After nearly 10 years of ownership, we know what it’s cost to maintain Patti’s 2008 S80 each year—and can compare that with what we spent to maintain our GMC Yukon XL Denali. The difference wasn’t as great as I thought it might be.

Heading into a two-week trip to Europe and the Baltics, I was looking forward to many of the same things other tourists get excited about. But I also had a less common item on my list. I was eager to observe Volvos in their native element. Particularly Sweden.

The story of the world’s newest website for Volvo enthusiasts starts nearly two decades ago with my wife, Patti. The year was 2000, and she had come home from work with a preposterous idea. One of the attorneys where she worked was selling his low-mileage 2008 Volvo S90, and she wanted to buy it.