Sounds like a higher incidence of failures has been compounded by questionable dealer service. It's a wonder that you have put up with this for so long. Good or bad, the high cost/high incidence of repairs has made many of us into pretty good shadetree mechanics or has led to growth in decent independent shops. These cars are pretty easy to work on. Like many of us, it is difficult to recommend these cars unless your friends are into fixing things themselves or are willing to put up with trips to a mechanic. When somebody asks me, I always recommend Honda, because most of the people who ask me are just looking for an appliance. When they ask why I don't recommend Volvo, I just tell them that odds are they will need more frequent repairs and that ends the conversation. Most people aren't willing to put up with that.