Has anyone done any research as to the cost of operation over the life of ownership of a Volvo vs. a Japanese car? I was recently discussing this issue with a friend and we both became interested in coming up with some numbers. Typically, the initial cost of purchasing a Volvo is higher than a similarly equipped Japanese model, but what about long term costs? Repairs? Reliability? Owner satisfaction? Etc. It seems like there is about an 8% premium give or take on parts at least. Any comments are welcome. Thanks!

 

I have not been able to pin down a repair cost difference but I have searched and found numerous reliability rankings for Volvo putting it and other European manufacturers below the Asians, kind of old news right? Here is one from CR http://autos.msn.com/advice/CRArt.as...=4023544#below, couldn't find much on S40s.