I do appreciate all posts regarding the keep it question. In response to your question groundhog, I have owned a large number of vehicles and lived in a variety of urban and rural settings so I have experienced a wide range of driving experiences in thirty plus years. Some of the more interesting autos include a Saab 90, Alpha Romeo "Alpha Sud", '57 Chevy, etc. I have been blessed with good service from brake and clutch linings on every vehicle I've owned except the brakes on a 1980 F-100 pickup. While I got 150,000 out of the clutch, the brakes were of a poor design. I drive boring ford iron now (f150 and taurus) and my wife drives the Volvo.

I suspect my hot footed wife may be the root cause here. I find the braking performance of the car to be confidence inspiring. There is always a lot of brake dust on the front wheels. I've noticed similar dust on other 850's and we've been through several sets of linings and a few warped rotors.

Thanks for the heads up on the air conditioner condenser. We'll budget that item into our decision. A little clarification on the wire harness, the fire originated in the cabin, not in the engine compartment. The dealer replaced the entire wire harness for the chassis which entailed removing the entire interior. I wish I could have supervised the reinstallation! I would have learned a lot, plus I could have insured all the little things were done.