....I bit down hard on my lower lip and went with the FWD. This meant giving up on more space, RWD (which I prefer) and the much nicer buildout the last 960/90's looked to be. I also gave up on puckered door panels and a problematic test bed for the 6cyl engine that went into the S80. Nice car, but....

The FWD, though smaller, is a nice implementation. The Porsche-designed 5cyl engine is a hoot (especially with a big nozzle turbo). And the 1998, though originally a bit troublesome, is probably OK as most of the problems and depreciation will have been paid for by previous owners. But there are some notoriously intractable problems - ABS module at 60K, sometimes the evaporator (even moreso in 850s). Overall no worse than most Eurocars, and better than VW/Audi in terms of reliability. FWIW, the 70-class is a more pleasant ride than the taut suspension in the 850.
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David
1998 S70 T5SE // misc mods (mostly lighting) // red calipers
1992 940 GLE // Hella Micro DE foglights and 170K