Frustrated with SoCal Dealers
11-04-2013, 01:15 AM
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Frustrated with SoCal Dealers
So I didn't think I would create a thread to air out my frustration with my local dealers but I thought you guys might have a solution for me or at least feel my pain. So for full disclosure, I'm a Porsche guy (was weighing between a C6 and the Cayman S and eventually decided for the P-car because the C6 just didn't have that "connected to the road" feeling) but I've been unhealthily obsessed with the C7 since its reveal and have been following news and rumors on it since up to 2 years ago. Once it was revealed, I thought it was the perfect car for me (on paper) and was really excited to get behind the wheel of a C7 to see if the ride was what I was looking for.
I reached out to the dealers in the immediate Los Angeles area about 2 months ago to get some information from them and to let them know I was looking to get into a C7. None had received any cars yet and were not sure if or when they would get them in. I let them all know to get in contact with me if they got any cars in. About a week later, I get an excited call from someone at Community Chevrolet in Burbank telling me they just got a 7MT Black/Black 3LT Z51 in and that they wanted to schedule a test-drive with me. Great!
Scheduled the test drive for a few days later when I had some time to make it out there and then made the 25 mile drive out to the dealership. I'm greeted by a salesman when I pull into the lot (first thing he says is "let me guess, you're here to see the StingRay") and I let him know I had scheduled an appointment to test-drive the car. They talk a little, grab the key for the car and start showing me around the inside of the car, talking about the features, etc. It was great to sit inside the car (I'm very impressed with the fit and finish of the interior and it even helped me decide that the carbon fiber interior was unnecessary as it looked great without it) but the salesman didn't know 1/2 as much as the people on this forum. After about 15 minutes, I say, "how about that test drive?" He starts stammering and says, "let me check with my manager." The manager says, "no test drive until we make a deal on the car." I'm a little peeved that they dragged me down to the dealership just to bait-and-switch me on the test drive but I say okay, what kind of deal are we talking about? He says, "no deal, you take it at the asking price." I respond, "Okay, so MSRP? What's the MSRP on this one?" He looks at me like I'm crazy and says, "no, it's not at MSRP." That's when I decide to go take a look at the sticker on the car and see that they'd tacked on an extra $33,000 dealer markup (this is a record as far as what I've seen on the forums). I'm floored at this point, tell the guy I want to test drive the car so I can put in an order for the exact packages and features I'm looking for, at which point he responds to me by telling me that GM isn't even accepting any orders for the C7. Okay...thanks for lying to my face, buddy.
I left that dealership and decided to broaden my search a couple hundred miles. A couple of the dealers about 125 miles away from me have been getting some cars in sporadically (although most of them are spoken for) but they have the same policy of making a deal on the car before test driving it. They're all asking $5k over sticker. Telling them that I don't want to waste their time making a deal on a car that doesn't have the options I want isn't working for me.
So Corvette Forum, how do I get behind the wheel of a C7 so I can finally put my order in?
I reached out to the dealers in the immediate Los Angeles area about 2 months ago to get some information from them and to let them know I was looking to get into a C7. None had received any cars yet and were not sure if or when they would get them in. I let them all know to get in contact with me if they got any cars in. About a week later, I get an excited call from someone at Community Chevrolet in Burbank telling me they just got a 7MT Black/Black 3LT Z51 in and that they wanted to schedule a test-drive with me. Great!
Scheduled the test drive for a few days later when I had some time to make it out there and then made the 25 mile drive out to the dealership. I'm greeted by a salesman when I pull into the lot (first thing he says is "let me guess, you're here to see the StingRay") and I let him know I had scheduled an appointment to test-drive the car. They talk a little, grab the key for the car and start showing me around the inside of the car, talking about the features, etc. It was great to sit inside the car (I'm very impressed with the fit and finish of the interior and it even helped me decide that the carbon fiber interior was unnecessary as it looked great without it) but the salesman didn't know 1/2 as much as the people on this forum. After about 15 minutes, I say, "how about that test drive?" He starts stammering and says, "let me check with my manager." The manager says, "no test drive until we make a deal on the car." I'm a little peeved that they dragged me down to the dealership just to bait-and-switch me on the test drive but I say okay, what kind of deal are we talking about? He says, "no deal, you take it at the asking price." I respond, "Okay, so MSRP? What's the MSRP on this one?" He looks at me like I'm crazy and says, "no, it's not at MSRP." That's when I decide to go take a look at the sticker on the car and see that they'd tacked on an extra $33,000 dealer markup (this is a record as far as what I've seen on the forums). I'm floored at this point, tell the guy I want to test drive the car so I can put in an order for the exact packages and features I'm looking for, at which point he responds to me by telling me that GM isn't even accepting any orders for the C7. Okay...thanks for lying to my face, buddy.I left that dealership and decided to broaden my search a couple hundred miles. A couple of the dealers about 125 miles away from me have been getting some cars in sporadically (although most of them are spoken for) but they have the same policy of making a deal on the car before test driving it. They're all asking $5k over sticker. Telling them that I don't want to waste their time making a deal on a car that doesn't have the options I want isn't working for me.
So Corvette Forum, how do I get behind the wheel of a C7 so I can finally put my order in?
11-04-2013, 01:24 AM
#3
Pro
So I didn't think I would create a thread to air out my frustration with my local dealers but I thought you guys might have a solution for me or at least feel my pain. So for full disclosure, I'm a Porsche guy (was weighing between a C6 and the Cayman S and eventually decided for the P-car because the C6 just didn't have that "connected to the road" feeling) but I've been unhealthily obsessed with the C7 since its reveal and have been following news and rumors on it since up to 2 years ago. Once it was revealed, I thought it was the perfect car for me (on paper) and was really excited to get behind the wheel of a C7 to see if the ride was what I was looking for.
I reached out to the dealers in the immediate Los Angeles area about 2 months ago to get some information from them and to let them know I was looking to get into a C7. None had received any cars yet and were not sure if or when they would get them in. I let them all know to get in contact with me if they got any cars in. About a week later, I get an excited call from someone at Community Chevrolet in Burbank telling me they just got a 7MT Black/Black 3LT Z51 in and that they wanted to schedule a test-drive with me. Great! Scheduled the test drive for a few days later when I had some time to make it out there and then made the 25 mile drive out to the dealership. I'm greeted by a salesman when I pull into the lot (first thing he says is "let me guess, you're here to see the StingRay") and I let him know I had scheduled an appointment to test-drive the car. They talk a little, grab the key for the car and start showing me around the inside of the car, talking about the features, etc. It was great to sit inside the car (I'm very impressed with the fit and finish of the interior and it even helped me decide that the carbon fiber interior was unnecessary as it looked great without it) but the salesman didn't know 1/2 as much as the people on this forum. After about 15 minutes, I say, "how about that test drive?" He starts stammering and says, "let me check with my manager." The manager says, "no test drive until we make a deal on the car." I'm a little peeved that they dragged me down to the dealership just to bait-and-switch me on the test drive but I say okay, what kind of deal are we talking about? He says, "no deal, you take it at the asking price." I respond, "Okay, so MSRP? What's the MSRP on this one?" He looks at me like I'm crazy and says, "no, it's not at MSRP." That's when I decide to go take a look at the sticker on the car and see that they'd tacked on an extra $33,000 dealer markup (this is a record as far as what I've seen on the forums). I'm floored at this point, tell the guy I want to test drive the car so I can put in an order for the exact packages and features I'm looking for, at which point he responds to me by telling me that GM isn't even accepting any orders for the C7. Okay...thanks for lying to my face, buddy.
I left that dealership and decided to broaden my search a couple hundred miles. A couple of the dealers about 125 miles away from me have been getting some cars in sporadically (although most of them are spoken for) but they have the same policy of making a deal on the car before test driving it. They're all asking $5k over sticker. Telling them that I don't want to waste their time making a deal on a car that doesn't have the options I want isn't working for me.
So Corvette Forum, how do I get behind the wheel of a C7 so I can finally put my order in?
I reached out to the dealers in the immediate Los Angeles area about 2 months ago to get some information from them and to let them know I was looking to get into a C7. None had received any cars yet and were not sure if or when they would get them in. I let them all know to get in contact with me if they got any cars in. About a week later, I get an excited call from someone at Community Chevrolet in Burbank telling me they just got a 7MT Black/Black 3LT Z51 in and that they wanted to schedule a test-drive with me. Great!
Scheduled the test drive for a few days later when I had some time to make it out there and then made the 25 mile drive out to the dealership. I'm greeted by a salesman when I pull into the lot (first thing he says is "let me guess, you're here to see the StingRay") and I let him know I had scheduled an appointment to test-drive the car. They talk a little, grab the key for the car and start showing me around the inside of the car, talking about the features, etc. It was great to sit inside the car (I'm very impressed with the fit and finish of the interior and it even helped me decide that the carbon fiber interior was unnecessary as it looked great without it) but the salesman didn't know 1/2 as much as the people on this forum. After about 15 minutes, I say, "how about that test drive?" He starts stammering and says, "let me check with my manager." The manager says, "no test drive until we make a deal on the car." I'm a little peeved that they dragged me down to the dealership just to bait-and-switch me on the test drive but I say okay, what kind of deal are we talking about? He says, "no deal, you take it at the asking price." I respond, "Okay, so MSRP? What's the MSRP on this one?" He looks at me like I'm crazy and says, "no, it's not at MSRP." That's when I decide to go take a look at the sticker on the car and see that they'd tacked on an extra $33,000 dealer markup (this is a record as far as what I've seen on the forums). I'm floored at this point, tell the guy I want to test drive the car so I can put in an order for the exact packages and features I'm looking for, at which point he responds to me by telling me that GM isn't even accepting any orders for the C7. Okay...thanks for lying to my face, buddy.I left that dealership and decided to broaden my search a couple hundred miles. A couple of the dealers about 125 miles away from me have been getting some cars in sporadically (although most of them are spoken for) but they have the same policy of making a deal on the car before test driving it. They're all asking $5k over sticker. Telling them that I don't want to waste their time making a deal on a car that doesn't have the options I want isn't working for me.
So Corvette Forum, how do I get behind the wheel of a C7 so I can finally put my order in?
I'm not surprised by your post. Honestly there doesn't seem to really be any descent Corvette friendly Chevy dealers in the L.A. area of SoCal. There used to be Cormier Chevrolet near Long Beach which was pretty good but they are now Win Chevrolet.
There are some great dealers on this forum. Boardwalk Chevrolet is in Northern California. Criswell Chevrolet is another good sponsor but they are in Maryland. There are other good dealer sponsors here too.
It might be worth contacting one of our sponsors and taking a little Corvette test drive vacation.
.
11-04-2013, 02:14 AM
#5
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St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13, '16-'17-'18
Order through Dave Smith Motors in Idaho, save $3K off MSRP and do a courtesy delivery through a local dealer
11-04-2013, 02:26 AM
#7
Le Mans Master
There are some decent dealers in SoCal, but it may take some looking to find a decent one that hasn't sold out their allocation already at MSRP. You are stuck with boneheads like the one you went to.
BTW, I enjoyed seeing the $99K sticker.
Why don't they just make it say, and even $200K?
Michael
BTW, I enjoyed seeing the $99K sticker.
Why don't they just make it say, and even $200K?Michael
11-04-2013, 02:33 AM
#8
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Seriously. But interestingly enough, there was a guy willing to pay 20k over sticker to Rydell if they would hold it for an hour so he could fly in and pick it up. They said no and that he'd have to sign in person first to take it. There was already 6 people there in line. Lol
11-04-2013, 02:41 AM
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Thanks guys. I'll definitely give a call over to Rydell to see what their allocation looks like and hopefully they'll let me take one around the block before placing my order. That's really my main issue, I have no problem shopping out of state, I just think it would be irresponsible of me to spend this much money on a car without having driven it to know it's the right car for me.
11-04-2013, 03:02 AM
#10
Melting Slicks
My guess is that the car is so hot that dealers don't want to put test-drive miles on the vehicle. You are more likely to find someone on the forum to let you drive their C7 for a few miles. If only I had one... but I am still enjoying my C6
11-04-2013, 03:53 AM
#11
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Thanks guys. I'll definitely give a call over to Rydell to see what their allocation looks like and hopefully they'll let me take one around the block before placing my order. That's really my main issue, I have no problem shopping out of state, I just think it would be irresponsible of me to spend this much money on a car without having driven it to know it's the right car for me.
As for the test drive, don't bet on it. Nearly every single car they have is already sold. They have a premier edition there, but that's not likely going to leave their showroom. They only let me test drive the car because it was the one I ordered. But I know for sure they won't let you test drive a sold car. Before my car came in, a yellow C7 was in and I wanted to sit in it, and even that was not allowed. (Understandable, though. I wouldn't want people test-sitting in my car as well.)
I agree with Bob that your best bet to test drive one is to find someone on the forum or near by that has one already and is willing to let you drive theirs.
11-04-2013, 03:57 AM
#12
I ordered my C7 from Win Chevrolet in Carson/ Long beach. I was there one day to check out an AW they got in after I placed my order. They had around 8-9 C7's in the back. They are asking 5k over MSRP. Sounds crazy, but other than Rydell, I don't know of any SoCal dealers selling at MSRP that actually HAVE allocation.
11-04-2013, 09:05 AM
#15
Melting Slicks
11-04-2013, 09:17 AM
#16
Burning Brakes
So I didn't think I would create a thread to air out my frustration with my local dealers but I thought you guys might have a solution for me or at least feel my pain. So for full disclosure, I'm a Porsche guy (was weighing between a C6 and the Cayman S and eventually decided for the P-car because the C6 just didn't have that "connected to the road" feeling) but I've been unhealthily obsessed with the C7 since its reveal and have been following news and rumors on it since up to 2 years ago. Once it was revealed, I thought it was the perfect car for me (on paper) and was really excited to get behind the wheel of a C7 to see if the ride was what I was looking for.
I reached out to the dealers in the immediate Los Angeles area about 2 months ago to get some information from them and to let them know I was looking to get into a C7. None had received any cars yet and were not sure if or when they would get them in. I let them all know to get in contact with me if they got any cars in. About a week later, I get an excited call from someone at Community Chevrolet in Burbank telling me they just got a 7MT Black/Black 3LT Z51 in and that they wanted to schedule a test-drive with me. Great! Scheduled the test drive for a few days later when I had some time to make it out there and then made the 25 mile drive out to the dealership. I'm greeted by a salesman when I pull into the lot (first thing he says is "let me guess, you're here to see the StingRay") and I let him know I had scheduled an appointment to test-drive the car. They talk a little, grab the key for the car and start showing me around the inside of the car, talking about the features, etc. It was great to sit inside the car (I'm very impressed with the fit and finish of the interior and it even helped me decide that the carbon fiber interior was unnecessary as it looked great without it) but the salesman didn't know 1/2 as much as the people on this forum. After about 15 minutes, I say, "how about that test drive?" He starts stammering and says, "let me check with my manager." The manager says, "no test drive until we make a deal on the car." I'm a little peeved that they dragged me down to the dealership just to bait-and-switch me on the test drive but I say okay, what kind of deal are we talking about? He says, "no deal, you take it at the asking price." I respond, "Okay, so MSRP? What's the MSRP on this one?" He looks at me like I'm crazy and says, "no, it's not at MSRP." That's when I decide to go take a look at the sticker on the car and see that they'd tacked on an extra $33,000 dealer markup (this is a record as far as what I've seen on the forums). I'm floored at this point, tell the guy I want to test drive the car so I can put in an order for the exact packages and features I'm looking for, at which point he responds to me by telling me that GM isn't even accepting any orders for the C7. Okay...thanks for lying to my face, buddy.
I left that dealership and decided to broaden my search a couple hundred miles. A couple of the dealers about 125 miles away from me have been getting some cars in sporadically (although most of them are spoken for) but they have the same policy of making a deal on the car before test driving it. They're all asking $5k over sticker. Telling them that I don't want to waste their time making a deal on a car that doesn't have the options I want isn't working for me.
So Corvette Forum, how do I get behind the wheel of a C7 so I can finally put my order in?
I reached out to the dealers in the immediate Los Angeles area about 2 months ago to get some information from them and to let them know I was looking to get into a C7. None had received any cars yet and were not sure if or when they would get them in. I let them all know to get in contact with me if they got any cars in. About a week later, I get an excited call from someone at Community Chevrolet in Burbank telling me they just got a 7MT Black/Black 3LT Z51 in and that they wanted to schedule a test-drive with me. Great!
Scheduled the test drive for a few days later when I had some time to make it out there and then made the 25 mile drive out to the dealership. I'm greeted by a salesman when I pull into the lot (first thing he says is "let me guess, you're here to see the StingRay") and I let him know I had scheduled an appointment to test-drive the car. They talk a little, grab the key for the car and start showing me around the inside of the car, talking about the features, etc. It was great to sit inside the car (I'm very impressed with the fit and finish of the interior and it even helped me decide that the carbon fiber interior was unnecessary as it looked great without it) but the salesman didn't know 1/2 as much as the people on this forum. After about 15 minutes, I say, "how about that test drive?" He starts stammering and says, "let me check with my manager." The manager says, "no test drive until we make a deal on the car." I'm a little peeved that they dragged me down to the dealership just to bait-and-switch me on the test drive but I say okay, what kind of deal are we talking about? He says, "no deal, you take it at the asking price." I respond, "Okay, so MSRP? What's the MSRP on this one?" He looks at me like I'm crazy and says, "no, it's not at MSRP." That's when I decide to go take a look at the sticker on the car and see that they'd tacked on an extra $33,000 dealer markup (this is a record as far as what I've seen on the forums). I'm floored at this point, tell the guy I want to test drive the car so I can put in an order for the exact packages and features I'm looking for, at which point he responds to me by telling me that GM isn't even accepting any orders for the C7. Okay...thanks for lying to my face, buddy.I left that dealership and decided to broaden my search a couple hundred miles. A couple of the dealers about 125 miles away from me have been getting some cars in sporadically (although most of them are spoken for) but they have the same policy of making a deal on the car before test driving it. They're all asking $5k over sticker. Telling them that I don't want to waste their time making a deal on a car that doesn't have the options I want isn't working for me.
So Corvette Forum, how do I get behind the wheel of a C7 so I can finally put my order in?
11-04-2013, 11:24 AM
#17
Le Mans Master
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I gave up a long time ago on dealers in LA and Nevada.
Do not waste your time. Just buy one from a bigger dealer in the east coast and have it courtesy delivered.
The only people paying way over MSRP are people who just don't care or are too dumb to look around.
Do not waste your time. Just buy one from a bigger dealer in the east coast and have it courtesy delivered.
The only people paying way over MSRP are people who just don't care or are too dumb to look around.
11-04-2013, 11:28 AM
#18
Burning Brakes
If you are willing to travel to the Bay Area, I recommend Tim Boone at Boardwalk Chevrolet (forum vendor, paid MSRP). Whatever he tells you will be the straight scoop. He won't waste your time. I went there because he had the largest allocation in California and an excellent reputation. He picked me up at the SF Airport and about an hour later I was cruising down the coast in my C7.
Tim Boone
Direct Line: (650) 568-5344
Direct Fax: (650) 568-5388
Cell Phone: (650) 305-9433
Dealership: (650) 364-0100
Email: tboone@bwalkauto.com
Boardwalk Chevrolet
535 East Bayshore Road
Redwood City, CA 94063
Tim Boone
Direct Line: (650) 568-5344
Direct Fax: (650) 568-5388
Cell Phone: (650) 305-9433
Dealership: (650) 364-0100
Email: tboone@bwalkauto.com
Boardwalk Chevrolet
535 East Bayshore Road
Redwood City, CA 94063
Last edited by Magister Ludi; 11-04-2013 at 11:29 AM. Reason: more info
11-04-2013, 12:35 PM
#20
