Skid Row Joe

Not sure what that influence is, but not one Chev. dealer I approach over the telephone, or, in person, will match either of those dealers when I cite the % off MSRP for me to deal with them on my choice of a new C7. They resort to their default positions. Either trying to sell you a Red Tag only example, or, "we don't discount like that."

MikeyTX

Yup, they bought the Vandergriff dealerships in Arlington TX from the Van Tuyl group. In fact, BH owns it all now.

JoesC5

Many potential buyers have reported that when their local dealer said MSRP, they showed what they could buy the same car at from Kerbeck, MacMulkin ec, and their local dealer lowered their asking price. Just part of the game of negotiating.

Their local dealer might not meet the price dollar for dollar, but the prices from the major players do have an influence on prices from local dealers. Even if the price from a local dealer is, say, $1,000 higher than from Kerbeck or MacMulkin, when you factor in the cost of getting a car home from a major player that is a thousand miles away, the local dealer's price will become even more competitive.

Plus, when you buy local, the profit from the sale is spent in your town, help your local economy. All those people that work, and get paid, at your local dealer might just be helping feed your family, buy spending their wages locally.

I remember when I was trying to buy a new C5 in 1997. My local large dealer(currently a Corvette Forum sponsor) in Springfield, MO wanted $10,000 over MSRP. The small dealer in Republic, MO(6 miles away) offered to special order me one for $1,000 under MSRP. I was concerned about the Republic dealer getting timely allocations, so I went to a medium size dealer in Tulsa(181 miles away, 2 hours 37 minute drive) and special ordered one for $1,000 under MSRP. I talked personally(that means face to face) with Dick Almond(Corvette Brand Manager at that time) to verify that the Tulsa dealer was receiving enough allocations so that I could get my special ordered C5 in a timely manner.

JoesC5

Of course, and the demand for the C7 has dropped every year. Look at the list(post #26) comparing sales in 2014 to 2016, Some dealer's sales dropped as much as 50% and overall the sales of the top 50 dealers dropped 25%.

Overall car sales have not dropped from 2014 to 2016. http://online.wsj.com/mdc/public/pag...autosales.html

GM needs to get it's act together on the Corvette.

bigsapper

Lonestar Corvette Club Sponsor, too.

MikeyTX

Yup.

Borntorun04/17

AL@MATRICK CHEVY I'm on dealer section of forum checking out GS inventory often. One thing I noticed is in your posting you don't have link to your inventory . I have to leave forum and go on web site. Not a big deal but would be convenient to be able to see inventory after reading your post. I have looked a few times and maybe it's me but I can't see link to inventory or to web site . I like the idea that your cars are inside great show room. Dave

AORoads

JMO, it's always been true that local dealers get to be bigger by getting other franchises. But, to me, when bigger dealers get to be congloms, something gets lost in the translation (or individual transaction). And I am speaking from recent, car-buying experience.

Skid Row Joe

Warren Buffett, as CEO of Berkshire-Hathaway, doesn't like to give anything away. Unless an individual business unit gets massive rebates from a vendor, they simply don't compete in dollars and cents. Example: Nebraska Furniture Mart in Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas. The way they're able to give fantastic deals on furniture, carpeting and appliances, is because of their individual annual discounts and cash rebates made with their vendors. Far different from auto makers' pricing to their dealers.

Skid Row Joe

I can do a courtesy delivery near enough to me for $150.00. So, that blows the thousand+ miles away arguments out of the water.

The other default position many Chev. dealers have taken is that they don't sell enough Corvettes annually to get the allocation in order to discount a Corvette. Then go on to explain their need to make a large(r) profit per Corvette sale.
They're caught up in a Catch 22 purely of their own making.
I bought my 1st new Corvette from the owner of a small town Chev. dealer, population 3,500 that had a deep inventory of new C3s in-stock, and ready to deal. I tried to deal with a small town CF dealer sponsor nearer me last year - no sale, he couldn't come close to MacMulkin's deal.

Foosh

The top 50 Corvette dealers are all single locations. The mega-dealers, Kerbeck, MacMulkin, Coughlin, and Criswell are all single locations.

The conglomerate issue is different. Hendrick is a conglomerate and appears in the top 50 list several times and for each location. The big dealer conglomerates often have dealerships for a multiple manufacturers. The Koons group, in the DC/MD/VA area have dealerships for every manufacturer in selling cars in the US. AutoNation and Penske are other examples with dealerships for almost everything.

Al@MatickChevy

I appreciate the feedback. I'll post links going forward. I actually have a meeting with one of our ad company's tomorrow and I'll see if there is something that they can do to make it easier and more direct for forum members.

Regarding the vettes being inside, we actually bought an office building and cleared the first floor to have more climate controlled in door storage when and if needed. We are committed to making sure that all of our vettes are kept as nice as possible before they are delivered. Either way, if you purchase from us, your car will have been treated and stored with care.

Again, I appreciate the great feedback!
Al
PS The attached pictures are where our cars are stored and kept.

rbartick

My local dealer would not come close when I bought my C5Z in 2002 and when I bought my C7Z in 2016. I was told both times that Kerbeck was selling below cost and the local dealer said they would lose money on the deal.

MikeyTX

We have a CF sponsor dealer in the metroplex ?

RaceMic

When I got my GS from him on 01/12/2017, I think he said he personally did 140 last year. Great guy and super easy deal, BTW.

JoesC5

Not really. $150 is way less than what most dealers will do a courtesy delivery for. More like $250 to $500. In addition, there are many local dealers that won't do a courtesy delivery. In addition a courtesy delivery only is available if you special order a new car. Check the inventories of the top half dozen dealers. Not a single one of those hundreds of cars in their inventory can be purchased with a courtesy delivery. If you buy one of those in stock Corvettes, you have to go to some expense to get it over that thousand miles from them to you. One of the reasons they are the top sellers is that they carry the inventory that allows a customer to buy RIGHT NOW without special ordering and then waiting several months for their courtesy delivery to happen.

Skid Row Joe

It's $150.00 Courtesy Delivery. Complete.

remedyman

I personally had disasters at number #1 & #2 dealerships. It was awful and would never go there again. Buy direct from Factory? you betcha

cduckworth

Bright man who understood.

Larry M

What happened?
I'm looking to place an order in the next week to 10 days