officially ordering tomorrow, need serious advice.

I made my initial call to my dealership and have a v8 ss reserved. The dealership is getting 8 for there allotment and I have number 6 overall and number 4 SS. I am going in tomorrow to place the official order with all the options. The dealership is telling me not to expect the car until Sept. Does that sound correct? They say they are getting 1 per month until all 8 orders are filled? I know that there are people here that might have a little insight on the process. Doesnt sound right to me that they would only get one per month. I know the guy at the dealership pretty well but it still seems odd. I cant tell if he is just being very conservative with his estimate on delivery date or if he knows what he is talking about. Anyone else been told the same thing? He also said there is no hurry to come in and give him my options and color and everything but I want to get it all taken care of so the order goes in ASAP.
Thanks!

September?? Seems quite a bit long. I would think April/May at the latest for a car just ordered, but for all I know, I am being optimistic.

What about the 1 car a month? ever heard of that? Ya Know I said I needed advice and never really posed the question I was after. Does anyone think I should consider a different dealership? Thanks

That just doesn't sound right to me. I mean, this car is now the poster boy for GM, they have GOT to get these things on the lots ASAP and with much quantity. Makes no sense why you can't get yours in March like everyone else. I'd try a different dealer and see what they say.

september? i dont like dealerships like that. they dont even know and their lying to you right off the bat. definately a dealership who cant be trust. you better watch if you put down a deposit.

What about the 1 car a month? ever heard of that? Ya Know I said I needed advice and never really posed the question I was after.

I don't think that logistically that makes sense either. Even though I am not a dealer, it just doesn't sound right.

Does anyone think I should consider a different dealership?

I would suggest that. Go to another, tell your story and see what they say. Keep your BS meter setting to "sensitive". You may have to try a few dealers before you get a warm fuzzy about the situation. Good luck and let us know what happens!

He did mention it could come in sooner but dont count on it. Plan for sept. He is a pretty good business acquaintance but not a friend by any means. No deposit is required and I am getting the car for MSRP. I am going to go in today and talk to him in person and see if I can get a better vibe. Thanks for the input :). I will keep ya posted.

well, didnt make it to the dealer today, 14 hrs later I am still stuck at my shop. Good news is I leave for Vegas in the morning,bad news is I have to wait until next week to go in to the dealer and its killin me not finalizing everything! well see ya on Monday!

That is not correct by ANY stretch of the imagination. Lean management has improved lead time from 2 months to 2 weeks for custom ordered automobiles. Yes, in the past, if you ordered a car to your exact liking, it took 2 months. But today, it can be done in 2 weeks. An 8 month lead time is proposterous. By September, the next years' models will be on the assembly line, and your car will be worth thousands less for being the previous year's model.

YOU are the customer. You demand delivery time or take your business elsewhere. They work for you. No matter how "elite" or "high demand" the product is, the truth is that more will be built everyday.

Keep in mind that the SS models were outselling the V6's by a good margin last I heard (that could have changed since then) and there might be some delay in filling the V8 orders until the line catches up. I wouldn't think eight months, though. Shop around.

That is not correct by ANY stretch of the imagination. Lean management has improved lead time from 2 months to 2 weeks for custom ordered automobiles. Yes, in the past, if you ordered a car to your exact liking, it took 2 months. But today, it can be done in 2 weeks. An 8 month lead time is proposterous. By September, the next years' models will be on the assembly line, and your car will be worth thousands less for being the previous year's model.

YOU are the customer. You demand delivery time or take your business elsewhere. They work for you. No matter how "elite" or "high demand" the product is, the truth is that more will be built everyday.

While I agree that September is later than I would expect, the next years model is not going to be on the assembly line let, considering its a 2010 model already.

This was all explained a couple podcasts ago when Jason and Chris had Cheryl and John on as guests (http://www.camaroz28.com/forums/showthread.php?t=641795). The dealer allotment numbers are based on worst-case scenarios. If everything that could possibly go wrong during production ramp up actually does go wrong, then your dealer will get eight cars in the first six months of production (mid February - mid July). If it takes six weeks to deliver a car (seems long, but I guess it's possible), then the absolute worst scenario would be September. Then again, that's only if yours is the very last car built in the first six months, which is highly unlikely.

So far, nothing that I know of has gone wrong, and production starts in about five weeks. Never say never, but there's not much time left for things to go wrong.

I can't speak for your dealer, but if I were you, I'd plan on getting the car a lot sooner than September. Remember that they've been allocated two cars that they haven't even sold yet, and those will assuredly arrive after yours.

Keep in mind that the SS models were outselling the V6's by a good margin last I heard (that could have changed since then) and there might be some delay in filling the V8 orders until the line catches up.

If GM has paying customers lined up for SS models, I can't think of any reason why they'd be building unsold V6's.

If GM has paying customers lined up for SS models, I can't think of any reason why they'd be building unsold V6's.

Something I remember seeing in a post before. It had something to do with GM not being able to build an 84% SS mix. I'm guessing it had something to do with the way the production line is set up.

Well. I finally made it to the dealer last night. I feel better after talking to the guy direct. When I asked him about the 1 a month deal he pulled out a memo from GM which explained vaguely how the allotment process would be and he interpreted it to mean 1 per month. When I read it I did not get that impression at all. So I went ahead and placed the order. I will be getting a Victory Red,SS/RS,6speed ,grey leather, polished wheeled american muscled machine! When it comes in who knows.... but when it does I will be smilin! :)

Yes, their allotment runs through quarter #3...So it could be September...but I have a good feeling unlike a few other dealers that are very negative.

Dealers have no way of knowing when a pre-sold unit will arrive unless they watch the car get pulled into the order stream for production....at that point, you'd HOPE they are watching, to call you and say, "GUESS WHAT, GOOD NEWS - YOUR CAR IS BEING BUILT AND SHOULD BE HERE BY........."

this seems like a good thread to ask this question...

I want to have my Camaro at some point this summer. Would I be correct in assuming I will want to order in the next month or so, before I am able to see and drive one at a dealer? That would be okay because after i see (and hopefully sit) in the production version at the DC auto show I would be ready to order.

I guess my two questions are 1) In order to get my car this summer (June/July) would I want to order very soon? 2) If for some reason I have a change of heart before the car is delivered would I be able to cancel the order? are dealers requiring non refundable deposits?

1. Buy at MSRP or LESS

2. Make sure the deposit is 100% refundable at any time (so you have the chance to cancel IF NEEDED)

3. Order right away. Most dealers have nearly sold their "initial order guide number", but can sell over it. The guide number is what Chevy plans to deliver to them through Quarter #3 2009 (Sept 2009)...anything over is estimated to come later.

4. Keep in mind, Chevy said they do not guarantee any of the cars being built, but of course they will - kind of a disclaimer...

5. If they under promise and overdeliver the Camaro, they have suceeded beating and doing better than Dodge did with the Challenger.