I went into a dealer in Southern California last night to inquire about purchasing or leasing the Volt. Their first Volt had been placed in the showroom just 1/2 hour before I arrived and I was the first customer to come in to see it. The silver Volt was for sale but would not be available until they received their next Volt so that they could use this one in the showroom and for test drives. The salesman did have information on 3 Volts arriving in January, and one of them had the color and options that I wanted so I told him that I'd like to put a deposit down on it. He went to talk to his manager and after about 15 minutes he came back and said that the purchase price would be $5000 more than sticker and that the lease would be $479/mo! I told him that this wouldn't work for me and left. Now I'm wondering if that's the way it's going to be everywhere I go. It appears that I may be waiting until the demand drops because I'd like to be green but I'm also looking to save money and these terms don't make any sense financially for me.

Welcome to the forum. Keep looking, you'll find someone who will sell for MSRP. Although you might have to wait until spring for your actual car. Right now is literally that absolute hottest time to try to buy a Volt -- the first cars have come out, the advertising is running, there's lots of press, but ... there's still very little supply. Those of us who are getting cars now either planned waaaay ahead (some placed deposits before the price was announced in July!) or they paid a premium, or they canvassed their market hard and found the few remaining MSRP Volts.

If you want it sooner, pay the premium and don't complain about it :)

There are dealerships on the east coast that still have availability (not sure about cali) and will sell at MSRP. It would cost u around $1000 to ship it back across the country... Good luck!

The reason I'm "complaining" is that GM was bailed out by taxpayers like me. I've owned many Chevys over the years. When I talk about the Volt to my friends, they are startled at the price and surprised that I'd even consider buying it. I imagine that most buyers are either techies, greenies or Chevy loyalists. I'd be willing to bet that most of those former Chevy dealers who lost their dealerships would be happy to sell at MSRP and provide service and warranty repairs in the years to come.

You have to remember that dealers are independent and can charge whatever they want. GM has no control over that. Also there are Volts on EBAY going for much higher than sticker.

There are dealerships on the east coast that still have availability (not sure about cali) and will sell at MSRP. It would cost u around $1000 to ship it back across the country... Good luck!

I live in South Florida, purchased the car from Marble Falls Texas, and I JUST made delivery arrangements at a cost of 475.00 . I think the cost is very reasonable considering the price of fuel and the distance involved is 1355 miles. If all goes well it should get picked up on Tuesday or Wednesday......it first needs the PDI on Monday !
So, you might give great consideration to buying out of state, pay MSRP and not a dime more, and TX was a good place for me to get the car, and I secured the deal only a few weeks ago !

You have to remember that dealers are independent and can charge whatever they want. GM has no control over that. Also there are Volts on EBAY going for much higher than sticker.

There are Volts on Ebay advertised for much higher than sticker, I wouldn't say they're going. And it looks kind of iffy that those deals will go down as the prospective seller hopes. The Volts are still the property of the dealer. They haven't even arrived yet. The "seller" is really trying to flip his allocation reservation with the dealer. He isn't actually selling the car. If he were selling the car, the tax refund situation would get messy as he would first have to own it.

There's no guarantee that the dealer will go along with this. If I were the dealer, having given up a slot at MSRP to the "flipper", I would tell the flipper that either the flipper buys the car or I as the dealer would keep his deposit if non-refundable. The dealer can then negotiate a price directly with the actual buyer who is to take title.

The guy on Ebay is essentially attempting to act as a car dealer (car dealers must be licensed in California) and "buying" a spec car without taking title. In my opinion, these Ebay deals will end badly if they end at all. If the Ebay deals don't pan out, and the flipper doesn't have the cash or intend to take title, the dealer is likley to offer these cars to the next-in-line or to the general public.

I wouldn't be surprised if this activity is against Ebay's rules.

The reason I'm "complaining" is that GM was bailed out by taxpayers like me. I've owned many Chevys over the years. When I talk about the Volt to my friends, they are startled at the price and surprised that I'd even consider buying it. I imagine that most buyers are either techies, greenies or Chevy loyalists. I'd be willing to bet that most of those former Chevy dealers who lost their dealerships would be happy to sell at MSRP and provide service and warranty repairs in the years to come.

I hear you and wouldn't (didn't) pay over MSRP either and I hated to do that since I always research things I buy and find the best deals. This car was very different for me and I have never owned a Chevy...I'm probably more along the lines of a techie if I were to accept one of your categories.

Really this is a law of supply and demand issue it seems. I really think gov bailout and I'm a deserving taxpayer as an angle is undeserving/weak. I do think it is cool that you have owned many Chevys and are loyal and you are promoting the car to your friends. I sincerely hope you find a car and get a good deal. I'm flying to NY and driving 16 hrs back to have one in my garage. Buying the car even makes me feel patriotic in a sense (buying American, using less foreign oil and more domestic energy, etc). I'm happy to give GM a second chance as I think they have proven themselves and I'm thinking of the hardworking folks at all levels of the company. That is cool to me.

boy, how things have changed in 2years

boy, how things have changed in 2years

LOL.

Well, dealers in CA are asking over MSRP for the first HOV Volts, but that's gonna last about a month. :)

- Mark

I bought mine through the Costco Auto Program and got a pretty good deal, well below MSRP. If you're not a member, it might be worth it to join for the $35/year, if only to get your car. You take care of most of the transaction online at Costco.com and then pick your car up at your local Chevy dealer.

I spoke with a dealership in Southern Cali the other night and was told that they would not charge over MSRP for the new HOV Volts once received.

I guess I missed the memo.

How does my 2012 Volt differ from the HOV Volt?

Can mine be retrofitted so that I can use the HOV lane?

There was an additional low emissions package (not sure what had to be done) added to the Volt as well as an increase in the warranty (10 year, 150k miles but not sure if that's for the emissions).

I have not heard of anyone being able to retrofit that on their Volt.

Due to Federal and CARB regulations it is not legal to change any vehicles emissions hardware. Therfore no you canot change your vehicle to the HOV package. If a dealer tampered with your vehicle they would be subject to massive fines. There is also no way to change your VIN. That would also be required to get HOV access.