Hi all,
We are about to go through a complex family house move (selling 3 properties, buying 2), and have taken the decision to pick up a cheap estate hack to do tip runs, move large items etc. Having used a Volvo 940 for a similar purpose previously and been most impressed, this is our first choice (ruing ever having sold it actually). However, I'd also consider 740, 240 and 850. Going to see a nice sounding 850 this evening, but a little concerned that in the CBCB, HJ mentions that it's not as big as the previous Volvo wagons. Can anyone give a bit more of a quantification to this? As the main reason for buying this is the size (not driving dynamics etc), am I better off waiting to find a 940 or is the 850 still really big, just not quite as huge?
Many thanks in advance,
Alex.
PS not that interested in alternatives, but if anyone has a totally off the wall suggestion, I'm listening...
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It's true, the 850 and the following V70s are not massive estate cars. Look for a 940/960 or V90 as they were badged towards the end, they're the real deal.
Alternatively, why not just hire a large trailer and fit a towbar on to what you have now? Or just hire a van?
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For different reasons my needs are similar to yours. I need a loadlugger.
I have had many different estates and mpv type vehicles. To start with your direct question I have had a 940 and two 850s. The 940 is considerably bigger but less pleasing to drive in my opinion. As you say though that is not the main priority.
I can recommend a 5 series estate but it may be tough to find a good one cheaply. A Galaxy or its sister vehicles can hold huge quantities of kit if you take the back seats out. Similarly an Espace but don't inflict one of those on yourselves especially at a particularly stressful time......Merc E classes are big.
I use a Mondeo estate at the moment. In fact it is my second Mk111 and follows three Mk11s. Big, comfy, cheap and reliable in my experience.
If you prefer a Volvo, I'd definitely go for a 940 if space is the priority.
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I had a 960 for a short period (long story short; we bought it for a house move and then to do a banger rally, but it got written off before we left). Mine was a P reg 3.0 24V and it was an increible car for the £500 I paid for it.
We nearly bought an 850, but having driven the 960, it was massive in comparison, and therefore better suited to the task in hand. And with more luxury and toys :-)
The 850, whilst being large, wasnt the barn on wheels the 960 was........
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If the priority is pure loadspace, it would have to be soem sort of MPV rather than an estate as you get height and access aswell as pure volume.
Something like a Previa would appeal to me in that instance.
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...off the wall suggestions....
A Bedford Rascal microvan/pickup or similar.
Should do the job and they are a hoot to drive.
They will also reach places even a small car - let alone a Volvo estate - cannot reach.
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me and my father in law did a house move 8 years ago with his company car...
a galaxy. took all the seats out apart from the front 2.
and hey presto.
we had wardrobes and a double bed etc in the back of the thing.
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as an alternative. if you only planning on keeping it a short while what about an old sherpa van. no trim to get trashed with junk sliding about, but the problem would be getting under the barriers at the tip...
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oh just remembered a chap round the corner from us, bought a series 3, 110 landie for just that task, tip runs, he drives a saab company car saloon, and wife has a mini, hence the landie, he fills the thing to the roof with garden waste then hoses it out when he comes back...
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still like the volvo though, a friend at worked just sold his 9 series volvo petrol turbo 2.3
and down sized to a v40 phase2. and now has to use HIS car for getting rid of junk instead, as the v40 is to small....
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paul.
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Humph,
Isn't the 5 quite a bit smaller than even the v70 though? The e39/e34s that I've been in certainly seemed much smaller than the volvo equivs.
For the OPs purpose an older volvo seems the best bet to me. the 700 and 200 estates aren't exactly small either.
Or a cheap van.
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You are quite right ac. The 5 series is long and wide but shallow. The 900/700 would be bigger. I once got my front lawn in a 940 estate.
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Citroën CX Safari - that's what you want :-)
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Alex - it's worth thinking quite carefully about what you're likely to carry.
Many years ago, about 1980, when I sang in the Bach Choir, we did an anual carol concert in Wormwood Scrubs Prison, and this involved taking in three large kettledrums from the Royal College of Music - yes, I got to drive my car right into the prison, and out again... It was what you might call a captive audience.
Anyway the first time we did this I had a Maxi, and one fellow-chorister had a Volvo 240 estate and another a Renault 5. The Volvo rear opening was too narrow for any of the kettledrums, but two went into the Maxi and one, quite easily, into the Renault 5. Tbe following year I had a Renault 20TS which again swallowed the two kettledrums.
Incicentally the percussionist was the wonderful Jimmy Blades who took all the rest of the kit in his 'granny' Rover P4. He was a brilliant entertainer as well as a fine musician, and he - all 5' 2" of him - actually sounded the gong that started off those Rank films, not the man you could see striking it.
The point of all of that is that a Volvo estate will take long thin things but might struggle with, say a full-sized armchair. The vertical tailgate is a good thing in some ways, but a sloping one, as on my Octavia or Humph's Mondeo, makes for a bigger opening.
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Unless you are a contractor doing work on an MPs country seat you will find an 85O plenty big enough. A million times better to drive than a 940 with the 2.5 10 valve being a particularly nice engine. My cousin has one for his work horse with 260000 miles on the clock an the engine is still tight as a drum.
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Having looked at a few, and ummed and arred alot, will pick up an N plate (96) 850 T5 auto estate this evening. 170k and nice condition will all bells and whistles and a huge history file. From an at home dealer, so a little bit more peace of mind than private sale. Alot of car for £800! Won't be doing huge mileage, so consumption & tyres not too much of an issue. Should be a hoot by all accounts! And more efficient as I can get to the tip quicker...
Thanks for all your helpful advice,
Alex.
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I've found the 850 to be fine seats down can get a 6' x 4' Plank in it or king size devan, and tonnes of crap, at one point the wife had my 850 2.5 10v petrol and i had a 850 2.5 diesel, sold the diesel as it was worth twice as much as the petrol last year still have the petrol with 176k on it. 940/960/V90 have lots more space and access but not as nice to drive or safe.
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The Volvo 5 pot turbo is one of my favourite engines in the entire world. Fuel economy apart, there is just nothing about it that doesn't make me smile. Power, decent noise, bombproof durability, top notch reliability. You have the full fat version in the T5 as well. Enjoy it.
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Out of interest, DP, do those comments apply to the 5-pot petrol or diesel or both? I can't remember what your S60 has under the bonnet, but I know it's done you very well.
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Would have thought both, the D5 is derived from the petrol lump.
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Anecdotally, the D5 appears less reliable than the petrol units it's based on. This could be because of ubiquity or because of additional stresses on the cam and auxiliary belts. Hard to say.
There certainly are reports on the owner's club of D5s killing pulleys on both belts, long before they're due to be changed.
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Out of interest DP do those comments apply to the 5-pot petrol or diesel or both? I can't remember what your S60 has under the bonnet
I know a lot less about the diesels, but I have been "passenged" in a couple of S80 D5s and been very impressed. People who own D5s also tend to praise them.
Mine's the baby petrol version as far as the S60 is concerned - a 2.0 20v light pressure turbo variant with 180 bhp. It doesn't have the punch of the bigger T5, but it's still very gutsy. It gives absolutely no clue of its mileage - no smoke, rattles, knocks, and pulls smoothly. The only moving parts on the engine that are not original, apart from scheduled replacement items are the clutch and alternator.
I just think the 5 cylinder configuration is a real differentiator over the competition. It endows the engine with a beautiful sound, particularly under hard acceleration around 4,000 RPM. So much more interesting and appealing IMHO than a four pot, even if it doesn't really deliver anything in performance terms that an equivalent four pot wouldn't be capable of delivering. It's been done mostly for emotional reasons, and I like the idea of that.
Cheers
DP
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'Tis certainly a beautiful sound, but IIRC it was done for practical reasons. The original development of the engine was for a modular unit of 4, 5 and 6 cylinders, all in-line, all based on the same block and heads. This was back in the early 90s, so have featured on most cars Volvo have made since then.
i.e. it saved Volvo lots of money by not having to develop different engines across the range.
I think only the 2.5T (as used in Focus and Mondeo too) and 2.4D/D5 engines remain from that period now, all the other 4, 5 and 6 pots have been dropped and replaced with newer designs, usually from Ford.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volvo_Modular_engine
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We're lucky enough that our other car is an S60 D5- we do love our Volvos. Difficult to compare as the T5 is an auto, but the characteristics are interesting. The D5 is a little sluggish until the turbo cuts in at about 1800rpm, but then you get a massive shove in the back! All over very quickly mind. I love it. The T5 takes a little longer to get to get steam up being an auto, but then you get a relentless surge of power, and notice that the horizon is rapidly coming towards you and you're going much faster than you thought. Awesome engines- I love both!
BW,
Alex.
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Its a bit late now but previously I've had a Volvo 240 estate for house renovation duties, insured as a classic, never any trouble at the local recycling centre with both the car full and a 5' X3' trailer on the back piled high. They will hold a standard sized interior door and the hatch will close. I'd also recommend a loadliner to help slide those heavy and awkward items out of the back, the 740 is slightly shorter, I had to trim a few inches off the loadliner to get the hatch to shut.
I thought the 240 was great, a real "I'll get there when I get there" car, it didn't like bends at all
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i.e. it saved Volvo lots of money by not having to develop different engines across the range.
Interesting information and link, thanks! :-)
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