so im going to look at a 1994 850 wagon to use as a winter beater so i don't have to fight with my 740 through the winter. I also plan to to a big over haul on the 740 and return it to the road in the spring. the 850 wagon will be pulled off the road in the spring for a bunch of new stuff as well.

Anyway back to the original topic... so ya i'm going to take a look at this 850 wagon, what kind of problems should i be looking for and what kind of known problems are there with this car.

I like to reference this website for issues with vehicles. Some entries are very down on the vehicle, but if you read into it, it's just upset people because the car is high mileage with bad service history, and now they are stuck with the repair bills.

lol.... www.carsurvey.org i guess it would help if i put the site in, plus you guys in the club are more than helpful!

I don't think there's anything in particular you should look out for when buying an 850 other than the typical checks as per buying any car, well, nothing major anyway.

I'm pretty sure this isn't limited to the T5s, but check for bad tire wear and make sure the suspension components are in good order. Make sure your Lamba light isn't staying on, this can result in a big bill. If the engine light is on, be curious, but from my experience it usually just needs reset (if the maintenance has been done self/independently). Check the top engine mount - these wear easily with all engines.

Air-con can be a bit of a problem with these, and apparently expensive to fix, so check it's working. In fact, all electrics and dash lights in general. Interior trim can get rattly due to age, and we all know how annoying it is to source rattles; tailgate in particular. The windows also 'scratch' easily, encase you notice that.

One problem I had on my old non-spoiler 855 which I haven't seen before was rust along the top of the tailgate, which is apparently down to poor rubber trapping water. Depends if you want a 'beater' or something nice, but the black body trim can look pretty nasty over time if neglected.

All the best!

the air conditioning really isnt a big thing for me the AC in my car now doesn't work so i'm sure if my next car didnt have AC i wouldnt be heart broken

If it's a Winter beater that's not to bad then. Neither my Jeep or Volvo have aircon and my daily commute is 95% highway; I reckon over Summer I've already lost a small percentage of hearing in my left ear!!

The AC in newer cars is also used as a defrost - so don't be so quick. An 850 as a winter car is an OK idea, but (isn't there always a but) - for less money you could find a decent 240 (there was a good looking 244 around Lethbridge for sale very recently) and get rear wheel drive (which I much prefer in snow) and the additional benifits of cheap parts and most people in Calgary have bits for these cars in their garages collecting dust.

Whiteblocks are cool - but you'll get tempted by the dark side and end up with two project cars that never get done...ask me how I know (although I was tempted by a 240 - so feel free to ignore everything I say as I'm clearly not a reliable source of information )

^ Not sure he would be interested in a 240 as he wants a WWD for the stop sign/light traction?

The 244 you speak of wouldn't have been the silver one parked outside Score's?? If so I called the seller about it, it was to say the least the most bizarre/annoying/insulting etc. phone conversation I have ever had. Car was a 90, low k's at 158, no air, no options, autotragic and he was demanding (notice I didn't say asking... fits with my description of the call) $3000.

That was the car...I didn't call - and didn't realize it was owned by a jerk. Notwithstanding that, decent cars come up from time to time. My rules on a winter beater are to generally subscribe to the KISS principle.

No he wasn't a jerk, a completely belligerent drunken a$$hole yes, a jerk no...

It's too bad b/c the car appears to be in nice shape and the km's legit. If the seller wasn't such a dick, and if it was reasonably priced with a stick it would be sitting in my driveway right now.