Thats a great question!
My honest opinion is that Volvos are the sort of machines that last so long that you tend to take their longetivity for granted. Over time, every piece of equipment degrades due to weather, temperature shock, corrosives and wear. If from none of these, then metal fatigue will take its toll. When you start seeing damage that rates as truly unusual, it's like an achievement award - the device has withstood everything that could normally be expected of it, and is now taking on a level of service that borders on the preposterous.

Also, please consider: most folks don't post on the Brickboard to talk of sunny drives and picnics in the country, unmarred by breakdowns. They often post desperate pleas for help, advice to get their steeds operating well enough to get to work or back home. The RWD forum shows a bias toward people with broken bricks. Read this forum without considering that fact, and suddenly it seems that everyone's Volvos are perpetually in need of repair, many of them needing extreme amounts of expense and labor. This doesn't reflect my experienc3e.