I admit to liking the IS300 5-speed, paricularly given the Toyota reliability, but sadly enough I can't figure out where to put the kid, the dog, the baritone sax and the trombone. Performance wagons (with manual gearboxes) are a niche market and Volvo doesn't have much competition. Audi - they seem just as unreliable, BMW - the 525iT is pretty slow, the 540iT is slushbox only, and the X5 3.0 5-speed appears both unreliable and slow. Porsche Cayenne? Has anyone seen them yet?

I haven't heard of anyone else here having a V70 wiring harness go up in flames. I thought I heard that the wiring was slightly different on Canadian versions, in part because I recall you do not have the option of turning off your DRLs. I'd think it would at least generate a NHTSA complaint or two, and I just scanned the complaints file.

I like my car to the extent that I've even optained bids on a '02. At the moment I'm waiting to see when the Xenon headlights show up, but I'm also given pause whenever I hear a tale like yours, and they seem to occur fairly frequently. The stories certainly do give one pause.

I feel your pain (and smell your burnt insulation), and I will probably buy myself a fire extinguisher. Or maybe not, I'll just check on my insurance comprehensive coverage.

-Groundhog

'98 V70T5M, 83K, IPD stabilizer bars, Volvo strut tower brace and skidplate, V-1