Other than corrosion and major accidents, the Volvos I have had were fairly
easy to repair (up to 1973).
Sometimes I lacked the knowledge or the money to do things the easy way but
in retrospect they were all doable jobs. I'm pretty sure that many of the
problems that were more or less insoluble were the result of smaller things
being ignored, especially on later models (where my experience is VERY limited
and not very satisfactory).

Having said this, I should also mention my burgeoning culch heap which includes
one complete B30E engine and M410 tranny, one complete M41 tranny and several clutches, and enough parts to build up one complete B20 engine as well as
probably 1000# of miscellaneous replacement parts, many of them used.

It is REALLY NICE to have a problem with a car and be able to fix it without
either the expense or the delay of getting parts! I'd go so far as to say that
if you don't have at least some sort of garage, a 40-year-old car may not be
for you!
--
George Downs Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!