lucative

Hi Fellow Stingray Enthusiasts,

HELP! I am very fortunate to get a recent offer from my great Stingray salesperson. He said he could put my order in next week for my fully loaded Z51 Stingray at MSRP with one catch. There is a constraint on the dual roof option that I wanted. It is the option for both the exposed carbon fiber plus the transparent roof. He can only offer me the transparent roof with my order. If I want the exposed carbon fiber roof, I will have to order it from the parts department later and it will not cost the usual $2000. Instead, it would cost around $4000 from the parts department as they would take the roof and paint the sides to match my stingray. I would like to have the carbon fiber roof since it gets hot where I live. If I put in my order now, my Stingray will probably arrive by December which is excellent I hear considering all the Stingray current and potential future parts constraints. If I wait for the constraints to get lifted and order my Stingray later, who knows when I may get it.

So, I am lucky because I can get one of the few Z51 optioned cars available now. But I can't get the exposed carbon fiber roof right now with the car and I will have to pay two times more for it later by ordering it from the parts department.

Should I order my car now knowing I can get everything I want now including the Z51 package but I will pay twice as much for the exposed carbon fiber roof later. Or should I chance it and put in my order in later hoping the constraints are relieved allowing me to buy the Z51 Stingray with the dual roof option at the regular MSRP price?

As I said, I never had Corvette before. Do you personally prefer the transparent roof over the exposed carbon fiber roof? Is there a good chance I can pick up a fair priced Stingray exposed carbon fiber roof later, perhaps from aftermarket?

Thank you Enthusiasts for the benefit of your experience,
Luc

KenHorse

I ordered just the glass roof option.

Bill17601

I would take the car. Constraint on Z51 cars could last six months. If you really must have a certain roof buy one later. People have wrecked their cars and donated them to the parts god. Small G.

adamsocb

My choice was easier.
I wanted Z51, competition seats and dual roof (Exposed CF and Transparent) also. When my dealer emailed me Thursday morning and said I could order everything except dual roof, he gave me the choice of either the CF OR transparent. I snagged the CF because it will be easier to get the transparent as an accessory part and the price should be close to the option delta.

I had earlier explored your situation before the Z51 constraint hit. I was waiting for the Seats to be available and the CF roof was on full constraint. I came to the same conclusion that buying an exposed CF roof from parts was not going to be economical. It is possible the aftermarket will offer CF roofs for the C7 like they do now for the C6:



http://www.mamotorworks.com/corvette...244-12032.html

I can't say for sure what I would have done if I was given your choice of transparent roof only. Given the $2000 option delta between dual with CF and just transparent. I think I would go for it and figure out how to get a CF or painted roof later.

-CM-

I would get the car without the CF roof.

mpuzach

I'd order the car now with just the standard painted roof. You can always buy the transparent one later through the parts department if you want to. (It's available as a complete unit.) If at some point you decide that you have to have the unpainted CF panel, it'll cost you (as you've already found out) but you might just decide that you don't want it. Personally, I think the standard painted panel is by far the best looking.

craig04c5

I agree. Down here in Florida I would never get transparent roof. Most people I know down here never use the transparent roof.

KenHorse

I had only the glass roof on my '07 for 6 years and even during the summer, it's never been an issue

Of course, I'm in the Pacific Northwest

KayJay

You wii regret not getting what you really want - GM has no plans to discontinue this car anytime soon. Patience!

adamsocb

That may not be possible right now. Strangely ALL roofs were constrained this week. The OP's dealer may only have an allocation for a transparent roof.

From Ken's report:

Target Production Week 11/18/13 – 11/24/13
01483 AE4-SEATS, COMPETITION SPORT, BUCKET National Qty 12
01485 C2Z-ROOF PANEL, REMOVABLE CARBON FIBER National Qty 9
01486 CSM-ROOF PACKAGE, TRANSPARENT & CARBON FIBER, DUAL National Qty 0
01580 Z51 PERFORMANCE PKG. National Qty 18
01653 CC3-ROOF PANEL, TRANSPARENT National Qty 12
01654 CFA-ROOF PANEL, STANDARD PAINTED National Qty 14
01655 C2Q-ROOF PANEL, STANDARD PAINTED & TRANSPARENT National Qty 0

AORoads

my opinion is, how much do you want that exposed carbon fiber roof? you will be waiting probably awhile for that dual roof combo. as to picking it up reasonably, I tend to doubt it. someone may let it go, but it will be months down the road.

if I really wanted that roof, I'd start scouting out great paint shops that will stand behind their work, and see if they can paint a CF roof less expensively. that will solve that problem: extra cost to have dealer paint it and quality of the job.

then it's down to do you really want it and want to wait for it. frankly, by the time you get everything working in your direction, (no Z51 constraint, no CF roof constraint, etc.), it could be months down the road. still, if it's what you want, you may want to wait and roll with it. and if it gets too late in the model year, just go for a '15 the way you want it.

tws

I would get the car if you are happy with everything about the deal except for the roof. I ordered today and took the transparent roof to get it done. I would rather have the painted roof.

Rapid Fred

Get the clear roof, find a good shop to paint spears in body color (maybe $500) and pick up a sunshade. Will look great, you save money and get your car now.

Best of both worlds.

tws

what is a spear? Is that the roof edge above the window?

Rapid Fred

Yep. To me if painted on a clear top would look as good as the exposed CF option. But I am in the minority in that I totally don't see anything special about exposed CF. I also think the Lexan tops as now delivered make the car look unfinished.

Racerdj

I would wait but it's late October and I live in Indiana so the wait is not too bad with our winters. Not the same for you though.

Racerdj

One other thing I just remembered: When I had an extra top, I managed to damage the extra top that was not on the car.

VNAMVET

mine came with the glass blue lexan roof and I sold it back to the dealer because I didn't want it. In Fl its too hot to use the lexan roof.

so I think you should go ahead and order it.

KenHorse

As I said, I did

bigdaddyj25

I too am in the same boat. My dealer has called me two times in the last 4 weeks asking if I wanted to go ahead and push my order through without the dual roof option. I just told him I wanted to pass as I wanted the car just the way I ordered it. This is my first vette and it has a 73K price tag and I'm just not willing to settle for anything less. The way I see it is that I have lived without one for 37 yrs haha a few more months is not going to kill me to get the car I really want. JMO.