I picked this up on Saabnet (used to own one) and thought it might be of interest:

Volvo promises action after German breakdown survey

Volvo's reputation for producing reliable cars has been hit by a survey of a 1.6 million breakdowns.

The report, which documents cars which broke down on German motorways last year, places Volvo in fourth position for having the most breakdowns.

The only cars to place worse than Volvo models were Renault's Espace, Fiat's Bravo, Brava and Marea, and Opel's Omega. The company has promised action.

The 850, S70, V70 and C70 series were the most likely of the Volvos to experience some kind of problem.

The survey was carried out by the respected German automobile organisation Adac, and only included cars between the ages of four and six years old.

Volvo spokesman, Olle Axelsson, told the Sydsvenska Dagbladet newspaper: "The truth is that we have not concentrated on quality the past few years, but we will now analyse and correct the problems."

Last updated: 09:59 Sunday 13th May 2001

http://www.ananova.co.uk/news/story/sm_291074.html?menu=news.surveys

I have no doubt had my troubles with my '94 850 Turbo, but it only left me on the side of the road once when the battery died. But that was the battries fault. It's the only of my 7 cars I've ever owned for 140K miles and still wanted to keep it. I traded it in for a C-70 convertible this month and realized the improvement made in handling and the suspension. We'll see if this one falls apart at 140,000 miles but I doubt it.

What struck me about the report, and the reason I posted it, was not the statistics but the admission by a company representative that they had neglected quality as a basic concern for several years. Without knowing the actual numbers, it's impossible to tell if the rank order of breakdowns has any real meaning. Makes could be separated by one or two incidents or a hundred. But it is both disturbing and reassuring to hear Volvo admit that they have to do a better job on quality control. I've recently purchased an S60 T5 and like it better and better the more I drive it. It will never see 140,000 miles while I own it, but I am hoping/expecting several years of good, reliable service. I wouldn't have purchased the car otherwise.

Volvo spokesman, Olle Axelsson, told the Sydsvenska Dagbladet newspaper: "The truth is that we have not concentrated on quality the past few years, but we will now analyse and correct the problems."

-what a crock! Just 'cause they're now 'busted' he comes up with a bogus line of crap like that. Pretty inexcuseable IMHO.

They can start by reimbursing me for the POS wiring harness I am having to replace. Everyone has been complaining to Volvo for years about their quality/reliability problems, including Consumer Reports. They just don't get it. What did someone onces say..."you can always tell a Swede....but you can't tell him much!"