Ok, I'm going out on a limb here and say that they are not totally off base.
My 04' Limited has 51,000 miles on it. It has more then its fair shares of rattles, wind noise, and has had the transmission replaced (under warranty) at around 10,000 miles ago. The engine has an irritating ticking noise that has been described by two different dealerships as 'normal'.
As a comparison, I also have a 97' Volvo 850 with 145,000 miles on it. It has fewer rattles, way less wind noise, and the engine is whisper quiet. It has never had any repairs needed other then routine maintenance.
My wife's 02' BMW 325 is as tight and quiet as the day it left the showroom floor.

Sure the XFire has a 'coolness' factor, but I would trust the old Volvo on a cross country drive more then I would my Crossfire.