Freight Charge
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 356
Likes: 15
From: NY
Freight Charge
Does anyone who has had the Corvette Museum Delivery understand why there is a freight charge? I asked at the Chevrolet live chat and they could't explain it. It seems to me to be just a hidden cost to the car.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,503
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From: Las Vegas Nevada
2020 C8 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
By freight charge do you mean the destination charge. I ask about this when I did my museum delivery. Museum Delivery vettes are actually loaded upon a transport and delivered to the museum hence the $850 charge.
It is obvious that GM's contract with Allied is for a set amount whether it is one mile or 2,000 miles.
It is obvious that GM's contract with Allied is for a set amount whether it is one mile or 2,000 miles.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 4,836
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From: Rushsylvania Ohio
By freight charge do you mean the destination charge. I ask about this when I did my museum delivery. Museum Delivery vettes are actually loaded upon a transport and delivered to the museum hence the $850 charge.
It is obvious that GM's contract with Allied is for a set amount whether it is one mile or 2,000 miles.
It is obvious that GM's contract with Allied is for a set amount whether it is one mile or 2,000 miles.
Does seem a bit goofy to truck them across the street, but if they are driven over there, then you run into all type of insurance issues. Allied's own insurance would cover any losses if the truck crashes on the way over there.
Last edited by Swiftrider08; Feb 8, 2010 at 05:53 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2004
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From: McKinney TX
St. Jude Donor '21-'22-'23-'24
The destination charge was made the same amount, regardless of where in the US it's delivered, so that dealers close to the plant wouldn't have an advantage over dealers from other parts of the US.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 14,082
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From: Edmond Oklahoma
Same thing was charged when I did my R8C delivery in '07. Swiftrider is right, the cars are delivered to the NCM on the transport hence the charge. My dealer explained how it worked when I asked the question. If you want the car shipped to your home after NCM delivery that is an extra charge that you can contract with one of the haulers. It still seems pretty weak to charge the full delivery for driving accross the street. 
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 2,907
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From: Jupiter Florida
I ask this back in 2004 when I took delivery of my C6...simple answer is they average delivery charges for any destination including over seas... so yes if you get a C6 in England or CA or Virginia or Alaska all blends to the same amount...they save on the near to BG destinations and loose on the more far away deliveries.
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Drifting
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From: Jeffersonville In
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Buying from the factory in the 50's
In the same idea, go back to the 50's. Can any of you older guys remember in the 50's and maybe even the 40's you could make a trip to Detroit, to any of the manufacturer's and buy a car for much less than at your local dealership. I can remember hearing of folks making that trip from Indiana, Ky, and Tn. back in that time frame. I think they were buying from the factory direct?
Team Owner
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Once the car is produced it is still transferred to Allied transportation for delivery. By doing so they assume the liability for transfer.
The destination is a negotiated rate paid to the trucking company. It is a flat fee that all new Corvettes pay. East coast, west coast and midwest all pay the same charge as an average and this includes museum delivery. To get your car to the museum it is staged, moved loaded onto a truck, tied down (insured for the trip over) and unloaded at that museum.
The R8C fee that you are paying covers some of the expense of the service that the museum provides in the form of the best PDI you will ever get, a great tour of the museum and the plant along with all the time you need to spend with your guide at your car to learn the ins and outs. This is a small price to pay for the level of service that the museum folks offer but it has nothing to do with the delivery fee. Not unlike if you were taking a courtesy delivery at your local dealer from a sale from a forum dealer, you would pay them for the courtesy delivery.
The destination is a negotiated rate paid to the trucking company. It is a flat fee that all new Corvettes pay. East coast, west coast and midwest all pay the same charge as an average and this includes museum delivery. To get your car to the museum it is staged, moved loaded onto a truck, tied down (insured for the trip over) and unloaded at that museum.
The R8C fee that you are paying covers some of the expense of the service that the museum provides in the form of the best PDI you will ever get, a great tour of the museum and the plant along with all the time you need to spend with your guide at your car to learn the ins and outs. This is a small price to pay for the level of service that the museum folks offer but it has nothing to do with the delivery fee. Not unlike if you were taking a courtesy delivery at your local dealer from a sale from a forum dealer, you would pay them for the courtesy delivery.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2007
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From: Currently somewhere in IL,IN,KY,TN,MO,AR,MS,AL, or FL
You are correct that it is a hidden charge. But it is a hidden charge for everyone. Does it make any sense that one factory worker can install seats better than another but they both get paid the same? No, but those are the union rules and Allied and GM have agreed that everyone should be treated equally when it comes to transporting the car to the final destination.
It does make sense as mentioned earlier that the dealer in Bumfrick Wyoming doesn't have a disadvantage over the dealer in Casper. It also makes sense that it also slightly reduces the price of the car because neither GM nor Allied now have to account for where the cars go. They just have to count them to decide how much GM pays Allied.
It does make sense as mentioned earlier that the dealer in Bumfrick Wyoming doesn't have a disadvantage over the dealer in Casper. It also makes sense that it also slightly reduces the price of the car because neither GM nor Allied now have to account for where the cars go. They just have to count them to decide how much GM pays Allied.
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2002
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From: Pace Florida
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I think it's fair to make it an average amount.
Looking at the repro window sticker for my 70, it was built and sold in St. Louis so the destination charge was $17.50.
Looking at the repro window sticker for my 70, it was built and sold in St. Louis so the destination charge was $17.50.