[andrewlim8]

Mr.Sotong,

you are right in term of horse power, s40 is much higher than E90 320i
(170 v 145), even torque also much better than 320i.

alfredlee

but in term of handling, i believe 320i will be better than s40. even E46
318i the handling will beat S40 , i personally believe, correct me if i m
wrong

[alfredlee]

I went to SM for 2nd test drive today. The experience is totally
difference from my 1st time test drive. [still the same car, but I lower
down my expectation]

This time the SA asked me to test long distance from Sg. Besi up to
Kajang, I'm totally satisfied with the handling and peformance, although
it does not meet the BMW level, but I told myself, the price also a big
gap compare to E90.

I can feel the car is heavy, that's one of the reasons why the pick up is
not perfect, but the mid range performance is good enough for me. I drove
the car up to 160km/h, the handling is very good and steady. I think when
I get used to the car, I can handle it better & drive smoother.

Colour choice is either Safari Green and Black for me, but since the
showroom unit is the last unit of Safari Green available, so it made my
choice very simple: Black.

Finally, paid marnee and booked the Black S40, right after the 90 mins
test drive...


My new objective now:
Searching for buyer to take over my 2003 Nissan X-Trail 2.5...

[andrewlim8]

alfredlee,

what offer did you get? how many free car services did they give? thoguth
of normally there will be a price reduction for the unsold unit at year
end. just like last year, honda accord n camry gave 10k discount for 2004
unsold units......it is normal in car industry, right? correct me if
wrong. thanks.

what is the name of the SA to take care you? jln 222 FA is the worst
service i ever get, the malay fat guy thought that himself is very smart,
he tried to argue with me the latest C180, is without
kompressor....finally he called up C&C n proved that he was wrong....he
didn't even take down my phone number....what kind of sales man is he? i
personally think that SM is more professional, the SA will take down
whatever question i raised, and gave me an answer afetr few days.....

[alfredlee]

andrewlim8,

I didn't get anything more than their current offer [0% interest for
first 2 years], perhaps I'm not a good bargainer, but they seems to be
very transparent and I did feel happy in this policy that "they sell at
what they priced" basis.

I've never been to FA so unable to comment anything but SM is great,
their SA is very well trained and professional. From the beginning till
the end, he didn't pushed me on decision, it was me to tell him that I
want to book the car.

The Volvo brand & image, comfort showroom, well trained staffs, good
pricing [compare to brand new C class, E90, Saab 93], 3 years warranty,
no hanky-panky style, promotion...etc are the main factors that convinced
me to choose the S40.

The SA in Sg Besi SM is called Andrew too..Perhaps you may contact him
for further info..will email you his hp if you need it..

[toffee]

The E90 is overpriced. The entry level BMW is no comparison to the S40. I
have both the E46 325 and S40 at home. No doubt the 325 has better
performance and handling but the S40 is no slouch either. In addition,
the legroom space and better quality accessories do make the S40 more
value for money. As for the E90 320i, even though its RM70K more
expensive, you will get a 4 cylinder engine, lower spec car and lower
quality hi-fi system.

As for services, I managed to get from FA 140,000km free scheduled
maintenance and no time limit for those maintenances. So how best you get
out from them is dependent on your nego. power.

[alfredlee]

toffee,

Did you get any other offer besides the 140k km free service? such as 0%
interest or overtrade...?

oh ya forgot one thing, the sound system is great! I think it is one of
the best in it's class.

[AvantGardeSpa]

You're rite, the s40 sound system is impressive, better than bmw and
mercedes I 've tested. I think it is up there with optional merc bose
sound system.

Having tested s40, bmw and merc, I finally settle for c-class due to the
limit rear legroom in s40 and I enjoy the power-surged of kompressor.

Nevertheless, I think s40 comes with coolest and suave interior.

Just a questions, do s40 comes with smart micro-chips key?

[andrewlim8]

alfredlee,

what is the service package they are giving to u? 3 services (60,000km)?

toffee,

140k km free service, is that meant 7 free services(as 20k interval)?

2 weeks ago, i saw someone advertised to sell his 1 year old S40 at 160k,
advertised for many days, still couldn't manage to sell.....this really
scared me off from buying this car, althoght i really like the spec of
S40.

can any "Si Fu" tell me is it better to buy car at the beginning of the
year rather than at the end of the year?"

[alfredlee]

andrewlim8,

no, I didn't receive any free service since the current promotion is 0%
interest for first 2 years...

I did view the used unit advertised in the paper, the owner sold the car
already. The condition is so so only, got some scratches here and there,
also interest rate for used unit is more than 3% pa., road tax going to
expire, some wear and tear...etc.

My opinion is, if you are going to own this car for long term, then
buying new one is more worth it, 3 years warranty, low interest rate,
you'll be the first owner, guarranteed no accident...

I was told that 2006 stock will only be available in mid 2006, so if I
insist on 2006 stock then I got to wait for another 9 more months, at the
same time, my current X-trail price will also drop to another new
level...so it will be not much difference for me...by that time, interest
rate may have some changes too... so that's my reasons why I buy it now,
instead of Jan 2006.

[Kevin]

Volvo always have special promos to clear old stock cars. Volvo Car
Malaysia periodically releases old stock to both FA and SM for them to sell
at reduced prices. Many times this year, did I hear of 2004 S60s and S40s
being sold at discounts. Brand new cars mind you but from 2004.