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My last car was a 240 that reached 500k + miles with very very little maintenance beyond oil filters and oil. There were occasional repairs but nothing that exceeded perhaps $150-200 per year in parts. Also, none of the repairs were particularly difficult to perform myself. Did everything except replacing mufflers/exhaust pipes.
My current car is a 95 850 Turbo Wagon. Relative to the 240 it has had tons of repair issues - it is simply not as durable or simple a car as the old 240 (or likely the 740/940). I honestly don't think I'd recommend one of these cars unless you are able to perform common repairs yourself. I've been dealing with a number of typical problems, rear main seal leak, A/C evaporator leak, etc... and know if I were not doing the repairs myself this car would have set me back several thousands in repair bills. Parts alone are not inexpensive. Sort of sad as I've only had the car 6 months and it only had 80k original miles with good service records when I bought it.
As far as performance goes, the 240 was like driving a tractor around, very slow and reliable and simple. The 850 is light years better in handling, acceleration, features, comfort, etc... Even though it has provided me with a lot of grief thus far, I really enjoy the way it scoots around.
I keep hoping I will gain control over all of the repair issues but I haven't seen that light at the end of the tunnel yet.
I would guess buying an 850 would be akin to buying a BMW that is a few years old, nice performance but $$$ spent all the time to keep it up. I've read others experiences that differ but I am speaking from my own experience here.
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