I'm nearing 300K on my 1996 960. Overall it's served me fairly well. That having been said, I'm looking for something newer now. Definitely a wagon, not an SUV, and not a sedan. I haven't settled on anything in particular; I'm considering Mercedes E350, BMW (my mechanic told me to avoid any BMWs later than 2003), Audi (though I'm biased against them), VW TDI (though they're considerably smaller).

So, this brings me back to Volvo. My very good Volvo mechanic told me to stay away from the ~2001 and later V70s, not sure why. What years should I avoid? Are there any I should even consider? Ideally, regardless what I choose, I'm looking at cars ~2003-2007 depending on price and mileage. AWD is desirable for me, so ideally I'd like a car with AWD, unless known to be troublesome for the particular model / year in question.

Any thoughts / suggestions very much appreciated. Thank you.

KaiS
1967 P210 and 1996 960 (and 2002 986)