Faults:

Headlight lens, brake hoses, parking brake, thermostat, interior lights, ignition coil - lots of fiddly little things.

General Comments:

This car was quite neglected when I bought it, and it immediately needed about $1,000 in repairs. However, once done, I consider it quite a bargain. Volvo's have a reputation for being expensive to fix (pretty true) and unreliable (not so true), so if you're lucky you can scoop one of these for cheap - I got mine for $2500. That's a steal considering all the options (moonroof, leather, auto climate control) and safety features (stability, traction control, side impact airbags, etc). Plus, being a wagon, you can fit loads of stuff in it - fold the seats flat and you can practically park the QEII back there.

Here's the good: Undervalued and mostly taken care of by the posh soccer moms and college professors who previously owned them - poor resale value means you can get one on the skinny.

Even more good: durability. These cars were built to last 20+ years, so mine has an almost perfect undercarriage (no rust), great body, and feels like it was carved out of a solid block of steel. The interior is about as comfortable as you can get, better than pop's Lexus.

The bad: this car is SLOW, and I mean seriously slow. Grandma-going-up-the-stairs slow. For real. If you want any sort of speed or driving enjoyment, look elsewhere. This is like driving a brontosaurus.

More bad: Major problems will probably be a deal-breaker - engine or transmission work can easily get you into the $4K range, which is probably not worth it for a car this old. Test drive before you buy, and if the engine or transmission leaves you feeling shaky, just walk away.

If you're handy with a wrench, you can find lots of reasonably priced parts online and DIY instructions for fixing common problems, which will save you tons of cash. The engine compartment is simply huge, and easy to work on - not like those Japanese cars where you need midget hands to change out a spark plug.

Would highly recommend for a third car, trips around town, or for teenage drivers.

Faults:

Had a P0442 OBDII code for small leak in EVAP system. I am working on this. May have been a loose gas cap or a small leak in a hose. I'm thinking it's in the J hose on the vapor canister. No big deal.

General Comments:

We bought this car used. However, it looks and drives like new. The car came with new tires, a new timing belt and a complete service.

Our car has leather seats that are very comfortable. The stereo is awesome.

Overall, we are really liking this car and believe it to be the most comfortable car we have ever owned. Although our car is a non-turbo, it has plenty of power for our needs, and feels stronger than all of our previous Volvos.

This is our fourth Volvo. The first three were pre-Ford cars. We were a little hesitant to buy a Ford-Volvo, but so far have really been impressed by this car.

We tend to keep Volvos till they have about 200,000 miles on them. We are counting on this car to do the same.