Volvo Overseas Delivery Program and My 1995 Volvo 940 Turbo

We ordered our 1995 Volvo 940T in May 1994 at an AVUS US Specs Volvo dealer in Heidelberg, Germany under the Volvo Overseas Delivery Program, Military Sales. We opted to pick the car at the Volvo Factory Delivery Center in Gothenburg (Goteborg), Sweden in lieu of delivery to Heidelberg. This gave us the opportunity to visit Sweden, take the Stena Germanica Cruise Liner, and experience the factory tour. In October 1994, we rode the ICE German express train at Mannheim and arrived at the Northern Germany port of Kiel. There we boarded the Stena Line cruise ship for an overnight stay. While at the cruise ship, we dined on a sumptuous seafood buffet, watched the "Speed" movie and shows at the entertainment lounge, and then retired in our cabin. We arrived the following day at the Gothenburg port. While waiting for our ride, we met a gentleman named Jim from San Francisco and an Army couple from Wurzburg, Germany who ordered the same Volvo model as ours. As we found out, Jim ordered his 1995 Volvo 850 at San Francisco and flew over to take delivery and then do the European adventure. As a tourist, he took the Stena Line cruise and was to drive his Volvo in Germany and France (versus renting a car) and then drop his Volvo off to the nearest drop-off point for shipment to San Francisco.

The Volvo rep finally arrived in a minivan and picked us up. We, the Army couple, and Jim (from San Francisco) were taken to the Gothenburg Volvo Factory Delivery Center where we were welcomed and asked to register. Then, the Volvo rep accompanied us to a complimentary Swedish meatballs lunch at their restaurant. Shortly after lunch, we were guided to a very informative Factory Brand Experience tour. The tour gave us greater confidence on our 95 Volvo 940T purchase as Volvo takes great pride in the safety and reliability of their whole model lineup. Though at that time Volvo models were sort of boxy, we were pleased with our selection.

After the tour and some paperwork, we were presented with our Pacific Blue metallic 940 Turbo with alloy wheels, sunroof, and spoiler. The Volvo rep gave us some demo, additional information, the ownership/registration paperwork, and some directions/map for the city and return to Stena Line. The car was fully fueled up for our long trip back to Mannheim. We had some extra time before the cruise ship's departure so we decided to go shopping at Gothenburg. There we found some antique bargains. Afterwards, we made sure we had sufficient time to board Stena Line. The return trip to Mannheim was pretty exciting and probably best reserved for another lens story.

In about 10 years, we had our Volvo 940T in Germany, we racked up close to 98,000 miles driving and visiting various scenic towns and cities until in 2000 we bought a GMC conversion van. We managed to test the 940T top speed on the Autobahn and found out that even though the turbo engine was powerful enough, the car was governor limited to top out at 126 mph. At any rate, 126 mph was pretty fast, but we didn't feel any vibrations or the like or feel that something was going to fall off. At the conclusion of our Germany tour in 2004, we decided to ship the 940T to Hawaii. We were very satisfied with our 95 Volvo that we also decided to order a brand new 2004.5 Volvo S-40i for direct shipment to Hawaii.

Our 95 Volvo 940T has a little of 114,000 miles now and still going strong - still safe and reliable. It has all original parts with the exception of maintenance-type items, brake rotors, and exhaust pipes and mufflers. We make sure we take care of routine maintenance at factory recommended intervals. In another 6 years, we'll hit the 20-year milestone.

Below are excerpts from the Volvo US Cars Overseas Delivery Program outlining the Benefits of the Tourist, Diplomat Sales (TDS) and Military Sales programs. Visit Volvo's website for more current and accurate information:

http://www.volvocars.com/us/salesandservices/overseasdelivery/Pages/default.aspx

How does Overseas Delivery work?

It's this simple:

Step #1
Order the Volvo of your choice from your local Volvo Retailer.

Step #2
Pick up your new Volvo at the Gothenburg Factory Delivery Center or at any official delivery location. We will register your new car for your stay in Europe and walk you through the process of getting European insurance, as well as provide you with the protection of the Volvo On Call Service.

Step #3
Test your Volvo out on the roads of Sweden, either with one of our spectacular tours or on your own. Then head anywhere you please in Europe.

Step #4
Drop off your Volvo in Gothenburg or any official drop-off location. We'll ship it to you and take care of all the problems that make importing a car difficult, from excise taxes to import duties.

Benefits of the Tourist Program

• Enjoy the vacation of a lifetime
• The ability to travel at your own pace
• No need for rental car expenses and rental car return restrictions (from one country to another)
• Up to approximately 8% savings (varies by model) off the U.S. MSRP on U.S.-model Volvos
• Roundtrip tickets for 2 to Europe (*Promotional Offer)
• One free hotel night in Gothenburg, Sweden, the home of Volvo
• Fifteen day European Car Insurance coverage, including Swedish temporary registration
• Experience the unique atmosphere and service at the Factory Delivery Center in Gothenburg, Sweden, including complimentary Swedish meatball lunch
• An exciting Volvo factory tour, visit to the Volvo Cars Brand Experience Center or a visit to the Volvo Museum
• Extensive complimentary home shipment services valid for 6 months
• U.S. Customs Duty, port clearance fees and inland transportation to your U.S. Volvo retailer are included in purchase price

Benefits of the Diplomat Program

• Significant savings* off the MSRP on U.S. and European model Volvos.
• Selection of vehicle specifications to meet the requirements of many countries around the world.
• A wide variety of pick up locations to choose from
• Free return shipment of U.S.-model Volvos from Europe up to 36 months after original delivery date for eligible diplomats returning to the U.S.
• Factory-direct shipment of a U.S.-model Volvo to the United States for eligible non-U.S. diplomats posted in the United States and more

Benefits of the Military Program

• Significant savings* off the U.S. MSRP on U.S. model Volvos
• Selection of vehicle specifications to meet the requirements of many countries around the world
• A wide variety of delivery locations to choose from
• Free return shipment of U.S.-model Volvos from Europe for military personnel returning to the U.S. (for up to 5 years)

*Includes 2.5% U.S. Customs Duty Exemption for qualified individuals

Volvo High Mileage Club Members Stats (showing stats for different Volvo models - query as of Nov 08):

Name

Year

Model

Mileage

Brett Sutherland (CA)

1965

122S

1,565,471

Paul Gee (USA)

1987

240

932,331

Thomas Barton (USA)

1984

245GL

900,211

Kevin Buffin (USA)

1989

240

900,010

Darren Kearns (UK)

1997

850

708,465

Reese Sphincer (AUS)

1992

744GLT

633,292

Sharon Klint (USA)

1988

740T

500,001

Chilton Repair Manual for 1990
1998 Volvo 940 Series

Chilton Repair Manual for 1990
1998 Volvo 850 Series