450 volts for sale? not realy and not at MSRP

[marlow]

I read in a post here tha auto trader had 450 Volts listed for sale, I suspected that this was not actualy true so I checked, an withib 200 miles of my home in Michigan they listed just 2, I called the dealers on them, one fully loaded was sold at MSRP. The other, also fully loaded, was listed on the web for only about $500 over MSRP but now over the phone is now qouted at $2,000 over MSRP.

So the ones beling sold at MSRP go very fast, eiven though auto trader may listed them for a month or more.

The others are trying to be sold for as much as possible over sticker and to create more show room traffic, just becuse they have one.

[NEALDIAMOND1957]

There are plenty of dealers that are selling the vehicle @ MSRP......Just reach out and take your lead from satified customers that post on this forum..

[Frankman]

I bought my Volt two weeks ago at MSRP from Mountain View Chevrolet in Upland CA and they had four in inventory at one time. I originally found them on Cars.com but then contacted Internet Manager Andy Ho by phone. I was able to see four different color Volts and test drive any of the four. The dealer was professional and there were no games on price (no add ons or dealer installed options). It seems that some dealers have used their allocations to purchase Volts for inventory sale rather than for customer order. I suspect this approach is used in hopes that they will be able to sell the car above MSRP because the vehicles are available for purchase immediately. I think finding a Volt that you want is part luck and part diligence.

[marlow]

California dealers seem to be getting a siginificent preference from GM in getting Volt allocations and shipments.

Your dealer has more Volts on his lot right now than all but a few dealers in Michigan will recieve in all of 2011.

Most dealers here have waiting lists for more than they have allocations for.

[Rusty]

Your (California) dealer has more Volts on his lot right now than all but a few dealers in Michigan will recieve in all of 2011.

Ummm... Which dealer are you speaking of? Certainly none here in San Diego. Since I know somebody who is on a waiting list here for a Volt, a pointer would be nice.

Yes, California is probably getting more Volts than Michigan is. California also has more people than Michigan does, and from what I've seen GM is targeting markets where the Prius has done well.

How many Prius does the typical Michigan motorist see in a day? I wouldn't want to count how many I see here. It's a lot.

[DonC]

Since I know somebody who is on a waiting list here for a Volt, a pointer would be nice.

You might have him/her try Roger Stewart at George Chevrolet in Bellflower. Not local but not a big drive either. His number is 562-925-2500. Noel Park has recommended him and George Chevrolet apparently has allocations, if not available then in the pipeline. In either case your friend will get a straight answer.

[meeple]

How many Prius does the typical Michigan motorist see in a day? I wouldn't want to count how many I see here. It's a lot.

It really depends on what city you are in. The closer you are to Detroit the less you see but it's not uncommon. If you are in Ann Arbor, home to University of Michigan and plenty of energy conscious hippies you wouldn't want to keep count there either.

I think GM underestimated how many Volts would sell in MI. There is a lot of loyalty to the "big three" which keeps the Prius numbers low and therefore perceived interest in hybrid and electric vehicles artificially low as there was not a good alternative available from an American manufacturer. I have not been a fan of American hybrids because of the poor ratio of conventional to hybrid mpg.

[lcvolt]

We called a Michigan dealer and paid a deposit. He informed us that we are still waiting in line and he has not received any allocation.

But the MD dealer we called said he has a few. The price is slightly above MRSP. He even said that we can pick our color because he can source it from nearby in 1-2 days.

[marlow]

It is clear that the west coast is where the real fight will be for GM (and all other american car compaines) will have to fight the battle for Market shair. In the north east they need to regain a foot hold, there except for taxies, it is rare to see a car from an American MFR. It seems that even though they are sending pleanty Volts there to, alot are be purchased by people from other states (such as Michigan).

[voltowner]

I have been getting an education in new car buying since purchasing my volt. I have been asking and as another employee at different dealership here in the SF Bay area told me "the dealers here are all adding the $5,000 to the MSRP, except if you can find a company store"... (I am not one of those conspiracy nuts but find this interesting) So I have decided that my dealer didn't get any loyalty from me by charging the extra and I will take my service business to the dealer closer to me. And any future new car business will go to a dealer that isn't looking for a fast extra buck. I like a relationship with a business that I can rely on and don't have to wonder about their pricing. He got $4k now but I figure he is loosing more than that in my service and future business he could have had.