[sk546]

I have owned 2 T8's and I have had no big problems with either during my ownership but I have not owned either past the 2.5 year stage so cant really speak for long term ownership costs or issues just yet.

Its not a car I'd want to own outside of a warranty (OEM or 3rd party) due to the complexity within the drivetrain and the costs therein for fixing/replacing but to be fair, most cars these days are pretty complex and rely on computers and control units for pretty much everything and as such, if something does fail (which it inevitably will), the cost to fix it will be high.

In forums like this, you will always hear more of the negative ownership experiences that you will of the positive ownership experience because lets face it, we all like to have a good winge and complain about things but thats not always the full story.

Volvo, like most other manufacturers, will have their good cars and the car (friday afternoon cars as I know them) that for some unknown reason just cause hassle and aggravation for their poor owners as they always seem to have issues/problems with them.
I count myself as a lucky one as neither of my Volvos have caused me any great headaches (yet) but I have come into it eyes open to the possible issues that others have faced and accept the possibilities.