Volvo XC90 Prices Paid and Buying Experience

ssman

Hi,
I plan to buy a '05 XC90 2.5T AWD via OSD and also consider to get the extended warranty. I had couple of european cars (MBz E300, E190 and VW Passat) and they more or less had some electical issues. Usually the charges to repair these problems are costly at dealership especially after the basic warrenty is due. That's why I think it's worthy to get it extented.
But I have some queries here before I go for it. When I bought the Extended Warrenty for my VW Passat, I paid it full in the financing process (they don't put it with the car price somehow). Few days later I brought one of my friends there trying to get a similar car, and my friend asked the extended warrenty for almost half of price I paid. The dealer matched his request.
So my question is,
1. is the Extended Warrenty ($2k-$3k) negotiabile? Or is there any disconunt we can get from the dealer?
2. Can I buy it when my basic warrenty is about due? this way I can pretty much know the condition of my car at that time.

Thanks!

lev_berkovich

From what I know:
1. The price might not be negotiable much, but there are always a lot of options within the extended warranty policy, so the price for the policy for the same car from the same provider can be very different. The difference from $2K to $1K will not surprise me.
2. Yes, you can buy the extended warranty at the end of the regular warranty. There are some conditions, like in my case (S80) I had to buy it before the 45K mile mark (less than 90% utilization)to keep the best terms. So you need to check on it with the issuer. I have bought mine at 49,975. I have paid extra 5-7%.

adp3

hey, Lev: welcome back

I believe the warranty issue is a state law issue. In some states, the manufacturer may be unable to limit when you can buy the warranty (though he may be able to charge you a very high price)

adp3

also, re extended warranties - you REALLY need to read the fine print. It IS A CONTRACT. READ it. I had one where, if you didn't use it, you got your money back at the end. The service department for he dealer who sold it to me didn't believe such a warranty existed, and he was trying to get us to just take a rental car on the warranty and have the work done on the warranty.

bsk

Lev,

Welcome back, I hope you and your family had a great time on your trip through Europe. You have a wonderful family; my wife and I enjoyed meeting all of you at the SAS Lounge in Chicago and then throughout the next couple of days in Gothenburg. Your description ("loud Russian family with two teenage daughters") helped.

How many miles did you put on your XC90? We returned our mud-splattered XC90 to the FDC almost 1400 miles and 10 days later. It was loaded on the Atlantic Companion on Monday and is now somewhere between Belgium and England.

My wife (she of Czech heritage) wants to know how you and your family enjoyed Prague.

Brian

lev_berkovich

Thank you, Al,
It's nice to be back.
In CA they can not prevent you from buying an extended warranty at any point, but the price is sky-rocketing after the regular warranty has expired, and a choice of admitted providers is very narrow. So in many cases you are at mercy of the dealer. I could not, for instance, even with the extensive internet research, locate any decent extended warranty provider, besides the one recommended by the dealer, that will sell a policy on a web or over the phone to the California resident.

lev_berkovich

Brian,

It was a pleasure to get aquanted with you and your lovely wife. My family send our greeting to you too.
We came back to US this Sunday, after 2620 miles, 7 countries and 21 days of driving.

We have dropped our XC90 in Paris, it was mud-splattered most of the time too, but a huge rain on a way from Rome to Florence, a week before the end of the trip, made it a bit more presentable.

I am going be short, as I am not ready for the long descriptive posting, partially still been overwhelmed by the trip, partially been tired writing, going through close to 200 e-mails at the office and at home.

But,

The Prague is awesome. It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip (The second one was the "hiking haven" of Interlaken area in Switzerland).

The car was great, the only comment would be the gas mileage. Just as I told in one of my posting in the past, you need to take it easy on the gas pedal, to get a decent gas mileage. I was tracking the daily average. At first it was about 16.5 MPG (with 75-80 MPH cruising speed). In a few days it has gotten better (up to 19.7). But on our last run to Paris, where we were in a hurry, and my wife and my older daughter cruising at or above 100 MPH, the mileage dropped to 14.5 MPG.

I expect, that in Los Angeles, under the normal driving conditions I would have over 20 right from the start.

Rather than that - the car was a pure joy.

I have a couple of pictures for you. I will make it available shortly, as soon as I will sort them out. (We took over 1200 pictures between my daughters and me).

P.S. I remember reading about a web site, where you can check whether your car is on a ship or not, but can not find that posting any more.

Can somebody help me with that.

bsk

Lev,

I haven't posted details either, and we haven't developed our film yet. We got back on the 9th, and I'm still trying to catch up.

We averaged 20.5 mpg for the trip, which was a mix of highway, city, and a bit of mild "off road".

The link for tracking your vehicle is:

http://www.2wglobal.com/www/WEP/index.jsp#

Click on "Cargo Tracking", then "Auto", then enter your VIN. The site has had some problems lately, but when it is up and running you can check on the progress.

lev_berkovich

Thanks for the link.
My car at the port terminal, but will be loaded on a boat just on 7/25 with the estimated arrival to the West Coast on 8/26.

So I am anticipating to pick it up from the dealer around Labor Day.

This is a price you pay for living in So Cal. - Boats go here just once a month and it takes twice as longer for them to get here.

adp3

I STILL can't get delivery info on my car, dropped off in Copenhagen on July 6.

I had heard the Danes were laid back, but......

lev_berkovich

I am sorry to hear that. I would be really upset, knowing that I have missed a boat(literally)and have to wait for the next one

adp3

Lev: but not Volvo's fault - if the West Coast boat leaves at the end of the month, and I dropped it at the beginning.......

frankly, this would be no big deal if my other car hadn't died

lev_berkovich

Al,
I hope it will be loaded to the same boat as mine. Does the link, provided by Brian (bsk) show your car been at the port terminal?

adp3

no, the link does not show any info re my car. I just talked with Volvo and they say the car will be ready for pickup at my local dealer by September 7 - which means it will be at Hueneme by September 2, which means it must be getting on the next boat.

am not sure why my VIN does not work on that web site

lev_berkovich

The ship that my car is supposed to be onto, arrives to Hueneme on 8/26. I think that is the same one. I do not think that ships are coming to Hueneme each week. Volvo just plug-in some cushion time. I expect to get mine before the Labor day.

adp3

the west coast boat is every other week, so my car MUST be on the same boat as yours.

of course, they could just be lying to me and Adners is driving my XC90 all over Europe until I scream louder

:-)

I am hoping 9/7 includes two weeks cushion time and that I see it earlier

bsk

I was told that if your VIN does not work, it is because the "cargo" has not been loaded yet. Your vehicle will show up as "Booked", then "Received at Terminal", and "Loaded on Vessel". You can then follow the ship through its many stops before it gets unloaded.

adp3

as of today, my vehicle shows up on the website

it was booked on 23/07 (in Antwerp)
it was received at terminal on 28/07 (in Zeebrugge)

the vessel is the Tancred, destination Port Hueneme, CA

I dropped the car in Copenhagen on 06/07

bsk

Happy sailing!

copper

Do you guys have any opinion on the gas mileage of the XC90 2.5T and T6, versus other SUV's?
The T6 seems like a gas guzzler, which puts it in question for me.

Copper

barryct

I have a new T6 and experienced low mpgs for the first tank or two but have now sat at 17/18 mpg. This includes both city and highway. This compareds very closely to my '99 Pontiac Montana which got me 18-22 mpg and it was FWD with a smaller engine v.s. an AWD like the XC90.
Chris

lev_berkovich

My wife is driving 1998 Mazda MPV - the "sport utility minivan"

She averages 15-16 MPG on mixed city/freeway drive. It has 190HP six and rear wheel drive. And it is about as heavy as the XC90.

We have averaged 16.7 MPG on XC90 for the first 2600 miles of very fast (80 -100 MPH) highway driving in Europe.

There was a day, when we have averaged almost 20 MPG with the more moderate driving (70-80 MPH).

islander71

We have had our 2.5T since November and we average 18 mpg around town and 21 on the highway using 93 octane gasoline. Our Jeep Cherokee which we had prior did worse around town, but better on the highway than the XC90.

dw102800

I am picking up and xc90 in Oct and ordered the nav system. Can anyone tell me whether I get the cd with the car and if so, does it work in Europe? If not is there any alternative ?

Other advice for me ??

copper

Thanks for the info!

I just test drove both versions and find the 2.5T more than adequate.
Its' acceleration is actually similar to my 2001 Audi 2.7T.
And I like the gas mileage better than the T6.
The only problem is the dealerships have a very limited supply of the 2.5T left. Some only have T6's left. Unfortunately I still have two months to go on my Audi lease.

adp3

you will get a Euro disc that you will return when you don't need it anymore - you will give them a VISA card number and sign a doc agreeing that they can charge you if you don't send it back - they will give you a return envelope, with no postage on it - youwill just hand the disc to the dealer where you drop off your car for delivery to the U.S. and he willjust tear up the nifty padded envelope.

Hopefully the disc will get there

this is what happened with me, at least

I would call to confirm that they will have a Euro disc for you, as i have read that sometimes they run out.

ps The Nav system will not "talk" to you in Europe.
pps Ask how to get the disk out of the player. I had trouble with that.

tierramom

Thanks to everyone who's posted here. It really helped me to make a great deal on my XC90!

Here's what I got yesterday in Southern California:

XC90 2.5T FWD w/ Premium, Versatility, & Metallic Paint
$5065 off MSRP of $40920 for a sale price of $35855

I went with a lease with the following terms:
48 mos., 12K mi, MF: .00153 (3.7 % interest), residual value 47%
0 Down, Drive off included 1st mo., security, taxes, and fees
for a pretax monthly payment of $421.

I bought from Westside Volvo in Culver City and the buying experience was painless. I did the majority of negotiating via email and phone and came into the dealership just to sign and pick up.

Best of luck to everyone who is still in the market.
Melissa

rmyang

I just picked up my XC90 on Saturday (July 31st) in SoCal with the following options:

XC90 2.5T FWD, Premium package, Versatility package, Silver Metallic paint, 18" upgraded wheels for a price of $35,000 + TTL

I financed the minimum $12K for 36 months at 1.9% to get the 18" wheels free. Since there's no pre-payment penalty we'll be paying it off after we make the first payment. As I calculate it we only need to pay ~$7 in interest.

Is this a good deal?

lev_berkovich

'XC90 2.5T FWD, Premium package, Versatility package, Silver Metallic paint, 18" upgraded wheels for a price of $35,000 + TTL'

It seems that these numbers are well bellow the dealer's invoice.

What makes a dealer in essence, to pay to the buyer just to get a car from the inventory?

Can you shed a light to that mystery.

I am, personaly, very leery about these numbers.

copper

Don't forget it's a FWD, not a AWD.
FWD's are $2000 cheaper.

lev_berkovich

Yes, I know. And invoice, according to Edmunds is $38,131.

So, we are talking about giving away over $3,000. I can not imagine that the dealers will have so much Volvo to dealer incentives, to compensate for this. Or do they? It's not, that I am too concerned about their well being, but it just does not make sense to me.

ursiike

what is the website where I can look to see about my car?

I know the VIN and it is supposedly on the Tancred

ursiike

My car was (supposed) to ship on the Tancred to Port Hueneme on July 27. I understand there is a website where I can track it?

What is that website? (and what info besides VIN do I need to search it?)

bsk

Try this:

http://schedule.2wglobal.com/GLWebApps.AppTracking

Click on "Auto" and then enter your VIN. That will tell you when (or whether) your car was loaded on to the ship. Clicking on "Voyage" will show you where the ship has been and where it is headed.

rmyang

I'd be happy to provide proof if you'd like. I even have a picture of the car in my garage.

Mine was not a question as to how they can do it, because obviously they can and they have. I was just wondering if it was a good deal. From the sound of things, I guess my deal really was very good.

adp3

if it was on the tancred, along with mine, then it has left jolly old England and is on the way to Canada before it makes the trek south and westward along the eastern seaboard

I can't believe it takes 13 days to get from Galveston, Texas to Port Hueneme, CA. Mexico is bigger than I thought! :-)

I can't wait for the 90 to arrive - my current vehicle mix is not the best.

invegas

Hello:

Per the title, here's my post. I just arrived back from Southern CA with my second XC90. There must be intense price competition between the CA Volvo dealers. I have much better luck in getting a lower price in CA than in my home state of Nevada.

Part One:

My first XC90 was (and still is) a 2004 model (2.5 FWD) from the factory (delivered last week of Dec. 2003). I was able to get the price at $1,000 off MSRP. I ordered it late summer 2003 when most dealers where getting MSRP and plus. I was planning to get a 2005 with the OSD option but checked with the internet manager at the Southern CA dealer where I bought the first Volvo to see if they would deal on any 2004 models they had on the lot. I have already looked at 2 2005 models here in NV and there's not any major external or internal changes I could see other than a bump in the price in a few options (e.g. the Bi-Xenons are going up by $200) price.

Part Two:

After one telephone call yesterday, today I bought a 2004 XC90 T6 AWD at the same location for ...

Base List $40,965
Metallic Paint 450
Climate Package 625
Versatility Package 1,700
Premium Package 1,300
Bi-Xenon Headlamps 500
Reverse Warning System 400
Destination Charge 685

TOTAL MSRP $46,625

My cost was $41,545 plus tax (I paid NV rate), a doc fee of $45 and a one day CA license fee of $20. Also, I received $10,500 for my 1999 s80 (2.9) and paid the rest with cash. Edmunds has listed there is a Volvo marketing support of $1800 for the T6 model with the Versatility package but it must be at least $2500 for me to get this price. Hopefully the dealer make some money on this deal!

They did mention that the high price of gas had slowed down the sales of big autos (a.k.a. SUVs) in Southern CA. Both dealers here in NV (one in the south and one up north) don't budge too much off MSRP. I've had success in working a final (I call it OTD ... Out The Door amount) price but I've used the internet manager for both deals. I flew in the first time and they picked me up at the airport. The price was confirmed prior to arrival and the paperwork was done in about 30 minutes. I used a home equity LOC check both times so not much time with the F&I manager. BTY, the dealer I used is located in San Bernaradino, CA.

Looks like a good time to get an XC90 if you're interested.

lev_berkovich

Al,
I feel your pain. It's a Panama canal that holds us, the West coasters back. The boat goes all the way down to the Central America and then back up to the West coast.

But, remember, it still much better than going all the way around South American continent.

adp3

and it's probably better than putting it on a sleigh and dragging it over the pole

rrrobz

Just signed the papers for a 2004 XC90 T2.5 AWD from Carlsen Volvo, Palo Alto, today.

Silver metallic paint
Premium package
Versatility package
Climate package
18" Alloy wheels
Reverse warning system

Their MSRP was 44,7xx although the MSRP with the mentioned options on Edmund's comes out to 43,750.

Internet quote: $38982
$45 document preparation fee + $3317.30 Tax + $309 licence fee, total: $42344.30 with 1.9% financing

The car was a dealer trade, odometer at 268 miles but still I good deal, yes?

söm

I got mine for $38023+TTL (compare to MSRP 42375, INV 39356 and TMV 41457) in PHX, AZ
2.5T AWD, Premium Pkg, Versatility Pkg, Reverse Warning, Silver Metallic and Wood trim (thrown in for free). Just 7 miles on the odometer.
I would say it is a fair deal if not excellent. How? Asked quotes on the internet and negotiated by letting each dealer in the area bid against another all via email in a day. Did so till 2 of the three dealers backed out (gave up). Believe me it is far less stress than going in.
I did go in earlier though while doing the research and I should commend Powell Volvo sales person for giving an excellent live demo: turned 100 degree corners @ 50 MPH, left the road @ 35 MPH, slammed brake and let the wheel go @ 40 etc). Really tipped my decision in favor of the XC90: yes for safety, safety, safety.

bkg101

Are there any Cash back incentives for the 2005 XC90 AWD if I do not choose Financing through Volvo? The dealers are unwilling to disclose any details.

vegasxc90

We purchased a Ruby Red/Taupe 2004 T6 with:
Versatility
Premium
Climate
BiXenon
Reverse Warning
Retracting Mirrors
Wood Steering Wheel
42,000 + TTL

We oringinally intended to get the T5 AWD, but after driving the T6 and feeling the speed sensitive steering there was no comparison.

copper

Is that about $4000 off MSRP?

I'm getting quotes of $4000 off MSRP on the T5's now. They're going fast.

vegasxc90

It was a little over 5,500 off MSRP.

MSRP 47,545
Paid 42,000 +TTL

As far as dealers in So. Cal, we went to two. Power Volvo Irvine... horrible horrible typical car salesmen (worse than used car salesmen) short story: agreed on a deal, car getting detailed, going over ownership brochures etc... salesman goes to finalize with manager, manager wants more money and they play good cop bad cop with us, lost sale over wood steering wheel that I was willing to pay list on. They wanted $1100 more for exact same car just wood steering wheel, being that we were from out of town, not really wanting to spend the night and it being 9:30pm, were we trapped??? Went to Orange County Volvo next day, spoke with a salesman whom I had previously contacted via the Internet and we had the car we wanted with a no-hassle sale, FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE AT ORANGE COUNTY VOLVO!!!
compared to the
HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE AT POWER VOLVO OF IRVINE!!!

vegasxc90

Other factors to consider, some colors do not sell better than others, so dealerships are less likely to deal on them, we were going to leave town without purchasing. We were seriously considering other cars beause of Power Irvines deception.

larsca

Yup, I've heard nothing but bad things about Power Volvo Irvine, and nothing but good things about Volvo of Orange County from both "real" people and internet review sites (epinion.com, volvodealerreviews.com, etc.)

Personally I've only been to Power Volvo Irvine, but that was just for a test drive. The sales person I talked to seemed just fine though, not high pressure or anything like that. I guess your carbuying experience will depend upon three things: Yourself, the sales manager, and the sales person.

Many times your own attitude and ability to play the game can cut through a lot of the BS. The sales person knows you're knowledgable, that you know what to expect and what you want and will not be taken for a ride. He's there trying to sell you a car so that he can make a living, and as long as he can sell it to you without losing money, it's better for him than to try and hit you for more cash and see you walk from the deal.

Some managers screw things up though, by being too eager to "scam" costumers out of more than necessary money, using all the tricks of the trade and some they made up themselves. (My favorite is for people who apply for a loan through the dealer - DON'T EVER DO THAT! Anyway, first there's always the "your credit score is lower than you thought so you don't qualify for the teaser rate". Then there's the "agreed on $451/month" then they call three days later with the "accounting made a mistake - it's now going to be $500/month" banking on you being so excited about your new car that you're willing to go for it rather than walk and renegotiate somewhere else.)

Then there's the sales person. Just like guys you meet at work or in a bar or at a sports event or wherever. Some you'll like and think "hey, what a great guy" and others you'll hate and think "this guy's from another planet." Personally I'm allergic to high pressure. If I'm about to drop $30-40K of my hard earned money, I don't like to rush into something. Especially with cars, since they're arguably the worst investment ever (any car is - you pay a lot to buy it, then you have to maintain it, pay insurance, gas, and all of that while the car itself is losing value, often more rapidly than you expected as you will be accutely aware of when it's time to sell it!).

Sorry for going off on a tangent. I just had a bad car shopping experience with my wife. (Avoid Toyota dealers at all cost! High pressure, tag teaming, want to run your credit even though you don't want their financing, keep calling with the "hey it's raining today so we're having a slow day - I think I can get the manager to knock another $250 off".) We ended up at Fletcher Jones MB and it was by far our best car buying experience ever. And my wife loves her car (MB C230 coupe, no options but an A/T, absolutely a great little car that's dirt cheap compared to the competition. Highly reccommend it, both car and dealer.)

lawrencexc90

Well, we've made our final additions to our order for our volvo- our "change no later than" date for our build is 02 Sep, but I think we're done... as we've purchased through the US military buying program, there is no haggling on price (though I really don't think we needed to... the price is pretty good)

2005 Volvo T-6 AWD Geartronic with sunroof
- $36100 <-(yes, i had the dealer check this price... wow, it is awfully low)

Ashgold Metallic - $450
Dark Grey Leather
California Specification
Versatility pack - $2100
Climate package - $625
Touring package - $1595
Park Assist, rear - $400
Navigation System - $2120
Bi-Xenon lights - $700
Steering wheel, wood - $325
IAQS, Interior Air Quality System - $175
UK delivery - $950
Total Paying - $45540.00

There are no leases or finance deals attached to this sale, and no trade in will be made.

Also pay in mind that unless we have to register the vehicle in the US soon (rules vary from state to state, but for example, CA is 3 months, other states are as much as a year) we will pay no state sales tax because we are buying through the military tax free program - this is saving us a couple of grand too...

I have been thrilled so far with our experience with the Volvo overseas sales team. (will let you know more after we get our vehicle- hopefully in early November) I would (so far) highly encourage anyone in the US military service stationed overseas to look at the program if they are interested in buying a volvo. (though running down to the recruiter to get a good deal on a car would probably be a bit extreme)
Thank you for your support Volvo- I may be deployed, but at least I'll know my family will be secure

-LR

copper

Are 2005's less expensive than 2004's are now?

lev_berkovich

Wow,
I am glad that I did not wait for the 2005.

The OSD program has dropped a few options that I wanted and have ordered - heated seats (as an option), speed sensitive steering on 2.5T, for example.