Dear All,
I took delivery of my new Z51 YV Stingray last week-end, and to all of you still waiting for your car, I have to say it really worse the wait. I do believe the journey to get there is different for each of us but want to share my experience here as it may help others to go through it, as reading this forum has been incredibly helpful for me during the last 8 months.
This is the first corvette I own and the first car I purchased new in the US so it has been an incredible learning experience. I have been a corvette Fan since I am a kid, and therefore very passionate about getting that corvette.
Big dealer or local dealer?
I first went to the local chevy dealer, got to talk with the salesmen that do not know anything about the car they have on the lot trying to charge $20k over sticker as they cannot get a car delivered within a reasonable time. I find out 4 months later that I got bad luck as there is one guy at that dealership that looks knowledgeable and could have help me, that is always a question of person. A friend of mine advised me to go and place an order with one of the bigger dealer on the east coast and get a courtesy delivery. As he was not able to give me a contact name, I went online and started calling them / sending emails.
I have been very unlucky with the big dealers. They never returned phone calls, nor responded to emails and look too busy in December of last year with too many customers trying to place an order. If I had to do it differently, I would just buy a flying ticket and fly there to stand in their office and place an order. I would have saved lots of time and energy.
Fed up of looking for a dealer that can place an order for me, I ended up placing the order in January with one of the largest corvette dealer in California as he claimed he has allocation and could get me a car in 4 to 6 months at MSRP.
One month later, I got in contact with one of the big east coast dealer as they had one car on the lot that was almost like mine, just a different interior color. After a few days I decided that I would have regrets if the car is not exactly the one I wanted. I almost got them to place an order but strangely they stop responding to my emails when I ask them if they could guarantee delivery within 3 months or have the $2,000 deposit being refundable before status 3000. Looks like they lost interest in my business at that moment. They may not have that many allocation that we think to fulfill the demand they attract.
In the meantime, my South Californian dealer did a good job responding to my emails, keeping me informed of my progress in the line. At the end I got hit by the spring price increase, and then by the 2015 model price difference as GM stopped granting allocation for 2014 Z51, but got one of the first 2015!
From order to delivery
Order placed on 01/19/14
Got accepted as part of the 06/26 consensus
First TPW 8/11 got pushed back to 8/18 due to color
Car produced on 8/19
At the dealership on 9/8, picked it up on 9/12
=>8 months from order to pick-up!
Considering I wanted a YV Z51 LT3 grey interior with carbon fiber dash and top that were on constrain, that is not bad…
Break-in when driving the car back home
Car was only 9 miles when I picked it up so break-in was all mine to do! I read most of the discussions about how break-in is important and different points of view on that. I decided I was going to do break-in during the first 30 miles as advised on the forum, but staying within the RPM range recommended by GM, and therefore consistent with GM instructions. I would call that a “gentle sports driving break-in procedure”. To be honest you cannot really drive as you stole the car on public roads. This is car is too fast!! Also, this is not only the engine, this is the full car you have to break-in, having a manual stick, I can really feel it. The engine breaks-in faster than the other parts of the car. Gar box is more fluid as you add miles on it. Down shifting from 7 to 6 and 3 to 2 was quite difficult. I did take it easy and not it is better and better as I add miles on the car.
I did most of the drive back (650 miles) in Tour and Sports modes at different speeds and rpm. Using the eco mode for very limited time so the engine car switch from V8 to V4 (deactivation) for a short period of time. My goal was not to save gas, but to gently break-in the whole mechanic. However I have to say that I am very surprised about this car gas mileage!! I got an average 20 mpg despite I was frequently pushing the car at good speed.
When I reached the 500 miles, the rpm limitation moved to 6500 rpm. I did not have to add any oil, it does not look like the engine is eating any. I still have not decided if I will go for a catch can or not, though.
An awesome car
I have to say that after 800 miles and one week driving this car, I did not find anything I do not like in this car!! And trust me, French guys are pretty good at being negative about things.
This car is very comfortable for long trips, head-up display is awesome, this is an incredible sports car that break hard, accelerate fast and turn sharp, despite I did use not even 50% of its capabilities.
It is also really good looking and get a lot of good comments anywhere I go. I am very happy about the 3LT grey interior. There is pretty much no color reflection on the windshield and mix of black, grey, silver and carbon fiber is gorgeous.
I expected a disappointment about the infotainment, but it turns out it works great and is easy to use. GPS is perfect, with traffic info, difficult to get lost. Bluetooth music streaming is working fine. And the quick response text feature is very helpful when you are driving. Not to mention the teenager and valet lock function.
Only thing that could be better is the video quality of the PDR. Definitely not a good as a GoPro. Hardware issue? Or just an encoding format that can be upgraded later? Any phone would do better. Still, it is great to be able to record and playback data, sound and video all at once.
Next step
I cannot wait to test drive my new Z51 on the track. But have to finish the break-in and custom race the car, changing fluids according to the user manual instructions.
Good luck with the wait, and just be patient
Stephane
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Sports car Corvette stingray]()
I took delivery of my new Z51 YV Stingray last week-end, and to all of you still waiting for your car, I have to say it really worse the wait. I do believe the journey to get there is different for each of us but want to share my experience here as it may help others to go through it, as reading this forum has been incredibly helpful for me during the last 8 months.
This is the first corvette I own and the first car I purchased new in the US so it has been an incredible learning experience. I have been a corvette Fan since I am a kid, and therefore very passionate about getting that corvette.
Big dealer or local dealer?
I first went to the local chevy dealer, got to talk with the salesmen that do not know anything about the car they have on the lot trying to charge $20k over sticker as they cannot get a car delivered within a reasonable time. I find out 4 months later that I got bad luck as there is one guy at that dealership that looks knowledgeable and could have help me, that is always a question of person. A friend of mine advised me to go and place an order with one of the bigger dealer on the east coast and get a courtesy delivery. As he was not able to give me a contact name, I went online and started calling them / sending emails.
I have been very unlucky with the big dealers. They never returned phone calls, nor responded to emails and look too busy in December of last year with too many customers trying to place an order. If I had to do it differently, I would just buy a flying ticket and fly there to stand in their office and place an order. I would have saved lots of time and energy.
Fed up of looking for a dealer that can place an order for me, I ended up placing the order in January with one of the largest corvette dealer in California as he claimed he has allocation and could get me a car in 4 to 6 months at MSRP.
One month later, I got in contact with one of the big east coast dealer as they had one car on the lot that was almost like mine, just a different interior color. After a few days I decided that I would have regrets if the car is not exactly the one I wanted. I almost got them to place an order but strangely they stop responding to my emails when I ask them if they could guarantee delivery within 3 months or have the $2,000 deposit being refundable before status 3000. Looks like they lost interest in my business at that moment. They may not have that many allocation that we think to fulfill the demand they attract.
In the meantime, my South Californian dealer did a good job responding to my emails, keeping me informed of my progress in the line. At the end I got hit by the spring price increase, and then by the 2015 model price difference as GM stopped granting allocation for 2014 Z51, but got one of the first 2015!
From order to delivery
Order placed on 01/19/14
Got accepted as part of the 06/26 consensus
First TPW 8/11 got pushed back to 8/18 due to color
Car produced on 8/19
At the dealership on 9/8, picked it up on 9/12
=>8 months from order to pick-up!
Considering I wanted a YV Z51 LT3 grey interior with carbon fiber dash and top that were on constrain, that is not bad…
Break-in when driving the car back home
Car was only 9 miles when I picked it up so break-in was all mine to do! I read most of the discussions about how break-in is important and different points of view on that. I decided I was going to do break-in during the first 30 miles as advised on the forum, but staying within the RPM range recommended by GM, and therefore consistent with GM instructions. I would call that a “gentle sports driving break-in procedure”. To be honest you cannot really drive as you stole the car on public roads. This is car is too fast!! Also, this is not only the engine, this is the full car you have to break-in, having a manual stick, I can really feel it. The engine breaks-in faster than the other parts of the car. Gar box is more fluid as you add miles on it. Down shifting from 7 to 6 and 3 to 2 was quite difficult. I did take it easy and not it is better and better as I add miles on the car.
I did most of the drive back (650 miles) in Tour and Sports modes at different speeds and rpm. Using the eco mode for very limited time so the engine car switch from V8 to V4 (deactivation) for a short period of time. My goal was not to save gas, but to gently break-in the whole mechanic. However I have to say that I am very surprised about this car gas mileage!! I got an average 20 mpg despite I was frequently pushing the car at good speed.
When I reached the 500 miles, the rpm limitation moved to 6500 rpm. I did not have to add any oil, it does not look like the engine is eating any. I still have not decided if I will go for a catch can or not, though.
An awesome car
I have to say that after 800 miles and one week driving this car, I did not find anything I do not like in this car!! And trust me, French guys are pretty good at being negative about things.
This car is very comfortable for long trips, head-up display is awesome, this is an incredible sports car that break hard, accelerate fast and turn sharp, despite I did use not even 50% of its capabilities.
It is also really good looking and get a lot of good comments anywhere I go. I am very happy about the 3LT grey interior. There is pretty much no color reflection on the windshield and mix of black, grey, silver and carbon fiber is gorgeous.
I expected a disappointment about the infotainment, but it turns out it works great and is easy to use. GPS is perfect, with traffic info, difficult to get lost. Bluetooth music streaming is working fine. And the quick response text feature is very helpful when you are driving. Not to mention the teenager and valet lock function.
Only thing that could be better is the video quality of the PDR. Definitely not a good as a GoPro. Hardware issue? Or just an encoding format that can be upgraded later? Any phone would do better. Still, it is great to be able to record and playback data, sound and video all at once.
Next step
I cannot wait to test drive my new Z51 on the track. But have to finish the break-in and custom race the car, changing fluids according to the user manual instructions.
Good luck with the wait, and just be patient
Stephane
