Part of what helped my decision is that this car won't cost much in the first 2 years. I'm in your boat-not that much dough to spend on maintenance- not do I want to. Just endured 6 yrs of that! But MB has a wear and tear 2 yr warranty which covers stuff Volvo and others expects us to cover onour own- wiper blades, brake pads etc. So, I dont' expect it'll cost me much in the next 2 yrs. And nothing can be worse than what I have been through with my '98 V70 which averaged a trip per month to the dealer for something or other. Insurance is only $250 more per year- not bad.

So,despite the detractors on here, I've checked with friends who own MB and have received pretty balanced advice on here, on the MB site too. Think for the next 2 yrs i'll be ok. And Volvo royally screwed up by not standing behind this V70 that I paid alot for and has given me headaches that I don't expect from a $60,000 car.