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Comments: 95 • Responses: 22  • Date: 

kamajo899117 karma

So, they paid for all of this? The flying you out there, the hotel, and the flight home? Or did you have to pay for all that yourself?

Also, what did you pay for the car? (Feel free to ignore this if it's not something you want to answer, money is a touchy subject sometimes).

cloudycarpet20 karma

From what I can recall, they did pay for my parents, but they did not pay for me and my sister- They did pay for the hotel. It was all through SAS, which is positively genius.

I want to say the cost of the car was about.. 32k after it's all said and done.

gitesy1 karma

How is it 2-5K cheaper to got to Europe, stay in hotels, etc etc and then buy the car and have it sent to America? Not saying I don't believe you but there's no obvious way this is a money saver.

cloudycarpet8 karma

The car was cheaper, but the amenities did add to some of the cost.

I'm not entirely sure on how the specifics work out, as I wasn't really paying attention to that aspect.

CarbonDudeoxide7 karma

You said this was back in 2004. How are you liking the car?

cloudycarpet15 karma

My dad, who purchased the car, absolutely loves it. It's one of the best car he's ever owned. I've driven it, and it runs great. No major issues besides a squeaky bearing in one of the drivetrains. He's considering getting a new car, and I'll either end up with my mom's BMW or the Volvo!

CarbonDudeoxide7 karma

My mom was thinking about getting a Volvo. I just looked up the overseas delivery program. Not bad at all! I'll definitely let her know about it.

cloudycarpet8 karma

Do it.

It's a lot of fun!

One of my favorites was seeing a massive XC90 lined up next to a bunch of smaller European cars that are designed for economy. (Gas is like 9 dollars there) It was like comparing an M1 Abrams tank to a Toyota Prius!

jonzo15 karma

What the hell is CONUS?

cloudycarpet2 karma

Continental United States.

jonzo112 karma

When did that become a thing?

cloudycarpet8 karma

Dunno. I've always used it.

doctorXdonna4 karma

So it's all expenses paid??? the flight, the hotel, everything?

EDIT: they should pay for the flight!

cloudycarpet8 karma

No, you paid for the whole "experience". But, the car was cheaper than what you'd buy it in the states. So the whole thing was more expensive than buying a car in the states, but you went to sweden, picked it up hot off the line, and drove it around.

Definitely worth it.

electric_sandwich0 karma

So the whole thing was more expensive than buying a car in the states

wtf?

cloudycarpet5 karma

Well no, what I'm saying is, is that the car was cheaper than buying it in the states.

The whole trip + car was more expensive than buying a car here.

electric_sandwich-4 karma

Well what's the point then? I can buy a volvo here then go on vacation to Jamaica...

cloudycarpet9 karma

It's the experience, I'd say.

Whatever floats your boat man.

electric_sandwich-1 karma

If it ended up being the SAME price to fly there and ship the car I could understand, but this just sounds like you're paying for a trip to Sweden and buying a car at the same time.

cloudycarpet9 karma

Terribly sorry.

Looking back now, and doing some google-fu, I can see that the car did in fact be the same price to go there and ship it, versus buying a car in the US.

smikims3 karma

Well, I'm gonna be that guy. Proof?

cloudycarpet0 karma

Proof..

Well, I might have the red and white license plate around here somewhere...

My dad removed the "S" "SEE EUROPE BY VOLVO" logo from the car a long time ago.

shanunu_3 karma

How many days did Volvo accommodate you for? (i.e. hotel, tours, etc.)

cloudycarpet1 karma

About 4 days, if I'm correct.

MidKnight0072 karma

Can you show a pic of the car?

cloudycarpet2 karma

Might be able to.. I'm in LA right now, on vacation.. Which is no where near the car.. But I'll see if I can dig one up..

MidKnight0071 karma

Is their anything special that came with the European package compared to the American counterpart? Like any extra features?

cloudycarpet2 karma

It was fairly kitted out- Honestly there aren't too many features. One notable instance is that it did have MPH as the main speedometer metering, rather than KPH. It was US spec. I'm sure there were safety features that the EU requires that the US spec doesn't have. It had special Swedish plates that were red with white lettering, and those indicated that is was out of EU spec, and it was designed for the United States, and it was just there for a few days. (In case someone was pulled over by Swedish police.)

nanjikun2 karma

What happens with US taxes? I heard that since you buy the car overseas, it counts as a used vehicle when imported back to the United States. Is that correct?

cloudycarpet1 karma

Yes, that's correct.

Taxes are based off the value of the car.

fyidiot2 karma

What was your favorite part of the trip?

cloudycarpet2 karma

Probably the lobby.

It was so Gran Turismo-European-Classy like, and it was so calming. Seriously, it looked like it was straight out of a Gran Turismo design book.

It had an espresso bar.

064052 karma

Did you put a secret mark on the car when you were in Sweden to make sure it was the same car when you got it back to the states?

cloudycarpet4 karma

I left a empty juice container in the center console by accident..

That was fairly interesting opening that up.

jakakun1 karma

So what were the total expenses? How much did the car cost? How much did you pay for "the experience"?

I think that's what most of us wants to know!

cloudycarpet2 karma

Whole thing ended up around 32-35k. My parents weren't to specific on it, but that was about the price of the car + amenities and travel.

I could probably ask them about it, if you want specifics.

jakakun1 karma

Thanks! How much was the car, if bought in US, at the time? Did you actually save any money through the entire program (after subtracting out you and your brother's expenses)?

I was just wondering if it's all in all cheaper to buy a car through this program.

cloudycarpet1 karma

Hm.. I would imagine it was about 38-40k something, with the packages we got in the car.

According to my dad, it did end up being significantly cheaper.

cloudycarpet1 karma

PROOF:

http://i.imgur.com/kLoENur.jpg

I know it's just the car, but it adds some legitimacy. I've just gotten home, and I'll look for the license plate.

azsportsfan1 karma

Why don't more people do this?

cloudycarpet3 karma

Probably just because of the fact that not too many people know about it- We were fortunate to know a Volvo salesman who told us about it. It's quite something, and it's pretty neat. You can google it, but it's not a widely circulated thing. It might be advertised more now, but it was pretty secretive when we were doing it.

lovehaspassedmeby-2 karma

"My parents are rich, AMA"

cloudycarpet5 karma

More or less, yeah.

But, my mom is a 1st generation Norwegian immigrant, so we knew Scandinavia quite well, we have friends in Sweden and relatives in Norway.