I’ve read the service department mis-adventures here on the forum. But I’m afraid for future owners when it comes to the sales department.

The major volume dealers, Kerbeck, MacMulkin, etc. do a great job, they’re specialists. Some of the smaller dealers, like Schumacher, where I bought are also way above compennt and have a “Corvette specialist” on site.

I visited a dealer that was way below the bar on all of the above this morning.

Went to the parts department for some touch up paint. Saw a silver C7 on the showroom floor and I HAD to take a look. Turns out it was a car they sold that was returned with 771 miles on the clock. A really odd configuration. It was a 2017 Stingray, with GS hashes on the fenders, no Z51 package, competition seats, A8, with a black (at least) 2LT interior. HUD, suede A pillars & visors. Stock gray painted wheels...full warranty, $65k! When I laughed out loud, a salesman came over to talk with me. He knew nothing about the car or Corvette’s in general.

I gave him a quick primer on Z51, and a few other options then took him outside to compare on my base ‘16 1LT. Even told him about the opportunity and the discount to Spring Mountain (which I imagine will still apply to this car).

He was amazed at how much I knew about the car and I told him, “I bought one, I had to know what I was getting into.” He was a nice enough guy, but I already feel for whomever overpays for a gorgeous but somewhat mismatched C7. But that won’t happen if you...do your homework!

 

NOT that uncommon out in the "real world" of GM dealers, I assure ya... unfortunately. But, I bet they'd sell ya super-duper sealants for everything from the tires to the optional gitchy-goomy and gaseous kryptonite for your tires and maybe the spare, too!!!

 

When I started looking for a GS Collector Edition I did some searches and entered my email to be contacted. I first got form emails almost instantly. The next morning the phone calls started. It was pretty comical. I would tell them that I was looking for a Collector Edition and would get asked what exterior/interior color and what level interior I was interested in. Those were not options on the Collector Edition. The only choice was WGG w/ 3LT tension blue interior.

 

I think it has been well established that there are many sales personnel selling Corvettes that have less knowledge than many of the potential owners. My concern is more with the service department personnel and their skills/knowledge.

 

As long as the buyer knows his/her stuff the salesman's lack of knowledge is usually just more an annoyance, however service techs lack of knowledge is a totally different story.

 

Salesman usually stay on top of the vehicles they sell the most. I bet that salesman could have spoken volumes on that new pickup truck with black wheels.

 

Considering how often this type of thing happens, I often wonder if the salesguy is faking it. Is it part of salesguy training 101? Let the customer show how much he knows? Play dumb?

 

And I wonder if the car was an order. I doubt Bowing Green would mismatch components like that. Comp seats and no spoiler? Just wondering...

 

Car salespersons have many models, and many options to learn about. Some do good, and some don't. Like my brother Dave I have had longer conversations with the Service Writers than I've every had with sales folks. But, like you I'm armed with knowledge of any car I buy, and then have the car ordered. The last time I bought a car straight off the lot was 1995, because like the Vette you looked at the people that orders cars at dealerships do build some strange combinations.

 

1. You have new salesmen that don't know a lot about all the cars but they soon will and also will embarrass themselves a few time before then and could turn out to be great salesmen.

2. You have new salesmen that don't know much about all the cars and don't care to, they will turn over pretty fast.

3. You have seasoned salesmen that know everything about every model.....from 1998....and the new tech and model changes have gotten away from them as it became less important as their sales by in large come from relationships at this point.

You can't judge a whole dealership on the memorization skills of one employee, especially when comparing it to one of your most important passions. No one cares about your Corvette more than you do and I bet there is plenty of stuff he knows more about than you, or any of us, do.

We have such unrealistic expectations it is unreal. Of course, that's just IMO.

 

Expecting someone to know the details about a product they're selling that costs over $60,000 is not an unrealistic expectation. Hell, expecting a salesman to know the details about a $1,000 product they're selling is an expectation

 

Yeah, I hear you, but I have some sympathy for a sales guy who is not up to snuff. Consider: Turnover is high. According to Automotive News, it's 67% per year. So the vast majority of sales guys have been there less than a year. Chevrolet alone has over 30 different vehicles, all with tons of options. The dealership probably sells at least one and probably two other brands as well. The entire dealership might sell two or three Corvettes per year. Now consider that a vette has about 200 options bundled together in very arcane ways, all of which change from year to year.

Compare that to one of us. I'd bet everyone here has pored over that sales brochure and knows every nuance of the Corvette and its options. You know the difference between a 1LT and a 3LT AND the difference between an LT1 and an LT4--in detail. You know the difference between the 2017 2LT and the 2018 2LT, You know all the colors, when they started and when they were discontinued. You know that MSRC was bundled with a spoiler and large tires for 2017, but unbundled for 2018 when everyone got larger tires. Where a salesman is expected to know all the intimate details of about 100 different models, you only need to know the details of one.

It's a hard life. Most of these guys are not Mike Furmans. How about give 'em some slack?

 

It depends on how the sales guy who is trying to sell a vette presents himself. If he doesn't know the product, maybe he shouldn't be attempting to sell it, especially when vette customers are so knowledgeable and passionate. If he's going to step outside of his knowledge base, it probably shouldn't be with the brand's halo car.

If he presents himself as saying he can help, but hey, i'm not the vette specialist, is acceptable, and i would be happy if he kept me company while waiting for the dealer vette specialist if need be. But don't try to b.s. me.

 

If you know everything why do you even need a salesman? He's just an order taker. Surely you don't need him to teach you about the car! Just have him take your offer to management and walk if you don't get your price. End-of-story. Lest you think I'm being sarcastic, that's exactly what I did. I printed out a list of the RPO codes and said, "Order me this car." No one had to "sell" me anything and there was no B.S. to be had. It was a pleasant transaction, too. Nothing the least bit antagonistic about it. So I agree with OP. Do your homework. If you have to ask what the difference is between a 1LT and a 2LT, then you're not ready to buy the car. If you're just messing with the sales guy, as some have indicated here, then you're the customer from hell. Shame on you.

 

Many buyers are not educated and somebody will buy that car and pay too much.
Believe it or not, some don't care if they get a great deal, or even a good one! My father is that way. Salesmen love him. I gave up trying to coach him long ago.
Active forum members are generally very well educated from what I have seen. I've learned a lot here.

 

My hat's off to those who come to this forum to ask questions. Lots of knowledge here, sometimes a little biased, but always helpful.

 

I agree, but at least know the cars on your showroom floor. Especially the most expensive one...

 

What is the correlation between the price and the expected knowledge. There may be 3 guys who know everything about the Corvette down to the weight and density of each nut and bolt but they were busy when you came in that day and you got the guy who just needed a job because he got laid off his neurosurgery gig due to downsizing, you think he gives a care whether or not the LT1 engine hits 400 ft lbs of torque before 3300 RPMs, which you are concerned about because you don't like the resonance at 3100 and don't want to rev your wax mobile over 3500 because you read on the internet longevity goes down exponentially over that?

Point is, just buy the car if it's the one you want and stop making things more complicated than they need to be. Are you going to walk on the deal because the person who made it to the front door first doesn't know as much as you do about whatever car? Doubtful. You aren't in the market for a salesman, you are buying a car. Let the guy print your paperwork so you can sign them and take your car back to park in the garage.