I always find it hard to trust the cosumer reports. The same people testing peanut butter one day may test a BMW M3 the next. I just had my 940 for a month and half, but already found how beautifully designed they are. Many intimidating jobs on my 1990 Acura Legend, or 1989 Toyota Supra went like a breeze on the 940. RWD volvo's difintely do not hold their values well if you buy new, which happens to be a great thing for us who purchase used. Parts are cheaper than the high end Japnese cars I have owned (after market vs after market). Insurance rate is better than most other cars. Gas milge is OK for a car that size. Hours of labour SHOULD be less for a RWD volvo than a sophiscated German or Japnese car, however, I found they always charge more for a 'luxury model'. So it boils down to how much work you can do by yourself, and how much weight you give to safety, luxury, and ride quality. If all repairs will be done by a mechanic and repair/maintainance cost is the highest priority, I'd say nothing beats a mid 90 escort. A friend of mine just had the engine replaced on his 1994 Escort, total cost $500 including everything. Now that's cheaper than a timing job on my Legend.
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1994 944NA 100K miles