Very little of what he posted would qualify as actual "truths". It is more like the uneducated ramblings of failing salesmen on the showroom floor complaining they are not getting paid enough! Listened to a lot of that in my time from the soon to be departed.

 

The whole used car market is crazy right now. I kept my 2004 C-5 Vert with 27K miles on it when I took delivery of my C-8 in March 2020. Back then, I couldn't get $20K for the C-5. I now have a current car Fax and it lists my 2004 vert at $26,500. Will plan to sell it this summer as I am retiring and moving to Fla. The new house only has a 2 car garage, I currently have 4 cars.

 

Go ahead and ask me about the time I was ordered to push the dealer's "special" paint sealant with every car I sold. Only $495.00 (back in the 70s). We were then shown how to "demonstrate" the amazing protective qualities of this magical sealant by holding a lit match to the paint and watching the "sealant" turn brown as it "protected" the paint finish. We would then wipe up the residue and "bingo" paint was still in perfect condition. The "Special" paint sealant was nothing more than cheap carnauba paste wax, available at the local five & dime for 99 cents a can. Dealer made a bloody fortune selling a $500.00 con to people buying AMC Gremlins, Pacers, and Hornets; NOT exactly the wealthy. Of course the salesman got nothing and I did not want any part of that anyway. I finally left the business, because I was starting to find it increasingly difficult to look at myself in the mirror. I decided to join the Marine Corps and do something valuable with my life. I did 21 years and never looked back. Best move I ever made.

 

Go ahead and ask me about the time I was ordered to push the dealer's "special" paint sealant with every car I sold. Only $495.00 (back in the 70s). We were then shown how to "demonstrate" the amazing protective qualities of this magical sealant by holding a lit match to the paint and watching the "sealant" turn brown as it "protected" the paint finish. We would then wipe up the residue and "bingo" paint was still in perfect condition. The "Special" paint sealant was nothing more than cheap carnauba paste wax, available at the local five & dime for 99 cents a can. Dealer made a bloody fortune selling a $500.00 con to people buying AMC Gremlins, Pacers, and Hornets; NOT exactly the wealthy. Of course the salesman got nothing and I did not want any part of that anyway. I finally left the business, because I was starting to find it increasingly difficult to look at myself in the mirror. I decided to join the Marine Corps and do something valuable with my life. I did 21 years and never looked back. Best move I ever made.

 

Remined of the ~$350 last minute add-on for "Theft Protection VIN Number Etched on the Windows!" They showed me, it was actually already on the windows. I said thanks, great idea but I'm not paying for it. Recall it took 10 minutes and "supposedly" a call to the dealership owner but I got the car and didn't pay for that "extra!" Have to be prepared to walk!

 

Thank you for your 21 years of service!

I was there in the seventies and $500 for paint sealant was a little higher than I remember anyone getting. Somehow I doubt everyone bought it and paid full price.

I am really not sure why that story is significantly different than today's practice of a $2,000 "paint correction" and "ceramic coating" on a new car straight off the truck at a detailer located in an old garage down an alley. Not even a dealer with overhead who will be there when it wears off next year.

 

Ok to the C8 price haters.
Seriously?

 

Crap. You guys bring up an interesting point. What if the E-ray is really gm's hedge against stricter emission standards resulting in no Z06/ZR-1? That would suck as I am officially team Z06. Only concern is the FPC. I had it in my GT350 and while it's an aesome engine when new, I wonder about long-term reliability. But we have a few years before worrying about that lol.

 

Yep. Prices are still way up. I'm not sure if anyone is paying $120K but you're definitely guaranteed $15-$20k over MSRP. You can take your car to Carmax and make a profit still which is crazy. And that's not speculation. I know a guy. 1LT, Z51. Drove it for 8 months (3,900 miles). Took it there to get a baseline estimate and ended up making the deal. They cut a check for a little over $27K. Subtract 8 months of payments and down payment and that's $15-16K profit for a used car.

Man! I don't mind the elevated prices. But it does create a bubble that is guaranteed to pop.

 

I need to list my 2005 6M Z51 C6 coupe, one-owner and 36,000 miles!

 

I'll be happy to get my 2021 here in the next 8 weeks or so. Sad to see manual transmission go, but as others have said, I'm enjoying the used market, as I have 2 C6Z's. One bone-stock '09 3LZ and an '08 2LZ race car. Bought race car new for 80k in 2007, but paid $40k for the '09 nearly 6 years ago. '09 still only has 35k miles on it and is showroom condition. 7 liter manual transmissions Z06's will be coveted forever. A peruse of Autotrader.com lists 40-50 cars with similar mileage for the same amount that I paid for the car....$40k. I believe that one only goes up from here. Race car is a different story. 700 hp, 2900 #'s, and ridden hard and hung up wet. I don't care what it's worth. I race it. It'll be on it's 3rd engine this fall when it gets cooler here in Florida. Too flipping hot to swap out an engine during the hot months here. My 22 year old daughter will inherit all 3 when I die, and with 15 years left in my "formal" career, I suspect I'll have 3 more high-end Corvettes for her to inherit. 2021 is 3 years and done, as it's just a placeholder. It will be replaced with a C8Z.

 

In the 70s and 80s they use to push undercoatings to prevent rust. I can't recall what they charged, but I'm certain it was a money maker for Dealers. I vaguely recall reading an article in CR where they claimed that not only didn't undercoatings offer rust protection, it actually increased the chance of rust occurring in the undercarriage.

 

In the seventies and before, when I actually saw new Chevrolets rusting on the showroom floor, undercoat was an extremely common dealer addition. The undercoat, when left unattended and un-renewed, would dry out and form pockets in the material. It was possible for water to be trapped in these pockets and ultimately possibly contribute to rust. This was a common refrain sung by ZEBART when they came along and started their marketing.

While some dealers did sell undercoat for rustproofing, my dealerships sold it for the noise deadening benefit which was very real. We also recommended it to be renewed periodically, which people promptly ignored as a "dealer trick". I can never remember getting more than a hundred bucks for the application but I am sure some dealers did.

Of course dealers make money on additional products they sell. Why would they not...they are in the business to make money. No product is 100% profit contrary to those that think they know better but have never owned a business. It would seem you can't win. Offer the consumer an automotive product for their new car and your a bandit! On the other hand I have had people return years after the sale raising Hell because their car rusted and we didn't sell them rustproofing or we didn't etch their windows and their car was stolen!