car of my dreams... I love it more than my mum's newer CLK430

I cannot rave more about this car. Of course it was purchased for the elegant, gorgeous looks and also Volvo's reputation for safety. However, the drive IS great! Acceleration a bit sluggish, but the smoothest, quietest ride ever. Great handling. The interior is also huge for a coupe, probably the roomiest of all the coupes/convertibles I've ever encountered. The leather seating is buttery soft, although it does take forever moving forward to accommodate backseat passengers. The mechanism itself is hard to use. Also does not recline far back enough for comfortable in car snoozing. I got the optional surround sound; it is nothing short of amazing. The CD player is very fussy though, and does not play most burned CDs. As for maintenance, the car is fairly reliable... no serious problems yet (knock on wood.) It does have a problem with headlights/brake lights going out regularly and needing to be replaced but that's not too bad. The maintenance does cost a lot, say more than for a Japanese car, but I guess it's all relative since the Volvo guys have always been very polite, helpful and not condescending. Also, Volvo has a Volvo On Call program which I am utterly grateful for when my tires went flat (a result of not taking the mechanics seriously and not replacing tires worn thin.) It works like AAA; I got free towing.