markcz

I've decided to order myself a 2LT Z51 coupe

I ordered an '07 and did R8C, and I've been surfing this forum for over 10 years, so I pretty much know how this works.

At least I thought I did

I just called two local dealers (instead of driving 150 miles to Atlanta) to ask if they would accept my GM Supplier Discount and if they had any open Z51 allocations for this week.

Dealer 1 said 'probably' for the supplier discount and 'we can order whatever you want'. When I further explained how I thought the allocations worked and informed him that Z51 was limited to 60% this week, the response was "uhhhhhhh". I politely asked him to check on both and asked that he called me back when he knew for sure.

Dealer 2 said 'definitely' for the discount and seemed to think that 'sold orders' could be placed at any time by any dealer. I asked about the 60% Z51 constraint and he said he had to check with the guy who usually handles vette orders.

Both of those calls were about an hour ago, and neither have called back yet. To me it seems like it shouldn't be too hard to find out if they had an allocation available, which I'm sure would result in an immediate call telling me to come on over.

Is it the same now as it was in '07 and these guys just don't know how BG does business, or has it changed?

TIA for any helpful replies.

Rooster OG

Your absolute best starting point is going to be calling one of the forum dealers. These guys have inventory right now, are giving good discounts and definitely have allocations if you want to custom order. At least start with Kerbeck, MacMulkin, Furman, Conti or Fichtner and see what they are willing to do, then if you really feel the need to beat your head against the wall with your local guy, you have something to negotiate with.

Congrats and good luck!

markcz

To get my first vette I flew to Detroit and drove it home to SC (used '01 in 2003). For my '07 I made the 500 mile trek to BG to do R8C. And for my current '12 I drove 150 miles to Atlanta. I'd really like to stay local this time if I can use my supplier discount and get one ordered within a few weeks.

Local dealer #3 just called me back inside of 5 minutes. Said they couldn't order another vette until Jan 20. Does that mean they know what their allocations are at least two weeks in advance?

One more local dealer to try....

Glen e

if you are gonna get it from your local dealer,

Never make calls or email, dealers just don't usually respect those modes of communication. Go to the dealer and ask for the sales manager. start your quest from there. Guys that "meet" you on the floor or take "up" phone calls are usually at the bottom of the rung, the good guys that know the score are busy doing deals....

rmorin1249

I agree it is better to negotiate face to face but the big forum dealers do a lot of business over the phone and internet. I ordered from Mike Furman at Criswell and am very very happy with the deal and Mike's service. He knows Corvettes and will be honest with you. The other forum dealers have good reputations as well. If you are fortunate enough to find a car on the lot or in transit that meets your needs your negotiating power just went up. Discounts up to 12% are possible but around 8% is about the best you can get on an ordered car. The forum dealers have no problems with allocations most of the time even if your car has constrained options but you need to verify that the ordered has been accepted and is scheduled for production quickly. If it is not, then there is a problem. Good luck. This forum has lots of folks with tons more experience than me as this is my first Corvette but this forum helped me avoid a big mistake when I tried to deal with a local dealer who was feeding me a big plate of BS.

LIStingray

Z51's are typically just below 60% of sales, so a 60% constraint on Z51 makes it essentially a non-issue.

Sydwayz

Are you planning on doing R8C/Museum Delivery on your new car?
If so, just go to one of the forum preferred dealers and do the deal over the phone.

markcz

I'm willing to pay the published Supplier price (about $6k off MSRP) for the exact car that I want. I don't care if the janitor orders it for me, but I would like to get my order in ASAP. I'd think that ANY salesman should jump at the chance to sell a vette given the opportunity.

When I ordered my '07 I originally placed a deposit with a then forum dealer. I was promised an open allocation within a week or two, so after getting strung along for over a month I cancelled my order, drove to Atlanta, and had my order pulled that week. Sometimes bigger isn't always better, and the little guys usually appreciate the business more.

Local dealer #4 (last on my list for an easy drive) again said that a 'sold' order would go in today without issues, but then said he "couldn't order against the constraints". He's checking on the Z51 and will call me back

I understand that, but my original question still stands.....

Can any dealer now place a 'sold order' at any time as long as the available 60% for the week haven't been claimed, or do they still need an available BG issued Z51 allocation?

No R8C this time, I'd just like to buy a car within 50 miles of where I live for a change

Zymurgy

Any dealer must have an allocation that includes Z51 in order to place an order with Z51 against that allocation. This is not just something that BG does. The allocation process spans the entire GM product line. Outside of the Corvette, people seldom "order" cars to be built (I am an exception, as all of my cars are factory orders - never taken one off the lot).

The 60% Z51 constraint is a nationwide figure. However, each dealer is given an exact number of allocations in each consensus cycle that allow any constrained items.

The person(people) at the dealership that actually enters orders should be aware of all of this. Most sales people are clueless (the exception being most of the forum dealers sales staff). Do what Glen e said, start at the Sales Manager.

markcz

Thank you, that's exactly how I thought it was.


The 4 local and 2 semi-local dealers I've called so far today have proven that to be a very true statement.

So far only 1 of the 6 would admit to me that they didn't have an allocation this week, but he also said he would have one on Jan 20

4 of the 6 said they'd call right back, but haven't. 3 of them for over 2 hours now.

1 just called and said the plant was still shut down (opened on 1/4 I believe) and 'the ordering system' wouldn't even be back up until at least next week (Zymurgy has already posted the constraints for the week of 1/7, so I'm guessing the system is doing just fine), but he'd be happy to put my order in now. I asked him to call me when he has a confirmed Z51 allocation.

Unless the Corvette Gods drop a local Z51 allocation into my lap before dinner time I'll be calling a forum dealer at some point this weekend

Strake

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