Used Cars: question 94 Volvo, Robert Loftin, volvo diesel, fuel mixture

Question
Hello and thank you for taking the time to read/answer my question. My 21 year old daughter needs a car here in Los Angeles. We saved $4,500.00 for used car. I found a 1994 volvo, 850, turbo.($3,500.00, ASKING) the owner was NOT there , BUT i have an appointment to test DRIVE it today.11/11/06: I DID notice a NOTICEABLE build up of black carbon on the inside of the tail pipe. so far it looks like it has close to 120,000 on the odometer. Other wise it's very clean. Fairly good tires, no rim scratches, or cracks in the glass/headlights. Is the black carbon build up just a fuel mixture? Lot of elevations here, although the car is in the city in a fine neighborhood. Please advise. thank you very much!!! Dan:   dhlandco@aol.com             1-231-690-3973: I will call you back on my dime. THANK YOU!

Answer
Dan,
I will answer your question but first let me say that for your 4500 I would look for a different car with fewer miles... 4,500 should be able to get an old civic, integra, prelude, accord, corolla, camry, even 90's v6 mustangs (or if size is an issue, a ~95 v6 ford explorer)... they would be cheaper to maintain and more reliable... as to your question... the build up is PROBABLY due to the fact that it's a diesel, and I don't know about that specific model but if it is a turbo diesel as the name implies that can also aid in that buildup - also turbo's almost always put added costs on maitence because they have to be rebuilt or replaced every 20k-40k miles... If you are set on the volvo diesel, the carbon is PROBABLY just a result of the engines age and diesel burns less clean than gasoline, those factors would result in the stuff you saw, but i stress probably because there is no real way to ever be sure.  Remember, you get what you pay for, a 25,000 dollar volvo when it was new in 94 is now going for 3,500, while a 14,000 dollar civic when it was new in 94-96 is selling for the same price with slightly less miles...  the proportions are off for a reason, keep that in mind... i've told you all i can think to say, so good luck with your purchase, and if i missed anything or you have any other questions feel free to ask.
-Robert