - if it is jammed open then the heater will not work and the temp gauge will read cold all the time (especially at higher speeds)

Sluggish Performance - 850's all have lusty 5cylinder engines, if the car feels sluggish then it could require a timing tune up - many 850's even when new had incorrect engine timing settings set by the factory. The 20 valve engines love to rev and should be very willing high up the rev range. The 10 valve engines tend to deliver their power lower down the rev range and are tuned for torque rather than outright power but again should pull well. some 850's I have worked with have had timing so far retarded that they can barely pull up a slight hill in second gear! - The cure is to get the timing adjusted I found advancing slightly made a big difference and gave the 2.5 20v I did it to a rolling road power output of 176bhp. A word of warning though - It isn't advisable to go crazy with the timing as internall temperatures can get too high causing major piston damage etc.

General - Some 850s have minor electrical faults and niggles - just make sure everything works. Final tip - make sure it comes with 2 sets of keys - a new key at the dealer is seriously expensive!

Hope all this helps and isn't too boring! I can honestly say out all the cars I have owned (other volvos included) My 96 850 2.5 20v saloon (sedan) was the best of all!

another would be the air pump and sensor.... due to design fault water gets in and well lets say its not gonna pass emissions here in the states.... abs module goes bad as well........

Also check here:-

http://www.volvo-forums.com/t3118-things-t...g-a-new-car.htm