Rescuing a Legend: My Volvo 850R Project from Rust to Revival
What happens when you buy the cheapest Volvo 850R you can find — sight unseen — from across the ocean? In my case, it involved a leaky coolant system, a rain-soaked retrieval mission, discovering sills that had completely vanished, and learning (the hard way) that rust never sleeps. This is the story of my Volvo 850R project!
Joy van Haelen
8/15/20252 min read
I’ve never been the type to pledge loyalty to just one car brand — my garage currently houses a BMW and a Honda alongside the rest of my collection — but I’ll admit it: Volvos have a special place in my heart. And if you’re a true Volvo enthusiast, there’s one model you simply must own at some point. The 850R.
This past May, I finally made that dream a reality. I bought the cheapest 850R I could find online — a car that had made the long trip from America to the Netherlands years ago, only to sit neglected, gathering dust… or slowly rusting away, depending on how charitable you’re feeling. No test drive, no pre-purchase inspection. Just a blind leap of faith.
The Great Retrieval
Armed with a trailer and accompanied by my friend Pascal, I set off on what turned out to be a very wet adventure — we’d somehow picked the rainiest day possible. After wrestling the car onto the trailer and hauling it back to my garage, it was time for the moment of truth: would the 850R even start?
I checked the oil, topped up the coolant, hooked up a set of jumper cables, and turned the key. To my complete relief — and slight disbelief — the engine fired up instantly. A small victory, but one worth celebrating.
Rust Never Sleeps
Of course, the honeymoon phase didn’t last long. One of my first jobs was to pull off the side skirts to check for rust. Big mistake. The sills weren’t just rusty — they were gone. Completely eaten away.
There was no avoiding it: this would require welding. My own skills are still a work in progress, but my friend Leon is a bona fide welding wizard. So, back onto the trailer the 850R went — still without a Dutch license plate — and we set off across the country to Leon’s workshop for some much-needed metal surgery.
What’s Next
As I write this, the new sills are finally in place. But that’s just the start. The original paint has gone completely dull, so I’ve decided to give the entire car a fresh coat. The next few weekends will be spent sanding, prepping, and coaxing the bodywork back to life.
With any luck, in a few months the 850R will look as sharp as the day it rolled off the production line — and I’ll be driving it legally on Dutch roads for the very first time.
Check out my Volvo 850R project on YouTube!
