What makes working on volvos difficult?

Everyone who works on cars for a living (that i've talked to) has told me that Volvos are HORRENDOUS to work on. Does that apply to just the older models or the post-Ford buyout too? And what makes them different/more difficult than any other car?

Volvo engineers seem to not take ease of maintenance into account. They have a lot of un-necessary parts that can and do break and the way to access them is to remove a lot of other parts.
I also wouldn't be surprised if they require less common tools as is common practice with luxury car manufacturers.

I had a Volvo that had a leaky gasket. It was so difficult to get at, they charged me $600 to repair a 50 cent gasket.

Exotic engineering coupled with parts made in Sweden.

Volvos are now made by the Chinese Company.So everyone helps make it

The reason it's so difficult to work on is that all the instructions are written in Swedish.

Nothing makes them harder than many European cars.
They need the proper special tools and computer systems.
Use a specialist or dealer.

The frickin designers have no concept of what it takes to make a vehicle easy for a mechanic to do routine maintenance! Same as Audi. This is why it's better to by Asian or American cars and trucks.