|
Knowing the cost of Volvo servicing, I guess most folks would rather go for a Focus?
|
You mean it has been on sale? People could have bought one and I could have seen one being driven by a member of the public?
Ignoring my sarcasm, I have seen one around the local area. I like the concept/branding behind the C30 but the prices have always been eye-watering.
|
In the eye of the beholder!
HJ thinks it's the bee knees looks-wise and, if I remeber correctly, that it would out-sell hot cakes.
|
|
"Those nice people at Volvo are only planning on selling 5,000 C30s in 2007.They?d better make some more....Audi must be worried...The C30 isn?t just a good looking car, it?s exquisite. A lot of people will buy it for the styling alone....Volvo had better put the factory on overtime."
|
|
I seem to recall we discussed the lack of C30s on the roads here a few months back, I think I've seen another two since that discussion. So; I'm averaging about 1 sighting per 5,000 miles of driving. That suggests to me they aren't selling many ...
|
I'm averaging about 1 sighting per 5 000 miles of driving. That suggests to me they aren't selling many ...
I thought the same about Kia - as I almost never see one in my area - until I mentioned it here and someone pointed me to annual sale statistics and it turned out both Kia and Hyundai outsell Skoda in UK, which, considering I literally can't walk 200 yards without passing at least one Octavia minicab and there are some models of Hyundai I actually never ever seen in flesh anywhere, was complete news to me. Apparently there is a spot on the map in the northern wilderness somewhere where there are only Kia and, presumably, Lada dealerships and everyone buys Rio and Picanto.
What I'm getting at is that C30, being the least practical, yet relatively pricey model in volvo range, might have a specific market - like Volvo 480 before it - you know, that single spot on outskirts of Chiswick where every lawyer bought one instead of Mini for his wife, to take shitzu to hairdresser in Richmond. And so it's quite possible the only place you would ever see C30 in a "herd" is that 800 yard long queue through backstreets of Kew at 1pm in weekdays...
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 29/02/2008 at 18:55
|
Apparently there is a spot on the map in the northern wilderness somewhere where there are only Kia and, presumably, Lada dealerships and everyone buys Rio and Picanto.
Yep, that'd be the north west. The roads are full of them round here. I've seen about 10 i30's this week.. Not including the fact that I sometimes drive past a Hyundai showroom. They sold Accents like the Muffin Man sells pies in Wigan too. Kia Rios, Picantos, that big 4x4 they do... Loads of them knocking about.
I liked the C30 a lot... I thought the back end looked awesome. But you wouldn't see one on my drive ever. She hates them.
|
Now and again a car comes along that just seems completely pointless and I think the Volvo C30 is such a car.
I think the BMW 1 Series is bordering on being as pointless, but there are people who would buy a pile of poo if it had a BMW badge on it, whereas Volvo doesn't have quite the same following.
|
|
I went to look at one and thought, just like someone posted earlier, that it was just er...pointless. Not sporty enougth to be a real coupe, not pratical enougth to be a decent hatchback (Four seats only, rear glass opens rather than whole hatch, three door only, stupid flimsy boot cover) Walked out of the Volvo dealership shaking my head at the stupidity of it really.
Edited by jmaccyd on 29/02/2008 at 22:19
|
Not sporty enougth to be a real coupe not pratical enougth to be a decent hatchback (Four seats only rear glass opens rather than whole hatch three door only stupid flimsy boot cover)
Much like a Scimitar GTE then? :-)
|
|
Even here in the land of Volvo, no-one is buying them. But then Volvo sales overall here have dropped something like 25%. The Swedes have cottoned on to the fact that the tradition Volvo values of old have gone, and been replaced with dressed up Fords.
|
Well, I don't mind. I rather fancy one in a couple of years' time when it's time to move the old S60 on and I still need a comfortable solo-journey car. 1.6D engine will be plenty; I'll have mine in Brilliant Blue, please.
I do see a couple quite often on the M40 near Banbury. The huge tail lamps make it quite a sight from behind in the dark.
|
Sad, isn't it? Swedish cars were once aspirational purchases for all the right reasons, and had real character of one sort or another.
Now they have dressed up Fords and dressed up Vauxhalls. I hope I don't live long enough to see the day when all the world suffers the same fate.
|
I think that's a little harsh, Mike - the character's still there. A little diluted, perhaps, from the days of the original Saab 900, but a Volvo or Saab cabin is still a calming and pleasant place to be by most standards. Pity they don't qualify for privileged parking away from the riffraff at IKEA, though.
};---(
|
|
Arrrrrgh adding Ikea to the swearfilter.
|
I seem to live my life being 'Mr Harsh' these days - that's the trouble with having been around a bit.
I guess 'by most standards' is exactly the problem, isn't it?
|
|
If Volvo are having trouble shifting the C30, they could do a lot worse than lend a few to the police. Hampshire Police have been using Volvos for over 40 years now, and BMWs too; in fact it was the first police force in the world to adopt the X3.
|
Well I test drove one some time ago, and the problem here is not the top of the range but the middle.
Unsurprisingly the T5 petrol engine, sport version top of the range car was lovely. Very sporty to look at, and sporty to drive.
It was also A LOT of money - at least as much as a Golf if not more, and yet nowhere near as practical as a Golf. The boot was utterly ridiculous to the point that I actually think my MINI has at least as much space :)
So I then drove the middle of the range 2L petrol SE - and it was just DIRE. I mean really poor. Without all the sport styling it was just a cut down S40 - BORING, and the engine was a shambles.
needless to say I didn't purchase one :)
|
|
So toss up between an elegantly designed, well regarded Golf GTi or the unknown quantity of the eccentrically designed Volvo, not dissing the Volvo, guess where our money went.
|
Now and again a car comes along that just seems completely pointless and I think the Volvo C30 is such a car.
Speaking of pointless, saw my first BMW X6 yesterday - There will still be folk who'll buy one, though.
|
|
|
