[Robert Adams]

My wife drives a 2000 XC which we bought new and after about 6 Volvos we will be moving onto something else, they just don't makem like they used to!. Had VWs for a long run, got sold on the Volvos for over 2 decades now, but the cost of keeping them running has gotten nuts. Costs more than my P-car; any of them! The one service that just put me over the top was we were having trouble starting and it turned out to be part on the fuel pump. Don't now recall what the part was, but it was under $25.00 for the part. In order to replace it however, they needed to drop the entire awd suspension to get at it. So a $25 part would cost about $2500! Even the dealer was embarrassed, just not enough to drop their price. We live with turning the ignition on twice and buy a new battery every 18 months. This seems to be pretty indicative of our latest Volvo experience - BRING LOTS OF $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!!
Ridiculous! Don't honestly know how they stay in business, well actually I do, they design cars that require hideously expensive services. These days, Volvos aren't really anything special, to me not much safer to drive than most any other car, the ride is OK and they have a reasonable amount of power, reasonable MPG by 90's standards I guess, but so do any number of other cars that probably are more reliable and cost way less to begin with. Looking at consumer reports I would say get a car with as few black dots as possible unless you have deep pockets. They only way we as consumers will get a decent or improved product is to vote with our wallet.
Don't know what the next wagon will be but I sure know what it will not be and I would advise anyone even thinking about buying one of these lemons, DON'T unless you like HUGE service bills every time it goes to the shop-dealer or independent- doesn't matter. Volvo controls the parts costs and the labor to do the work is pretty much the same $ wherever you take it. I just looked up my 08 service total without the above service being completed: $4,900 for just under 10k miles and nothing major! The '00 model was supposed to be a good year! Most of that was done at one or two GOOD Volvo independent shops and a few at the dealer. Can't even imagine what the bills would have totaled if it had all been done at the dealer.
Sorry for the rant, just don't buy one of these things, OK. Maybe a Subaru next time? Can't be any worse than the Volvo!