Just bought, leased actually, my first new Volvo. My 95 and 97 850's were bought used. Obviously, I like Volvos. I find them to be rational and sturdy. The negative is the quality control. If my dealer hadn't done a lot of fixes on warrenty or extended warrenty I wouldn't be back. Like many European cars Volvos are prone to lots of niggling things and a few major ones. Both previous cars needed new AC evaporators, and both were free to me. One does wonder why they can't get it right. Also, Volvo's safety is not just hype. A good friend of mine works for a major public health institution, and has told me many times about Volvo's good real-world crash record. How much is it worth to walk away or sustain manageble injuries compared to death, paralysis or major rehab? Certainly Volvo's won't take you through anything, but the record indicates you have a better statiscal chance in one than in practically anything else weighing less than two tons.
Now, I leased my '02 XC for a variety of reasons:
1-Although the sticker price is high, the lease deal was very good. I took an 18.000 mile lease with $1700 up front including my first payment for $459 a month (including the 9% tax PA and my home county levy) for 48 months with the 18K miles a year. This was exactly $175 a month less than the best I could wangle on a Lexus RX 300 and about $80 a month more than a Honda CR-V EX which were the other models I considered. Also The Volvo dealer bought my '97 for more than either the Lexus or Honda dealer offered. I put the check in a mutual fund and if it doubles in four years I'll have been completely re-imbursed for all payments and have about $5,000 to boot. If I just average 8 or 9 per cent a year, very likely from these levels I think, I'll have to actually be out of pocket about 11 to 13 payments. We'll see.

2-The XC is IMHO the best looking of the three and a good-looking car by any standard. It also has a very comfortable and useful interior.

3-It has according to Consumers Report an excellant Insurance Institute safety record. However CU isn't wild about the car overall and warns about Volvo's spotty reliabilty. Of course I have a four-year 50,000 mile warrenty and Volvo's on call service. End of Part one