2020 C8 Corvette Stringray

[mjannusch]

Supposedly my target production week is now 7/26. Hopefully that sticks.

Considering trading in my C7 early to take advantage of the current value bump on used sports cars. Showing it to the dealer on Monday, and Carvana will give me $52k for it - so the dealer would have to be around $50k for me to give it to them.

[ChargerX3]

I would highly consider the trade in as well. Not sure how much longer values will stay this way.

[Chris GTO TT]

Agreed I've contemplated selling my truck since I should be able to get 30k plus for it. The problem then becomes what do I replace it with.

[ChargerX3]

[quote=""Chris GTO TT""]Agreed I've contemplated selling my truck since I should be able to get 30k plus for it. The problem then becomes what do I replace it with.[/quote]

Yea, its not like you can bargain your way on a new car/truck lately. We are seeing lag times with construction equipment because of product shortages nationally and worldwide.

[alienviking]

For what it is worth, due to chip and boards shortages, Dell wont even quote me a lot of hardware currently and they have their lead time set to 99 days "because we can't set it any longer out". Also, my bike mechanic has warned me that he does not expect the supply chain to be caught up until mid to late 2022 - with one of the components in short supply being rubber. My tri bike has been down for updates since.. March? Can't remember.

Not directly related to the car industry but they do use some of the same boards, components and.. well.. rubber.

[DCIV]

Great time to trade in. Wish I had 52k to give to you as you know carvana is gonna ask more.


Coop

[aaronatstate]

[quote=""alienviking""]For what it is worth, due to chip and boards shortages, Dell wont even quote me a lot of hardware currently and they have their lead time set to 99 days "because we can't set it any longer out". Also, my bike mechanic has warned me that he does not expect the supply chain to be caught up until mid to late 2022 - with one of the components in short supply being rubber. My tri bike has been down for updates since.. March? Can't remember.

Not directly related to the car industry but they do use some of the same boards, components and.. well.. rubber.[/quote]

Not sure what rubber compounds they use on bikes, but we are not seeing any shortage. Though we use mostly CR, EPDM, and NBR. I think tires are typically SBR and natural rubber, so I'm not sure about those.

[Duck Vader]

[quote=""Chris GTO TT""]Agreed I've contemplated selling my truck since I should be able to get 30k plus for it. The problem then becomes what do I replace it with.[/quote]

Same with mine. I would want another truck. Only makes sense to buy new in this market. But very limited supply.

[alienviking]

[quote=""aaronatstate""]Not sure what rubber compounds they use on bikes, but we are not seeing any shortage. Though we use mostly CR, EPDM, and NBR. I think tires are typically SBR and natural rubber, so I'm not sure about those.[/quote]

I have no idea about compounds (didn't think to ask - outside of my knowledge area) but it is related to tires and tubes. Other components are hard to come by due to manufacturing issues (factories closing down).

[Chris GTO TT]

[quote=""Duck Vader""]Same with mine. I would want another truck. Only makes sense to buy new in this market. But very limited supply.[/quote]

Yeah a new F150 Hybrid I'd want is like 60k so... Pass

[aaronatstate]

[quote=""alienviking""]I have no idea about compounds (didn't think to ask - outside of my knowledge area) but it is related to tires and tubes. Other components are hard to come by due to manufacturing issues (factories closing down).[/quote]

Yeah if it's tires and tubes, it's most likely SBR and/or natural rubber. We use very little of that in belts.

[mjannusch]

Well, I spent some time this weekend getting the C7 detailed really nice. It seriously looks brand-new again, except for the tires.

The ceramic coating has protected it nicely, and I basically had been just running it through the touchless carwash all these years. I used my foam gun with some Blackfire Foam Soap (https://www.autogeek.net/blackfire-foam-soap.html), foamed up the car, went over it with a microfiber cloth to get any bugs or stubborn dirt, rinsed it off, and dried it with another clean microfiber towel, then followed it up with the air blower to get water out of cracks and hard to reach areas on the grille, etc. That's really all I had to do for the paint - it still looks great with the ceramic coating intact, nothing really to be done.

Moved on to the wheels, and hit them with Wolfgang wheel cleaner, which dissolves the brake dust. I have one of those angled wheel brushes (https://www.amazon.com/EZ-Detail-Brush- ... B07W71NW1V) and used that between the spokes and in the wheel barrel to get the dirt out of there. Hose them off and dry with microfiber - done. Those had ceramic on them as well. A little beaten up because the city decided they were going to re-rock my paved street a few years ago and left it on there pretty much all summer - but overall they still look nice.

If I would've thought about it better, I would've done tires before wheels, but whatever. Moved onto the tires and sprayed them with Bleche Wite tire cleaner (https://www.blackmagicshine.com/tire-ca ... e-cleaner/). Stuff works good - let it sit for a couple minutes, then agitated it with a wet microfiber cloth, let it sit for a couple more minutes, and then hosed them off. Dry with a different microfiber cloth. Perfect. Re-dry the wheels.

Next, put on Wolfgang Black Diamond tire gel (https://www.autogeek.net/wg4700.html). Wipe it on with a sponge applicator, let it sit for a bit, then wipe with a microfiber cloth. Looks great. It isn't as permanent as some of the newer stuff you guys have been talking about, but it works well and I already had it. Done.

Vacuumed out the interior, cleaned the leather, dash, interior panels, door jambs, and rubber weatherstripping with a damp microfiber cloth - worked well. Cleaned all the glass with some foaming glass cleaner and microfiber.

Cleaned the exhaust tips, which were pretty dirty and black (yes, I'd been kind of ignoring those because it has been more of a "drive it whenever I can" instead of a "show car" sort of deal). Used 3D Metal Polish (https://www.3dproducts.com/product/metal-polish/), which works great. Puts a really nice shine on, and seems to last for a good while.

I didn't really do much under the hood, other than wipe a few surfaces and use the vacuum with a bristled brush attachment to get some of the dust off the plastic engine covers.

The car seriously looks almost brand-new again. There's some minor pitting in the paint on the leading edge of the front of the car from road pebbles or whatever, and a bit of clearcoat abrasion on the aero panel under the car behind the rear tires from pebbles/sand/etc. Other than that, it looks perfect still. I should've taken some photos, but it was raining out today and garage photos don't really show a car in its best light.

Damn, I'm really going to be sad to see this car go. It has been super-fun to drive, and still looks great like the day I brought it home. I have no idea how the conversation with the dealer is going to go tomorrow, but we'll see what happens. I'm guessing we'll need to finalize my purchase agreement/contract for the C8 and somehow work the trade into that so that everything is in writing. I don't want to end up in some strange scenario where they've already sold my C7 and try to jerk me around on pricing on the C8 or something stupid like that. I already have a written confirmation via email from the sales manager that my C8 will still be at MSRP, but you never know with car dealers.

I think the only thing they could really complain about on the car is the tires. They are getting close to the wear bars on the rear tires, which seems to be pretty normal for a C7 at 13,000 miles. I did do some burnouts at the dragstrip, and I do drive pretty aggressively - and there's a nice double bend in the road leading up to my house that can be fun to slide it around the bends a bit on the way home. And I may have done a few donuts in the cul-de-sac in front of my house a few times. Maybe.

The weather should be nice tomorrow, so I'll try to grab some pictures before I leave for the dealer. I don't think I'll end up leaving it with them tomorrow, but I guess one never knows.

[mjannusch]

Yup, they are going to take it in trade and met my asking price. We're writing up the final purchase agreement and trade tomorrow and they'll take the car. It is going to be a long summer waiting for the C8 to arrive, but hopefully it is worth it.

[alienviking]

Nice! Saves you from dealing with all the tire kickers and joy riders.

[mjannusch]

Yeah, exactly. That makes it totally worth it to me.

[mjannusch]

Looks like the C8 will be built the week of 7/19 so hopefully, I'll have it right around the start of August. Almost there!

I miss my C7.

[alienviking]

Good thing you aren't holding out for the C8Z with all the delays for that one hah.

[mjannusch]

Almost thinking if I put a deposit down when I pick the Stingray up, I might see a Z06 in 2024, maybe not the worst timing.

[DCIV]

How much are the deposits?


Coop

[mjannusch]

It was $2020 for the Stingray. Each dealer sets their own requirements.