I recently moved from near Dallas (where one sees few 2/7/9 Volvos) to Phoenix, AZ, where I have not seen a SINGLE 2 Series cars since moving here in August 2015.

I have only seen only ONE other 7 Series (a very nice 745 Turbo in the Ikea parking lot I almost walked up to to asked if the driver was interested in selling-my wife stopped me).

We move to Olympia, WA in April, and I hope to find a decent population in the PNW, which existed there in 2002 when we left the area.

I think the poster was right when he said that when repair costs approach a % of the car's market value, people sell or abandon their cars.

A good friend of mine operates an import repair shop in Olympia, and he buys, or is given, maybe a dozen cars a year (Volvos, BMWs, Mercedes) whose owners just cannot afford needed repairs. I am talking NICE, solid cars that are in wonderful condition except for ONE modest needed repair.

In many cases he buys beautiful imports for $500-1000, does a repair costing him under $300 (his parts cost from World PAC), and re-sells the car for $5000 +/-. Just last year he was given a nearly FLAWLESS Volvo 780 Bertone, with under 100k miles, which he resold for $2800 after replacing the front rotors, pads, and removing/freeing up the calipers. I found out only after-the-fact or I'd have snapped it up myself.

I see LOADS of NEW Mercedes here in Phoenix, but few older ones (older = 10 years old). It's NOT rust here, either. I have 3 "older" Mercedes, so notice such things. One of my cars is a 2002 C320 wagon, and in 5 months I have yet to see another, and few C sedans either. I've seen only a few Series I SLKs like I have, too. You most notice cars like you drive, of course. Where they go I don't know. No sane person junks an undamaged 10 year old Benz-maybe they go to other states?

At some point, modest people who can afford european import cars, can not afford to have repaired, and those who CAN afford the repairs, simply go out and buy or lease NEW ones on "easy terms" and want no part of being "seen" in "old" cars.

WE know how cheap it is to keep our Volvos on the road because we do our own work. But most people rely on import repair shops that, for lack of a better term, GOUGE customers with the excuse that European imports are hard to fix, and the parts are incredibly expensive.

When a new car can today be bought or leased for almost zero down, and 0% interest, and one's self-esteem is sadly gotten through his "appearance of success," what incentive is there for a person to spend money fixing his old car only to have "others" look down on him for not appearing more successful?