European Delivery

My wife and I are considering getting an XC90 this way, and combining
the trip to pick it up with two family events we have to attend.
While the program's rules and processes are quite clearly spelled out
on Volvo's website, I still have a few questions that maybe someone
who has actually gone through the process could clarify (are you out
there, Steve Henning? ;-)).

1) The dealership at which we test-drove the car did not seem very
happy when I told them we wanted a european delivery. They did not
discourage us by any means, but were just not overwhelmingly jazzed;
the guy mentioned that very few customers do it (he's done it only 4
times in -- what he claims -- a 10-year-long career at this particular
dealership), that XC90 is waaaay too big to be driven in Europe (thank
you very much for that comment, I lived most of my life in Europe and
drove there things bigger than that), etc. Then he told us to go home
and come back exactly 4 months before our intended travel dates. Does
it sound like I should maybe try another dealership? Or another
salesman at the same dealership? Also, someone mentioned to get
started at least 5 months in advance -- a bit longer than what the
salesman said; any comments on that?

2) I wanted to take advantage of a travel offer listed on Volvo's
website (2 free round-trip tickets), and was wondering how flexible
those offers were. We have to be in a certain spot on a given date,
so we don't have too much flexibility as to when we would need to fly.
Is it just like getting a regular ticket on SAS, only Volvo covers
the costs (and therefore just regular availability is all I need to
worry about), or is it more complex (e.g., Volvo having a deal
directly with SAS that works only on a limited number of flights and
dates)?

3) Are the prices published on Volvo's website what you pay, or is it
negotiable just as if you were buying locally? Is it worth to shop
around for the best deal?

Thanks in advance for any insight you may have in that matter.

--Marcin

PS. To reply by e-mail, please use marcin_at_struzak_dot_com; thanks!

 

Yes definitely, go to a dealer that wants you to have a good experience
and is willing to put enough effort into it to make it work. One local
dealer had the same misgivings. He said, "We tried European Delivery
once and the people weren't very happy." So we sent back to the dealer
that we had used before and everything went perfectly. You can't start
too early. A lot has to be done. During the summer, the factories have
shut downs for tooling changes and that can cause you to miss getting
what you want. We have never been on a factory tour because of these
shut downs. Stick with a dealer that is experienced and has had good
experiences. They can mess it up for you if they are not really trying
to do a good job. Look for a good attitude.

No, Volvo insisted on using their travel agent. Then the travel agent
insisted on taking us in turn with the others that were going. We
wanted to coordinate my wife's ticket with the Volvo ticket and we were
able to do that. We wanted to get my wife's ticket from our travel
agent because we had some other travel plans on the same trip and wanted
to get frequent flier miles. It was awkward but it worked out.

The prices are usually final. The dealer doesn't have much profit to
work with since he is just getting paid for the paperwork. It is such a
good deal that additional savings aren't really a serious consideration.
My dealer threw in a free trailer hitch one time, but that is unusual.

 

We did this a year and a half ago for the first time and found it to be a
very smooth experience. We did our homework before going to the dealer, so
we knew exactly what car and options we wanted. As I recall, we did not have
much leeway on when we went, due to the factory scheduling. They want you to
pick up the car soon after it comes off the line. There is much more
flexibility on the return, however. We drove the car in Sweden for a month
before returning it to the factory for shipment home, which took about a
month. We expected a longer wait. The car was delivered to a dealer in the
town where we live and it was prepped to go when we picked it up. Every
thing went quite smoothly. There was no price negotiation with the dealer.
The dealer really serves more as a paper facilitator and coordinator. You
are really buying the car from Volvo NA and not the dealer. Our dealer was
very cooperative, however. All in all it was a pleasant experience and we
would do it again.

--

Njord

For me, my craft is sailing on,
Through mists to-day, clear seas anon.
Whate'er the final harbor be
'T is good to sail upon the sea!
The Voyage
John Kendrick Bangs. (1862?1922)