I do a lot of research on cars before purchasing and bought this for a song needing a little cosmetic TLC. Having owned two Volvos, can confirm that the 500 has a similar feel to the S80 and XC90 as claimed. Overall this car is an amazing package with around 30 mpg on hwy & low 20's in town. The six-speed FWD SEL has a motor that pours and the transmission is smooth as silk. For the Euro lovers squint a little bit and you'll see a Passat coming down the road. For the SUV fans, this rides like an Explorer (also owned prior) and at 6 ft 4 in and 240 lb this car still swallows me up. It's definitely a stylish land yacht with nimble moves. Surprisingly the 500 is jockying for top position as my favorite ever

Had a 2012 Fusion Hybrid that got rear ended and totaled.... Insurance/market value didn't pay much, my 40mpg days are over... Bought a Nissan Leaf for around town and the 500 for longer trips and for my son to learn to drive, big safe car, smooth as silk.... I just bought it, an 06 SEL 6sp fwd with 117k (8/19/20) for 3650 plus taxes and bs doc fee, haggling involved, got him down from $3995. First impression was dude started it while I had the hood open and was looking at the engine, no movement, very little vibration, smooth as silk.... AC works, LoL... "This is a big car", I said to myself.... test drive begins..."Oh this is smooth, comfortable"..... engine builds steady power, it will get up and go, you just have to push your right foot down more than you're used to. Ride quality comparable to Buick, even Cadillac... Loving it so far

She's a land yacht with SUV space and comfort reminiscent of the old Galaxy 500. Currently at 112,000 in 2019, the 2006 Five Hundred SEL has had an alternator swap, the a/c compressor is now going out for the second time, suspension work at 45k, a top engine mount replacement, multiple rear break changes, grandmas passing me on the highway like I was sitting still and lastly the 6 speed auto is slipping. You can't beat that slow ride comfort though. She's still my A to B and I enjoy our highway time. Definitely not a city vehicle. My grandmother passed it on to me 60k ago and I'm going to try to keep it to 200k if I can go without a transmission swap.