"...and have seen that MOST of the safety stories (i.e. the volvo saved my life) seem to center on the 245. I wonder why? Is it the safest?"

When the 245 was in its heyday (late 70s through late 80s), the Volvo wagon was *the* safe vehicle. (Head restraints, safety cage, crush zones, 3 point belts in the rear, heavy steel, canted motor mounts were all pretty much unique in the auto industry at the time.) And think about who drove them during that era -- conservative folks looking for a practical, safe vehicle. (It was the original 'soccer Mom' minivan before there were minivans.) In the automatic form, it barely gets out of its way. So, there's a fair amount of self-selection for people who are less likely to drive during high-risk times and/or drive with risky practices. Hence -- very few fatalities compared with just about anything else on the highway during that era. Justifiably, the 245 earned its reputation.

If you can afford a used 855, go for it. For years, all I could afford was beater 245s, so that's what we've had for the last 10 years. I just bought my first 855 for my younger son to use as the college 400 mile commute-mobile. Mom and Pop will keep the 245s -- our son's got much greater upside potential than his parents at this point, so he gets the safer car.

Rob Kuhlman