Everything falls apart eventually - How soon do you arrive at this point depends on two things, you and how lucky you are ;-). Even fanatical maintenance (you know, the first maintenance profile described in the IPD catalogue) doesn't remove the chance of something happening, it just reduces it.

As far as being able to drive a vehicle to the moon and back (or being able to make it to your 5th round trip like Irv Gordon), you'll have the best chance of doing that in an RWD Volvo or old OM606 diesel Mercedes. Maybe even a Slant Six Valiant/Dart as long as the body doesn't melt away from around you. Considering what kind of slugs those last two are, you'll probably die of old age before they reach any kind of high mileage :-)

...is to do regular maintenience, not ignore the small things, expect and fix certain things certain things before they break

....and cry when the time comes to put her down.
--
"Be blessed in your quest'' 89 764 (110K), '94 940T (180K) , '92 745T (totaled 2-10-05 RIP)

My first extended use Volvo was an 74 145 which I got to 364K miles over a 15 yr period and taught me the joy of not having car payments. In doing so I learned to repair things as they needed it and not let them go. I also rebuilt the B20E twice and did two clutches. It was sold off with a frozen pilot bearing. Its replacement, a 1984 245TIC was purchased with with 200K miles and driven over 5 years to 340K with only a head replacement and turbo cartridge replacement, not even a clutch replacement. It was sold at 340K for $200 less than paid for originally, currently the economic champ. My current car is a 1989 745TIC that melted #1 piston and hence was rebuilt at 185K shortly after purchase, a bad choice in mechanics (Keith Taylor Motors, Mooresville,NC) required a main oil seal replacement at 205K (did you need that little coil spring too?) but hopefully is now in tip top shape. I would like to get this car over 400K after this mechanical work as I have replaced the headliner and brought the suspension to an ideal state with swaybars, Bilsteins, and upper and lower braces, all of which I reccommend.

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!

I suppose it is like Rodney Dangerfield said:

If you take EXCELLENT care of yourself...

...you'll get very sick and die.

Volvos, like any cars, have well-known failure modes, which in part is why we assembled the FAQ. ECUs don't last forever, radiators and hoses have finite lives, wiring harnesses and plastics degrade. If you know about them, you can plan for an orderly diagnosis and repair, even a preventive repair well in advance. No car will remain pristine forever in daily driving: plan for a slow, inexorable, but manageable decline.

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.

What "problems" are referring to?

Jeff Pierce
--
'93 945 Turbo ( one kickass family car ! ), '92 Mercedes 190E (my daily driver), '53 Willys-Overland Pickup (my snow-plow truck/conversation piece -- sold to a loving home), '85 Jeep CJ-7 w/ Fisher plow