Greetings to all:

My wife and I are in the market for our first Corvette. Our local dealer has given us information which contradicts what i have been reading here. If one of the members doesn't mind could you clarify a few points? First, the dealer has told us that GM has not set the MSRP for the Corvette as of yet and though he will guarantee we will pay only MSRP he doesn't know what that will be. Secondly, orders are not being taken and the deposit - $5k - is only a "place holder" for our spot in line. Our order will be submitted once we get closer to production in several months. Of course, looking through this forum I see members with order numbers and Excel spreadsheets with pricing. I get the feeling i should be looking elsewhere. We would love to become the proud owners of a C7....any suggestions?

 

Art, Welcome to the forum.

I'm afraid that your dealer is a little off the mark with his facts.

Just clarify for us whether you are looking at a coupe or a convertible.

The MSRP is set, and public and widely available here on the forum.

For example, here is a thread where you can download an Excel spreadsheet and plug in your model and options and get the MSRP for your car as desired:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c7-g...7-pricing.html

Production timing for the coupe is likely measured right now in weeks, not months. The coupe order system has been active on the dealer network for months. Many of us have orders submitted with order numbers. Orders for Convertibles are slated to be able to be submitted later this week.

Use this link and check if the dealer you are talking to is eligible to accept orders for the initial allocation of the 2014 Corvette Stingray:

http://www.chevrolet.com/new-2014-co.../specs/specs_1

Just click on the "View Authorized Dealers" link at the bottom right and enter your zip code. Your dealer or salesman may just be underinformed but they may also not be eligible for initial orders and as such attempting to string you along until they can later in the model year.

 

Paul (talon90) is being very kind when speaking of your dealer. Run, don't walk, away from that dealer as quickly as possible. Your dealer is clueless. Also, a $5,000 deposit is totally unreasonable. $1,000 would be more typical. Also, make sure any deposit is 100% refundable.

Including your location in your profile would help us point you to some reasonable dealers. Also, strongly consider using a forum dealer with courtesy delivery or Museum delivery.

 

Hello talon90,

Happy to join the group...lots of terrific information here. Thanks for the quick reply and the links. The SoCal dealer we are attempting to work with is on the list for pre-orders. He has told us he has confirmed orders for 50% of his allocation - 25 cars total. To answer your question, we are looking for the convertible. I do understand that convertible production will begin sometime after the coupe and delivery will be later this year. The dealer is aware that the timing works for us so i do not understand his misdirection. I'll bring him up to speed when we speak tomorrow. Not how i wanted to start a relationship though.

 

The MSRP has been set for months. Orders have been taken months ago. If 5K place holder is not a deposit against the car, the dealer is adding 5K to MSRP. If your dealer has been told how many cars he will be able sell (allocations) and has been given the OK to submit some orders (consensus), then the dealer can/should have placed orders.

Bottom line, your dealer is trying to screw you. Forget he is alive and find another dealer.

 

Well, based on what you have told me it isn't as bad as I originally thought. The problem is twofold. First, his 25 allocations are for the next 6 to 9 months of produciton so in his case, it may be months even for the coupes that he is offering. The larger the dealer and the more Corvettes they sold last year determines how many of the initial cars they will get for this year. To frame that for you, the largest dealer is getting 500, the second largest is getting around 250 for the first 6 to 9 months of Stingray production. During the allocation cycle that largest dealer is going to be getting cars two to one over the next largest dealer and in some cases five to one over smaller dealers. Only 900 dealers out of the estimated 3,000 dealerships will even be allowed to order them initially.

The convertible production isn't slated to start for months yet it was always listed as a late availability model with first customer deliveries in the late fourth quarter, early first quarter.

I have no idea why he may have told you what he did about pricing. GM announced pricing on April 26th. You might share this GM press release with your dealer:

http://media.gm.com/content/media/us...e-pricing.html

 

art_m

I can't stress enough the importance of looking beyond your local dealership. He may be great, but... my experience was that the local dealer was; a) clueless about Corvettes (didn't know answers, was slow to get answers, guessed at some answers), and b) he was gonna waaaay overcharge me.

Look here, CF Dealer Sponsors. These dealers do a huge volume of Corvette business, know the Corvette and C7 situation in detail, and they give much better prices than local, small Corvette volume, dealerships. Tip: Get more than one quote from CF sponsors, even sponsor dealerships vary in price and availability.

I ordered from Kerbeck, who isn't even on the list above , is said to be #1 in Corvette sales, and I know they are CF sponsors. Quick, knowledgeable, and thousands less expensive. I can personally recommend Dave at Kerbeck.

You can pick up your new Corvette at the NCM - highly recommended! See the museum, tour the factory, and then enjoy beautiful scenery on a leisurely drive home while sightseeing in your new Corvette. It's an awesome experience!!!

Or, they can ship your new Corvette fully prep'ed to your home for a few hundred bucks, just a fraction of the savings versus buying from an overpriced local dealership. I ship antique cars regularly, it is safe, do not fear this option.

At least check with some CF sponsor dealers, you owe it to yourself.

BTW - My local dealer gratefully services my Corvette even though it was not bought there. The new car salesmen may tell you otherwise (another lie).

Enjoy the new Corvette.

Cheers,
JB

 

Hi Art,

Welcome to the forum. As i live in SoCal also, let me point out a few things in our neck of the woods. Before I ordered my C7 from a forum dealer, I checked out every SoCal dealer in a 75 mile radius of LA. I just bought a C6 '13 in Feb. from my local dealer in Valencia. When I picked it up, I asked them what will they be selling the C7's for? There answer was $7500-10k OVER MSRP. The dealer owner "Mike" said that's been that way every new introduction since C3's and they aren't changing making money for a hot car.

You will find out very quickly that all of the dealers in the LA/San Diego are not selling them for just MSRP. Give Mike Furman a call at Criswell Chevy in MD. He will hook you up. Here's his number 301-212-4420. Good luck...

 

Kerbeck is very much on the list.

 

Here you go. I bought mine here and he is a Forum member and an honest man..I recommend.

 

Oh yeah, Mike's on the list.

 

Welcome Art.

I'm a newcomer myself & have found the forum members here to be incredibly helpful with information & recommendations.

I live in So. Cal. as well. After checking local dealers, I ordered thru Tim Boone at Boardwalk Chevrolet in Redwood City, CA.(Bay Area). Like the others recommended, he is a forum sponsor with a sizeable allocation. I chose him largely based upon his reputation on this forum and I have not been disappointed.

Looking forward to picking up my coupe around October and driving back along PCH.

 

I agree, however, the dealer is not clueless, they are assuming that you are. You are the customer and it's your money. You tell them what you want to do. Everything is negotiable here. Find a different dealer.

 

Good luck! Suggestion - if you're not using one of the dealers recommended by the above, make sure that the sales order specifically states that the deposit (shouldn't be more than $1,000) is refundable and that the actual agreed upon price/fees are clearly stated.
It's not unusual for a new car's price (MSRP) to go up a couple of percent after introduction so just stating "At MSRP" could mean at the time of delivery to you.

 

Click on the link I provided, a search of CF sponsors that are identified as car dealers. Kerbeck does not appear in the results. I suspect it is an oversight or data entry error.

 

Not entirely true. I'm buying my C7 coupe from Bob Stall Chevrolet in La Mesa (just outside San Diego) for MSRP with a $1,000 fully refundable deposit. My preliminary order is already in place and I expect it to be finalized in the next allocation. They still have convertible allocation, I believe.

This will be my first Corvette, too, and I will be taking Museum delivery because I want the TOTAL experience.

You might also consider attending your local Corvette Club meetings. I have been for the past several months and even though I can't be a member until I have my Corvette, the folks there have been very friendly and welcoming. And they've been a wealth of information.

Whatever you decide, art_m, good luck and enjoy your new 'Vette.

See you on the road and don't forget to wave.

 

Not sure what you searched on but I found them in the list when I searched Kerbeck and I also found them in alphabetical order when I searched using "Show all vendors".

 

A dealer that says that GM has not set MSRP yet is clueless (or a liar). Either way, not a good sign.

 

They would have to be a liar at this stage, which is my point. How could a dealership possibly not know the pricing of this car, when everyone else in the world knows. Unscrupulous to say the least. A good dealership would be there to help the customer through the process without trying to take advantage of their lack of information, but provide it instead.

Furthermore, I would report this kind of thing to GM. Yes, the 'dealers' are independent franchises, however, if GM receives enough reports of this kind of behavior, a dealer may find himself becoming a 'budget lot' very quick as GM could revoke their franchise rights.

 

I saw Kerbeck there to.

As a way to help the OP find someone to order a C7 from, I limited my search and the link provided to "Car Dealers" - note the search fields, see it here again: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/vend...php?category=5

Cheers,
JB