The story of the $850 850 R (Or, A Volvo Followed Me Home)

"twochevrons" (twochevrons) 06/17/2014 at 22:13 • Filed to: volvo, 850r, beater, purchase

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So... Long time poster, first time author, or something. A few weeks ago, I made mention in a comment of a newly acquired Volvo 850R, and so, I thought that my inaugural post might as well be about that.

Apologies in advance for length – skip to the end for photos, but for those who can be bothered reading it, I’d love some feedback.

The story started when I saw a moving-house sale posted on my neighbourhood’s e-mail list. Along with the various boring household items was a line that caught my eye: “1996 Volvo 850R Wagon. Has undiagnosed hot-start issue. $1500.” I was by no means looking for a car, least of all a project (I already have two of both!), but the seller was only a block away, and at that price, I had to at least take a look.

I made the mistake of telling my partner’s father about it. He is one of the most genuinely good people that I have ever met, and a great friend and mentor. However, he is a terrible enabling influence when it comes to my broken-car habit. The last time I told him about a car for sale, the next day saw us trekking across Wisconsin in the middle of winter to tow home a barely-running barn-find VW Scirocco, but that’s another story.

So, we rocked up to the seller’s house, and come upon a rather sad-looking car. It was already running and warmed up (a bad sign if ever there was one), the paint was faded, the front lip was held together with duct tape and zip ties, and the driver’s side carpet was sodden. We took it for a test drive, and aside from a horrid front-end knock, it drove beautifully, in spite of its 213,000 miles. The trouble started when I stopped by at home to show my (lovely, tolerant, and very supportive) partner. The mighty turbocharged five-pot flatly refused to fire, instead preferring to sit in silence and anoint our driveway with oil even more generously than my MG could ever muster. Being far more sensible than I, she promptly vetoed the whole exercise. However, I was still in a bit of a bind: that car wasn’t going anywhere.

Our first instinct was to tinker. The car wasn’t mine, and we knew next to nothing about Swedish cars, but we set about doing research, testing things, and narrowing down the faults. After spending several hours going nowhere (although having ruled out a few possible causes), I called it quits and had the AAA tow it back to the seller. Although I had become rather attached to the car while diagnosing it, I told myself that I was going to walk away. The car was cheap, yes, but with a host of potential problems, fixing it would likely not be.

However, all my best intentions went out the window when the seller told me that he had no interest in taking the car with him when he moved, and that if it wasn’t gone by the end of the week, he’d scrap it. Some further goading from my partner’s father, and a bit of back-and-forth on the price, and it was mine, for the princely sum of $850, with a set of nearly-new winter tires thrown in for good measure!

Fate would have it that, as soon as it came home on the trailer, it fired up and ran without a hiccup! A bit more detective work led me to a horrific-looking splice in the engine wiring harness, obviously put there to bodge some other issue in the past, and a highly likely source of intermittent faults. After a bit of electrical surgery, it has run perfectly ever since (knock on wood). Even better, it turned out that the front-end knock that I was so worried about was just a bent heat shield catching on a lump on the brake disc, and the sodden carpet was due to a slow leak from the heater core rather than water ingress, meaning that the antifreeze had stopped any mould or rust problems, and after a quick cleanup (and a rag stuffed under the heater core while I wait for a replacement), it was just fine!

Having finally had the chance to drive it properly this weekend, I’m thoroughly convinced that I made the right choice. With the money that I was going to spend on a TV, Xbox and Forza, I instead have a properly quick car that can double as a load-hauler AND winter beater. I suspect that it doesn’t quite make the 240bhp and 300Nm that it would have done in its prime, but even so, it still feels plenty quick, and its rather brute-ish power delivery (“What did you say? You’d like MORE turbo lag and torque steer?”) and fantastic turbocharged 5-cylinder soundtrack put a stupid grin on my face every time I plant my right foot.

It is still far from perfect. The interior is fairly well-worn (by the way, does anybody know if it is possible to clean up alcantara that has pilled?), the engine leaks oil profusely (although a switch to synthetic 5W40 has reduced its incontinence significantly), and although Volvos certainly have a reputation for attaining interstellar mileages, I’m still rather concerned about the things that could go wrong. In some respects, though, it is unbelievably good – despite its mileage, everything still feels tight, there’s not a spot of rust on it (amazing for a Minnesota car of that age), and the engine and transmission feel smoother than they have any right to be. All in all, I think that it has a lot of potential – what I’d like to do is daily-drive it for a few years, then, once I can afford it, set to work on it with some mild upgrades and a manual transmission swap for added fun (although there’s enough torque that the automatic doesn’t feel like too much of a handicap).

On that note, for those of you who frequent junkyards: there are two manual 850s in my local pick-n’-pull right now. Is this a super-rare occurrence, and I should grab all the manual-conversion bits now, or are they common enough that I could find own easily enough later on?

Obligatory iPotato glamour shots:

Jeff-God-of-Biscuits > twochevrons 06/17/2014 at 22:19

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Cough cough... Mustang swap!

Sn210 > twochevrons 06/17/2014 at 22:20

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wow awesome find

E30Joe drives a Subaru > Jeff-God-of-Biscuits 06/17/2014 at 22:20

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I want one too.

STREPITUS > twochevrons 06/17/2014 at 22:22

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Coolest father-in-law ever!

Jonathan Harper > twochevrons 06/17/2014 at 22:25

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Ouuu my dad still owns a base '94 850 wagon which he bought new. I always saw these and was like...damn...what could have been.

Vicente Esteve > twochevrons 06/17/2014 at 22:26

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Such a cool story! I mean, at that price, I dont think you really could go wrong. Yes, it may have been un reliable, but at the price, you oculd sell it by parts and make more money. However, you did what was right, and I cant say enough how nice it looks, congrats!

SaabStutz > twochevrons 06/17/2014 at 22:30

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My guess would be that it would be worth grabbing all the manual conversion parts NOW, cause then when you have time you can do it. Or you could work on it a bit every day throughout the winter and then have a fun car to toss around in the spring. I think the Rs are rare enough that it might be worth grabbing those parts. Anyway, it's a beautiful car! Enjoy it!

Vince-The Roadside Mechanic > twochevrons 06/17/2014 at 22:38

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Sweet Wisconsin and Scirocco 2 of my favorite things.

twochevrons > Vicente Esteve 06/17/2014 at 22:40

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That was my line of reasoning, too. Now, though, I think that I'm far too attached to it to part it out, though, so I'm stuck with it!

It really doesn't look quite so nice close up, but I'm working on it. From the looks of things, the previous owner kept up with mechanical maintenance pretty well, but didn't give much care to the car's appearance. It will never be perfect, but I'd like to think that I can get it looking pretty good.

By the way, nice to meet another Cabrio owner! My wife and I have a '96 Cabrio. We love it, but Minnesota winters have not been kind to it – it desperately needs a new roof (the vinyl goes brittle and cracks in the cold), and some rust repair done on it. One day...

twochevrons > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic 06/17/2014 at 22:42

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The Scirocco has been in storage for a while due to weird K-Jetronic issues (won't idle when cold, won't start when hot), but that's next on the list once I get the Volvo sorted out!

twochevrons > SaabStutz 06/17/2014 at 22:47

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Thanks! I'm leaning toward that option too. But I haven't quite made up my mind whether it really needs the manual transmission. It may be somewhat heretical for me to admit, but the slushbox is pretty decent, especially given the engine's torquey nature, and it suits it perfectly as a relaxed but quick highway cruiser.

If the transmission lunches itself, or I have to pull it out anyway, I'd give thought to a manual swap, but right now, I'm not so desperate to row my own that I'd set about it right away.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Jonathan Harper 06/17/2014 at 22:48

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My family had a Turbo 850 and it was quick, even though it would never run right. It was traded for an '05 Impala. Even though the Impala was boring, it was at least economical and reliable.

Vicente Esteve > twochevrons 06/17/2014 at 22:49

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First Cabrio Owner I have met in Oppo! This is Awesome! Haha, My Cabrio isnt perfect either, but I try to make the most to fix it up. And I also keep on planning my car forever, Im too attatched!

twochevrons > Vicente Esteve 06/17/2014 at 22:56

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Here's ours. We call her Harriet.

Vicente Esteve > twochevrons 06/17/2014 at 23:05

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Looks Fantastic! Here is Oliver!

I see you have leather seats. GLX as well?

JGrabowMSt > twochevrons 06/17/2014 at 23:39

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Wagon buddy!

TheStraightSixKid > twochevrons 06/17/2014 at 23:52

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My family had six different models of volvo's in the past, three of which were 850's. The interior of the car seems a bit rougher then what i have seen, but not to far off from normal wear and tear.

A great website to go to for any volvo parts you can think of will be "IPDUSA.com". They specialize in Volvo and only Volvo.

Good Luck with the 850RRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrr.

P.S. i love the car color and wheel combo.

Jonathan Harper > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 06/18/2014 at 08:30

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You did NOT just make an argument for an Impala over an 850 R. I will not accept that. Please hand in your jalopcard on the way out ;)

JK you can stay

twochevrons > TheStraightSixKid 06/18/2014 at 08:55

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Thanks! I've seen plenty of 850s in the scrapyard with really nice interiors, but I'd hate to lose the cool 850R seats, which, unfortunately, are the worst-looking bit. As awesome as alcantara is, I suspect that it isn't as hard-wearing as the regular leather interior. It's still incredibly comfortable, though.

I have a feeling that the wheels aren't original – I haven't spotted them in any of the old 850R promo material that I've seen, but aside from that, I have no idea what they are! I really like them, too

twochevrons > STREPITUS 06/18/2014 at 09:22

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He's pretty awesome (and very Jalop, too). Despite being a fairly high-up executive, he still daily-drives a rusty, 300,000 mile VW Vanagon that he's had since the '80s. Of course, sometimes he swaps that out for his Powerstroke F350, just to keep people guessing.

briannutter1 > twochevrons 06/18/2014 at 10:53

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I approve.

twochevrons > briannutter1 06/18/2014 at 11:04

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Awesome! I like the license plate, too! It it an R as well?

briannutter1 > twochevrons 06/18/2014 at 11:42

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1994 turbo. Yeah, got very lucky the plate was available in Ohio. Drive it everyday. A few things don't work, but it keeps running fine.

twochevrons > briannutter1 06/18/2014 at 11:50

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Nice – I hear that the turbos are still properly quick, and only an ECU remap away from R levels of power.

Mine is far from perfect, but as a beater with potential for improvement, it is ideal. I don't need a daily driver in the strictest sense (it is actually faster and cheaper for me to take the bus to work than to drive and park), but it is definitely going to be an everyday car, rather than a garage queen. There's still plenty of life left in it, so I'm looking forward to seeing how many more miles I can put on it!

briannutter1 > twochevrons 06/18/2014 at 11:54

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yeah, I've looked into the remap. I'm trying to keep from hopping it up though because my c5z is the racecar in the family. Still, some IPD sways would make it about perfect.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Jonathan Harper 06/18/2014 at 14:36

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It wasn't an R and it never ran right. It literally spent 2.5 of the 3 months we owned it, in the shop. They still never figured out what was wrong.

Jonathan Harper > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 06/18/2014 at 15:02

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Well anything would have been better than that ultra-wheezey 5 banger in the base 850. Then again...he never had any major issues with it, so maybe it was just perfect. Come to think of it, my dad's 850 is still chugging along.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Jonathan Harper 06/18/2014 at 15:28

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It was a turbo, just not an R.

Jonathan Harper > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 06/18/2014 at 15:33

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Yes. I understand. Thank you.

Side note: was it an R?

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Jonathan Harper 06/18/2014 at 15:41

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The way you worded the last comment, made me think you thought it was a non-turbo. My bad. The Impala was a dog though. A 37 mpg hwy and reliable dog.

Jonathan Harper > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 06/18/2014 at 15:51

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Sorry for the snark. Yeah I understand, my dad's 850 has been pretty reliable and decent mileage too. It needed a new power steering pump recently and my dad told me he paid a local mechanic $1,200 for the work.

/facepalm

A cursory google search showed me that a '94 850 steering pump can be had for $130...and I'm SURE I could have convinced someone to put it in for a sixes or case of beer. Pops still hasn't heard the end of that one, but he knows now to consult before just dropping his baby off at the local hack.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Jonathan Harper 06/18/2014 at 16:00

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Yeah, I have a hard time trusting local mechanics, but I found one that does good work for a decent price. The one that tried to low ball buy my 4Runner off of me closed, so that made my day the other day.

blairl > Vicente Esteve 06/18/2014 at 23:18

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That thing was a STEAL! Take some polish to that paint and prepare for your eyes to pop out of your head. The paint will come right back. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=…

SantaRita > twochevrons 06/19/2014 at 10:08

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get the manual parts now. also, look into the R cars, i think they may have used a smaller turbo and softer ecu on the autobox.

wiki "For a limited time in 1996 only, Volvo offered a new heavy duty manual transmission designed specifically for the 850 R , called the M59, which featured both a viscous coupling and a Torsen LSD differential. Furthermore, the M59 equipped cars were fitted with the B5234T4 2.3-litre 5-cylinder engine featuring a larger TD04HL-16T turbo, re-designed turbo manifold & intercooler, unique ecu with motronic 4.4, uprated fuel pressure sensor and a heavy duty clutch. These modifications enabled the manual(M59)cars to produce 250 hp (190 kW) and 350 Nm (260 lbft) versus 240 hp (180 kW) and 300 Nm (220 lbft) for the automatic transmission."

twochevrons > blairl 06/19/2014 at 11:03

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That's what I'm hoping. Aside from a few chips and dents here and there, it still looks pretty solid. Haven't had good car-washing weather lately, though. Every weekend has either been pouring with rain, or baking hot. I can't wait to have it looking good, though!

Aside from a polish, the only real cosmetic work that it needs is on the front air-dam – apparently the center part of it broke off at some stage, and is now held on with zip ties and duct tape. Unfortunately, it is unique to the R model, so replacement is unlikely, but I think that with some fiberglass work and some paint, I can at least get it looking better than it is now.

twochevrons > SantaRita 06/19/2014 at 11:07

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Yeah, as far as I'm aware, the M59-equipped cars never made it to the US (all 850Rs sold here were automatic), so I'd be stuck with the regular manual transmission. From what I've heard, it still bolts straight up, and would certainly give the car a bit more of a sporting feel.

titsinmymitts > twochevrons 06/19/2014 at 11:15

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I read the title as "The Story of the $850,850 R" and I thought that you picked up an old Volvo wagon that had a shitton of cocaine hidden in secret compartments which you promptly sold for a massive profit.

twochevrons > titsinmymitts 06/19/2014 at 11:18

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I don't doubt that it was a rolling coke-palace in its earlier years. It had a carphone installed in it, after all. No suspicious packages, though (although I did find a full set of Crayolas under the back seat).

280zxt > twochevrons 06/19/2014 at 15:32

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does it smell like maple syrup inside the cabin? i had 2 1995 850's and they both smelt strongly of canadian codeine.

twochevrons > 280zxt 06/19/2014 at 15:42

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Now that you mention it, it kind of does!

280zxt > twochevrons 06/19/2014 at 16:05

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:)

the culprit was the slow leak from the heater core. i became accustomed to it and grew to accept it, perhaps even enjoy it.

twochevrons > 280zxt 06/19/2014 at 16:46

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Yep, I'm pretty sure that must be the problem with mine. When I got it, the driver's side footwell was full of coolant, but the leak is so slow that it must have taken a looooooong time to get that way.

The heater core looks to be a dead-simple job, so I've ordered one up, but until then, I just have a rag stuffed under the heater box and change it every couple of days. Hadn't quite made the association with maple syrup until you mentioned it, though!

SPNKiX > twochevrons 07/06/2014 at 01:21

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omg, those weals.

SPNKiX > SPNKiX 07/06/2014 at 01:40

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are awesome.

Dr.Nemmo and his time-travelling submarine > twochevrons 07/06/2014 at 11:31

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I love this. I cannot stand the idea of things going to waste just because they have a couple is solvable problems. I also tend to anthropomorphisize my car, and old cars have lot of character.

vwbeamer > twochevrons 03/17/2015 at 21:53

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As the owner of a both Jetta TDi wagon and a BMW 528i wagon, I approve.

I find the wagons offer 75% of the utility of a truck, with 100% of the handling of a sedan.

Plus cops ignore them for some reason. I could pull up to a red light next to some cops, flip them off and leave smoking the tires, they would probably laugh and say" look at grandpa in his wagon".

Plus wagons are rare, and that makes me feel special, and thee fact that some people think they are ugly makes me feel even better.

Wagons are an acquired taste, for the truly tasteful hoon.

Kailand09 > twochevrons 03/17/2015 at 22:19

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I really like those wheels. Congrats man!

twochevrons > vwbeamer 03/17/2015 at 22:23

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Thanks! I agree entirely! I know embarrassingly little about BMW's five-door offerings, but before the Volvo came up, I was looking very closely at Jetta TDi wagons – I drove a friend's 6-speed Skoda Octavia TDi and was hugely impressed. I'm lucky enough to have access to my father-in-law's F350 dually for that other 25%, but that thing is so awful to drive that I'd really rather not. Still, it does come in handy for towing the Volvo home during its occasional fits of temperament.

Being bright red with big wheels and tinted windows, I can't say that my 850 R is terribly inconspicuous, but you're right, I haven't had a ticket in it yet! I love the element of surprise that it has, too – nobody expects a square-rigged Swedish brick to be that fast.

Peter > twochevrons 03/17/2015 at 23:54

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Great story, thats a hell of a great price! I wish I could run into a deal like that. I've always loved the R wagons; I love watching old footage of them wrecking in BTCC.

Peter > Peter 03/18/2015 at 00:11

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Addendum: "wrecking" as in "wrecking the competition"

SantaRita > twochevrons 03/18/2015 at 09:29

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As much as people complain about torque steer adn big turbo lag...it REALLY IS FUN!!! it's like surfing a great wave ! This is great car. i hope you get a lot form it.

SantaRita > twochevrons 03/18/2015 at 09:38

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the manuals were not even an option on the turbos in the USA, i think. The Autos all had a smaller turbo than the manual counterpart as well, but same rated power. the big turbo is even more nuts!

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/…

"To answer your question: no turbocharged 850 model has EVER had a manual transmission in the United States. Automatic was standard on the 94-97 850 Turbo (renamed T5 in 1997), the 1997 850 GLT, the 95 850 T-5R, and the 96-97 850R. Manual is simply unavailable, though I have seen at least one 96 850R with an aftermarket manual transmission."

WhyWagonIfNotWagonFast > twochevrons 03/18/2015 at 10:16

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Congrats on the find. The seat covers are a lost cause. Buy these all new seat covers and a good wire cutter for the hog rings. Removal and installation guides are found online.

http://elwoodindustries.com/id65.html

WhyWagonIfNotWagonFast > twochevrons 03/18/2015 at 10:42

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I didn't know you were in Minnesota. Are you near the twin cities? If so I have a care package for you. I sold My 850 about a year ago but found some leftover bits and need to send them to a good home.

twochevrons > SantaRita 03/18/2015 at 11:36

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That's exactly how I feel. Puts a big, dumb grin on my face every time.

TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts > twochevrons 03/18/2015 at 11:53

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Awesome story bud, nearly the same thing that happened to me with my SHO. Except my SHO was a $400 crap can that was never supposed to see the road again, but I got attached to it as soon as I realized it was my first car I bought with my own money.

It was supposed to be an engine donor for my '77 Capri, aka, the Crapri. I must have a fixation on really rusty cars. Good thing I'm good with a MIG welder.

twochevrons > WhyWagonIfNotWagonFast 03/18/2015 at 11:59

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Yeah, I'm keen on getting a set of those. There's just that weird feeling that if I do that, the seats will have cost me more what I paid for the car! Still, I'll just have to get over that.

BurnKinjaBURN > twochevrons 03/18/2015 at 12:35

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Sensible young fella, Noice!

Being 32, with kids... A simple yet effective tank-wagon seems an answer to many problems. I suppose at the price you paid, one could maintain his Miata and the Wagon, and then, hey, you're not doing too bad, for the average Jalop.

twochevrons > WhyWagonIfNotWagonFast 03/18/2015 at 13:15

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Indeed I am. I'd be glad to take those off your hands – I could find an immediate use for almost all of those! Drop me a line at rhalkyard@gmail.com, and we can work something out.

twochevrons > TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts 03/18/2015 at 13:17

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Heh, rust still scares me – it's one of the few things that I have no hesitation in paying somebody else to take care of. I've been meaning to learn to weld, but I haven't yet got around to it.

I see a bit of a kinship between the SHO and the 850R, both being insane high-performance versions of otherwise somewhat dull midsize cars. Nice to see somebody taking care of one!

twochevrons > Peter 03/18/2015 at 13:41

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Heh, they're out there. I spent an awful lot of time dreaming about the idea of finding something awesome and ridiculously cheap, and then one day it happened!

twochevrons > BurnKinjaBURN 03/18/2015 at 14:04

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That was kind of the plan – no kids, but I wanted something practical. After all, my wife's car is tiny, and my two toys (a VW Scirocco and an MGA Roadster) aren't really terribly good for hauling anything.