I traded in my 2014 C7 back in 2017 for my Kryption Green Camaro SS due to lower back issues. Those were solved by surgery 6 months later.

In 2020, I placed my first C8 order for Arctic White. Then cancelled it. I didn't want white anymore and IMO there weren't cool colors like Krypton Green or Shock available.

I visited my local dealership to order my Accelerate Yellow Metallic C8 yesterday... again.

I've been doing business with them for over 22 years and have purchased nearly 30 vehicles from them and responsible for close to 400 vehicles being purchased by friends and family over that time as well.

I was told... "We can order you a Stingray, but it will be at least a year AND we're selling them for $10K over MSRP. Yes, you're a great customer and we appreciate your business and the people you've referred, but you'll pay the $10k premium like everyone else."

My reply was, "You're going to be one of 'those' dealerships after all these years?"

Their reply, "Yes, we ARE one of 'those' dealerships." I walked.

I can handle waiting a year or more cuz maybe they'll have some new color options for 2024 and I can change from Accelerate Yellow Metallic to something cooler.

I got home and made a phone call to a different dealership, who were more than happy to sell me their newly arrived 2022 3LT Accelerate Yellow Metallic Convertible C8 with nearly every option in the brochure(most of which are cool, but useless to me IMO) for $125,000, just a mere $25k over MSRP. Nope.

I made one more call to another dealership. They said roughly 12-18 month wait and MSRP + ttl AND no dealer "mark-up" cuz they don't believe in gouging customers. I'm now on "The List". They may be 2 hours away, but I'm not going to let my home dealership or any other be profiteers off of my hard earned money. It also looks like I've found a new home dealership as well.

Yes, it's the free market and I understand dealerships need to make a profit, BUT... there's a difference between profit and price gouging.

Below is a render of what I'm waiting to order when my turn comes up... a 2LT Z51 with all the bells and whistles I wanted and none I don't...

 

Good move walking, they aren't the only game in town.

 

Good luck. There are many on here choosing to wait. Here is a list of dealers who are charging MSRP or not. Many are on more than one list. In the meantime, enjoy the wait with the rest of us.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ock-units.html

 

If you want one soon, pay the markup, if you can wait...don't. Simple.

Dealers don't have loyalty, even if you did end up purchasing/referring 400 vehicles worth of sales to them...doesn't matter. Cash is king, plain and simple.

 

Amen to that!

When I bought my first car there, they once told me... A happy customer tells 10 people, an unhappy customer tells 100.

Guess what?

 

Yep, I saw that post and that's why I made that second phone call.

 

Seems like you're making good decisions. The C8 is a blast and worth the wait. I just crossed 7,000 miles on mine this weekend and I'm still lovin' it.

 

That's just the problem with what dealers are doing now will affect future sales when the market goes back to normal. Vette's are often toys for us - most of us have daily's that these dealerships are losing sales on. Also being car guys, we often have influence when asked for advice from family and friends.

We'll remember who was at MSRP and who was playing these games on future purchases. I know my local dealer that I was loyal to for 20+ years lost all of mine, my families, and my friends business by having a $40k markup.

 

Welcome to the new normal. I'll make a suggestion that you should also get on another wait list with either MacMulkin or Ciocca. Both of them sell at MSRP (no doc fees with MM), and they don't play any games. Another common issue with dealers has been a last second markup when taking delivery of the car. If you have everything riding on one waitlist, you'll be screwed if this happens to you. The other really important part of being on a secondary list, do NOT cancel your deposit with the second car until the first one is in your driveway.

 

It's funny that I had called 2 Chevy dealerships within 25 miles of me that are well known for Corvette sales in my area. Both wanted $25K over MSRP, with a year waiting list. I called my local Chevy dealer in town last since they tend to do more volume sales of SUVs and Trucks. I've dealt with them for over 17 years now. I asked the new car sales manager what my chances of getting a 2022 C8 at MSRP, he said no problem. He said there was no waiting list, so chances were pretty good if I wanted to place a deposit same day. Within 3.5 months of that initial conversation, I took delivery of my C8. Miracles do happen.

Hang in there and be patient. You'll eventually find and get the C8 that you really want.

 

I had a similar experience called my local figured there was a long list and they would have a markup , they had one ahead of me on the list received mine four months after deposit. It does happen sometimes

 

Good for you, that's BS!!! Go elsewhere and buy it at MSRP. Greed will get you nowhere!!!

 

Dont want to jinx you, but HIGHLY recommend getting on 2 other lists, with at least one of them being one of the big three.

Forum is full of posts from people that got ADM at the last second and had no recourse.

 

It's been said a zillion times, but whatever else you do, and wherever else you are looking... Just do yourself a favor and get on the Macmulkin list.

 

100% agree. There are too many horror stories of people getting screwed when they go to pick their car up.

 

While a few have stumbled into very quick allocations at MSRP, the vast majority of us have had to deal with price gouging dealers and long waits. I spent a few weeks calling every Corvette dealer I could find and was met with $5-30,000 additional markups plus an average of two year wait times. My local dealer, who is a sponsor with our car club, gave me the best offer of only $5,000 over and a two year wait.

My search ended in December when I placed an order with MacMulkin at MSRP, no documentation fees, and an expected ten month wait. I should have my 2023 by the end of the year.

 

I agree with all the others that have said to get on more than one wait list. MacMulkin or Ciocca for sure. Although the dealer you have placed a deposit with has stated MSRP, you don't know that for sure and you don't know how long his wait list is. Just too many horror stories about this. You could be waiting for well over a year depending on how many allocations they receive and how many people are on their wait list. MacMulkin is a straight shooter. You'll get your car in about a year at MSRP with NO markups and no BS. Just make sure you get on multiple lists and when you finally get your C8 in your driveway you can cancel your other orders and get your deposits back.

 

Can’t say I blame you for walking out of the dealership you have had a long term working relationship with due to the ADM. I agree with getting on several lists, and be sure you get something in writing that the car will be sold at MSRP.

 

I wasn't even thinking about getting a C8 because I had a deposit down on a Lotus Emira. No pricing was announced and due to it being a new model it would be debatable whether or not I'd even see a car till late in the 2023 production run, or in 2024. Then pricing was released and I realized I could get a C8 with much more tech, much more HP, with a HTC for less money! So I stopped in my local (MSRP) Chevy dealer in suburban Cinci and added my name to the list in perhaps late July or August of 2021. Dealer called in late February 2022 to place my deposit and order the car, and I just took delivery yesterday.

But in some ways the wait wasn't all bad because I got to really consider exactly what I wanted in the car. My color choice changed 3 times -- mostly because I hadn't seen hardly any C8s in person. But after visiting the Corvette Museum and saw HGM in person, I knew that was going to be the one. Haven't driven the car much as I've only owned it for less than 24 hours, so I'll have to provide a review and pix a bit later.

 

And yet, we still don’t know the name of the dealership(s) that treated you poorly, so they haven’t really been affected but displeasing you at all.