Well Done (so far)
 

This thread has to be the most interesting and tame ones that I've seen on the C7 forum! (Too bad they all couldn't be this way.)
:thumbs:

I am not speaking just from the perspective of "small dealer" because I have not been associate with a small dealer in the past. I also completely agree that if a dealer is not certified to work on the product, they should not get it.....at all.

I am not even talking specifically about one single model, Corvette or not. If a customer wants a car and they want to buy it from any given dealer and they put their order in, they should be able to get it in the same reasonable amount of time as any other customer ordering from any other dealer. GM is punishing the people that keep the company alive, through purchasing their vehicles AND with their tax money. Not too smart in the long run. I can pick a television and buy it at will from wherever I want. I don't have to buy it from a different state. The whole idea is archaic.

And Stepa_J's perspective is the future, like it or not. It is also the past. The Internet just makes it doable. Unfortunately, this is not allowed. One cannot buy from the manufacturer for reasons outlined in my link above. Dealers fight it. The manufacturers have tried to sell to individuals.

Let me repeat that. Manufacturers have tried to sell directly to individuals. Individuals express interest in buying directly from manufacturers. The manufacturers and individuals want the same thing - a direct transactional relationship.
And some of the people in this thread really actually believe that GM thinks the dealers are their customers. Ha......no.......

GM needs their dealers to hold inventory and market at a local level their products. If the dealer needs to believe they are a customer to do a good job then so be it. The dealer is a tool. A means. A necessary evil. On the other side the dealerships are filled with ends. With people. With jobs. With consumers who build buying power with the buying power of others. Dealers are part of the economy. Dealers should not go away but they need to adapt. They need to realize their strengths and weaknesses. GM and manufacturers need to stop kidding themselves. I consider the customer the group of people who drive and use and service the cars. Who buy parts and services. Those meaningless warm bodies are tired of the dealer experience.

The industry is going to change. The role of the dealership may not always be to deal. It's what the people want.

Dave,

Thanks for explaining this to me. I now understand why most big dealers will not deal with small dealers. They worked hard to earn their Corvettes and don't want to give any hand outs.

What's too bad is we are working just as hard if not harder to meet our customer's orders. It's not even about the money, we would buy at full MSRP if we could get the card.

I understand both sides of the allocation argument. But what I do not agree with is this system encourages people to buy outside of their local area. For a company who is/was owned by the Govt you'd think they'd want their own citizens buying locally to boost their local economy.

The Corvette clearly is not so limited that they cannot produce enough to keep up with demand when you have dealers ordering inventory.A target production in 2014 of 25,000 units is pretty healthy.

I think the allocation system should be remodeled. Restrict the amount of inventory a dealer can order (allow more for big dealers, less for small) but allow sold orders to be picked up in the system chronologically. Confirming sold orders are real is not that difficult to do, any dealer that falsifies a sold order gets their rights to sell that vehicle revoked.

Just my $.02

:lurk::lurk::lurk:

Here's why GM is really concerned with supporting the local economy with giving out allocations. The customer who buys the car out of state is still going to have the car serviced locally (at a dealer or independent garage) and for 8 years out of 10 there is way more money to be made in parts in service of a Corvette than on the sale of one. The first year or two of a new generation is the exception to that rule. Does it stink for a sales guy like you who wants to build the market? Yep. Will your dealer still make the money off of those local customers who bought out of the area? Yep as well.

Keep pushing and you can build up your allocation over the next few years. When a special model comes out or the next generation hits, you'll be in a good position to serve your local market.

Dave

Good read...email sent to Dave :)

Tesla is trying to do that right now........ direct sales. Lot of lawsuits by the dealers in any state right now to protect the dealer network concept.


PS What a great thread!!!!!!!!!! Lot of respect lot of good thoughts and information!!!!!!!! Does show me what a class act Dave @ Kerbeck is. Interfacing with us giving us his side and educating ( at least me ) on things from the dealer side I did not know. GOOD STUFF!!!

:iagree: Great thread - educational and not too argumentative. :thumbs:

:iagree:

Dave has been awesome a true professional and I have learned a ton.

Many thanks!

One thought I don't think I have seen in this thread yet. There are hundreds, probably thousands , of potential C7 buyers out there who for a variety of reasons do not want to buy out of state. They have been trying for months to purchase a C7 from a local dealer with no success. At some point they will give up and purchase another vehicle. Chevrolet looses that sale and possibly that customer for not only the MY 2014 but also for future Corvette sales. They buy a competing brand and never come back to the Corvette even though they liked it better when they first saw it. Although I'm not there yet, I'm close to being one of those customers.

yes, that is the downside of the allocation system used by the mfrs. But to be very blunt, no mfr cares that much where they are sold, just that they are sold....Chev does recognize it though, as they just opened up the dist system now to any dealer who whats to get certifiedthru training and parts and tool package, instead of staying with the original 900 dealerships of the rollout.

Funny to read this as I am thinking the same. If my car does not get into the system by 3-1 I may walk. As this is a fun car and not a dd I may get nothing, or maybe a boat or a nice vacation. I agree with you that sales will be lost.
Eric

Both of you are only correct if GM actually lost sales because cars weren't ordered. Right now, there aren't enough cars to go around. The big boys are selling 100% of their allocations, so all your model does is allow you and others similarly situated to get a car now from a small dealer at the expense of someone else (who also wants a 2014 Corvette and likely maybe a first timer) who is buying from Kerbeck, MacMulkin, Criswell, Fichter, etc. In effect, you believe your purchase is more important than the person who buys from Criswell - which is 100% wrong.
So for GM, your model is actually a long term loser, because in 2017-2020, when Corvette's are hard to sell, it is only the big guys and their loyal customers who will be buying them.

Time will tell. Right now the large dealers have a lot of non Z51 inventory taking at least a few weeks to clear. This time next year it will be interesting to see what if anything has changed, and how many potential buyers have waited vs purchased something else. I think it is clear from past years that all the inventory will eventually be sold, its just a matter of how much it will have to be discounted.

This thread is persuading me to get my c7 from Dave. Not because he's the largest but because of his honest responses here.

Indeed, however to be fair to all the forum dealers here, some have diff levels /channels of comm, but I think all of them are perceived as very honest and straightforward.

This has been an excellent thread and should certainly enlighten those of you who have been hesitant about purchasing out of state and who have been stranded at 1100 for weeks/months. Dave S @ Kerbeck is to be commended for letting all of us consumers know about the workings of GM's allocation system. Of course, Corvette is not the only auto with allocations or the only auto that can be purchased from an out of state dealer.

My first out of state Corvette purchase was in 1998 from Les Stanford (anyone remember Lew Tuller?). My next purchase was a 2001 Z06 from Bill Estes (remember Corvetteseller Bob Benendix, may he RIP) and my 2014 Stingray from Les Stanford with Dennis Tap handling the paperwork and telephone. And yes, I did purchase 3 more Corvettes and other vehicles locally while living in Salt Lake.

One day in 2007, because of a health issue, I decided that I had better get that Porsche 911 Turbo while I could. Walked into the only Porsche dealer in SL and asked to order one. I had previously met the salesman for the dealership and was politely told that they had already sold their 1 allocation and that their 2008 allocation was also sold. A tad pi$$ed, I looked up on the internet (thank God for the internet for being able to conduct this commerce at all) all reasonably close Porsche Master Dealerships and e-mailed them all an RFP. At 10A the next morning I got a call from a dealer in North Atlanta and one hour later had concluded a deal for a 2008 to be delivered to my home in May. Without going into the details, it was a $150K purchase. I have purchased two (2001 and 2004) Lexus RX's from a dealer in Boise and had them shipped to SL after not being able to satisfactorily deal with the only SL (and Utah for that matter) Lexus dealer.

Anybody tried to purchase a new Ferrari? Guess what, most models have a 1-1.5 year wait. Time to get on the internet and telephone.

My advice to all fellow CF members is to get used to out of state purchases for high demand vehicles. I can tell you in all honesty that the top 5-6 forum dealers here are all great to deal with, know their business inside and out and will bend over backwards to make you comfortable with the sale and assist in getting that car to you. We are very lucky with the way GM allows and ships cars sold at one dealership to be shipped to another w/o charge.

Save the Wave!

understanding dealer
 

Once upon a time there was a dealership in Paramus, NJ,:flag: called Malcolm Konner Chevrolet. Malcolm Konnor was a wise business man and the number one corvette dealer in the country. Back in the 60's-80's there were no allotments. If you wanted a Corvette you went to Malcolm Konnor and purchased one. You could go to another dealer in area called Hawthorne Chevrolet with their Corvette Corral and purchase one from John Curry. These were the premier dealerships. GM even made a limited edition Malcolm Konner Model. now that's powerful. Konner had 2 corvette salesmen. Both did extremely well, they were not available everyday. If you wanted to buy a Corvette you had to go when one or both were working. if not you could not buy a Vette. Times have changed and strategic planning is needed on sales, inventory and promotions to be successful. As a successful business man i understand the allotment system along with it's good and bad points. The strong survive and to the victor go the spoils:) This debate will be short lived once the novelty has worn off. remember the 1978 Indy limited Edition Corvette. Not worth what it was thought to be worth today. The big corvette dealers will be big and the smaller dealers will sell their cruz's and mid size cars. In the end all will get their cars, some garage queens, some daily drivers. what is good is this Forum has very knowledgeable members who are street smart and successful! Remember if Malcolm Konnors salesmen were not working you could not buy a Corvette:flag:

Maybe not the delivery but,

Actually you can order a car from Kerbeck the way you want it because of the allocation system. The discounts are posted on their website all you have to do is place the order and it will be built, speak to Dave.

Look at the dealer allocation system and how it benefits our members. The current system rewards those dealers who have worked hard to increase their sales.

The CF dealers then get a larger allocation.... That allows those of us who want to order cars to get them at a reasonable price(see the discounts on the various forum dealers websites) and in a reasonable time frame.

I see the current system as a win/win for us on the forum. We can get the car we want for a reasonable price with in a reasonable frame. :yesnod:

Most importantly the existing system rewards those dealers who work their butts off to sell Corvettes thus creating competition among the larger dealerships and as we all know competition is a good thing.

btw Thank you Dave for the very informative posts :thumbs:

Good post!