I went to a nearby Chevrolet dealership to inquire about the Volt; however, they informed me that they are not going to be requesting to be a Volt dealer. Their excuse is that the training and effort is not worth the small profits that they will be getting. I believe that they are "missing the boat" on this: I believe that the Volt is not going to be the only EREV/EV that GM will be making. It will be in their best interest to start the training now to get ahead of their competitors.

They do have a brother dealership across state lines that does have a Volt (recently sold). I contacted that dealership, and they said that they have been allotted 4 Volts for this year. They just sold their first one. They asked me to let them know exactly what I wanted: color, etc. I am still in the process of deciding.

What do you think of the Backup Camera? is it worth it? Should I get my own camera, and can interface it with the built in screen?

Cloth vs Leather? I live in the South: it is hot 6 months out of the year. Would the leather get too hot sitting in the parking lot? How good is the Cloth?

I fairly certain on the color and wheels. I would like input on other options as well. :)

2126

Thanks!

The works on my next volt, Red, backup camera, leather, polished wheels .....

In Fresno, we also have near or over 100 degree weather for a considerable period each year. I got the cloth seats, I think they are excellent for comfort and coolness, don't think I would ever need the seat warmers anytime in this climate. And I don't miss the backup camera either. I find that the lower see-thru part of the rear hatch gives better than average rear vision behind, although there are, as always, blind spots on the edges, those are cured by careful adjustment of the side mirrors, and turning my head and actually looking back there before backing up.

I am fortunate enough to have a garage for parking in at home, and a carport at work, so I am very pleased with the air conditioning on the Volt, seems at least as powerful as any other vehicle I have been in. I will try to give a further review of it after we get some of our 100 degree weather.

Jerry, #536 in Fresno

My two cents: It is a compact car and so it is not really that hard to park. With that said, due to the sloping rear glass it does take a little time to get used to looking out the back and so the extra glass in the lower hatchback is very necessary. Money was somewhat of an issue to me and I probably spent more than I really wanted to for the Volt and so I went with the base model, no camera, no leather, no premium trim, no heated seats. I'm still convinced that was the way to go.

As far as leather goes...can't comment on the comfortability on that but I am very happy with the cloth seats and with the heat index over 100 up here in DC I can't imagine going with leather.

Congrats on the upcoming purchase. It's just a great car!

The poll tells all, LOL.

I would NEVER go to that dealer for ANYTHING. We have a local dealer with enough individual dealerships that you can basically buy almost any car from them, from Toyota to Chevy. The only thing I visit them for is warranty repair. I don't trust them for selling me a car or servicing one (when it is my money). They are 3 miles from me. I drive 25 miles or more to get to dealers I can trust. The misguided management at the dealer you mention is not just errant about the Volt. Stupidity is rarely selective; it is pervasive. I wouldn't even do business with the associate dealership.

And I recommend both options mentioned here. Our FIRST backup camera was on a Prius, and now all our vehicles have them. Too many toddlers are killed each year because drivers simply cannot see behind them in their own driveways. And your Volt is SILENT. I believe backup cameras should be mandatory (and it is not a measure of being too lazy to turn around). After having experienced them, I would never again NOT have one. I don't care how small the car is. And with a SILENT car??? I believe it complete STUPIDITY to not have a camera on the Volt. Consider a camera safety equipment that will be used much more often than your airbags- or flashers for that matter.

And the leather works even in south Florida. I used to be a fan of cloth, but after having cloth in our 1993 Roadmaster for 15 years, I changed my mind. Cloth seats get STINKY over time, and there is not much you can do about it.

I ordered mine without the backup camera. I don't like those very much, they make the driver focus on what's immediately behind the car, without any feedback on what's coming from the side. Relying on a backup camera makes it too easy to back out of a driveway into the path of an oncoming cyclist, rollerblader or runner. I'd rather turn around and actually get a good view of what's happening all around the rear of the vehicle.

I would have preferred the cloth seats to leather, but I still got the leather for two reasons:

-I really wanted the heated seats since the heater in the volt isn't super powerful, and I'm in Eastern Canada
-I really don't like the white center console, and there is no other option with the cloth seats.

I ordered mine without the backup camera. they make the driver focus on what's immediately behind the car

One place were the backup camera really excels is when backing out of a parking spot, stuck between two lumbering SUVs. It gets a view of what's coming down the lanes long before the driver does.

The backup camera isn't that great but it's well worth the price if only, as Rusty mentions, when backing out of a parking place sandwiched between two big vehicles.

The leather seats are *very* comfortable and the heated seats work great. Obviously don't have the cloth so I can't really compare.

Can someone with cloth seats post some detailed pics? I would consider the cloth if it is nice cloth...for example, the Equinox has great cloth seats and if they are of that detail and definition I would go w/ cloth in my car...but the spice red is still calling me.