Thanks for all the comments. Our local Volvo independent shop tells me to steer clear of the older 2.9's and look at the 2.5 turbo instead. He also said to try stay in the newer years like about 2003 and up. We drove a 2005 with the 2.5 turbo powerplant last weekend and I was surprised at the get up and go. It drove real nice, smooth, and quiet. It had 65,000 miles but appeared to be very well cared for. I could live with it.

Are they all low pressure turbos?

A 2005 Lexus ES330 also caught her eye, but the only one we've driven so far appears to have lived a pretty rough live. It had some sort of front wheel balance issue that made it drive like a cheap Asian car. Also the Carfax revealed some sort of previous accident damage and a history of being auctioned about three times. We need to find a nicer one in order to make a more fair judgement.

Wish us luck. I'll let you all know what we end up with.