After seven long years of suffering, constant expense, and breakdowns, I'm finally free of my S80 T6 having traded it in for a Toyota Prius. I'd never turned a car back to a dealer before and taken a trade-in bath, but I desperately needed that the new owner of this gem not know who I was or where I lived.

As it was, the Toyota dealer gave me $7,100 for the car, which was $2,100 more than any Volvo dealer was willing to pay me three-plus years ago with 60K less miles, but only if I bought another S80. But they were willing to generously give me $5,000 off on the new S80, so they reasoned that it was really like getting $10,000 for my car. Despite that Volvo had over $6000 in 'marketing assistance' to help dealers clear their slow-moving inventory of S80's, the dealer was really giving me 'a deal'.

Volvo paid a fortune in warranty claims for this car; I reached the $24K limit of the extended warranty, and spent more for out-of-warranty repairs, and time in dealerships than the aggregate total of dozens of cars over 35 years of driving.

It's hard to imagine that a worse car was ever built, and yet it broke my heart to see it go. At 154K the car looked like the day it was built; without a scratch or dent. It was a beautiful and supremely comfortable car. Unfortunately its assets could never begin to compensate for the reality of the fact that it was a paragon of unreliability. (I feel like I'm suffering from the Stockholm Syndrome; I genuinely loved the car.) This was my 20th and last Volvo; Volvo will never see another nickle from me.

I wish you all the best, and sincerely hope that none of you ever cross paths with my old car.