At $3,600, Is This 1996 Volvo 850 GLT An Estate That Will Sell?

The seller of today’s Nice Price or No Dice Volvo wagon touts its supposedly solid nature but confuses the gross weight for its curb weight, saying it’s “almost 5,000 pounds.” Let’s see if they’ve been more accurate in setting a solid price.

2023 Range Rover Sport | Jalopnik Reviews

The 1970 MGB SVO we looked at yesterday came with a backstory that was as highly entertaining as it was highly dubious. Most of you were skeptical too of the car’s $26,000 asking price, which ended up dropping in an 85 percent No Dice loss.

The story surrounding today’s clean title 1996 Volvo 850 GLT wagon seems much more believable, although it too has some questionable aspects. Volvos have long been touted as being safe and solid transportation, but the ad copy stretches for credulity in its boast of this 850’s capabilities:

Here we have a Swedish brick! This this is the most reliable car you will ever own. Weighing almost 5000lbs this thing is the perfect tank for the WA winter. If something hits you it won’t even leave a dent (well I can’t promise that, but you get the point).

Two things to note about that. The first is that the 850 wagon tips the scales, not at nearly 5,000 pounds, but at a far less portly 3,300. The other is that while it’s not exactly as unsafe and risky as running with scissors, the 850 and later V70 models do not enjoy as stellar a reputation for security and durability as do the earlier 200 series.

That being said, this car looks to be in pretty good kit, with the only notable failure being an odometer that gave up the ghost at 150,000 miles. According to the seller, about 5,000 miles more has been poured on since then, something they oddly say can be verified via CarFax.

Overall, the car has a lot going for it. The paint is in decent shape, suffering only the typical scrapes on the corners of the bumper that these all seem to carry like a badge of honor. All of the pictures do show the car after being out in a rainstorm, and just like a supermodel, being wet does tend to make it look better. The wheels have been coated in gloss black, which gives the car a bit of a boy racer look, for better or worse.

Things in the cabin look just as well-kept and, thankfully, aren’t masked by any wetness. The leather upholstery is surprisingly nice, and all the plastics appear to be in just as good of shape. The car has a third row, but that lacks seatbelts as it was swapped in rather than a factory install. A big-ass subwoofer takes up space in the boot beside that, but the seller says that’s not wired up, so it could easily just get the heave-ho.

A big plus with this Volvo is the maintenance. Per the seller, it had a timing belt change 25K ago and comes with a stack of records of past work done at the dealer. It was apparently originally owned by an older couple who took pride in its possession. The reason given for the present sale is the present owner’s desire for something smaller and manual-equipped.

Naturally, that indicates this to be an automatic — an Aisin four-speed, to be exact. That is paired with a naturally-aspirated edition of Volvo’s 20-valve 2.4-liter five-cylinder, offering up 146 horsepower and 152 lb-ft of torque. As fitted in this car, the combo powers the front wheels exclusively. No, this isn’t an AWD turbocharged powerhouse, but then, that’s not needed for it to be “the most reliable car you will ever own.”

To own this supposed paragon of safety and reliability, one will need to come up with $3,600. Or, at the very least, something reasonably close, as the seller is allowing for some wiggle room.

What’s your take on the car as it’s presented in the ad in relation to that asking? Does that feel fair, given the car’s condition and seemingly honest description? Or is that too much for an old car that’s so basic?

You decide!

Seattle, Washington, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

Help me out with NPOND. Hit me up at remslie@kinja.com and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your Kinja handle.