I got lucky, and bought Volt 1238 from Fremont (California) Chevrolet on February 21. I was in the right place at the right time when the original buyer decided to drop out.

This one is red, with black cloth interior; with a black and white short-haired dog whose fur insinuates itself deeply into cloth upholstery, we're getting the seats recovered in leather.

It's a simply fascinating car, and I am very impressed with GM's execution. The switch from battery to generator for the electricity source is all-but indiscernible: just the faint sound of the gasoline engine, but no change in the driving characteristics.

The 240V charging station is in the works, through SPX.

My entire perspective on parking in a public (or even semi-private) garage has changed. Rather than looking for a close-in or otherwise convenient spot, I scan the walls for a charging station (with J1772-2009 plug: there are several EV charging stations around here with other connectors) or a 110V outlet.

Though this is my first unconventional car, it's not my only unconventional vehicle: I ride a recumbent bicycle.

1250

Congrats and enjoy being a trendsetter! I am sure your friends and family will want to try out your electric car.

Very cool! Post from time to time with your thoughts, and with the amount of gas and electricity you use every month to go whatever amount of miles you travel. Real people giving us real results on CD and CS modes are really interesting! And since you are in CA you may be one of the higher AER drivers!

i really taught all the volts produced till now were already sold and reserved....am i missing something, only about 2000 volts produced and all orders were filled and enough left unsold so that you can walk to a dealer and buy one right off the lot??
I was under the impression that supply was not meeting demand....my Volt is 6 months away here in Montreal and i probably won't get to choose the color and this guy buys one right off the lot!!!
That's it, I'm Jalous....6 months is a long long time....

i really taught all the volts produced till now were already sold and reserved

They are. But you have to remember, that's GM saying all Volts for 2011 are sold. GM doesn't sell Volts to end-customers. GM sells Volts to dealers. From what they've said, dealers have committed to buying and have reserved 100% of the Volts produced.

But that doesn't mean a dealer specifically has a end-customer lined up for a particular order. They may have purchased a Volt on speculation (which actually is how most cars are sold anyway).

So between spec cars and cars where (for whatever reason) a customer who reserved one backed out, it's possible for a lucky buyer to pick one up off the lot. May be unlikely, but not always impossible.

Ok, but woudnt dealers have a waiting list, and if so wouldnt the dealers offer the car to someone on that list instead of offering it on the lot??....doesnt add up.
i think the hype is not that strong on that car, at least not as much as gm would like us to think.
guess the price would chill a lot of would be buyers.

Look at the Volt inventory through cars.com. I cannot guess how many of listed cars at MSRP are pre-ordered, but I suspect that those listed even a relatively small amount above MSRP are available for purchase.

Look at the Volt inventory through cars.com. I cannot guess how many of listed cars at MSRP are pre-ordered, but I suspect that those listed even a relatively small amount above MSRP are available for purchase.
Within 100 miles of me, Cars.com lists 26 Volts and 6 Leafs in inventory. Right. As some perspective as to what inventory would look like in a normal situation, the site also lists 1242 Prius. As Rusty says, unlikely albeit possible to pick up a Volt. Odds go up if you're willing to pay a few grand above MSRP.

As Rusty says, unlikely albeit possible to pick up a Volt.

I very rarely say "albeit" in polite company. Than again, I've also suggested the removal of virgules from forum titles. :-)

Ok, but woudnt dealers have a waiting list, and if so wouldnt the dealers offer the car to someone on that list instead of offering it on the lot??....doesnt add up.
i think the hype is not that strong on that car, at least not as much as gm would like us to think.
guess the price would chill a lot of would be buyers.

Re-read the very first sentance of his post. There was an original buyer who backed out. Alan happened to be in the right place at the right time to pick up in this other purchasers backing out.

If you think this is untrue - Neal Diamond posts all of his allocations on this site and usually they have a buyer put down a deposit the very same day.

Very Nice Looking Car Alan - I am jealous.

Within 100 miles of me, Cars.com lists 26 Volts and 6 Leafs in inventory. Right. As some perspective as to what inventory would look like in a normal situation, the site also lists 1242 Prius. As Rusty says, unlikely albeit possible to pick up a Volt. Odds go up if you're willing to pay a few grand above MSRP.If OP is keen to buy a car today, I suggested a way to search. I hope he posts his results.

Don't know if that dealer has a formal waiting list or not. It's not unlikely that, though they have committed buyers (i.e., buyers who have plunked down a deposit) for all the cars they have coming, they're not maintaining a formal waiting list.

It really was happenstance, and a sharp maintenance advisor figuring that one quick call might well net him a sale, given the interest I had expressed in the Volt earlier in the day. Hey, sometimes, it's better to be lucky than good--and I'll take lucky when I get it.

Saturday will mark the first really long trip in the Volt (which I have named Pavia--vehicles need names, you know!). I've already had one trip that put me into the gas tank, of about 80 miles round trip. The return was entirely on gasoline (the outbound trip was entirely battery: the switch-over occurred while giving a friend a quick demo ride). The gasoline-only leg, almost entirely freeway, yielded 41 mpg. This next trip will hit about 225 miles: within range of the Tesla Model S with the marketing-stated large battery, but beyond the range of a Leaf, certainly. There will be no chance at all for a recharge at the mid-point of the trip (I will be, very literally, in the middle of a cattle ranch for a few hours).

I guess the real trick will be to use Mountain Mode for the bulk of the trip, to preserve the battery for the in-town driving at each end--though there will be scant little of that. I'll see about switching out of MM at just the right point to then deplete the battery.

Look for a report somewhere in the Forum.

I made one phone call to Henna Chevrolet in Austin Tx. and got lucky. Some one backed out on #685 so I picked it up for the wife. We live in Houston Tx. and we love the Volt!