850 estate starting problems

I have owned this 2.0 20 valve 1994 850 SE estate for a year now and have been plagued by starting problems that recur every so often.
Reading the forums I recognise the short running and stopping followed by a failure to start. Extensive cranking has sometimes got it to go. It has been into the garage on several occasions to sort the problem, the last time I was informed that the distributer cap was at fault and after that I had several weeks of confidence. The problem is still there after stopping the car after a short run. I cannot believe that the problem with the valve lifters is not more widly known, and that Volvo allowed such a problem to exist. We have owned a 740 estate, a 940 estate, and a 850 glt estate. Both the earlier cars had leaking coolant into the footwells and other problems. All had impeccable service histories. Is there no way of ensuring reliable starting for these 850 models. I have stuck with Volvos because I like the comfort and space, but reliability is definately poor.