1994 Volvo 850 Consumer Reviews

850 Turbo, if you please!!

Written by: bccturbo on 07/25/2005

Vehicle

1994 Volvo 850 4 Dr STD Turbo Sedan

Review

Before I ended up staying at home with the kids, I'd been driving a 94 300zx every day. Wow this was a change, but not in a bad way. Performance is on par with a Taurus SHO without the lack of reliability. Not to mention the interior is of MUCH higher quality. I paid right at 4k for this vehicle from a dealer. Why so cheap? There was a vacuum line break that they didn't want to investigate. It allowed unmetered air into the intake that caused the MIL to activate and it would not pass emissions. Found the leak during a test drive and gambled that it would fix the problem. Bought it, fixed the leak, passed with flying colors and the vehicle has not had any problems since.

Favorite Features

Self-diagnosing, user-friendly OBD-II. Power, safety, handling, and the factory sound system is nothing short of amazing for a 1994.

Suggested Improvements

Can't think of any off the top of my head...sorry!

12 out 15 people found this review helpful

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Volvo 850 dependable

Written by: atlmberry on 12/19/2004

Vehicle

1994 Volvo 850 4 Dr GLTS Sedan

Review

This has been my most dependable car - more dependable than my brand new Acura TL.

Favorite Features

VERY dependable, nice exterior, great (comfortable) seats, inexpensive to operate. I can't kill the car, it just keeps going...

Suggested Improvements

If anything breaks - Swedish parts are expensive. Only items requiring repair are power seat and dash lights that burn out (very minor). Worst item in car is the flimsy cupholders above the power window switches

13 out 13 people found this review helpful

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Great car

Written by: seashell on 10/20/2004

Vehicle

1994 Volvo 850 4 Dr GLT Sedan

Review

I bought the car because of the safety features. Luckily they've never been tested. The drivers seat is the most comfortable seat as was my 240. It gets decent mileage 22 to 25 (includes some highway driving). I don't like the price of the 30K service work but it's never let me down. The finish has held up great with waxing twice a year. The antenna has gotten bent in car washes and had to be replaced. I wish the new ones had as much room. I do ocassionally have to tighten the nut on the windshield washer arm. Overall it has been good to me.

Favorite Features

The seats. I have ocassional back spasms and they are the most comfortable. This is an asset for long trips. The paint finish. It still shines like new after 9 years (I do wax it twice a year).

Suggested Improvements

8 out 9 people found this review helpful

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Great Car

Written by: regnellie on 08/18/2004

Vehicle

1994 Volvo 850 4 Dr GLT Sedan

Review

Purchased this car new in 94 and have loved it! Car just totaled in an accident and of course everyone in the car walked away without a scratch! We will purchase another Volvo to replace this one, a used one this time. They are such great cars we have no second thoughts about purchasing a used Volvo, our first used car. Had around 108K miles and we had not had any major repairs done to the car. The yearly service was pricey, which is my only complaint with Volvos. However, they are such reliable cars that it seems like a small matter overall. This was our second Volvo and we will probably always own as least one! Tons of trunk space.

Favorite Features

Reliability, get a lot of car for the price because so many extras are already added in.

Suggested Improvements

CUP HOLDERS, better plastic for interior...tends to crack.

2 out 3 people found this review helpful

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Ouch this is going to hurt

Written by: 1971911guy on 07/14/2004

Vehicle

1994 Volvo 850 4 Dr STD Turbo Wagon

Review

I bought this POS from a family member working at a dealership. The car looked great and the dealership said they would take care of any flaws. Yeah right. I took possesion of the car and 2 weeks later it had a cracked radiator, leaking oil from the rear main seal, needed a new turbo, the power steering pump went out, the rear hatch rattles horribly, the tires needed replacing due to broken belts, the front struts needed to be repaced, the alternator was replaced, and I continue to have other small things break or fall off of this vehicle. I hope that I am the only one to experience the agony of owning a VOLVO.

Favorite Features

Turbo charged fun. Front eats are the most comfortable seats I have ever sat in.

Suggested Improvements

Better quality control. relocate the window/mirror adjusters. Make this car at least as reliable as a YUGO.

7 out 18 people found this review helpful

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unreliable, but a good car overall

Written by: zimco on 06/30/2004

Vehicle

1994 Volvo 850 4 Dr STD Turbo Wagon

Review

We've had our Volvo for 10 years and in the past few, it has shown much aging. The air conditioning broke approximately 6 times and was VERY costly to fix. It proved a huge paralysis in the reliability of the vehicle, and made it a bad summer car. It can have a stiff ride and can be the a little noisy because of the back door jiggling over rough pavement. However, it is a pleasant car to drive, with good pickup and surefooted handling. It can accomodate up to 5 adults in comfort, and is a quiet cruiser and highway merger. Reliability aside, it is a comfortable, capable, athletic, enjoyable car.

Favorite Features

Very good acceleration and handling, general quietness, spacious accomodations, handy 3rd row seat, visibility, front seat warmers,

Suggested Improvements

apart from the cracking leather on the seats and pothole-induced noise, FIX THE AIR CONDITIONING!!! IT IS THE REASON WHY WE CAN'T STAND TO DRIVE IT IN THE SUMMER!!!

3 out 3 people found this review helpful

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VOLVO 850GLT -93

Written by: Jan-Iver on 06/04/2004

Vehicle

1994 Volvo 850 4 Dr GLTS Sedan

Review

Great car with all the power I need. Costed all too much, but ALL cars do so in Norway. (Costed me $25.000,-) Sorry VOLVO, but your dealers need more training in fault finding. Also they should listen to what the customers say. My car has now the fourth transmission installed, as the dealer tried to get rid of some performance problems, and faultcodes that told him that the tranny was defective. The problem was, surprisingly in the ECC MCU. (All af you who know a little about early automotive databussystems know why.) All in all the car performs eccelent now. VERY good MPG ratings too. (0,8 litres of petrol per 10 kilometers)

Favorite Features

The automatic transmission, VERY smooth and predictable. ECC (Why isn't this obligated?, even the automatic transmission for traffic safety)

Suggested Improvements

Headlights.

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Volvo 850 1994

Written by: doctorbiz on 03/01/2004

Vehicle

1994 Volvo 850 4 Dr GLT Sedan

Review

Reliable good-looking auto with comfortable seating. Useful trunk rear- seat split for additional cargo.

Favorite Features

"Solid" feel

Suggested Improvements

A better radio receiver

1 out 2 people found this review helpful

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Great family car

Written by: Bunger on 02/17/2004

Vehicle

1994 Volvo 850 4 Dr STD Turbo Wagon

Review

These cars are very safe, and dependable. There are problems with the auto transmission, so expect to replace it about every 100K miles.

Favorite Features

Good poerformance, handling and style

Suggested Improvements

Work on that auto tranny and would have been nice to see more manual transmissions!

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1994 Volvo 850 turbo review

Written by: mjc3214 on 12/26/2003

Vehicle

1994 Volvo 850 4 Dr STD Turbo Sedan

Review

Very fun to drive. Somewhat rougher after this many miles and not as quiet on the road. Excellent performance with turbo. Very reliable. Normal maintenance gets expensive at 60,000 and 70,000 intervals with fluids, drive belts and plugs needing to be replaced for about $350-450 each time. Light bulbs on dash sometimes go out and that cost $90 to replace. Braking is excellent, styling great and sound system very good.

Favorite Features

Performance and acceleration are the most fun with this car. Handling is good. The room in the trunk and back seat is exceptional. No one complains even with three adults in the back.

Suggested Improvements

Ride quality and quietness improve with newer cars. this is about average. Would appreciate a heads up display, but not all cars carry this option.

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