Corvette C7 Convertible

Oh brother.

 

Okay this is what you're missing. There are Chevy dealers and then there are Vette dealers. The vette dealers understand the buyers of these cars and that a lot of them can take these cars apart and put them back together during lunch. They have far more knowledge about their cars than a Ferrari owner and from what I've seen even more devoted to their brand. Like I told you go to the Corvette Forum register and there are dealers there who will take your deposit. The longer you wait the longer the wait will be. I had no problem getting a call back from the local dealer but my situation is probably different from yours.

 

I would rather wait to drive it in person and then buy one.

Would rather wait for the z06 or zr1 on it.

No rush

 

To me, the car looks amazing. It will be fast and reliable too. I'll not sell my 360 spider, but I'll be getting one of these, for sure.

 

Let us know which one you eventually start driving the most. I know it's hard to take the
"Red Mist" out of the equation, but it'll be interesting.

 

Saw the car in Detroit and I'm still not a fan of the rear end, any of it.

The rest of it looks great and with the new magnetic shocks this is going to be a great car.

It is only a matter of time until the after market makes a different rear end that can be bolted on easily. The only thing they are waiting on is a car they can get their hands on.

 

I'm sorry but it's true.

I emailed the dealer (biggest dealer in Vegas) asking if I could speak to someone about the new Vette.

2 days go by.

I get an email asking if I have seen their specials on trucks this weekend. I email back that I'm not interested in a truck but I want to know how I can get on a list to get a 2014 Vette. I ask if I can order one to my spec and how to go about doing that.

2 days go by.

I get an email that I can buy a 2013 Vette.

I send another email and say I'm only interested in a 2014 Vette (I said this also in my first email).

Two days go by. I get a phone call from the dealer that they left on my Voice Mail. It's a woman who wants to talk to me about my inquiry. I call back maybe 10 minutes later thinking "ah ha! finally a human to talk to!" and leave my own voice mail and telephone number. No answer. NONE.

Two days go by. I get what looks like a generic email asking if I was still interested in buying a new car from the dealer. I respond, I'm trying to talk to someone about buying a 2014 Vette.

Two days go by. I get another email telling me about the truck specials they have this weekend. I send an email that I'm still waiting to talk to someone about getting a 2014 Vette.

A week goes by. I get a generic email that this weekend they are having a B-B-Q and I would come down, eat a hot dog, get a cub scout badge, and see the specials they have on trucks.



Now, am I wrong here is saying what I'm saying? I don't think so. I can tell you this have never happened with any import car dealership I have ever worked with before.

I stand by my statements.
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Mayor- Works much better in person. They will have a Corvette specialist if you ask and he or she will know just about everything about ordering a 2014 Stingray. Once you get that person's phone number and personal e-mail, things will go much more smoothly.

 

Actually, that was my next step. My F car salesman knows someone in town I can talk to and will put me in contact with him.

But, it's frustrating that US dealers don't seem to understand how to communicate with customers over the Internet.

The year is 2013, isn't it?

I'm going to stop by my Fiat dealer this week and ask if they know anything about the Alfa 4c. My guess is... I probably know more about it than they do.

 

I feel your pain,but Chevrolet dealers don't have exclusive rights to "asshatism".....

last summer I was convinced I needed to have an Audi A7/S7 or an A8/S8. So i dutifully called the local Audi dealer,made an appointment for a test drive of an A7 & an A8. Show up at the alloted time and get treated with an indifferent attitude at best. Take a test drive and express an interest regarding lease options,prices,ordering wait times etc. I go home and never receive a follow up call/inquiry or anything! Nada. Nothing.Dead silence.

I bought a CTS V Coupe several weeks later. Sorry Mr. Import dealer.....you lose.

 

Frustrating, isn't it? It seems like car dealers are stuck in the same selling model as 1970. If we ran our business this way we'd be out of business in a week.

Note to car dealers: The internet should make the buying experience EASIER, not more frustrating.

 

the web/internet dealings with the Cadillac dealer were exemplary
no hassle,just business and wanting to make me a satisfied customer
they couldn't do enough for me
have referred 2 additional customers,and everyone's happy so far
some dealers just don't 'get' this....to their detriment

 

Did you just come out of the blue by email and get an order for your 458 placed and fulfilled? Or did you build a relationship, in person, based on buying other cars first?

 

Great question

First new car I bought from an F dealer was a new Maserati Cambiocorsa. I emailed Ferrari of Beverly hills. Got a response that day from James -- who is still there and still a great salesman.

James sent me an invitation to the LA Auto show and see the first one around (this was 2001). I sat in the car, asked a bunch of questions, etc. I said I wanted one.

Got an email the next week from James and made an appointment to stop by the following week to discuss it.

In the meeting, all my questions were aswered including reviewing the salesmen's sample case (paint colors, thread choices, etc) and I put down a 5 grand deposit.

About 5 months later, got a call and email from James that the car was being delivered in 2 weeks. Included was banking information and instructions for how to pick up the car (insurance, license, etc).

Picked up the car which was in the dealer's showroom. They spent about an hour going through everything with me.

The process with my three other new F cars was pretty much the same with two different dealers.

I would also say that my relationship with my BMW dealer in Long Beach CA is also very similar to this.


My personal experience is--- don't solicit emails on your website if you're not going to take the effort to follow up properly and answer the questions that have been asked of you. You just look amateurish otherwise. And..don't try to sell them a truck when you want a Corvette.

 

I've purchased three domestic vehicles via the Internet-couldn't have been an easier process. The cars were ready for pick-up, I was at the dealer 15 minutes tops and away I went.

I did ,also, pick up a Chevy Volt at the dealership. Volt specialist handled everything, numerous follow-up calls to make sure I was happy, calls from Detroit, etc. As good an experience as any high end car I've purchased.

 

It's interesting to see these other responses. Obviously, your experience is a lot different than mine.

And that's a good thing.


On the flip side, I signed up for information on Alfa's 4C website and got ZERO in about 3 weeks. I went to their facebook page and asked how I can get one in the US and they responded in a few hours.

Weird.

Call me old fashioned but when you contact someone that you're interested in buying something from them, the least you could do is say "thanks -- we'll get back to you soon." Is that too much to ask?

 

Well the Chevy dealer you contacted sucks. Sadly they do vary and some have been a problem for GM. They are not all that way

 

My local Chevrolet dealership has a core group of guys that are knowledgeable about the performance cars from GM including Corvette. Some of them have gone to the Spring Mountain course.

It is dealer specific.

 

It isn't true. For example - the great majority of Lexus dealers in the western United States have no idea how to special order a car from Japan - or are certain, wrongly, that it can't be done - and won't call back when they say they will, if ever. This claim isn't based on a random sample. I contacted the sales or fleet manager of every single one.

Incidentally, there are no Lexus dealers in the state of Montana.

Anyway, a handful of the dealers I called knew just what to do and one of them, 400 miles away, got my business. But if I'd just given up after, say, the first 15 flaky dealers, I still wouldn't have jumped to the conclusion that "buying foreign" means a lousy sales experience. That would be quite a leap.

My best new car sales experience was conducted entirely via e-mail and a few short phone calls.... with a Chevy dealer in Dearborn, Michigan, halfway across the country.

If I were in the market for a C7 convertible, I'd wait to see one on a local lot. Give the dealer a shot and when they demand $10K over, call a big dealer with allocation and special order one for Museum Delivery. Then I'd fly to Kentucky, pick it up, and see the USA in my Chevrolet.

 

Wow that's a great idea. I didn't know you could get factory delivery. This is the kind of information I was going to ask the dealer... how to special order one, etc.

How do you find one of these big Vette dealers? Do you pay the sales tax in Kentucky or when you register it in your state?

 

Call Mike Furman 301-212-4420 Criswell Chev they are getting 104 coupes and 45 conv 1st 6 months of production selling at MSRP

 

I think the issues bob is running into is he is asking for something they cannot sell or get a commission on this week.

Many salespeople only think short term.

Some dealers have interests lists, I would hope Vegas had one, or two.

One dealer at msrp: http://www.chevyusa.com/pre-order-2014-corvette-c7.aspx

Other pre-orders:

http://www.corvetteconti.com/blog/?p=17615

http://www.lafontainechevy.com/page/custom/en/2014_Chevrolet_Corvette_Stingray_pre_order/

 

Does that allocation mean that the coupe and convertible production will begin together in the same time frame?
CH

 

Kerbeck in Atlantic City is, I believe, the biggest. Other ones to try: Les Stanford in Dearborn, Criswell Corvette in Maryland, Fichtner in Montana. These guys are at least well-known for doing phone orders.

Museum Delivery is a regular production option, just like sport seats or red paint. You tick it on the order sheet, and the car is delivered across the street from the factory. You'll still be charged the flat-rate destination charge; there is apparently no getting out of this.

The transaction is entirely between you and the selling dealer. The Museum staff don't get involved. By the time you arrive, you've already paid for it and the car is your property. If you order through a dealer in Nevada, I assume they'll collect sales tax. Otherwise, you shouldn't pay any sales tax to the dealer. In California, the sales tax (ahem, "use tax") for an out-of-state purchase is collected by the DMV when you first register the car.

 

Many thanks guys! This is great information.