I just picked up my 2001 XC and was ecstatic because I got a good deal and it came in my favorite color; nautical blue. Now, after reading all of the horror stories about it; i.e. failed transmission at 8K miles, four new tires after hitting a metal hazard, religious rotating/changing of the tires, bevel gears blowouts at 4K, milling tires down to conform in circumference and a litany of other demons, I'm not so sure I should have gotten this car. My '98 XC ran great (probably because of my ignorance of not finding this great forum) but was probably a timebomb waiting to happen. I considered the light pressure V70 FWD but was told the XC is a better buy when you go to trade it in. Haaaaaaaa!!!! My car needs a new windshield which had chips in it when I picked it up (at 6pm) but I am going to grill some Volvo people about these future potential problems with my car. If push comes to shove and all of these problems manifest within 6 months, I'm going to dump it.