XC90 V8 questions

I agree about depreciation --- that is a concern with American cars.
However, I need to get the right car for my purposes regardless of
depreciation, and figure if I pay less for the car, the depreciation bite
won't hurt quite as much.....

Mt major concern with the Pacifica is American quality, but I understand
Merc qual has slipped badly in recent years, and Toyota's sliding as well,
while I hear American qual is getting better. Also, many of the foreign
cars (but not Volvo) are assembled in the US --- which may account for their
qual slippage. I was looking at the Toyota Avalon but understand it is
essentially an American car.

 

Yes, I consider that. However, I've looked at the Pacifica and it just
won't do for my needs. (Underpowered for its size and weight, for one
thing.) The whopping depreciation it's sure to take is another.

I don't think "American" (in fact or in name) is a bad thing. Most of the
quality issues come from cars trying to compete outside their range. I'm
sorry, but a $25k Buick does NOT compare with a $50k Acura or Mercedes,
no matter how much leather and faux wood you stuff into it. If the makers
would build and sell cars to compete realistically, the quality issues
wouldn't be of note.

The Mercedes M-class is a good example of the inverse: MB tried to keep
that car too cheap, and the corners they cut to keep it from being a $50-
60k vehicle show. Mercedes also has the problem of a divided image: to
the rest of the world, they're a "General Motors," selling everything
from econoboxes to vans to trucks and every niche in between. In the US,
they're a flat-out luxury seller, and the juggling they have to do with
their lineup here sometimes slips.

But nah, I looked at the Pacifica, and again at the MDX, and tried a
full-range search again... and I'm back at the XC90 V8. I'm doing some
dealer research now to see if I have to battle against markups and option
overloading, or if I can get what I want at something reasonable over
invoice.

Does anyone have a really good picture of an XC90 in Lava Sand? I can't
find one, and can't quite tell if I like the color from the XC70 pics
I've found.

 

I do like to XC90 V8. Pls Keep us posted on how the pricing works
vis-a-vis invoice. I notice that since it's a new version, there's a fair
amount of hype on the website, which suggests it may stay priced closer to
MSRP than invoice for a while.

 

[ ... ]

Have you considered custom ordering one for overseas delivery, then
travelling to Sweden to pick it up?


Gary

 

I'm not THAT into the Volvo culture.

 

Well, you don't have to be; if you've ever wanted to visit Europe, that
would let you accomplish two objectives with one trip, and the savings
on the vehicle would partially offset the cost of the trip.


Gary

 

Nah, none of the above. I thought of it with our Merc, but I'm just not
all that interested in European travel.

I did go look at a row of XC90's today. The black metallic and the
nearly-black blue metallic are pretty. The Lava Sand bronze is okay, but
just not my color. Rest are pretty boring.

Looks like no markups, but the salesperson let it slip that the three V8s
they have are gathering a bit of dust. Besides being expensive, perhaps
it's the reported city mileage of 12-14 mpg. I have her looking for a
black or blue metallic, graphite interior, with NOTHING except the
Touring package. We'll see what turns up and how much they try to hold
MSRP on it.

Not entirely sure I want such a gas hog, but my choices are limited and
nothing in my range gets much better mileage. Bleah.

 

I don't know where you're located, but if you don't like the results you get
from the dealer you have looking, you might do well to contact Alan Byer
Volvo in Syracuse, NY. (contyact Stephen Byer, he runs the place). I've
never lived in the Syracuse area (so I've never
had him service a car), but he's treated me so well on pricing that I've
bought or leased my last 3 Volvo's from him and driven there to pick up the
cars from various places I've lived on the east coast.

 

Little too far to drive this time of year, but if I was making one of my
regular trips to NYC any time soon, I'd think about it.

We only have two Volvo dealers here, but there are about eight within a
hundred miles. If I get serious, I'll go arm-wrassle with as many as I
have to. I might be looking at an S80, too, so that gives me some
leverage.

Then again, word is that the 4.4 V8 is on its way into the car line. That
might be worth waiting for.

 

Well, that is a bit of a haul.

Rather than making the rounds in your area, send out for quotes to all Volvo
dealers in your area. This is how I got to Byer in Syracuse --- he
responded with the best price and we went from there, and he's consistently
low-quoted every time since.

Put together an email (used to be, it was hard copy letter), laying out
EXACTLY what you want --- model, style, color, options, everything --- and
indicate if this is a cash deal or whether you want their financing. If
it's a lease, that involves other criteria they need to provide). What you
want from them is the best price they'll commit to selling you that car for.
Period --- lease cash, whatever) Your end of the deal is that you won't use
their quote to bargain with another dealer, but will come to them for them
to honor their quote. If you get there and they don't. you quickly move
on --- this is a one-shot deal as far as the dealer is concerned --- no
negotiating on your part..

Byer not only came in low, he found the car I wanted in Atlanta and had it
trucked to Syracuse for him to prep and deliver (I always stipulate zero
miles (under 10) on the odometer --- I want a new car, not a demonstrator).
So the dealer doesn't necessarily need to have the car in stock --- he can
switch it out with another dealer.

If you have a trade, that's a separate deal, in which case you make the
rounds of the three lowest quotes to get the best deal for your trade.

All of this switches the game to your rules, not the dealers'. It works for
me, and it makes an otherwise troublesome exercise fun.

 

Yep. I have pretty much all the cards in my hand, anyway, so I can play
hardball. So far, my local dealer just amazingly hasn't been able to find
an XC90 without at least two options I don't want - usually the Climate
package, which is for cold/snow weather that we don't get here, and the
fraggin' $800 headlights I don't want even if they're free.

She's still looking.

 

We're waiting on our XC 90 V8. I have already purchased a Hidden Hitch from
Hitch Mart, http://www.hitchmart.com/. Item #87810, $138. Install in a
half hour, they say. From there, you can download a PDF of the installation
instructions. The hitch came with 2 bolts, washers, and lockwashers. There
are a total of 6 bolt holes, three per side. The instructions say the 4 are
"existing hardware" so I hope our XC 90 really comes with them. On the
left, you have to drop the muffler bracket, and on the right I think all it
is is a tow loop fixture.

I called Hitch Mart after I got the hitch to verify that the same model
hitch will work with the V8, which has dual pipes on the left side. They
said it should be fine.

Same with the Reese and DrawTite models. In fact, I was told all three
hitches are made by the same company - as evidenced by the identical
instructions for each (even though the pix of each differ).

Can also try http://www.hitchesonline.com/volvo_c3_XCV90_03.htm
http://www.drawtite-hitches.com/
http://www.reese-hitches.com/
http://www.hidden-hitches.com

Mike

 

I looked under mine, and yes, I think four of the bolts are already there.
I plan on adding a hitch someday, when needed.

Much is made of the reviews of the V8 having a "dual pipe," but I can't see
any difference except that the V8 has a chrome tip.

 

Thanks for the number - I looked this up. It looks like it's a truly hidden
installation, with just the receiver tube visible below the bumper. Seen
any installed, or pics? Is this true? (I was disappointed with the hitches
available for my Odyssey, including the Draw-Tite I went with - they are
all fully visible, as there is no space to hide the crossbar. I hate the
goopy look of an exposed hitch assembly on non-trucks.)

What about the connector? Are you going with a Volvo unit or something
aftermarket?

 

James,

Yes, looking at my hitch, the way they designed it they added a short,
roughly 2-3" reinforced extension below the main horizontal bar, in order to
have just the receiver tube visible just under the bottom of the bumper. On
the install notes, it shows that the bumper "fascia" rests on the top of the
reciever tube. The rest of the hitch assembly appears to be behind and
upwards, as to hide it all from being viewed.

Mike