Engine is turned the wrong way.

Wrong wheels are driven.

850/first gen V70 are still very mechanical vehicles with very little electronic trickery that will be new to you. Early Second gen add the electronic throttle and that complexity but not insane. At some point they went CANBUS and proprietary ODB codes (beyond the mandated ones), settings, etc.

They are much tighter to work on in the engine bay but not insanely so. The AWD models are to be avoid in my opinion because they add nothing of value except complexity.

Gas mileage is better. Cabin is quieter. Power is much better model-for-model (NA faster than NA, Turbo faster than turbo). Both first and second gen common issues are well documented with solutions (ABS module, ETB module, AC compressor clutch, PCV system, etc).

Engine is very complex to work on but not beyond the skill of someone who can work methodically.

Less tolerant of deferred maintenance and harder to bring back from a neglected state. Timing belt, tensioner and water pump need to be religiously changed.

The first gen NA manual V70 would be the only old car I would replace my 1993 NA 940 with as a daily driver...maybe. I likely will go much newer when the time comes but it is on my radar.