“You could use these 3 850s to make 2 really good wagons.”

Browsing Facebook marketplace earlier this week and I came across an interesting ad for three Volvo 850s, two ‘895 wagons and one ’96 sedan, each in near-running condition, for $3,000. Not for each, the lot.

Check out a screenshot of the ad below and photos of each of the Volvos.

If the ad’s still up, you can find it linked here.

“The green wagon and sedan are both turbos, the white wagon is not.” the ad says.

The white wagon has been my daily driver since Feb. of 2017 but was in an accident in 2019 we did some repairs and I continued to drive it until we bought another car.

“The green wagon had a burned valve when we bought it a while ago, our plan was to fix it and sell the white one.”

“We bought the sedan with the plan of using its parts to fix the 2 wagons.”

“The white wagon is tagged and insured, the green wagon is on a non op in our name. The sedan will be a bill of sale only.”

The ad goes on to conclude that “850s were some of the best Volvos,” and they’re right.

These Volvo 850s are known to be some of the most robust, reliable, and best “dailies for a bargain” on the market today.

850s came in naturally aspirated (168 HP/ 162 lb-ft) and turbocharged (190-222 HP/199-251 lb-ft) form, each either paired to a four-speed auto or five-speed manual.

M.Y. ’97 Wagons were available with an AWD trim.

Naturally aspirated manuals seem to be the most reliable of the bunch, with turbocharged models and automatics, each part respectively, requiring a close eye and keeping up with maintenince lest each part eventually fail.

850s are known to be great highway cruisers, offer decent performance if you find a turbo, and are easily repairable thanks to a treasure trove of information on the internet.

Parts can be hard to come by but not impossible. It is a Swedish vehicle, but there are plenty of 850s collecting dust in junkyards across the United States, not to mention thousands still on the road.

In regard to this particular ad, this is clearly aimed at a fairly competent Volvo enthusiast with enough garage space and the wherewithal to deal with three cars at once.

There is opportunity, as the ad hints, to have two really good 850s in roadworthy condition for fairly cheap because it comes with its own parts car.

For $3,000, it’s a lot of Volvo for the money, an ad looking for the right owner to come by.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here