I agree with some of your points. The 850 has had it's share of common problems such as the evaporator, AT microswitch, electric seat back, engine support, etc. I have 110K on my '95 850 Turbo and the drivetrain is running great. My current car needs a new right strut seat and front rotors. I have not yet had an evaporator problem (crossing my fingers) or the AT problem the you describe. I still love the car! My last car was an '89 Ford Taurus SHO. The SHO also had it's share of problems but the engine always ran great. The Volvo has not been as reliable as my Lexus but much better than our VW Jetta.

So there you have it. Overall, my Volvo has had average reliability but the drive train area has been great.
Sorry to hear your problems with your AT. As far as your comment about warranties, I must also say that Volvo is about average. BTW - Until this year, the VW basic warranty was only 2year/24K.

Here are some examples Factory Automotive Warranties

Make Basic, DriveT. Rust
=========== ===== ======= =====
Acura 4/50K, 4/50K, 5/unl
BMW 4/50K, 4/50K, 6/unl
Chevrolet 3/36K, 3/36K, 6/100K
Chrysler 3/36K, 3/36K, 5/100K
Ford 3/36K, 3/36K, 5/unl
Infiniti 4/60K, 6/70K, 7/unl
Hyundai/Kia 5/60K, 10/100K, 5/100K
Lexus 4/50K, 6/70K, 6/unl
Mazda 3/50K, 3/50k, 5/unl
Nissan 3/36K, 5/60K, 5/unl
Mitsubishi 3/36K, 5/60K, 7/100K
Porsche 4/50K, 4/50K, 10/unl
Saab 4/50K, 4/50K, 6/unl
Toyota 3/36K, 5/60K, 5/unl
VW 4/50K, 5/60K, 6/unl
Volvo 4/50K, 4/50K, 8/unl

Good Luck to you.