I hate car dealerships

[OldShooter]

Ask the dealer to have the Volvo zone manager call you. Put the problem in his/her lap.

Hard to argue with your position that you don't want to buy something without knowing the price.

[Scrapr]

Volvo lover here. Also a XC60 (plus a few others previously) Very happy in mine. For the most part my Volvos have been reliable. I keep up on service & change the oil regular. 2 have gone over 300k miles. And I have done some stupid stuff to mine.

IDK why the in stock inventory is what it is. Likely a combo of buyers wanting a good selection of options on a mid luxury car. I would highly encourage you to do the Volvo Overseas Delivery (OSD). They really treated us well. My late wife had so much fun on my trip she wanted one of her own....and she was very happy in her Rav4. She passed before she could go on the trip. The downside to OSD is waiting for the car to be shipped over. I think mine was 8-10 weeks to the West coast. And I would take the kids too! What an adventure

[W2R]

I don't hate car dealerships, but then I assume that the cars a dealer has to sell are the cars that I see on his lot, with the extras that those cars already have.

Years ago when I bought my 2009 Venza (new) at the local Toyota dealership, first I went on a test drive. Then we bargained, I got a decent price, I wrote a check for that amount, and off I went in my new Venza. The whole process took about an hour. I really don't know what else they should have done. They gave me a cup of coffee.

I suppose they could have skipped the "do you want to finance" sales pitch, and the "do you want this or that at an extra cost" sales pitch, but I didn't want any of that. The salesman accepted my decisions and rushed through those topics since he had to at least give them lip service. We both understood what that was all about (that he just was required to do it).

[Qs Laptop]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ExFlyBoy5 CR isn't the end all be all that some folks would LIKE it to be.

Indeed.

The Dodge Challenger has a propensity to spin the tires upon accelerating from a stop, has low, rumbling noisy exhaust, terrible rear seat leg room, smallish trunk with high trunk lift over height, poor rear quarter visibility, etc. etc.

Just terrible.

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scrapr Volvo lover here. Also a XC60 (plus a few others previously) Very happy in mine. For the most part my Volvos have been reliable. I keep up on service & change the oil regular. 2 have gone over 300k miles. And I have done some stupid stuff to mine. IDK why the in stock inventory is what it is. Likely a combo of buyers wanting a good selection of options on a mid luxury car. I would highly encourage you to do the Volvo Overseas Delivery (OSD). They really treated us well. My late wife had so much fun on my trip she wanted one of her own....and she was very happy in her Rav4. She passed before she could go on the trip. The downside to OSD is waiting for the car to be shipped over. I think mine was 8-10 weeks to the West coast. And I would take the kids too! What an adventure

Early retirement would be the perfect time in life to do this. No need to rush the delivery. I'd have to warm up to Volvos before biting, though. I'll still consider it.

I also noticed you can drop off and don't have to return to Sweden. About €500 to drop off in Munich. Not bad if you want to wander without going through the return.

[Scratchy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by G8tr DW and I are in the market for a new Volvo SUV to replace her 11 year old Honda. At this point in our lives, we would like a nicer car than a Honda. BUT, that doesn't mean we like being forced to buy features we don't want (nav system, panoramic roof, etc...). The response we've received from dealers is that those features are installed because they're what customers want. This seems like a load of BS to me, since several have offered to discount heavily those same features to try and make a sale (hence, I assume they're major money-makers for dealers). So, the alternative is ordering the car from the factory without the unwanted features. In response, dealers have told us that they can't guaranty the various Volvo incentives will be around in 8-10 weeks when the car is delivered - even if I already put down a deposit to lock in the price (apparently I can only lock in the dealer's price).

If there is a model that would suit you, look into custom ordering a BMW. I have leased at least 10 custom ordered BMW's. I love being able to get every option I want and not having to pay for any option I don't want. BMW has always locked in the incentives available, and the lease terms (interest rate, residual value) at the time of order. If better terms are available at the time of delivery, I have been given those. Last one I ordered took about 10 weeks for manufacture and delivery. One can monitor the progress of the vehicle through manufacture and transatlantic shipping, it's kind of fun :

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeWras Early retirement would be the perfect time in life to do this. No need to rush the delivery. I'd have to warm up to Volvos before biting, though. I'll still consider it. I also noticed you can drop off and don't have to return to Sweden. About €500 to drop off in Munich. Not bad if you want to wander without going through the return.

One of the best trips ever. We flew into Copenhagen for a few days because DW had never been there. Then flew up to Gothenburg (all at Volvo's expense) where we were met at the airport and taken to the best hotel in town. Next morning they drove us to the factory where we got the factory tour (not to be missed!) and they spent an hour with me just going over all the bells and whistles on the car until I felt comfortable with it. Swedish temporary plates and two weeks of European insurance. We elected to turn it back in at the factory, where it was shipped to our local dealer. Then took the high speed train to Stockholm for a week before flying home (still at Volvo's expense). No other manufacturer has an overseas delivery program that can remotely compare with Volvo's. I will do it again if possible on my next car.

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister One of the best trips ever. We flew into Copenhagen for a few days because DW had never been there. Then flew up to Gothenburg (all at Volvo's expense) where we were met at the airport and taken to the best hotel in town. Next morning they drove us to the factory where we got the factory tour (not to be missed!) and they spent an hour with me just going over all the bells and whistles on the car until I felt comfortable with it. Swedish temporary plates and two weeks of European insurance. We elected to turn it back in at the factory, where it was shipped to our local dealer. Then took the high speed train to Stockholm for a week before flying home (still at Volvo's expense). No other manufacturer has an overseas delivery program that can remotely compare with Volvo's. I will do it again if possible on my next car.

Was the train and week in Stockholm covered by them too? Or just the trip home?

[braumeister]

They covered all the airfares and the first hotel night, along with the insurance. Gave us a big discount on the rest of the hotel nights. Also some small gifts on arrival, along with a couple of meals there in Gothenburg.

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister They covered all the airfares and the first hotel night, along with the insurance. Gave us a big discount on the rest of the hotel nights. Also some small gifts on arrival, along with a couple of meals there in Gothenburg.

Nice. The info says they help you plan any trip, too.

[braumeister]

Yes, it's all arranged through their contract travel agency and it was a very pleasant experience all around.

[brett]

I know several people who decided exactly what they wanted. No trade in.

They sent requests to three or four Infiniti and Honda dealerships. One, quite far away where one of their mothers lived. Request was for a bottom line price, out the door. At least one provided two color choices.

The result? $3K lower ( for at least 2 of the buys) than the best price they had been offered by any local dealers. One friend took a short flight to see his mother and picked up the Infiniti. The other took a 2 hour bus ride to a smaller town. Dealer picked him up with a coffee in hand. An hour later he was driving home.

So much easier than haggling at the store-with the salesperson, the sales manager, and the so called business manager whose job it seems is to upsell on mtce and cosmetic add ons. All said that this was an value added addition to the buying process for them.

[Mr._Graybeard]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bamaman I've had over 100 new cars. Many of which were luxury vehicles and company cars. Now that I've retired and have to pay for my cars fully, I am now choosing models that are #1 very reliable and trouble free and #2 lower depreciating cars.

We've fed from opposite ends of the food chain. In the last 20-some years every car I've owned has been at least 10 years old. I commuted 25K miles a year and got tired of buying late-model vehicles and using them up in five years.

So I started buying depreciated Euro sedans, particularly Mercedes and BMW. (Don't laugh!) I did most maintenance and repairs myself. I always had a backup vehicle and learned a lot about how cars work.

My favorite commuting experience was the W123 (1977-1985) Mercedes chassis with the 5-cylinder turbo diesel. They were built like a bank vault, and the seats were sublime. They weren't performance cars by any means but were very nice drivers on the superslab. Believe it or not, those old diesels had 100% mechanical engine management. No electronics at all. The central door locks were vacuum activated. I'd drive one today if I could find one in decent shape that doesn't command a fortune. They were dirt cheap when I was driving them.

[ncbill]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brett I know several people who decided exactly what they wanted. No trade in. They sent requests to three or four Infiniti and Honda dealerships. One, quite far away where one of their mothers lived. Request was for a bottom line price, out the door. At least one provided two color choices. The result? $3K lower ( for at least 2 of the buys) than the best price they had been offered by any local dealers. One friend took a short flight to see his mother and picked up the Infiniti. The other took a 2 hour bus ride to a smaller town. Dealer picked him up with a coffee in hand. An hour later he was driving home. So much easier than haggling at the store-with the salesperson, the sales manager, and the so called business manager whose job it seems is to upsell on mtce and cosmetic add ons. All said that this was an value added addition to the buying process for them.

Last new vehicle for me was a lease...sent the completed paperwork to the dealer then put my youngest kid on a cheap flight to pick it up & drive it home.

And I would not buy any new vehicle with a pano roof...lots of OEMs are having trouble with them.

[Bamaman]

One thing about Volvos of the future is that they're quickly leaving fossil fuel only powered automobiles and SUV's.

Volvos are quickly going to hybrids and electric vehicles--some of which are rockets. I don't know if gas Volvos are available any longer.

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bamaman One thing about Volvos of the future is that they're quickly leaving fossil fuel only powered automobiles and SUV's. Volvos are quickly going to hybrids and electric vehicles--some of which are rockets. I don't know if gas Volvos are available any longer.

I wonder how "quickly" that will be.

As I recall, at the time of the announcement (~ 2 years ago?), they stated that all new models will be "electrified" (any form of hybrid, even very 'mild' hybrid could count).

So what's a "new model"? Ford still makes Mustangs and F-series pickups, Chevy has made a "suburban" continuously since 1934(!), and has made the 'Vette since 1953, etc - these are over 50 years old!

Not sure if Volvo has updated their original release.

-ERD50

[RobbieB]

I've had good luck with my recent purchase which had to be ordered from the factory. Didn't get much of a discount ($1000), but everything went smooth. Shut down the "finance" guy who was overselling their "extra care and warranty" plans, but other than that, smooth. Got a free loaner when the passenger air bag sensor needed to be replaced and took 4 days.

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 As I recall, at the time of the announcement (~ 2 years ago?), they stated that all new models will be "electrified" (any form of hybrid, even very 'mild' hybrid could count). So what's a "new model"? Ford still makes Mustangs and F-series pickups, Chevy has made a "suburban" continuously since 1934(!), and has made the 'Vette since 1953, etc - these are over 50 years old! Not sure if Volvo has updated their original release.

Here's what they say now:
By 2025, around 50% of all the cars they sell should be pure electric, the other 50% hybrids.

[Midpack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bamaman One thing about Volvos of the future is that they're quickly leaving fossil fuel only powered automobiles and SUV's. Volvos are quickly going to hybrids and electric vehicles--some of which are rockets. I don't know if gas Volvos are available any longer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 I wonder how "quickly" that will be. As I recall, at the time of the announcement (~ 2 years ago?), they stated that all new models will be "electrified" (any form of hybrid, even very 'mild' hybrid could count).

A lot of people misinterpreted the Volvo electrification statement, it was largely a PR stunt, though they’d like consumers to convert rapidly. All they really said was they wouldn’t develop new ICE models and there would be a hybrid or EV version of every model they sell. That doesn’t mean they won’t continue to produce and sell ICE models - for a LONG time. Volvo will sell what consumers will buy, or they’ll go bankrupt. They have some plug in hybrids now, but they just introduced their first full EV October 2020, not sure they’re available yet (US at least). They’ll have to come up with one heck of a great EV or partially electric model to achieve their stated goal for 2025. I’d bet they’ll be selling lots of ICE vehicles for many years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Volvo Our ambition is that around 50% of the cars we sell should be pure electric by 2025, the other 50% to be hybrids.

Quote:

(Volvo CEO) Samuelsson acknowledged to us that Volvo doesn’t know how quickly the world’s upmarket car buyers will switch to full electrification, and admitted this is likely to take place at different speeds in different territories – with much of the U.S. likely to be among the slower adopters. There’s an element of risk in any gamble, and Volvo could be critically exposed if the world doesn’t move towards EVs at the speed Samuelsson thinks it will. But the potential rewards are huge, too.

[ExFlyBoy5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister One of the best trips ever. We flew into Copenhagen for a few days because DW had never been there. Then flew up to Gothenburg (all at Volvo's expense) where we were met at the airport and taken to the best hotel in town. Next morning they drove us to the factory where we got the factory tour (not to be missed!) and they spent an hour with me just going over all the bells and whistles on the car until I felt comfortable with it. Swedish temporary plates and two weeks of European insurance. We elected to turn it back in at the factory, where it was shipped to our local dealer. Then took the high speed train to Stockholm for a week before flying home (still at Volvo's expense). No other manufacturer has an overseas delivery program that can remotely compare with Volvo's. I will do it again if possible on my next car.

That sounds pretty spectacular. I assume there is minimum purchase price for this benefit?