Are Volvo's expensive to maintain? I am in the market for a car also.
It's not the cheapest, but not the highest, either. The problem is finding a good independent mechanic who will work on them. Not everybody will.
I bought my daughter a used Volvo about 3 years ago. Fortunately I have a good friend who is a mechanic and worked at a Volvo dealership at one time, so he does our work (which hasn't been a lot, by the way) for us and saves us a good bit of money.
Of course, finding a mechanic you trust is a key no matter what type of vehicle you own.