BMWDavid

OK...now that Chevy finally makes a Corvette that I would be very interested in I see that only select dealers will be able to sell it.

The nearest dealer that will have the Corvette is over 60 miles away! I have a dealer just 10 miles away and he has sold at least 5 Corvettes this year and is an excellent dealer based on my experience.

What the heck is Chevy doing?

AORoads

it's a fair process. all dealers were informed last year to sell Corvettes and that the top ones would get the first allocation. in addition, the dealers had to commit to training and new equipment among other things.

there are 900 dealers that have an allocation for the first six to nine months. the rest will eventually get an allocation (or at least most will). that's the way it goes.

Sin City

You can buy one from another dealer and have it courtesy delivered.

But, I think only authorized dealers can service it as they need a special training course to work on them.

To be honest, the other left out dealers are not complaining about this. They don't sell enough Corvettes to make it worth their while.

BMWDavid

You know...I hate it when a manufacturer starts making their car line specialized.

One of the things I think an American car should be is be available at all franchised dealers. By that I mean if its a Chevy then sell at all Chevy stores. I know a lot of people who live in rural areas that get effected by this thinking. They have the means to buy the good stuff (SVT, SRT, etc.) but the local dealer is excluded from the whole product line.

Either they waste time and energy going to a distant dealer or as I know from experience just buying what is available locally.

Sorry for the rant...I'm just PO'd about this. I would never live in or near a bigger city...I love my rural lifestyle and actually have the roads in my back yard so to speak to enjoy these cars.

I've bought German and Japanese cars at these distant dealers just so I could have the cars I want and like. Now that the Corvette actually appears to be the car it always should be and the idea of just going down to my local Chevy dealer for sales and service was so appealing now I find that won't happen.

Oh well sorry again! Maybe as stated above all dealers will have allocation at a later time. My dealer has sold several Corvettes (new) in the past few years including three Z06's and a few GS's.

Sin City

Try buying a McLaren! Nothing between LA and Dallas!

I can see the point both ways. I can see how people think if its a Chevy product, you should be able to get it at any Chevy dealer.

On the other hand, as a dealer that sells a couple a year, it's just not worth the investment. It's a specialized car. And, you can still buy the car at any dealer. I bought mine from a dealer 2000 miles away.

The biggest question I would have is if your dealer can do the service if you buy one. It's something you should bring up from them and then order it and have it courtesy delivered. You'll get exactly what you want and probably faster than having to wait for your dealer to get allocation.

BRCC

Well sorry that your local dealer could not get a allocation, but they knew the ground rules, also they have to pony up the $$ to get the test equipment and technical training. Regardless of what they sold this year it was last year that counted and they knew it. If the do come up to the GM requirements then in 9 months or so they can order and sell Corvettes.

rgamache

Yea I wouldn't want any old grease monkey at a small dealer who never working on a Vette before and may not even have the right equipment messing with a C7.

DocHolliday

Good point about the service of the corvette, i didn't realize it had to be a dealer with specific training; but it makes sense.

AORoads

While I also understand the desire of wanting the car at every dealer, it is not logical. This is not a basic car with nothing special on it that can be repaired by everyone at every Chev dealer. For that local dealer that you do have who has sold a few Corvettes, go ask them how their service is on the cars, especially something odd or unique to the car.

Each dealer, being an independent biz under the franchise laws of your state, can decide to invest in the tools, equipment and technical expertise --- or not. If they chose not to, for this round of the first six to nine months of Corvette production AND including the important factor of last year's Corvette sales numbers, they are at the back of the line waiting to be granted Corvettes to sell.

Don't be too unhappy since it really is in your best interest. It might also be a good time to ask your local dealer BEFORE you get one later on: just how prepared are you to service this thing? Not kidding. I wouldn't want to be reading about your "awful dealer experience re service" about a year from now.... That, too, might be the price you pay for being remote from bigger dealers.

JoesC5

While only 900 dealers(that's actually a lot of dealers. For example one can buy a new C7 from 14 different dealers in the St Louis area today) will be selling C7's in the fist ~9 months, GM will be selling them through every dealer that wants to pony up the expense of training their personnel and buying special tools required in their service department. Of the approximately 2700 Chevy dealers, I would bet that in a year, over 2,000 of them will be selling C7's.

Gearhead Jim

If the equipment + training isn't too expensive, and the tools will also be used on some other GM vehicles, then it shouldn't be a problem. But if it costs big bucks and can only be used on the C7, then we're in trouble.

One of the reasons we've bought Corvettes instead of something European, is that we drive all over the country and really like the availability of dealerships if we need work. Which, unfortunately, has been far more frequent than on our other cars.

Mariano

Very well said......

Alfie

arcticblast

I can understand rewarding top dealers, but I do feel that Chevy did this at the customers expense. Admittedly, you can usually get the best deal at the larger dealers, but not always. Some people want to buy locally for obvious reasons (local economy, loyalty, local service might be perceived as better if you bought there, etc).
I would not appreciate being shut out for months if I had payed big money for the same franchise as other dealers.
But they don't ask me about these things......they just want my money. You would think I'm married to Chevy. LOL

JoesC5

Don't know the actual cost, but I've heard it was around five grand,

A couple of weeks ago went to Colorado in my Z06. last month of the Powertrain warranty, and it was on my mind, "what if I drop a valve in the Middle of Kansas or on the west side of the mountains?"

If I had dropped a valve, I was a long way from any of the 2900 Chevy dealers who supposedly can work on my C6 Z06. Plus how long would it take for GM to get a new motor to the closest dealer and what was I supposed to do during that two week(?) period...Climb Pikes Peak on foot? It would have been a pain in the *** whether I was driving my Z06 or a Porsche.

Get the car towed to Denver, and I bet there would also be a Porsche dealer in Denver.

900, or 2,000, dealers being able to service a Corvette, doesn't really matter. If I blow an engine in Saint Louis, there are 14 shops selling/servicing Corvettes, but not to many selling/serving Corvettes, or even Chevys, in Montrose, Colorado.

waynelittle1

True. Our dealership group said "no" to the Viper....We have a Chrys/Dod/Jeep/Ram franchise in our group, but did not want to pony up the $25,000 admission fee, PLUS training, equipment, etc, for the really infrequent sales of maybe 1 Viper bi-annually.

Didn't make sense.

From a Corvette owner's perspective, I would be highly skeptical of a store that does not sell many, and thus does not service many, Corvettes...and may treat them like a Chevy Aveo while there.

I for one, like the exclusivity, to those dealers that meet certain standards...

bearphoto

Blame your dealer not GM. All dealers were given the opportunity to buy the necessary tools and train their mechanics to be able to work on/diagnose issues with these cars. Your dealer apparently is not interested. Based on that I would not buy from them if they know nothing about the car. Another dealer is 60 miles away, oh my poor you. Some of us go across the country to get ours from a forum dealer who knows these cars and we get the best prices. Sounds like you are just being a whiner.

PryOpenUr3rdEye

Agreed, a 1-1.5hr drive isn't that bad

Gearhead Jim

Thanks for the estimate.

Our 2001 had the driver seat jam in the wrong position near Yellowstone, Fichtner Chevrolet was less than an hour away. We had to wait two days for the seat to be flown in but the car was still drivable and we had fun for the day while waiting.

Our 2006 suddenly had the "Reduced Engine Power" (actually, it would barely move) light in Florida, local dealer replaced the gas pedal (sensor) after another 2 day wait. We took a GMPP-provided rental for that.

Both of those situations probably would have been ok with a more limited dealership base, and in any event 3/36 or GMPP warranty would tow as needed. But still...

MikeyTX

Believe it or not, the one in Montrose can as well as the one in Delta.

alaincayman

Try living in the Cayman Islands. The one Chevy dealer here does not sell Corvettes, and never has. Not a matter of allocations of the new C7. After much pushing and shoving and telling them that it's ridiculous that someone living here can't by a Corvette, they did receive permission from GM to place a special order. In the GM region of Latin America/Caribbean, it seems that there are many Chevy dealers who do not sell Corvettes.