Faults:

Brake lights have been replaced twice in 6 months; panel covers were nearly impossible to remove in order to replace bulbs and ended up cracking in several places.

Main light switch quit working and was replaced by me (costs of $70), only to find out the part was recalled by Volvo and should have been replaced by dealership at no cost.

Electric door locks do not raise or lower on the driver side door, and door does not lock at all on the passenger side.

ETS light and Emissions light came on at 78,000, resulting in 2 separate week - long service visits to the dealership costing over $1500.00 to replace the Electronic Throttle Unit (10-year warranty was up less than 5 months ago).

Timing belt replaced at 78,000 (cost $800.00).

Driver side door panel (arm rest) has bubbled and ripped.

60,000 mile recommended service was performed by previous owner at dealership (costing over $1300.00).

General Comments:

Car is comfortable and handles great.

Repair costs have me concerned.

I do not have freedom of mind as a Volvo owner because I am only awaiting the next expensive repair service.

Faults:

- Passenger door won't lock ($100)

- Main window switch went bad, if you use it to roll up any other windows, they will get stuck. ($150)

- Tires ($450)

- Antifreeze smell when heat is on, but core isn't leaking.. strange.

General Comments:

Great car, haven't had it long, but I love it. It's a big step up from my 5 year newer Saturn.

The car is quick and responsive.

Transmission shifts smoothly.

Love the heated seats!! And the leather is so comfortable.

Sound system is good.

Smooth ride.

The hatch is great and holds a lot.

Backseat passengers have plenty of room.

However, my door doesn't lock, main switch is bad, and tires need replacing.

The gas mileage is okay on the highway, but in the city, it isn't that great.

However, the ride is much better than my Saturn with 90k less and 5 years newer.

Like I said, I haven't had it long though.

Faults:

One piece of interior trim replaced under warranty.

Numerous cleanings, etc. of throttle body, resolved with throttle control unit recall.

Recall for light harness. No symptoms.

Leaf in mass-air sensor. Cleaned myself.

Stitching opened up on driver's seat. Repaired myself.

Some interior trim wearing and fading.

Some intermittent, non-critical, lighting failures (left half of clock backlight, shifter indicator backlight).

Interior rear view mirror failed at hinge at 105,000 miles. Replaced myself with 850 mirror from u-pick-it for $5.

General Comments:

I wouldn't believe all the negatives. Must be some self-selection error going on here. I know lots of Volvo owners, and none have issues. Mine has been on 5,000 mile road trips without a fault. Mileage is better than when we got it, and it rides as well as ever.

Past around 80,000 miles the noise started picking up, and it's no longer as silent as you'd expect a European touring car to be.

I have paid for some serious repairs, but they are all from customer abuse. They do not behave well after being high centered, and mudflaps, air dams and the whole rear end have been repaired or replaced as a result of some unfortunate alignment with the driveway. Even these have been reasonable to repair.

Dealers are poor, and expensive when you get out of warranty. Any big-city owner should be able to find a 3rd party expert, however. Even Kansas City has 3-4 Volvo specific repair shops.