montanaman

Hello all. I've been looking for a summer sports car here in Montana and was close to buying a new Mustang GT but they've got some serious issues over there so I'm now over here where I should have been all along. I've always liked Corvettes ( except some in the late 90's) but never thought the C7's with any goodies were in financial reach.

Local dealer has been sitting on a Torch red, 1LT ZR1 with a couple thousand miles on the clock. It has some of the carbon bits ( spoiler and mirrors) and a black hood stripe. With the black wheels ( I usually don't like them ) it is a stunning car and it seems to be optioned well enough. It has the infotainment deal but no Nav which is no biggy. Anything I need to look for other than the usual used car stuff ? The car was put in to service a little less than a year ago so it still has a couple years warranty. The CarFax is clean with the car being serviced by the dealer ( oil ) at 2k miles and a windshield wiper pump and seatbelt latch replaced. Other than that the car is clean. We are in the negotiating stage but it looks like a go. He's a little high on price and that " this is the price" rap has got to go. Everything is negotiable and cars change value daily so I just ignore that line. Values on cars like this change daily.

Any major recalls or TSB's that applied to this year? Is it worth paying little more for the car that has the ZR1 package? I loved the exhaust notes ( adjustable) and the rev match with the 7 speed is awesome. I took it for a 10 mile test drive and was pretty blown away. I've driven my buddies new Z06 so I know what thats all about ( too much for my old ***) and the handling on this ZR1 excellent and comparable to my old 2005 911S. It's that good. Not wild about red seats but I can look past it. Other than that I think the car is about as set up as if I were ordering a new one right down to the color. Any reason not to pull the trigger?

Thanks. Looks like a great forum. I'll get some pics up next week if I get it.

rrsperry

Ok, ZR1? I don't think so... Maybe Z51? The ZR1 is a 2019 new car and is priced at about $130K Just saying...
Anyway.. good luck.

montanaman

Sorry got the ZR1 thing confused with the Z51 thing. It's Z51..

ricks327

Have you checked Cargurus or AutoTrader websites? There are still 2017 new Corvettes and some great prices on 2018 & 2019 models.

Foosh

When a sales dept. says, "this is the price," and doesn't fold after pushing a little harder, it's the clearly the bottom line number the dealer sales manager will sell that vehicle for today. You have to be prepared to walk away and perhaps lose the opportunity to purchase that car when someone who has to have it comes along and snags it. Two weeks, a month, or several months later, that price will invariably go lower, if it's still there.

Mayor111

I was in your exact position a few months back. First Ill say, ANY C7 is an amazing car regardless of options and packages. Its going to come down to what you want. Are you looking for a show car? A Sunday cruiser? A fun daily driver? Or even a race / track car? The answer to these questions will help determine whats right for you.

Im going to take a guess and assume you're not buying a Vette to race it, based on your "old" comment in your post. The C7 comes with (3) options - 1LT (base option package), 2LT, (nicely optioned package) and the 3LT (fully loaded package). The Z51 is a performance upgrade, with bigger brakes, bigger tires, dry sump oil, upgraded exhaust and 5HP more (460HP total). The Z51 makes a Vette very similar to the Grand Sport model (which is a step up from the Z51) cause it adds some body upgrades. You then can go to a Z06 that gets you a supercharged engine, 650HP and is a pure beast. Of course there's the ZR1 but based on your post, I really dont think your looking at $140k sports car with 755HP.

So there you have it. I bought a 2014 Z51 / 3LT / 7-spd and I could not be happier. It was everything I was looking for. I think the Z51 is the perfect mix between the base model and the Grand Sport. Im sure others here will offer their opinion and options they feel are best.

The only thing Ill say about THAT car you are looking at is 1) if you dont like the color today, you wont like it tomorrow either - any reason you can start searching for a color combo you do like? 2) If the price is high, then move on, its only a 1LT, so its not optioned enough to warrant a high price and you said you would "deal" with the color"...do you really want to do that AND overpay for the car? If you want to post the details around the price, Im sure folks here will help you determine if its fair or not.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Rebel Yell

Great advise from the mayor here. If this is "The Car", and if everyone's happy with the deal made you should take her home. But, and this is a big but, If it's not extremely close to what suits you, you will always be wondering if you should have waited. Being in Montana (I take it from your user name you are in Montana) I understand that the pickings may be limited, as that's a damn big beautiful state with not many people there. But I still suggest patience if you are not all the way happy with this car. Remember, you can always have a car shipped to your door if you find the right car at the right price. And depending on the price of this car you could possibly save money even if you do need to use a shipper.

Like the Mayor said, give us some numbers. We can tell better if it's a good price.

Jim

BTW, if it wasn't so dad-gum cold in Montana during the winter I'd move there in a skinny minute.

montanaman

Thanks for the advice. It took awhile to get a handle on the different configurations but I think I got it. I don't want a Z06. My buddy has one and I've driven it and it's an incredible car. A bit to much power for me and the cost is too high for me as well. I like the Z51 option as it is really the performance version of the stock car. The Grand Sport is also nice but more $ for a wider body. The car the dealer here has is optioned the way I would order it. I'm good with the LT1 package and red would be my first choice of body. Red interior I can live with. As far as price I've done a lot of looking from Montana to Arizona and there are many, many choices. There are slightly used 18's. New 18's, New 19's, 17's etc. Dealer here is a bit high at 52k regardless of mileage. At that price I'd just order a new 2019 base for 56k and be in a new car. The "fixed" price rap is BS. Even their own website has an option to ask for "price updates". Why would they have that if the price isn't fixed? I get it that everyone needs to eat but I'm just going to tell the dealer that this might be a car they are not going to see much if any profit on. They took the car in trade and sold the guy a new something else so I'm sure they came out ahead there.

I'm going to see it cleaned up tomorrow with my checkbook. I'm ready to buy. We'll see how bad they want to sell a car they've been sitting on for a year in an area that is not sports car central.

Any major recalls or TSB's on this vintage?

montanaman

Yes I am lucky enough to be retired young ( 57) and live on the Flathead Lake in Kalispell Montana. Might be one of the prettiest places I've ever seen and I've been around. This car will be on the road here during summer months only. There are wide open roads with very high speed limits and very few people. The po po population is also slim so with a good radar detector one can use almost all of one of what these cars have under the hood. Biggest issue here are critters on the road.

Dealer wants $51,700 which is high/mid end of KBB and Edmunds. NADA is a bit higher. They've had the car for almost a year and it's been sitting. Once labor day comes and goes here the market for cars like this falls off a cliff. I'm going to walk in with a check for 45k and a list of good reasons as to why that is what I am willing to pay. If they say no then the ball is in their court. I go to Phoenix in 3 months for the winter and there are dozens of these cars there. Would I like to have the car now to enjoy the last few months of good weather? Sure I would but I'm willing to wait if they don't want to move off their 'fixed" price.

Thanks again

Patman

At almost 52k that doesn't sound like much of a deal, like you said, you could get a new 2019 for 56k. If you can get it for 45k, that's much better, but if they won't come this low, walk away.

ricks327

I agree, the dealer price is high, especially if it has been sitting for a lengthy time. Good luck in your search.
My son lives in Dayton, Mt and he sent me an article the other day where a momma grizzly and her 2 cubs were killed near Ronan. I'm still amazed at the 70MPH speed limit on secondary roads.

montanaman

The car I am looking at came with Nitto Invo tires. Is that normal and are they any good? Not even sure if they are run flats or not.

SilverGhost

The 19 doesn't have the gas tank issue, the '17 might. check with the dealer to see if it has the 17469 warranty.

17469 GM warranty

2000 miles first oil change? there is an extremely important (as in GM pays extra for it) oil change on z51's at 500 miles. it is supposed to flush out some sealant that ends up in the dry sump when the engine is built. I don't know if I would want sealant to have become a permanent part of the engine if the dealer waited 2000 miles to change the oil. GM didn't want it to be in there.

Just last week someone posted on the forum that they found a black Z51 2017 brand new, 3LT on an ohio dealers lot. a $79,000 car for $49,000. If it was still there, it should be $48,000 now, because GM upped the cashback to $4,000 on leftover '17's in august.

I agree with you on the red, but you are looking at a used for more than some dealers are still offering new 2017's for. close is tempting, but its a long ride home in a used when I coulda got new car for the same money.

SilverGhost

RUN! the previous owner smoked the original, much more expensive Michelin Z51- optimized, really track but allowed on street tires, and then put the el cheapos on - Nittos NON RUN FLAT. And a broken seat belt latch repaired? That horse been run hard and hung up wet to dry, pardner.
The REAL Z51 tires

montanaman

Yep 70 mph on most secondary roads and any ticket below 10mph over the limit is a 25 dollar roadside fine. No points no paper work. Try that in California. They just repaved Highway 93 from the north end of the lake all the way down to Polson. 45 miles of perfect lake view twisty's posted at 70mph. It's unbelievable. Saw the story about the grizzly bears. There's a bunch of those here. More than they know.

montanaman

Wow thanks..I think. So your saying the original owner beat the hell out of the car and smoked through a set of tires in 2200 miles? That's not good. So no 2017's C7's came stock with Nitto tires? IF that's the case I'll continue shopping.

jimmbbo

There are plenty of new C7s still on the lot with full factory warranties at great prices... AND buying new from the dealer means you can do the Ron Fellows owners' course at Spring Mountain for $1000... (SM gets well deserved rave reviews and should be on the list for anyone wanting to get the most out of their C7).
As posted, make/model/options depend on the intended use... A common observation after doing Spring Mountain is that if you don't plan to track the car, you'll never use the "Z" and GS vettes to their potential, and even the "base" Stingray can't fully unwind on the street (legally). A corollary to Murphy's law states that the more systems and parts you add to a car, the more likely it will need maintenance or repair...
For me, a manual transmission was a must have, along with the 2LT package for the toys and tech I wanted (IMO the value added wasn't there for the 3LT), and since I will infrequently track the car, the '17 Stingray I found on the lot was the perfect fit, and I got that car for a couple of grand more than a similarly equipped '18 Mustang GT Premium.

Thunder22

no vette ever came stock with nitto tires.

Keep shopping.

Look at Mike Furman's inventory at Criswell Chevrolet, he ships all over the country, most of his sales are out of state. you won't be sorry....

etaylor14

As far as I know ALL Corvettes come from the factory with RUN FLAT TIRES, Big RED FLAG for me....

ricks327

As a follow-up to my earlier suggestion, I checked on Autotrader.com and there were 4 or 5 2018-19 convertibles within 500 miles of the Detroit area that ranged from 57 to 59k. Not knowing your budget and desires on model (base, Z51, etc.) and options, if you haven't checked their websites I would encourage you to do so.
Rick