I've been told by two reliable mechanics that Volvos with automatic transmission are much more likely to need major repairs or replacement than the same make with manual transmission. I'm seriously considering a used 1999 Volvo S70 with over 65,000 miles. The car is being sold by the original owner who has all the maintenance records, and mechanically everything else s out, including the 60,000 mile service (new brakes plus other things) and a clean Carfax report. I drove cars with manual transmssion for 15 years and strongly prefer an automatic.