My wife has owned 3 Volvo wagons over the years and except for numerous electrical problems with the '01 V70 we have enjoyed them. She currently has an '08 V70 with 64,000 miles and it is trouble free.

Next week I'm trading in my '11 Hyundai Sonata for a 2012 Volvo C70 with 41,000 miles. I've never owned a convertible so I'm very excited. I've done my research and I know that in April 2014 Consumer Reports said these cars were more troublesome than average. In 2015 CR upgraded the repair record to average. JD Power gives the 2012 C70 2 stars out of 5 but they do not explain why. Hope I'm not in for a lot of repairs.

I think it's one of the best looking hard top convertibles ever made. Are there any tips or warnings that you guys can share about this model?

 

Read here about a lot of 2011 C70 convertibles leaking and top problems. Research 2012 info.

 

I just picked up a 2012 with 55K and also saw the lower ratings prior to purchase. I had mine checked out and was told the roof mechanism on early hard tops had some parts that failed frequently, I was assured the later years had upgraded parts and they saw very few issues with them and I was unlikely to have a problem.

Unless your buying a Lexus convertible I think the C70 is one of the better bets if you want a hard top. The other hard tops I looked at had zero trunk space with the top down Lexus IS and Infinity. The exception was Lexus SC430 which I think could hold a set of clubs in a small bag. Nice car but any with lower miles can be pretty expensive and I was really surprised by the amount of wind in the cabin.
.I ruled out Mercedes because of expensive engine, trans, or suspension issues in all but a few years or models. I was pretty certain I would love the A5 since I have had 6 Audis in the past, but it did not wow me. I read about oil burning problems and tranny problems, the consensus was you have to go 2015 or newer to avoid these. BMW was the worst with problems. Not saying they all have problems but I read enough to scare me to the Volvo. Not sure what you are paying but I cannot imagine a better car for the amount I payed.

I know the engine well, it's been around since the 90's when it came with the 850 (I swear it is the same as some of my Audi's I have owned in the past). Plus you can tune the software if you want some more power. I will likely do this as I owned an Audi S6 that had a 5 cylinder with about the same specs. Once tuned it was a blast but I think it had a bigger turbo than Volvo is using for this car. The transmission in the C70 turns out to be made by Aisin, which is mostly owned by Toyota so I would not anticipate problems there if you change the fluid. The manual says no need for service but now even the Lexus dealer is doing drain and fills or doing the Vacuum flush thing for my current GS.
I do have a theory about the lower satisfaction ratings:
Many of the car fax records I saw had a common theme of early battery replacements. I then read about the Satellite radio constantly looking for a signal which drained batteries after a few days of not driving. A software fix took care of that. I suspect that issue caused some of the lower ratings, if your car keeps having a dead battery and the dealer does not know what is causing it I would give it a lower rating as well.

That said have the car checked out by a Volvo shop before you pay for it.