Brunello

Nice car. Glad you had a good experience so far. Seems like Carvana may be an option if it comes to it. It may because their prices are pretty competitive.

Skid Row Joe

I've bought several vehicles over nearly 20 years online only, new and used. Only good experiences from retailers and private owners. It's the only way that I'll ever buy.

vetteright

Schwering,

Some times owners will sell one of the tops before trading their car, probably the battery tender, too. I doubt those items were present when Carvana acquired your car.

rtruman

The air valves were missing bought them from a vender no biggie had some aftermarket on them .
Had vender delivered it one car enclosed trailer tipped him 50 dollars
Corvette was dirty they send a 50 dollar check which they do for all there customers.
Really did good on this transition Did my own detailing which i wanted to do anyway.

Palmetto64

I bought from Carvana in March 2020. Great experience and would do it again.

rnengnr

this one appears to have a Lemon on it
1G1YN2D60H5600328

RN

wayback

I am in the process of buying a 2016 2LT through Vroom. Weather turned cold and icy on day they wanted to deliver. Was forecasted to get worse and remain below freezing for at least a week.
I asked to postpone delivery so I had better weather to properly check the car out and have it inspected during my 7 day free return period. Delivery personnel agreed and said he would take good care of my car. Also said I definitely would not want to return this car... we will see.

So far pleased with the process. Just waiting sucks but better than it staying in my garage as my 7 day inspection period lapses away.

MattsZO6

Something to try and be aware of while buying online. I've bought 2 vehicles online in the last 2 years. One on car gurus and the other on auto trader. The 1st was a Dodge dually for use around our farm for moving some of the heavier equipment around. I looked for about 6 months on every site out there trying to find something close that didn't have a million miles on it. One day out of the blue one popped up about 30 miles from me by a private seller. 2005 Dodge with 50k miles on it. The had it listed on there for 2 months and had only had scam responses. He was so happy to hear from a real inquiry that he gave me his best price over the phone. Much lower than asking price. I went and bought it that day. I dont know if I used a different search term that day or what. I was checking the sites several times a week. I had the exact same thing with my vette I just bought. I was spending hours searching all these sites . Started 2 purchases with carvana and just couldn't pull the trigger. Then one night my vette appeared 60 miles from me for sale by an individual. He said he posted it a couple of weeks ago. I dont know if they are giving preference to dealer listing and hiding the others or just the way they are listed but try varying your search terms and wordings. Sorry for the long explanation but be persistent and be ready to pounce when you find the one!!

rtruman

Wow

Skogger

This is part of a post on another thread last week, but more appropriate for this thread......

Lessons Learned:
-Buying from a privately owned car lot is risky. In general they are in the business of moving as many cars as they can—even the high end ones Iike this guy (Maserati, Porsche—lots of big SUV’s, etc). They mostly get them at auction and don’t do much to sell them (hence worn tires, low windshield washer fluid, etc.). Generally speaking for the state of TX, if you pay and drive it away, you own it. No recourse. So you better have it looked at or have a good idea of what to look for. Show up ready to walk away if something is wrong. I went with a list of the things to inspect and a way to check tires, etc.
-Have an idea of the particular state’s regulations—fr’instance TX collects sales tax and forwards to MO—this includes the title, so I won’t have the title for a while.
-I was also looking at a C7 at a dealership in west TX, and it even had a 12 mo 12,000 mile power train warranty. Dealers usually are focused on the one thing that differentiates them from competition—customer service. Very few factory dealerships would sell a used C7 with the tires that were on my car, or the highly unprofessional radio (hip hop station at max volume) settings that were left unchanged.
-Use multiple information sources—sometimes brand name dealers will put you in touch with the prior owner. Sites include Autotrader,com, Car GURUS, Vettefinder (all 8 or 10 of them), and several corvette Forums like this one. I also used CARFAX—I bought 6 reports for $50, but sites like Autotrader, Carvana, and others usually include them. WARNING: You can generally trust negative CARFAX information—if a screen as been replaced or the tire pressure feedback system has been service 15 times, etc. They let you know if the car has been repossessed, is a Lemon Law buyback, etc—stuff that is good to know. But many cars have been serviced, repaired or (or not) and no info is registered. So you can trust the negatives, so know this: Absence of negatives on a CARFAX report does not mean there are no issues. The best CARFAX is one that has been done at a Chevy Dealership—everything tends to be documented. I bought a CARFAX report on a C7 with 40,000 miles that only one oil change and zero note of any tires installed, but the car was obviously kept up and tires changed. But at places that didn’t let CARFAX know.
-I spent a couple of months every day looking at many sources of used C7’s. I learned a lot about C7’s from this forum, and the issues eccentric to C-7’s (e.g. early 8 speed trans shudder). Mostly I determined what were ‘good’ prices and what the ‘going rates’ are for the different cars, mostly determined by options, mileage, and overall condition/care. I called it ‘research—wifey labeled it “Your Corvette ****”. Haha
-Forum members remain a valuable source for finding excellent cars to buy—I have gone back and searched their posts to see if they discuss racing, tracking etc. you get good ideas about car care in a hurry. As you know most forum members are OCD as hell about cars, and that’s good for a buyer. Unhappily for me theirs are good cars and owners are happy with them so not many decide to sell. I had just put a deposit on this car and a Forum member posted his C7 2LT fo a lower price than I was committed to. With 20,000 fewer miles!! I would have jumped on it.
Point: be patient and thorough—chance favors the prepared!
-A word about deposits. They are a commitment. They wanted $1500 to hold the car for 5 or 6 days.. I told them no way I’m giving you that kind of money for a damn car I’ve never seen. They said they would continue to try and sell it then. I offered them $500 deposit and verified I had purchased airfare to come and see/get it to show I had ‘skin in the game’. One mistake I made was to allow them to pick me up—should have used Uber, because once they have you picked up, you are in their influence and at a disadvantage o negotiate. Stay independent until you are sure.
-I think I’m going to be very pleased with this Corvette. The risk level was a bit uncomfortable, but the overall/options were just too tempting. So I went ahead. Driving it home 900 miles was a blast! Looking forward to a long and fun relationship with this Z51.

Bob Gee

A year or so ago, I purchased an Audi SQ5 from Carvana, and the sales process, the paperwork, and delivery, were all spectacular. Plus, their after-the-sale contact was superb. I can't say enough good things about their business model.

Then, this past September, I bought my ZO6 from Van Bortel Chevy via an online process; I found the car via Autotrader. Matt Fagenbaum, the salesperson, took great care of me throughout the entire purchase process.

The internet has opened up a WHOLE NEW WAY to buy a car, and keeps getting better.

orca1946

It sounds like we all need to be really sure of what you want when you place your order.
None of the on line dealers can differ too much so, ask all the questions you want till you are comfortable with the purchase.
Carvana does spend a good amount on tv adds.

JMoore5196

In January, 1981, my two best friends - husband and wife - were killed by a man who'd come to look at a car they were selling. That event, although long ago, has influenced me greatly over the past 40 years.

I don't really like dealers, but I don't dislike them, either ... I just don't appreciate the hassle and the scramble to make a few extra bucks here and there.

My Z51 was the third used vehicle I'd purchased online, and the first from a high-volume online dealer. The other two were both mistakes for various reasons, and convinced me that if I'm going to deal with a private party or independent dealer, I need to fly to buy.

In other words, I'm not going to buy another car sight-unseen unless there's a risk free 'return window' attached to it. That was the case with my latest Corvette. I'm happy to say all went well, but that wasn't the outcome I was expecting.

I'm very glad I have a Corvette service guy I can trust to give me his honest opinion. These gentlemen are, in my experience, literally worth their weight in gold.

Bird67

as an aside, this was the most helpful thing to me in your post...that chatter scared the crap out of me last Saturday when I took delivery in my frigid driveway. I came in immediately and logged in here to find out what it was. Now I know it is so well-known it is in the quick start guide!