At $4,500, Does This 1996 Volvo 850 Estate Have What It Takes?

According to nan seller, today's Nice Price aliases No Dice Volvo, "Runs and drives and looks for illustration it has 91k miles." That would astir apt not beryllium peculiarly praiseworthy if it weren't for nan truth that nan car really has 391,000 miles connected nan clock. Let's spot if there's life near successful this manual-equipped estate, and what specified life mightiness beryllium worth.

There are 2 types of group successful nan world: those who deliberation of Honda arsenic a shaper of motorcycles first and of automobiles second, and those who image nan opposite. I conjecture location is simply a 3rd group that, erstwhile nan Honda sanction is brought up, thinks "lawnmowers," but they're conscionable annoyingly magisterial hipsters.

Those of america who considered past Friday's 1992 Acura Legend L sedan astir apt didn't return nan clip to fuss astir what genitor Honda's superior merchandise mightiness be. That's because we were preoccupied pinch nan seller having group $13,000 arsenic nan car's asking price. Nice arsenic nan Legend appeared successful nan ad, and contempt its appreciably debased mileage, you each felt that was measurement excessively overmuch for an XXL Accord. When nan particulate settled, that resulted successful an 80% No Dice loss.

One of nan attractions of past Friday's Acura was its debased miles. At 86,000, it astir apt still had whiffs of that "new car smell" detectable successful nan cabin. In contrast, today's 1996 Volvo 850 (a car, it should beryllium noted, is afloat 4 years newer than nan Acura) has had a singular 391,000 miles to amass each kinds of absorbing and possibly frustratingly unidentifiable odors. What is that, sweat? A postulation of communal farts infused into nan upholstery? Maybe it's conscionable decades of accelerated nutrient and grocery-getting that imbues nan aged car pinch its olfactory identity. Or possibly it doesn't smell astatine all. To beryllium honest, it's difficult to show from nan Craigslist ad.

Regardless, this Volvo looks to beryllium successful astonishing style for its property and those awesome miles. It besides appears to beryllium a poverty-spec edition, astatine slightest based connected nan velour upholstery wrong and nan integrative afloat instrumentality covers connected nan outside. The paintwork looks to beryllium original and successful very bully nick, and speech from immoderate sun-aging of nan achromatic integrative trim—and a chunk of that missing from nan rear rider door—it each appears perfectly serviceable.

The interior, it should beryllium said, is simply a spot jankier. The dash headdress has gone each wavy-gravy from nan sun, and nan driver's spot wears an ill-fitting screen that makes it look for illustration it's nan sloppiest dresser of nan family. What's underneath that mightiness beryllium worse, but conscionable for comfort's sake, a amended screen mightiness beryllium warranted.

The remainder of nan interior looks to beryllium successful awesome shape. Both nan rider and rear seats look clean, and nan doorway cards look free of immoderate surgery trim. There is grounds of a spill connected nan carpeting successful nan load area, but that's excusable since, aft all, this is simply a wagon that has gotten immoderate use. It should beryllium noted that location isn't a 3rd statement backmost there, which is simply a spot of a disappointment.

No disappointment should beryllium recovered nether nan hood, however. According to nan seller, this Volvo runs and drives for illustration a overmuch less-well-used car. It's touted arsenic having acold A/C and to beryllium "Super reliable and comfortable."

As we discussed, this is simply a low-end 850, truthful nan 2.4-liter inline 5 nether nan hood has to make do sans a turbocharger. Naturally aspirated, nan 20-valve motor made a meager 168 horsepower on pinch 162 pound-feet of torque. That's routed to nan beforehand wheels done this 850's statement piece, which is its M56 five-speed manual gearbox. That's right, this is simply a right-sized wagon pinch a stick. Per nan seller, it shifts without rumor and gives bully state mileage. Other pluses present see a caller battery, caller lipid and filter, and nan replacement of some nan substance pump and filter. The tires are not new, but are claimed to person plentifulness of tread. The title is besides celan, truthful tehre's that.

Using nan "more ads by this seller" characteristic connected Craigslist shows that this Volvo's purveyor has 3 different cars up for offer: an aged non-running Subaru, an auto-equipped Miata pinch hail damage, and a janky Accord that needs a caller driver's doorway window. Suffice it to say, this Volvo is some nan champion and astir absorbing of nan lot.

The asking value for this 850 is $4,500, and nan seller advises that they will only do rate deals, truthful those looking to waste and acquisition an aged amp from their grounded set aliases masseuse services (happy ending implied) successful waste and acquisition for nan car should astir apt look elsewhere.

Now, it should beryllium noted that successful immoderate different timeline of nan multiverse, nan precocious mileage and property connected this Volvo would make it astatine champion a $2,500 car. We don't unrecorded successful immoderate of those existences, however, and these days it seems that 5 is nan caller two.

With that said, what's your return connected this Manual-equipped wagon and that $4,500—cash connected nan barrelhead—price tag? Does that look for illustration a woody for a car that still mightiness beryllium successful it to triumph it? Or do you deliberation this Volvo is vastly overpriced?

You decide!

Nice Price aliases No Dice:

Austin, Texas, Craigslist, aliases spell here if nan advertisement disappears.

H/T Phillip G. for nan hookup!

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