"Martin Baxter" wrote in message
...

As for Vovlo horror stories, I've heard and equal amount of the same for
every other manufacturer.

In all sincerity, Marty, I haven't. I first became aware of Volvo's parts
issues in an article in Practical Sailor, circa the late 80s. Since that
time I've heard similar issues of high parts prices, poor customer service,
unavailability of parts, etc. from persons who've owned Volvos and some
who've had them overhauled. I've yet to hear of the same sorts of stories
from Yanmar, Westerbeke, Universal, Nanni, or Perkins owners, although I'm
sure there are *some* such issues with each of them. So far, in my
experience, Volvo holds the record for parts and service problems by a wide
margin, which is one reason I'm reluctant to buy a boat with a Volvo, either
conventional drive or Saildrive.

Max

Max