If you're doing 12K miles per year you should be fine. The D2 engine's DPF implementation seems to be fairly robust.

I'm on my second Volvo V60 and while they both have different engines to yours, I've had no DPF problems, apart from a sensor failing after two and a half years / 30K miles. This was fixed under warranty and the car was still driveable as normal (no limp mode, etc).

My 10p worth - make sure the first service was done by a Volvo main dealer (the service intervals are 1 year or 18,000 miles, whichever comes first), and use a Volvo dealer to service it during the warranty period.

If the first service was NOT done at a Volvo main dealer, either walk away or insist you get a bulletproof aftermarket warranty from the selling dealer. In my experience, Volvo is good at honouring warranties if you've had the car serviced by their main dealers. If you've gone outside their dealer network, you're just handing them a get-out clause.

Edited by craig-pd130 on 19/05/2015 at 11:39

The DPF can't be damaged as such unless somebody deliberately coated the innards with something nasty that won't burn off, its an exhaust filter, either it's clear or needs clearing by distance driving or if its blocked already by a forced regen or in extreme circumstances by removal and specialist cleaning.