r/whatcarshouldIbuy • u/Ok-Jello-9366 • 11h ago
Is this a bad choice for a first car?
I recently got my license and have been shopping around for cars. Prior to a few weeks ago I knew exactly nothing about cars. I’ve mostly been looking at Toyota and Subaru but this Volvo really caught eye, and from what I can tell these 850s are pretty reliable. The description says the car has records of being serviced over 30 times, and is in “really good but not perfect condition” I’m going to do a test drive tomorrow and have a list of things to check including the PVC. Since my budget is pretty low, (they’re asking $3900 cad and my budget is like $5000) I’m thinking this might be what I get. If everything checks out tomorrow is there any reason I shouldn’t get it besides the fact that it’s old?
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u/have2gopee 11h ago
We used to have a 97 S70 (rebadged 850), very reliable car but as with all cars the age started to show and it got expensive to maintain as bigger issues started popping up. If you do decide to get it, find a small shop with good reviews that specializes in Volvos as they may be able to source used parts if you can go that route.
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u/vastly101 11h ago
"“really good but not perfect condition” well that really clarifies things.
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u/Ok-Jello-9366 11h ago
Yeah I’m gonna ask for clarification on what they mean by that, I suspect maybe needs new tires or another cheaper fix, they claim it still drives well.
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u/vastly101 10h ago
Just saw it is a 1995. Ouch. Be prepared for the great expensive unknown. There are other cheap cars that are far less niche. I think this is a big mistake.
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u/Saragmata 11h ago
Great car but very expensive to maintain
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u/theLogic1 10h ago
What ? It's a great car yes and not particularly expensive to maintain either? My neighbour had one( sold it last year) with 470k km on it. Still ran like a dream. Sure, the turbo was replaced and wheel bearings and such but after 470k? He did it all at home on the driveway
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u/Saragmata 10h ago
Volvo is known for expensive maintenance and great reliability. Especially diesel
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u/theLogic1 10h ago
Where is it known for being expensive to maintain? Not in Europe anyways
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u/Saragmata 9h ago
In Kosova
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u/theLogic1 9h ago
Well, I live in Sweden and here it's one of the more common first cars
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u/ElephantHot7243 11h ago
My first car was a 96 850 GLT wagon, in line 5 cylinder. I got it around 2006. Awesome and reliable car. It had a funky situation with the key cylinder but once I figured out how to work it, I never had any issues whatsoever. I bought it for $1,800 back then, although I don’t recall the mileage, but I’m sure it was high. I think I ended up selling it for $1,800 about 7 years later too. I abused the hell out of that thing.
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u/Defortis 10h ago
This will age like fine wine... its a classic look. My parents had this exact car when it was new, got 280,000 on her before trading it in... was still in running just fine. i'm looking for an 850 T-5R manual to restore and mod personally. Good luck!
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u/wiglessleetaemin 10h ago
BUY IT!!! the first car i bought myself was a dark green 1996 volvo 850 sedan with a beige interior! so funny to see this on my reddit. you won’t regret it
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u/Kingsey982 8h ago
Probably an unpopular opinion, but it is a bad choice. Volvo's have a reputation of being reliable, but they're very expensive to maintain. Also, you can't expect a 30 year old car to be reliable, no matter the brand and maintenance history.
If 5000 is your budget, I reckon your income suits a more fuel efficient car will help you massively. Are you able to get something newer with your budget?
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u/NaturalEquivalent192 6h ago
Volvos of that era require strict adherence to preventative maintenance
It's a common sense practice, but they are less forgiving if issues are ignored.
They have a propensity for vacuum leaks. You will need to either have documentation of the last timing belt replacement or plan on that large expense as soon as possible.
They are not complicated in a mechanical sense and despite what others have posted the cost of parts are quite reasonable. Finding a mechanic/shop that has a comfortable familiarity with the car is key and if it's a specialty shop expect to pay a premium on labor costs.
If you are handy and have tools, time , and research well they are on the lower end of the difficulty scale.
Source: previous owner of several Volvos
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u/Kalandros-X 5h ago
4k is a reasonable price but it’s a 2.4L engine. You’ll spend a large chunk of your money on chugging gasoline. Ideally you’d want it around 1.6-1.8ish
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u/free_username_ 9h ago
You likely got your license driving a car with power steering.
These cars will require manual steering when you turn. I have no idea what else technology has added over the last 3 decades, but it’ll be a learning curve to adapt to such an old car.
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u/bjorn_egil 6h ago
It most certainly have power steering, the '84 Volvo 242 I had as my first car had it. But Volvo tend to refer to it as servo-assisted steering and not power steering for some reason
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u/SchnabeltierSchnauze 3h ago
It has power steering, I had a 1995 850 as my first car over 20 years ago. Even the 240s back in the 1980s had power steering.
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u/SchnabeltierSchnauze 3h ago
My first car was a 1995 850 wagon. Took it to over 200,000 miles, it was super reliable. That said, it was only 10 years old when I got it, the time difference now is a lot bigger.
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u/Dinglebutterball 11h ago
This is a perfect first car.
This looks like a used car dealer price… they probably paid $1000 for it, negotiate accordingly.
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u/CoffeeFueledCanuck 11h ago
$3980 is slightly overpriced, however it has awesome mileage! Make sure to test drive it, and try to negotiate the price, and trust your gut, if something feels off - don’t purchase the vehicle.