50 – 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo in Colorado junkyard – photo by Murilee Martin
07 – 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo in Colorado junkyard – photo by Murilee Martin
99 – 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo in Colorado junkyard – photo by Murilee Martin
35 – 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo in Colorado junkyard – photo by Murilee Martin
04 – 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo in Colorado junkyard – photo by Murilee Martin
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11 – 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo in Colorado junkyard – photo by Murilee Martin
44 – 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo in Colorado junkyard – photo by Murilee Martin
28 – 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo in Colorado junkyard – photo by Murilee Martin
48 – 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo in Colorado junkyard – photo by Murilee Martin
17 – 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo in Colorado junkyard – photo by Murilee Martin
52 – 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo in Colorado junkyard – photo by Murilee Martin
32 – 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo in Colorado junkyard – photo by Murilee Martin
40 – 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo in Colorado junkyard – photo by Murilee Martin
19 – 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo in Colorado junkyard – photo by Murilee Martin
21 – 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo in Colorado junkyard – photo by Murilee Martin
43 – 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo in Colorado junkyard – photo by Murilee Martin
25 – 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo in Colorado junkyard – photo by Murilee Martin
27 – 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo in Colorado junkyard – photo by Murilee Martin
08 – 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo in Colorado junkyard – photo by Murilee Martin
30 – 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo in Colorado junkyard – photo by Murilee Martin
15 – 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo in Colorado junkyard – photo by Murilee Martin
33 – 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo in Colorado junkyard – photo by Murilee Martin
34 – 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo in Colorado junkyard – photo by Murilee Martin
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37 – 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo in Colorado junkyard – photo by Murilee Martin
39 – 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo in Colorado junkyard – photo by Murilee Martin
Volvo began selling brick-shaped rear-wheel-drive station wagons in the United States with the 145 in the 1968 model year, continuing the tradition with the 200, 700 and 900 series wagons and all the way through the very last 1998 V90s. The benefits of front-wheel-drive proved impossible for those Göteborgers to resist, though, and so the 850 was developed. The 850 sedan first appeared in the United States as a 1993 model, with the wagon version following in 1994. Today’s Junkyard Gem is one of those first-year 850 wagons, found in a Colorado Springs self-service yard recently.
The 850 wasn’t the first production Volvo with front-wheel-drive (the 1986 Volvo 480 beat it to European showrooms), but it was the first one available on our continent.
The base 1994 Volvo 850 wagon for the U.S. market had a 2.4-liter DOHC straight-five rated at 168 horsepower and 162 pound-feet, but this car has the turbocharged version with its 222 horses and 221 pound-feet.
American buyers of the 1994 Volvo 850 had the choice of a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic. Most took the automatic.
This car is a loaded model with power sunroof and other goodies in addition to the slushbox, so its MSRP was $30,985 (about $66,194 in 2024 dollars). This was a bit less than a similarly equipped 960 wagon (which listed at $34,950, or $74,665 after inflation). The antiquated but reliable 240 wagon had been discontinuedthe year before, with the 740 wagon getting the axe the year before that).
