C7s

Wondering if a dealer can show something to prove they have an allocation. Lots say they can order me a car but how do I trust it won't just sit there waiting for an allocation? Any proof I can ask for?

Glen e

no, not if the dealer wants to lie to you....like it or not, it's gm/dealer business, not for the public....

Corgidog1

When I order I plan on putting the following note in the order.

"If not at status 2000 within 3 wks. of date of order, order is invalid and deposit is returned" If they do not want to put this in, no sale.

1SG_Ret

If you can determine where your dealer ranks in Corvette sales, that will tell you a lot. Mine was second largest in state so allocations were not a problem.

Someone posted a list of the top 100 in the nation.

magredrod

I see you're in Pittsburgh. I'm in TN and bought my car from Rick Conti just outside Columbus, OH last year at Coughlin Chevrolet. Great experience buying it over this forum from him in under 10 mins and well under MSRP. No question about him having allocation. Since you're so close I thought you might want to consider using him if you're running into any allocation concerns. I spec'ed my car with ten options. He had allocation when local dealers didn't. Car was built in 6 wks and sitting at the NCM for me to take delivery.

Good luck in whatever direction you choose.

Rod

Harry2

Wow, this car is so popular that in year two, in the dead of winter, future owners are still having to play the allocation game with their local dealers. I had to play this same game with my Z51 order for many months before it finally arrived last summer, but thought by now that the order process had vastly improved.
Good luck to the future owners, and know that once your Vette finally arrives you will love it!

markk1

You may get better advice from others, but from my experience last year trying to order (and actually receive) a 2014 C7, I found through the Forum that I should talk directly with the Sales Manager at the dealership. After dancing around my questions a bit, and after me asking specific questions about his allocations, constraints, etc. and receiving straight answers, I did the math and realized that if I did not jump ship to a high-volume Corvette dealer, I appeared to have a 50-50 chance of getting a 2014 Z51 built with them. The helpful item he provided was their internal waiting list which showed the pending orders and all the order codes so I could see who had constrained items (mainly Z-51).

Since I had waited about 47 years to own a Corvette, those were not good odds in my opinion. When I cancelled my order, I made sure he understood that I intended to have all my service done there, but did not want to wait.

I would suggest that you talk to the Sales Manager in person, ask specific questions about his/her allocations, especially and specifically about constrained items on your order (they may get an allocation that does not include the constrained item(s), which still leaves you hanging). Read the body language, eye contact, and the answers. You will likely leave that meeting knowing where you stand.

All that said, if the dealer is misleading or worse, dishonest, I would take my business elsewhere anyway (even pay a little more).

BRCC

At the start of the model year the dealer is given a projection of how many allocations they will get, however, in which weeks they will get them is up to GM. The individual that handles GM Workbench and the GSM should know the total allocation, now the main thing is how many do they have left and when will your order be applied during consensus. I would ask the GSM not the salesman. As stated they don't have to show anything because it's between them and GM, but a honest dealer will provide all the above information.

markk1

Good way to do it for those "non-refundable" deposit orders...

fdxpilot

Part of the problem is the total allocation for the year. If a dealer is expecting less than about 20 corvettes for the year, he won't get an allocation every consensus cycle. GM tends to spread them out over the year. So if a dealer is only expecting 5 cars for the year, they will probably only get to order one every other month. The existence of a sold order in the dealer's computer doesn't mean that GM will instantly grant them an allocation.

Rd16rr

i ordered mine from my local chevy dealer on the corner - he was up front about everything, and even though he was/is a very low volume dealer, my order was accepted, and i was given a TPW (03/09/15) - they explained a little to me about the process, but the bottom line i got from it was this: they have an interest in getting the car for me, its called "the sale and the profit associated with it"...while they freely admitted that their low volume status may make it hard, but they also said they know all too well how the system works, and if there was a way, they would get me one....soon they advised me that there were constraints, but they were even somewhat confident for me not to give up....they knew what they had to do to get the CFV (Ground Effects Pkg, carbon visible) even though it looked grim (only a 1 chance in 170 they'd be able to get it)...they then went on to say, that another dealer evidently did not pick up their allocation for that particular constraint and they snatched it up.....

so...moral of the story is, your local guy can in fact make it happen...it just depends how determined they are, with a little luck on their side....

Harvette

I was reading my order sheet and it says priority 5. Does anyone know what this means? Thanks Craig

LIE2ME

I wrote my contract with very much the same language and am glad I did, for as so many others here have experienced, my dealer lied to me about having allocation. After the agreed upon wait, the dealer had no choice but to give me my money back. I went out that very day and purchased my 2014 C7 convertible off the showroom floor of an out of state dealership...

Ernest_T

I've seen discussions here about that priority and no one was certain what it means and it seemed to have very little effect on getting an order filled.

silversmoke1957

When I ordered my 2015, the dealer entered the order into the order entry system while I sat in the office with him. After completing the order entry, he printed a copy of the order for me showing the order was at event code 2000. It's the only definitive way that I know to make certain the dealer has an allocation for your order.

If the dealer can't do this for you then, at best, he is just hoping that he will have an allocation at some future time that he can use for your order. At worst, he could be intentionally deceiving you in the hopes of holding on to your deposit for an extended time period.

An alternative, but less certain, is to do as others in this thread have suggested. Put wording in the sales contract that if your order has not gone to event code 2000 or beyond in two weeks or less, then the contract is void and your deposit is to be returned. Only problem that I see with that is getting the dealer to promptly return your deposit. In my personal experience, getting a refund from a dealer in less than 30 days is difficult to impossible.

stillcrazy

when I ordered my C6 back in 06, I had no idea how the system worked. I discovered thanks to Rick Conti how the system worked. Then discovered that the dealer didn't have an allocation, Lucky for me I had an in with the company. That person along with myself put an extream amount preasure on the company. I finally got my car but only after a lot threats. I believe to this day they got a allocation from another company just to get me off their backs.

vettetwo

The priority numbers are assigned by the dealer and is their way of keeping track of the sequence they want to move the orders into an available allocation. The dealer must move the order into an allocation slot when the opportunity is presented to them without constraint for that slot.

Ask your salesman to see a report titled "View My Preliminary Orders" and you will see the orders that are at 1100 and the date they reached that level. Have the salesman explain the entries to you so you can understand how they are using the Priority numbers. Ask for another report a few weeks later and you can begin to see the pattern of moving orders beyond 1100. An allocation without constraint is needed for the dealer to move the order beyond 1100.

There may be orders on the report that were entered into Workbench on an earlier date with a higher Priority number, but those are usually ordered for Inventory.

C7s

Thanks everyone for the great info! One more question, once an order reaches 2000, can a dealer cancel? I was wondering if I placed multiple orders I can go with whoever reaches 2000 first and cancel others.

Zymurgy

No. Once at 2000, the car is going to get built. The dealer can't cancel the order. They can change the order (within constraints). That's not to say you can't cancel your agreement with the dealer. Depends on how your contract (or deposit agreement or whatever you have) is written.

C7s

Ok, until what stage can an order be changed?