Hehe well when you are trying to parallel park on steep hills or stuck in traffic, you will be thankful for the automatic :)

Actually I meant it already has new tires, battery and brakes before purchase so hopefully I won't have to replace those items for a while.

I put Kumho Ecstas (sp?) on my 850 and they turned out to be excellent, if ugly, tires. I got them a little over a year ago and they show very little wear, great traction in the rain and a nice smooth ride. But I will certainly consider your suggestion when it comes time to replace the Micehlins. THey are actually a year old but they had not driven the car much in the past year after buying a new one so the tires are still very new.

Tomorrow I am calling the local Volvo dealer that did all the servicing on the car to find out if trans fluid was changed recently... the invoice records say "5k maintainence performed" and things like that but don't always list specifics unless parts were replaced, I am sure they have that in their computer or can tell me what their standard service intervals include.

Ah Montreal, I have visited many times and what a lovely city. I will be moving to SW Ontario depending on where I get my job offer... not in Toronto though - I am not a big city type, lived there for 6 months and enjoyed it as a temporary thing but I want to live in the country.

Now, to hook up the iPod mini to the stereo! OK, I will clean the PCV first (but that is not as fun!)