Chevy Dealers not worthy of C6 (or Corvette)!

[skremese]

Hi all,

Perhaps this is just my personal beef but I think the biggest achillies heel of the C6 (or any upper crust GM product) is the dealer network. Let me elaborate by breaking this down to several areas:

Pre-purchase Price
When I went to buy my C5 in 2001 I visited every local (to Sacramento) dealer in the area. Every dealer had a "dealer markup" on the sticker of $10K to $15K! Local dealers are already telling me that the C6 will carry a $15K to $20K premium.

Pre-Purchase Treatment
As mentioned, I visited all local dealers - none of them would allow me to drive a C5. Despite the fact they all had several new & used examples on the lot I couldn't drive one. At the time I was shopping I was 29 and admittedly look very young (much to my wife's chagrin, I get carded a lot). I received statements from them that they don't allow potential buys to test drive the can unless they are very serious. What does this translate to? Cash in hand? How do these jokers expect to sell these cars then? As another data point, I also visited the Porsche dealer to see about a 911 - they let me drive it, hard, with no problem. They didn't even insist on taking my name but the sales guy did ride with me. He encouraged me to drive it hard.

Post Purchase Treatment/Service Center
This as well has been bad. Corvette is a premium car but I get no better service than if I'd purchased a Cavalier or the new Aveo. They don't wash it, they don't baby it, they don't even go the extra mile to do the work right (I've had numerous issues with the window seals). And don't even think about getting a loaner unless you have an extended warranty with this provision!

Now I've recently been shopping for a new car for my wife. I decided to look at the newish Cadillac CTS and found a lot of the above items (except the service stuff obviously). Then I went to Lexus - they were amazing. Polite, nice, accomodating with a personal test drive. All this for a $31K car (ES330). As mentioned above I had a good experience at Porsche, and even at BMW & Mercedes.

So I ask you guys - have you had similar treatment at the Chevy dealers or is this unique to me? Do you guys feel that Chevy dealers are a pro/con or no consideration for the purchase of Corvette?

Thanks,
Steve

 

[Greenie]

Many times, it comes down to your relationship witha particular dealer. If you have history with them, theyll tend to go the extra mile. The premiums onthis car as quoted by those dealers are pure BS! Plus, I never had a problem driving a Vette before I purchased it. As for other brands, I just bought an Audi A8L and I knew nothing of Audi or the dealership. They were MAGNIFICIENT!

 

[WhalePirot]

I've had great pre-buy experiences with Chevy, Porsche, Audi, BMW and Volvo.

I've had lousy pre-buy experiences with Chevy, Mercedes, Acura, Honda, VW and Cadillac.

I've had great service experiences with Chevy, BMW and Volvo.

I've had lousy service experiences with Chevy, BMW, Cadillac and Acura.

Seems the brand or country of origin matters less than the dealer.

When I bought my '84 (in '85), I not only drove it to the limit, I was encouraged to do a second 'donut'! This was just before I wrote the check and the Chevy dealer tried to rip me off on fees and the warranty.

 

[Vettelt193]

I have found that the majority of Chevy dealers stink. There are a few diamonds in the rough, but other than that, the dealers sell cheap cars and offer cheap service.

I think Corvette should be sold at Corvette specific GM dealers. If the dealer is worthy, then they can sell and service Corvettes.

There is one dealer(not chevy: caddy, Pontiac, GMC) in town that goes the extra mile on ALL of their cars. Afterall, if someone buys a cheap pontiac and has a great experience over the life of the car, where do you think they will turn to buy their next car?

 

[Greenie]

Excellent idea! At one point, Chevy was thinking along those lines but it just didnt pan out.

 

[Edmond]

At least they pay attention to you! :L I usually get ignored everywhere I go. Maybe it doesn't help by the way I look. I look pretty young and I wear cargo khakis, usually with a plain white t-shirt a baseball cap and sunglasses. Sure, sometimes the pants are wrinkly but that doesn't mean I don't have money to buy anything.

This happens whenever I go into guitar shops, gun shops, almost everywhere. But when I drove the Vette' to the car dealership to have a look; they were very nice then. Even asked me, "You drove the Corvette here?" with a big smile on their face. :eyerole

 

[C4 Fan]

Many years ago I went to a Chevy Store in Rochester NY to lease, not look at nor test drive, but sign that night, for a S-10 pick up. The dealer jerked me around ad so I left, went less than a mile down the road and got a GMC Sonoma instead. Needless to say I will not buy a Vette from that Chevy store.

 

[Corvette Junkie]

I don't know of a dealer with in 100 miles of me that sell Corvettes at any thing over MRS.. When the 97 C5 came out I went to the dealer that I bought my 96 from. As I walked in the door the salesman threw a key to and said there's a C5 out front go take it for a drive. I must admit that I did have trouble with service until I learned that it's all in which service writer you use. You need to find out which service writer has been with the dealership the longest. He is the one that has the best mechanics on his team. I have no problem Chevy dealers handling Corvette.

 

[WhalePirot]

I have found that the majority of Chevy dealers stink. There are a few diamonds in the rough, but other than that, the dealers sell cheap cars and offer cheap service.

I think Corvette should be sold at Corvette specific GM dealers. If the dealer is worthy, then they can sell and service Corvettes.

Great idea, versus the GM attitude that dealers are totally independent businesses, out of their control. It would be a nice carrot for all deaslers to vie for a lucrative ranchise through improved customer care. No buzzwords; just meat!

You forgot to mention the young, know nothing salepersons; even at Cadillac! I very recently walked out of a Chev dealer and quietly chuckled at the banter of three salesmen who were (mis)discussing cars. They were way short on facts.

Drove a new Caddy sport truck (their initials mean nothing to me, hence they befuddle me). The salesgal was brand new and could barely answer any questions about the $50k+ vehicle. Hardly makes me eager to go back to what I thought was a better grade Caddy dealer.

 

[ImpalaPete]

Skremese, sounds like you are either constantly giving a bad impression or going to the wrong dealers. Assuming the dealers are at fault, as is almost always the case, do your best to find another Chevrolet dealer that sell Corvettes and treats you with respect. Once you find a good dealership, try to get to know a particular salesperson and always deal with that person from now on. I have had a great relationship with one local Chevy dealer for quite a few years. I always deal with the same salesman. Whenever I want to test drive any Chevy (including a brand new Z06 a few weeks ago), I just give him a call so he knows to expect me. When I show up, he literally just hands me the keys and a dealer plate and tells me to have fun. That's what you need to find!

 

[Patrick]

It's been my observation that the best experiences to be had when it comes to buying a Corvette (new or used) will come from dealerships that sponsor local Corvette clubs. Get a recommendation on a sales person to go see at that dealership from one of the club members, and call that sales person to schedule an appointment. Tell him or her who referred you, and what you are looking for. By and large, these are the sales people who not only respect your time, but will appreciate the business being sent to them by their sponsored club. That should go a long way to making the Corvette purchase a positive one.

Just my $0.02


-Patrick

 

[wishuwerehere82]

I had a suspicious person in my neighborhood and when the cop came to file the report, he saw all the cars in my garage and asked " Are all these your vehicles?". I told him that they were, and when he asked why I had so many old cars, I told him "Because I never want to have to go through the new car buying experience again."Suffice it to say, my personal experiences have been rotten.
Sales, Service, I will never go to a dealer again unless it's a last resort for parts.
I prefer to but a car out of somebody's front yard rather than talk to a dealer any day. They're right up there with lawyers and repo-men in my book

Pete.

 

[Zippy]

I find it unbelievable what some Chevy salesman try to tell you...for example, I called a local Chevy dealer yesterday and asked about buying a new C6. Salesman tells me he hasn't even seen the prices yet. I couldn't believe it! I asked him if he wanted me to tell him the MSRP because GM announced it weeks ago, it's all over the internet, all the car magazines have the prices, etc. Needless to say, I told him I'll try another dealer that knows something about Corvettes!

Zippy

 

[cesully]

I too must jump on this band-wagon... I bought 2 Cadillacs (separately) and the sales experience wasn't too bad- typical I go low you go high crap until the deal is made??!! Then, when the car needed service- forget about it... That department would do the work and present me with a dirtied up interior (fingerprints and the like,-don't have enough space here to get into details). I was so mad that GM's flagship was this was that I vowed I never would buy a car from a dealership again. I only buy domestic but I'll have to tell you, I'm scared to go into one of the foreign dealerships, I demand great customer service and I'd probably would drive off in one of "their" as they have "figured" it out- how to sell cars!

call me- waiting to buy a C6 in a few years from a meticulous C6 private owner...

Sully

 

[BarryK]

i've bought Chevy's, Toyota's, Honda's, Pontiacs, Fords, and Lexus's.
I do have to agree that when it comes to both sales and service it mainly comes down to each individual dealer.
The only car I ever purchased used except my '65 Vette was my wifes current Lexus LS 400 which I bought from my parents when they were getting a new car. Only reason I bought my wife a used car was because I knew this car and how it had been maintained and driven it's whole life. Throughout all of my various cars the BEST service I've ever experienced is the Lexus service. The car has only ever been touched by the same dealer since my parent originally bought it and I continued to take it there, They take the car in quickly, give a loaner car to my wife for the day or 2 they may need the car, they work has always been done correctly the first time, and they even wash the car each time afterwards before returning it and they are even friendly and curtious when dealing with you. I prefer to buy american when I can but I'd recommend a Lexus from this dealership anytime and if I can afford a new one when the time comes for my wife to need a replacement car I'd buy a new Lexus from this dealership in an instant.

 

[Bill Heygster]

I guess it al depends on the dealer and the salesperson. We just bought a 2004 and the experience was great. I've had a ton of bad car salesman problems over the years though. When we were reseaching the new car one sales guy told us that chevy charges a higher price for yellow paint because they make the engines faster in yellow cars than the others. Another told us that 2005 wouldn't be out until february and there would be no discounts on 2004 models. That delearship is now openly advertising $10k discounts on the radio. Salespeople are no different that anyone else - there's good and bad in all fields. We just need to remember that we are purchasing a top of the line vehicle and should be talking to a top of the salesperson. Another problem is that most Chevy dealers sell a ton of malibus and cavaliers and less that 5 corvettes in a year. Therefor they really don't know alot about what they are selling. dealerships that support clubs are a good place to start.
By the way they wouldn't let us test drive the new c 5 either or allowed anyone to test drive vettes. (I'll be 58 in Novemeber) When ours was delivered it had 4 miles on the odometer
I would go back to this dealership for another purchase.

It would be interesting to hear what silly stories salespeople have said about vettes.

 

[SANOLS1]

I'm a diehard Chevy guy. Iv'e always maintained 3 vehicles in my stable at any one time. I've purchased a new vehicle every two and a half years on average for the past 20 years. For the last ten years I've been eyeballing the vettes every time I go to the dealer. I've inquired each time about the models on the floor and I've always been told they were sold. I end up with my name on a waiting list to be called when the color and type I want becomes available. I can't believe I NEVER received a call. When I happend to stumble on my 04 Coupe one afternoon, I drove it home within one hour of seeing it. LUCK? I guess the salesman at my preffered dealer never took me serious. Had he checked my name in the dealers records, he would have seen I've spent over 100K there and might have had a different attitude when I told him I wanted one. The best part of this saga was seeing that salesman at my preffered dealer when I drove up in my new ride to pick up my wife who dropped off my Silverado for service. When he asked why I didn't buy it from him my response was quite predictable. "You never called!"
Appearance has everything to do with the salesmans preception. I always wear shorts t-shirt and sandals just to throw them a curve and see if they will play ball. Most wont. Their loss!

 

[skremese]

Wow - thanks to everyone for the great feedback on this thread. I had 2 dealer experiences in the past week. The hunt continues for a new car for my wife so I visited the local Chrysler dealer to check on the new 300. Unfortunately it was similar to my experience at the Chevy dealer - unknowledgeable salesperson, a $9000 markup and a dealer wanting to sell the car on the spot with high pressure tactics.

However, there is 1 key difference here that the dealer told me about and I'd read: Chrysler has a custom tailored support plan for buyers of the 300 (and the new Crossfire too).

This new plan includes loaner car and, per dealer details, a washed & detailed car for any service. Supposedly these cars would get priority in the servicing of them as well - kinda like priority service from airlines for flying lots of miles.

While I find the concept appealing and intriguing I have no idea how it actually works in practice as I don't own this car. So - wonder if Chevy has thought about doing something similar for Corvette owners.

The 2nd experience was at the Chevy dealer. I brought my 2000 Coupe in for service today and actually had a good experience with a very knowledgeable service writer. He was nice and wrote everything up (steering column lock recall, oil change, rear diff leaks, pass side visor broken (clips), pass door doesn't unlock always, front alignment). He gave me an estimate of $350 for everything but I have an extended warranty so we'll see the end $.

He didn't bother to call me by 5pm today to tell me the car won't be ready - I had to call him. He did offer to let me have it but I'd have to bring it back tomorrow - and no offer of a loaner (no provision from Chevy nor the extended warranty).

I'll see how well the work is done and what shape the car is in when returned tomorrow!

-Steve

 

[Edmond]

a dealer wanting to sell the car on the spot with high pressure tactics.

Do any people actually fall for those high pressure tactics? :eyerole

 

[ImpalaPete]

Do any people actually fall for those high pressure tactics? :eyerole

I guess at least a few people must fall for it. Otherwise, why risk annoying people. Ignorance? Stupidity? Arrogance? All of the above? High pressure always means I turn around very quickly and never return.