1995 Volvo 850: repair, or get rid of!

Tiny
MELISSA ROTHACKER
  • MEMBER
  • 1995 VOLVO 850
  • 5 CYL
  • AUTOMATIC
Long story short, I have a car that I'm debating on repairing and driving daily, or just repairing to sell and be done with the thing! It's a 1995 Volvo 850GLT, and I love it dearly, so this has been a major question for the last year.

After I had the transmission replaced, the shop I took it to gave me what, in essence, is a laundry list of things "wrong" with it, to include:

radiator leaking, front cam seals leaking, auxiliary drive belt needs replacing, left outer c.V. Boot torn, throttle sticking, left upper spring seat broken, torque arm bushing broken out, right front sway bar link worn, front engine mount pad broken, front motor mount leaking fluid, ignition switch failing, and the left front door lock actuator failing. All told, the price for the parts and labor that was quoted totaled $2,588.

And as a final problem, a different shop mentioned to me that one of the cylinders possibly has signs of water getting into the chamber (i.E. There was a rust-like color on the wire head and around the top of the cylinder.)

Needless to say, I have no idea what to do. Please help!
Tuesday, March 29th, 2011 AT 6:16 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,727 POSTS
Most of the things you mentioned are common things that can happen to any car and could be considered regular maintenance, however, a broken left upper spring seat suggests rust, and while deteriorated engine mounts are common, a broken mounting PAD also suggests rust. I've seen a lot of Ford front-wheel-drive cars with rusted out rear strut mounts and have never found a satisfactory repair. You might want to get a second opinion from a reputable body shop. If rust is a major issue, you will probably not want to stick more money in repairs. I am the master at getting the last ounce of life out of a car but even I know when to give up when there are multiple suspension problems.
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Tuesday, March 29th, 2011 AT 6:39 PM

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