Hi all! I just registered on the Brickboard and Im considering purchasing a Volvo wagon in the next couple months. Ive been doing some home work and Ive narrowed my search down thanks to this site but I really want to hear from the wise and experienced Volvo owners on this site. Heres the critera and some of my questions. Please think of what you would do in my situation and shoot your opinions my way.

I will be able to spend between $2000 and $3000 (funded from my student loan)
#1 priority is reliability: I cant afford excessive car costs for at least 2yrs while I am in school. Basic stuff is fine but anything that exceeds 1000 in a single repair would be really hard on me.
#2 priority is safety: Obviously why I am considering Volvo. Im a single dad and strongly believe in keeping my kid safe. Ok maybe Im a little obsessive!
#3 priority is performance: This is the tough one! I want reliability and performance which can be difficult but my homework shows a couple models that fit. Namely 245 turbo (kinda rare), 740 turbo. Im not ruling out the 240, it fits other criteria quite well but must be a manual trans for this one to be tollerable. Frankly I dislike automatics because I really enjoy DRIVING a car and the slush box has allways been a performance robber in my experience. I am primarily considering rear wheel drive models its just my preference for performance but Im a little flexable on this one (ie 850's although they seem to be less reliable that 240's and 740's).

Im really interested in getting specific year and model advice. As I said Im considering 240 (manual only), 245 turbo (kinda rare though), and the 740 turbo, but Im not eliminating other models. Prefer manual trans and rear drive. I can do most basic work my self and have decent mechanic skills so the more user friendly the better for obvious cost reasons.

I also need to find a certified Volvo mechanic in the Asheville North Carolina area before anything! I figured there must a database somebody knows of or other Volvo owners in my area who have a good mechanic.

Thanks for any advice that can be provided!!
Duce1