Is it possible to work on the newer Volvos yourself, without being a trained Volvo mechanic?

I frequent the other forums here. I have an 89, 245 I am constantly doing something to - former owners neglected it. But the parts are plentiful, the car fairly easy to work on, and the major pains are the notorious intermittent electrical drivability problems with those cars; and the rust at the rocker panels and elsewhere. Other than that it keeps going and going and going.

I wonder what the more modern Volvos are like. Many people say you can't work on newer vehicles, as the mfrs., are keeping the info proprietary, or they are asking a fortune for the info. Some say the info is only available via an Internet subscription, and the files are read only - no saving the info. Is this true?

Mom has a 91, 744 with 150,000 and she is sick and tired of the sudden breakdowns and the seemingly increasing repairs. I've told her that getting a newer Volvo might not necessarily be the answer, if she has to have it fixed at the dealer, if the parts cost alot, if the new car is a lemon, etc. Although the newer Volvos now will one day be the older ones and it may just be putting off the inevitable sooner or later. Finding a low mileage older Volvo is either impossible or not worth the ridiculous price when you do - dealers prices are offensive. So, we wouldn't mind taking the plunge if I will be able to do the DIY thing just as easy as out older B230F cars. Of course there is always the learning curve. If you people think this is not just possible, but actually probable, then maybe we should start forgetting the older Volvos. I don't see any point in going newer if the dealer has to do the repairs. In that case, we might as well go Asian or American vehicle.

Any models more reliable or trouble free, if any?

Any avoid these models out there?



thanks
diyer