New car for me.?.?. UPDATED 2012 Volvo C30 R-design

[Gas Man]

The extra cylinder of the I5 really showed face on the highway...

[101lifts2]

Originally Posted by Gas Man

.....It keeps getting better for the Volvo. They offer this thing called "overseas delivery". So on the C30 R, they sell it to me for 3.1% cheaper than here, they fly me and one other person to Sweden, all expense paid, factory tour, food... I take delivery of my car in Sweden and drive it around where ever I want. Then I fly home and they ship my car to my dealer as well. WIN WIN!! I'm not sure why or where but I'm sure they are saving some import tax or something. ......

I'm not sure why someone would do this..but..you are not an importer, which is required for any vehicle that is 25 years old or newer since it has to be proven to meet U.S DOT, NHTSA and EPA regulations. Also, it is U.S. VIN'd? If not, you cannot register it. Also, there may be no implied warranty.

[derf]

Originally Posted by 101lifts2

I'm not sure why someone would do this..but..you are not an importer, which is required for any vehicle that is 25 years old or newer since it has to be proven to meet U.S DOT, NHTSA and EPA regulations. Also, it is U.S. VIN'd? If not, you cannot register it. Also, there may be no implied warranty.

No they sell you the car to US specs (meets all requirements to be tag'd and titled in the US) and do all the shipping on your behalf and you contract with volvo to ship the car. Basically they take advantage of loopholes in the system. But there is no barrier to getting the car into the US.

[Gas Man]

Thank you derf.

Also, I should have mentioned... the base performance stereo in this car... OMG!! The most amazing stereo system I've ever heard in a manufacture car. It had bass like you would think it had a 12" sub in the trunk.

And I will order mine with their upgraded premium sound system... WOW.

[Flexin]

Originally Posted by Gas Man

Well I test drove the GTI. For all the hype around this car I was disappointed. It was ok quick in 1st & 2nd gear but then it faded bad. Just another disappointment.

I was told by one of the nearby VW salesman that even though he owns a Volvo, that I would be disappointed in the C30 after driving the GTI.

and...

He was DEAD wrong!!! The C30 I think looks better in person, where the GTI is more boring in person. The added hp & torque of the C30 is way more noticeable even though the C30 I test drove was a craptastic auto where as the GTI was a stick (the way these cars should be IMO).

Then on the highway, the old saying "there's no replacement for displacement" held true. The Volvo's higher displacement (the 5th cylinder) did much better on the highway... constant & linear pull straight thru and over 100mph.

The things I didn't like about the C30 like the non-body color trim all around the car is painted body color on the C30 R-design. The R-design has nicer & bigger wheels (they didn't have one on the lot) but off pictures.

Then the while the VW offers 3yr/36k warranty and free servicing. The Volvo gives you 5yr/50k maintenance free, I'm talking light bulbs, oil changes, wiper blades, tire rotations, everything.

It keeps getting better for the Volvo. They offer this thing called "overseas delivery". So on the C30 R, they sell it to me for 3.1% cheaper than here, they fly me and one other person to Sweden, all expense paid, factory tour, food... I take delivery of my car in Sweden and drive it around where ever I want. Then I fly home and they ship my car to my dealer as well. WIN WIN!! I'm not sure why or where but I'm sure they are saving some import tax or something.

Details
http://www.volvocars.com/us/sales-se...s/default.aspx

So that did it... The Volvo C30 R-Design. Just as I posted earlier...

Just have to wait to see what happens with my current ride...

That is a crazy deal. I didn't know about that until you posted it. If I was in the market for a car I would have to take that in to consideration.

James

[Homeslice]

So are you definitely going to do this? Do you have enough vacation time stored up?

Not sure I'm a fan of the Volvo's styling, so I'm thinking about either a new base-model GTI, or a 2-3 yr old 328i. Either way lookin at about $24K or so.

[Gas Man]

Vac time won't be an issue. I have 3 weeks still. And after summer would work fine as far as work load. I think it takes 3 months from time of deposit till your car is ready.

Homeslice. Have you drove either? I was 90% sure I would want the gti over the c30r but seeing and driving changed that.

[tallywacker]

I would pick the c30 any day over the GTI and I have driven both. More power and I like the design a lot more.

[Gas Man]

Some people can't get by the minimalistic design to the interior. But it's a Swedish thing... hell it's a european thing even compared to american cars. The VW interiors are the same way... very plain compared to american cars.

[Homeslice]

I've driven the GTI, but not the Volvo. I did read what Car & Driver said about it, and they said they'd actually prefer the GTI. Also note what they said about the transmission choice.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...ign-quick_spin

BTW, you know it's easy to add more power to the GTI, right? There's tons of mods, some as easy as a chip.