The issues with the Subarus are limited to only certain years. I believe the late 1990s through about 2002. We have a 2003 Forester that has run flawlessly for 130K miles so far. Only basic maintainence.

We used to have a 1990 Subaru that last almost into the 300K miles before we sold it off.

Subarus are in the same class as Toyota and Honda as far as longevity, but every vehicle has its quirks and issues. It's matter of how much and how bad.

With a GM product, for example, you can expect numerous electrical issues, and later mechanical failures of all sorts, so it's not worth it.

With the Toyota, Hondas and Subarus, the few problems they have are very specific and well known so they can be addressed.

I know nothing about Volvos, and I'm sure they are great vehicles and probably even better than the Subarus on a number of different levels, but I personally would choose the subaru, since they are available, parts are more available and they are probably cheaper all around to maintain and probably better aftermarket support as well, if you want to do any mods or accessorize. Just look for a 2003 and newer model.

If you really care about style, interior quality, etc, Lexus does make great vehicles. But you're going to pay extra for it and the name.

If you want the ultimate combination of bullet proof/ safety and comfort, consider a used Land Cruiser 100 series. The only drawbag is gas mileage. It's beyond horrible, but you will feel like you're driving a $70,000 vehicle at fraction of the cost, because you are.