Buying a new Z28 from a dealer sight unseen...

[Bone Stock]

I'm buying a 2015 sight unseen from a dealer many states away. It's getting trucked to me.

Before it leaves, I have a chance to ask them to inspect it for me. What should I ask them to inspect it, I had some questions...

How many miles did a freshly delivered Z28 have from the factory? I want to ensure I don't get a test driven Z28.

Are tires an issue with a car from the Midwest (i.e. Snow, etc). Cracking an issue with cars that were sitting? Hopefully they had the sense to bring them inside before the storms.

Thanks you. Sad to see the ZL1 go, but excited about the Z28 arriving...

[Mpsmith1]

First off, congrats on the purchase... Great car! Here are a few ideas.

I seriously doubt it's spent much time inside, so your concern about the tires is warranted.
I suggest checking that the front fender/splitter isn't damaged. Have them check the underside.
Also, I would get close up photos of the paint in various places to see whether it needs work/correction.
Photos of each wheel for curb rash.
Not sure if it comes with floor mats in front and back, but worth asking.
Whether a front license plate bracket been attached.

Also, I bet you a kind C5 member would be willing to stop by the dealership for you and check it out.

Hope that helps...

[69L48Z27]

I don't think I would ever buy a car sight unseen, just me. New from GM or not.

A new GM car off the trailer should have no more than a few miles. If it has over 15miles it's been driven. I don't think your going to find a Z/28 now that wasn't driven.

Things to look for or ask for:
- Paint issues. These cars sat for a long time. Scuffs, chips, repainting, etc.
- Tires have been known to crack.
- Where was is stored and kept. Most are inside but some were not.

The first car I went to look at was kept in a storage area and had bird droppings all over it. Once cleaned up it had been scuffed up front on the bumper and the edges of the door had multiple paint chips. Underhood was bad too, all the aluminum was heavily oxidized. Unless you order it new and take it the day it arrives you have no idea what the car has been through. Is it worth a $25k discount? Maybe, maybe not.

[Bone Stock]

PM on the way.

[Doubleblank]

It's damn near impossible to load and unload a Z28 a couple of times from a truck/railcar without getting some blemishes. As said, front splitter and rear ground effects are likely candidates for damage. Also, if its a black car, check the paint for swirls if that matters to you. The kids dealerships have cleaning new cars upon receipt generally use the same old dirty rag/sponge when cleaning. The black cars get swirls in the paint very easily.

[its a syn]

What dealership?

[t_towner]

What all these guys said. I looked at almost 10 Z's before buying one and I can tell you the condition varied widely. Tires were the biggest variable. GM does not warranty cracked tires so the dealership would have to eat them if they are cracked. One car I looked at had low miles but significant scratches and paint flaws (fish eyes.) The flaws would buff out, I'm sure but they were present and two of the cars had cracked/chipped splitters. Just my $0.02 worth.

[The_Raging_Bull]

I bought mine without a dealership visit, but from a video of the car walk-around. I asked for closeups of the tires, plus tire tread depth measurements, as well as identifying if the body had any chips present on the car,dings on the wheels, or the splitter.

After getting confirmation all was well, I had my 318 mile 2015 Z/28 shipped 596 miles in an enclosed carrier from Iowa to Broken Arrow OK outside of Tulsa).

No issues, and the car looks outstanding. I previously did this with a McLaren dealership which sold me an '09 Z06; their comment was "Sir you're dealing with McLaren-> if we say the car is flawless -> it is." I might add that car was perfect as well. In the case of McLaren; ya gotta believe folks who sell $300K cars

So I guess it can happen as I have two cars which are flawless; both were bought without a visit to the dealership.

[United_727]

I would never buy any car sight unseen. I mean you can afford a $60-70k car,you can afford a plane ticket/rental car to go look at it in person.

[Slimchance]

I would never purchase without checking it out!

[Tmick5jr]

Originally Posted by United_727

I would never buy any car sight unseen. I mean you can afford a $60-70k car,you can afford a plane ticket/rental car to go look at it in person.

very true

[Bone Stock]

Originally Posted by The_Raging_Bull

I bought mine without a dealership visit, but from a video of the car walk-around. I asked for closeups of the tires, plus tire tread depth measurements, as well as identifying if the body had any chips present on the car,dings on the wheels, or the splitter.

After getting confirmation all was well, I had my 318 mile 2015 Z/28 shipped 596 miles in an enclosed carrier from Iowa to Broken Arrow OK outside of Tulsa).

No issues, and the car looks outstanding. I previously did this with a McLaren dealership which sold me an '09 Z06; their comment was "Sir you're dealing with McLaren-> if we say the car is flawless -> it is." I might add that car was perfect as well. In the case of McLaren; ya gotta believe folks who sell $300K cars

So I guess it can happen as I have two cars which are flawless; both were bought without a visit to the dealership.

Upon speaking with the dealer today, it would appear that the car has definitely more than delivery miles. 160 miles actually.

I'm not saying the car isn't perfect, but now I'm pretty sure I won't be the first person to fart it in, nor try to break it in per GM's recommended methods. If I were borrowing a car like this, or test driving it, those ideals are out the window for sure.