I bought a 2000 S80 T6 (45k miles), for $25,000 USD a few months ago (certified).

It is the nicest car I have ever driven or ridden in. BY FAR.

It is in great condition, seriously like new inside. The previous owner kept VERY good care of it. I called the dealer where the guy had it serviced and requested some records. It turned out that he had been in for all of the maintenance services, and had had a few basic repairs (O2 sensor, front strut mount, engine mount, new tires, minor stuff), so that made me feel good, so I went ahead and got it.

I've had it for three months. I've had to get a bunch of trivial stuff fixed (trim pieces/clips, things like that), and few moderately serious things (headlights adjusted, a few bulbs burned out, etc). There were only a couple major things (the front rotors were warped and needed new pads, the radiator fan controller went out, some element of the A/C system went out and was setting codes). Everything was fixed to my satisfaction, and everything is in perfect working order now.

I just equate those things to standard oversight when buying a used car. There's nothing major, everything got fixed, I'm happy, and have what's IMO the best car on the road.

I know a guy who's had a 2000 S80 T6 (bought new), and has had hardly a single problem with it. There are two other S80s (2.9s) in town here, and I see them every day. I know nothing about their reliability, however. There is also a myriad of newer wagons and a HUGE number of vintage volvos around.

I'm sorry to hear you can't do it, but I'd suggest that you take another look at Volvo in the future.

I'd like to pose this question, simply as food for thought, not as conclusive evidence of anything. These types of forums are dedicated to helping fix problems, aren't they? Would it make sense that someone without a problem would come here, much less post giving a positive outlook without a question being asked? This is highly unlikely, IMO. Therefore, this forum is concentrated totally of people with at least one problem, and is in no way an accurate representation of the actual reliability of the S80 model. I'd suggest you visit a forum for owners of the other 'better' models, such as Honda, Lexus, Mitsubishi, etc. I'm sure you'd find the same thing, everyone in the forum rating about some problem or another, complaining of poor quality.

This is true of 'help' forums. They are concentrated fully of people needing help with problems, and should be taken with a grain of salt.