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Chevrolet Corvette Prices Paid and Buying Experiences
Talk about your Corvette shopping experiences here.
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I have a C6 on order from a smaller dealer and have been waiting for an allocation for 40 days. I currently have no idea if and when my car will be built.
It seems that GM has made a mess out of the allocation system for the C6. There are a handful of big dealers in the US that get the majority of the C6 allocations. So orders from the smaller dealers pound sand while the big guys get all the cars. One dealer in particular has 29! C6s in stock while 100s of orders are sitting in the queue. So GM's answer is extending the 05 production run through September so you can buy a 1 year old new car in Aug or Sep. You don't have to be a math major to see the depreciation hit coming in October when the 06s start landing.
So no surprise (this is America) the big dealers quietly fix prices because they get the majority of the cars. With GM's support the big guys easily stifle competition from the little guys.
As you can imagine a number of serious buyers have given up on the C6 order process and moved on to something else.
So it goes.
Those large corvette dealers were offering $1500 to $2500 off MSRP at the time and with two emails I had an offer to place an order for a specific factory build date at $2000 under MSRP and no dealer adders. Exactly what I wanted as to color and options, not what the dealer had on the floor. Don't believe everything you hear from local dealers about the allocation system. If the dealer sells a Vette they get another allocation and the way they sell Vettes is to offer the best deal.
The 2004 Coupe we ordered from the same internet based local dealer in Montana, I'm in the SF bay area, was for the wife. Exactly what she wanted and we got a $51.4k MSRP for $39.2k out the door, $11.2k off with GM and dealer discounts and produced on exactly the day advertised. If the dealer really had an allocation and they were giving it to you, you would be getting your car. They either don't have an allocation and are blowing smoke or aren't giving it to you and are blowing smoke. Your dissatisfaction may just be misplaced.
BTW, the reason that the Montana dealer was willing to just about give away a late 2004 production model was that he knew that it would result in a 2005 allocation on which he would make plenty selling at MSRP or just under, I think he sold most of the first six months at $500 under MSRP. Some people do think ahead, dealers that get small allocations, don't seem to think ahead, they just complain about the system.
Randy
So now 40 days later I don't have a confirmed order and one of the big guys has 29 in stock, with more arriving every week. So I have a hard time blaming the dealer for a lack of planning.
GM and I parted company 22 years ago. The C6 is the first GM vehicle that I have wanted to buy since then. I even sold my Lexus in advance to make room for the C6.
BTW I think the folks in Montana are sold out this year unless they pickup some 05 build out slots in July. They could sell a lot more if GM would give them the cars.
So it goes.
Edited after reading the red info ...
You have to wonder why GM would let their dealers log orders if they don't have any chance of getting a car. They could easily bounce any order that doesn't plug into the schedule. Instead they assign it an order number and a status code of 1100. Sort of an unethical thing to do if they know the car will never be built?
GM also refuses to answer any questions from customers about orders. They refer you back to the dealer. So a customer has no way to determine if the dealer is being disingenuous.
So I stand by my original statement. The C6 order process is a mess and GM is losing customers as a result.
The dealers in my direct area are all small time as far a vettes go and have from 0-2 cars on the lot. They have some local price fixing going on where they have all agreed to hold to MSRP.
So of course I got a good price for my current order and none of the big guys want to play. So at this point I am starting to talk to some brokers.
I think I will probably hang around for another 30 days then pull the plug or roll to an 06. I have already started looking for a replacement. My original thoughts were to get something like a Subaru STI before I started looking at the C6.
if/when i can find a dealer who will let me order/buy a 1SA+F55 model at invoice + $1K or less, then i'll go for it.. i'm not holding my breath. maybe next year? 2007? 2008?
should have something that will define what the code is at each step of the process. If they won't show you the printout ... I'd be more suspect.
Randy
I had one on order with another dealer but they never got an allocation. While I was waiting I continued to shop the internet and use GM Buying Power to see what was available in my area. If you know what the current VIN coming off the line is you can calculate about how many days a car has been on a dealer's lot by looking at the VIN number and figuring they build about a 3000 a month. The longer a car has been on the lot the more motivated the dealer will be to move it out.
After two months of fishing I landed this one.
Randy
BTW, are you near Portland International Raceway, hear good things about PIR and I'm betting that they offer performance driving classes just like at Sears Point here, very instructive!
I know PIR well. I was lucky enough to be able to race ICSCC and SCCA in the NorthWest for 12 years before I retired from racing. Even made it down to Laguna, Sears, and Thunderhill. I plan on doing a track day in the C6 at some point this summer just to get a feel for what it will do. I also plan on checking out the local Corvette Club in Portland.
This is my first major street car and I sort of feel like I am rolling around in a piece of art work. Really a nice machine.
Yr Number and % of total, EB for '02 and '03
2000 2783 7% for navy blue
2001 2587 7% for navy blue
2002 5407 15% of 35,767 third most popular after red and black
2003 2772 8% of 34, but 33% were anniversary red
2004 6899 20%, commerative edition most popular w/36% of Z06
I knew that EB was much better received than the prior Navy but the commerative edition seems to have taken another step up. I don't think EB turned off many, I still get lots of positive comments and it's a mostly track car, daily driver that isn't always too polished. To me it will be interesting to see if LeMans can keep it's level above what EB did for 2005 without the CE pull. I guess the wife's 2004 MY is the rare one in the garage.
Randy
Randy
Randy
Interesting, just did a Google on Kerbeck and first link was the dealer. They seem to have lots of Black, Red and a few Silver in stock with Blue on order in Coupes. No Verts in stock which is not surprising, since it didn't get into production until late and there were lots of orders that didn't get filled early on.
Mike
I picked it up last Friday. It is super nice. Thanks for all your help! Maybe we can do some business in the future after I sell this Vette in a few years.
Especially when compared to '05 Z06?
Now maybe if they did that I might go for it!
Randy
So yeah: to the people who want a super car, it is worth the asking price.
country if you can believe the advertising. I get to them through Corvette Forum
but I think you would find them easy even with Google. I don't know if there
are discounts through the Forum. Good luck, wish I could justify unloading
my C5 with only 43k miles.
I was at the track over the weekend and rode in a C6 with Z51, 6sp and it was
a very settled ride even hitting 100's several places on the track. It does hold
the road better than my Z51 C5 and better power is noticable but just not the
most economic deal to turn over what I already have. Enjoy the ride and don't
forget to wave.
Randy
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There are a ton of new and used C6s forsale on ebay also.
No reason to get jacked around by the ADM game. Just take your business somewhere else.
Also, CARMAX has several used C6 05 for 3 - 5k below MSRP if you want to go that route.
dudley martin in manassas was friendly and i was told the owner doesn't think adm is right. they offered to order a 2006 for me.
i'm now sour on a corvette because i can't get what i want, the price keeps going up, and its too much hassle.
i just as soon pay 20k more and get a porsche. after all, this is the dc area. a corvette will always only be an overpriced chevrolet! a porsche says the tax payers are feeding you well.
Most people in business understand supply and demand. The internet connects you to all the markets in the US. Ebay has 20+ new or slightly used C6s for sale. People don't have to be some local dealer's victim.
At the end of the day the Corvette aficionados that hang around here really don't care what car people end up with. So if some people have neighbors that would be more impressed by a German car then go for it.