I had pined for a Volvo wagon for several years before I finally broke down and bought my '95 850 GLT Wagon last year. I had been driving a '94 Camry, mostly because of the high reliability ratings of that car. I did a lot of research into the Volvo line, and found that the '95 850 GLT was the best I could get for what I wanted to spend. Having grown up in a family where we all drove each others' cars interchangeably, I am used to not keeping any vehicle for a long time. I have a feeling that I'll keep this wagon until it either dies or becomes financially detrimental to me (repairs or sales value).

I purchased the wagon from a young married couple who were the 2nd owners of the car. The original owner had the car for the first 50K miles and had it serviced exactly as the owner's manual suggests. I have had the car for just at a year now and have so far been very pleased.

The car gets about 20 mpg in town and 25 mpg highway. Most of my miles are in town to the tune of about 40 per day. Basically, I fill up the tank once per week on an average week. Regular unleaded (89 octane) seems to be OK for the car; I have honestly never tried higher grade so I can't say if this makes a difference.

I would rate the performance as Above Average. It doesn't handle quite as swiftly as some high-performance sedans I have driven, but it does great for a wagon. I'm not anywhere close to being a car expert, so I can only give you a woman driver's point of view. There is a button that allows you to change the performance mode between Economy, Sport, and Winter. There is a noticeable difference between the Economy and Sport when it comes to speeding up and driving up a mountain. I usually leave it in Sport since most of my driving is in town. I'll sometimes switch it to Economy if on the highway. I've never had to use the Winter setting, so I can't comment on its performance.

In terms of features, the 850 GLT is abundant. Mine includes (front to back): headlight wipers; daytime running lights; premium sound system (non OEM CD changer added prior to my purchase); sunroof; leather seats; power driver's seat; front heated seats; adjustable steering wheel; integrated child booster seat (for bigger kids-a plus if you have a friend along and don't want to lug another seat); folding rear seats for hauling big loads in the trunk; and removable "privacy" cover for the rear compartment.

Climate control is above-average. The heating and cooling both work splendidly. The mode control is on a knob with a "tick" between each setting, so it's not "all or nothing"--you can actually stay warm or cool while operating the front defogger. There are 6 upper vents in the front cabin, which gives plenty of options for air flow; all have shut-off valves. There are separate temperature controls for driver and passenger, a feature we often use. Those controls are only labeled with an arc that goes from thick to thin instead of red and blue, or even temperature settings. No big deal, you figure it out pretty quickly. The defrosters work quickly and I've never had a problem with the front window fogging excessively. I guess the only minus is the lack of rear temperature control, but that's not unusual for a '95 model car. The heated seats are great and work quickly, but are not excessively hot.

In terms of storage, I feel there is adequate room for all the knick-knacks you would want; of course, there could always be more. The glove box is rather small and really has only enough room for your owner's manual and a few small things. In mine I have my car papers, a small flashlight, a very small first aid kit, and a small bottle of Febreze. There are pockets on both front doors, which are nicely sized. Great for tapes, sunglasses, pens, Altoids and the like. There is also a small crevice below the ashtray. This is mostly taken up on my car by the CD changer master control. I also put the changer remote there. Mine has coin slots just to the rear of this space. It's a nice feature, but the slots are rubber and not so easy to clean--even with Q-tips. There is a space below the emergency brake that can be used but I try to keep that clear. The center console is rather small and shallow. Only enough room for a couple of tapes or other small items. The cup holder slides into the top part of the console and holds two cups. It's nice because you only pull it out halfway for holding one cup. However, you can't use the cupholders and open the console at the same time (unless you want a major mess). The cupholders are durable but a little on the flimsy side. They are fairly standard-sized and not meant for small cups. Both front seats have pockets on the back for storing books, maps, etc. They are full leather in my car, which is nice in terms of holding small children's toys.

In terms of room, the 850 GLT wagon is more than adequate. I am almost 6', and my husband is 6'2", and both of us feel like there is ample room in the driver's seat. The front passenger's seat is even more roomy. The back seat holds 3 average adults with median comfort. Two are very comfortable and there's enough leg room, thanks to the contour of the back of the front seats. I keep the driver's seat in the rear-most position, and I've never had to move it up more than a hair to accommodate a passenger behind me. We have a 2-year old with a booster seat, and we've carried two adults in the back alongside him on short trips. Not the most ideal position but no one was sitting in another's lap.

The rear of the wagon is rather spacious. As I mentioned before, the rear seats fold down with a quick push of a button. The seats are split 1/3 and 2/3, so you can still have backseat passengers AND carry a long item in the back. Just last week, I had my 2-year old in his child seat and folded the opposite seat down to carry a 6' bookcase. There are two lift-up compartments in the rear of the wagon which access the spare tire chamber. This is also the area in which you would mount the optional 3rd seat. Both of these compartments have a very shallow area that could possibly used for storage. The rear-most compartment is where my CD changer is mounted (we also stowed a bottle of liquor back there once).

I have had a few minor problems since I bought the wagon. The brakes began squealing excessively at the same time the "check engine" light came on. I ended up having to get new rotors and pads, along with a new oxygen sensor. That bill came to just over $800. The front brakes still squeak on low pressure, and quite annoyingly so. I have come to understand that squealing brakes are part of the Volvo ownership experience, but I still plan to try to get them lubricated a bit to reduce this annoyance. One other small irritant is the door trim. On the outside, the black plastic pieces at the bottom of the doors will sometimes slide slightly to the front or rear. When this happens and you open the door, the piece that is sticking out "catches" on the adjacent quarter panel instead of moving back into the door space, and the plastic gets bent back. I have also had a problem with the rear passenger side interior door seal. I think most of this is from moving my 2-year old in and out of the car so much.

Shortly after having the brakes repaired, someone backed into the car in our business' parking lot late at night. Hit and run. The driver's side rear door and rear quarter panel were dented up pretty badly. I took it in for repairs immediately and only waited about 5 days for the work to be done. Upon driving my car home, I noticed the car was driving rather rough and the "check engine" light was on. The next morning, the car drove so poorly and made so much noise I feared the engine was about to blow. I drove immediately to the body shop to let them know what was going on. After denying they went under the hood during repairs, they agreed to take the car back to check it out. Turns out that two guys in the shop cleaned the engine for me and got the spark plugs wet. Whew! I did have to laugh about it later.

All the other interior components have held up well. My only gripe is the leather is starting to crack on the front seats and actually wore off in a small space on the back seat. This is most likely due to my failure to maintain the leather as I should. I'll sound off on one other small design issue I have encountered. I smoke, and emptying the ashtray is not the easiest task given the inability to fully open the ashtray with the car in Park. You have to put the car out of gear to take it out to clean it. Even those who don't smoke might use the ashtray to keep small items, so it could present a minor annoyance.

One other comment is concerning the "privacy screen" for the rear space. It is a nice feature to have on a wagon, given no private space to store items (especially when traveling), but has been bunk for me. It has been in storage since I brought the car home. It is pretty bulky and awkward to use. Think of it like a roller window shade mounted on a big plastic housing. It snaps in place in the rear compartment, just behind the seats. You can leave the screen open or closed, but I would think either you want it or you don't.

Overall, this has been a very pleasant automobile experience. When the time comes to purchase another vehicle, I will seriously consider buying a Volvo again--more than likely a wagon. There is not a dealership (i.e., no authorized service center) in my town, and the one in the next town has been highly scorned by friends of ours who also own Volvos. The next nearest, reputable dealer is about an hour away, which is not very convenient. I am lucky in that we have a friend in town who specializes in foreign-car repairs and Volvos in particular. He did a great job on my brakes and didn't charge an excessive amount--for a Volvo. I'm sure the same work would have been about 1/2 what I paid had I owned a domestic car. Hopefully I can avoid the dealership at all costs.
Amount Paid (US$): 16,350
Condition: Used
Model Year: 1995
Model and Options: 850 GLT Wagon, Auto everything