1996 Volvo 850 Consumer Discussions

Volvo 850 Wagons

• Re: 1996 Volvo 850 Turbo Wagon [brian18]

  Written by: koan on Sep 26, 2005 8:24:00 PM

  Hi - I think I may know what this is. check the seal in the back roof area of the hatch - it may have to be re-glued - solved my musty odor issue

• 1996 Volvo 850 Turbo Wagon

  Written by: brian18 on Jul 20, 2005 3:50:42 PM

  I recently purchased this vehicle. I love the car and the sporty ride it provides. I do have a problem with a very musty odor that appears after the car sits in the heat and humidity closed up. I feel like it may be related to the air conditioning. It disappears quickly once we are on the road. Does anyone have any ideas of how to approach the problem?

Dive in to Volvo 850? - 1997

• Mr. Shiftright:

  Written by: jrosasmc on Sep 22, 2002 1:41:52 PM

  Currently I am looking for a second Volvo just to go back and forth to college and home on the occasional weekend. I test-drove a 1996 850 wagon at the local Volvo dealership this weekend. It has 138k miles, and it's an automatic. Here are the known problems with it: Brake pedal almost goes all the way to the floor Pulls sharply to the right when braking from high speeds Harsh, ... Read More

• My 1995 Volvo 850

  Written by: pluckon on Aug 3, 2002 9:08:15 AM

  I have a turbo sedan with automatic transmission. It came with low-profile tires and 16" rims, which were a disaster. This has been a common problem among lots of manufacturers who sell cars with low-profile tires in the United States, where city streets are often in bad condition. There was a class-action lawsuit against Volvo on the issue (as well as against other manufacturers). I got a check for $500, which ... Read More

Volvo 850 Wagons

• Long time Volvo owner, new owner of 850 Turbo Wagon

  Written by: vovonut on Mar 29, 2001 10:14:54 PM

  My experiences with Volvo's goes all the way back to 1984 when we purchased our first Volvo, a 245 Turbo (oop, that's a 240 series wagon for the non-Volvo speaking) new from the dealer after totalling a Ford. It served us well for 185K miles until it was totalled. I too took the extended warranty and used it well; replacing the Turbo at 100K miles. Lots of other electrical repairs, oil ... Read More

• Looking to buy a 850 /V70

  Written by: chp3ril on Mar 10, 2001 8:38:56 PM

  I have been told that a 1996 850t or a 1998 v70 would be good Volvo's to buy I have a 1988 740gle now with 210,000 on it and it's been a great car. I drive 650 to 800 miles per week so I want one to be as good as my 740 and I don't want to spend alot of money on upkeep.

• Volvo 850 SW 1996/1997 AWD Version?

  Written by: rfd2 on Dec 31, 2000 9:51:23 AM

  Hi, I have been researching the same model year Volvo wagon (and the '97 year). My father called to tell me that he looked it up in his archive set of Consumer Reports magazine in the April, 2000 volume and he says it is listed as one of their "good buys" in used cars. It also gets good ratings in Edmunds and the safety crash test ratings were very good. I, ... Read More

• 850 R Wagon

  Written by: cnau on Dec 30, 2000 6:54:02 PM

  Hello...I am in the process of evaluating an 850 R S/W for purchase. I found this 1996 car at a Volvo dealer with only 49,750 miles. I spoke with the previous owner and he confirmed no history of problems. He did add some brake and suspension performance upgrades though. My questions are these, with proper maintenance is this a 250 to 300K capable car? Is it worth $16,500 in clean condition? ... Read More

• Volvo 850SW SEAT BELT PROBLEMS

  Written by: ekcannon on Jul 19, 1999 9:10:15 PM

  Hello. I am new to this forum and would like to know if anyone is having the same problem with the rear seat belts in their 1996 Volvo 850 Turbo SW. During installation of car seats, my rear seat belts have failed a total of 3 times in the past year. Twice on the left and once on the right. The component on the latch that you switch to "Car Seat" ... Read More

• Frederick...thanks for advice

  Written by: riig1 on Jun 17, 1999 6:30:15 PM

  Last weekend we actually drove the 850 wagon (1996 Black leather etc. around $18K) and were happy to find that the car was basically what we wanted. The only down side was that the leather was a creamish beige, and you could really tell that it was the family hauler. If you know of any heavy duty leather cleaner & conditioner, that would be great. Also, since it came with the ... Read More