My name is Paul Kaminski, I am 36 years old and I live and work in Toronto, Canada.  I am an engineer, and I use my 2005 Volvo S40 2.4i (5 speed manual) daily, having already put 25,000 km since last April.  I have paid $31,000 CDN for the car, and so far the only problems I have experienced were to do with the computer software - radio reseting itself, fuel cap not tight and the engine light error messages.  All of the above listed problems were shared by many other users, as per various other Volvo forums.  The dealership experience has been great so far and the small problems were repaired quicky.  My previous vehicles were mostly rentals used during my work assignments in Europe (BMW 320d, Alfa Romeo 147 1.6, Audi A4, Volvo S40 1.8), US and Canada (Ford Taurus, Toyota Camry, Volvo XC).  Prior to that I used to own VW's.

What I like about Volvo S40 2.4i: great exterior and interior styling, handling (high speed stability is as good as BMW's - at 210 Km/h feels rock soild), price, comfort

Things not so hot: engine is not as smooth and responsive as I would like it to be, gearbox is only ok.

Overall it is a great car for the money.  It will never be as dynamic as Alfa or BMW but it delivers on excitment . The interior is a great place to spend time in, I would prefer it over the long time benchmark of Audi (it is just so much simpler and more intuitive).  Prior to my purchase I looked at the new VW Jetta, but as much as I liked it on paper, the driving experience was not as good as Volvo's.