Clearwater Area Car Dealerships

[stormin9mm]

Anyone have good/bad experiences buying Corvettes from local dealerships such as Dimmitt, Autoway, Maher, etc. This will be my first new Corvette and have been looking at pricing,etc. Have had some contact with Richard Burkhart at Dimmitt and he seems nice via Email and a Corvette owner. I know price is important, but so is customer service. Any input is greatly appreciated in my first new car purchase in 35 years, alot has changed since then.

[zzzona]

You have a P.M.

[Pres712]

All dealerships have their problems but our sponsor, Dimmitt Chevrolet is probably the best one around. First of all if a dealership takes on a club that shows they are serious about Corvettes. I started a Corvette club in Columbus, Ohio and Bob McDorman was our sponsor. Look in any of the Corvette mags and you will see an ad from Bob. Is he serious about Corvettes? If you are a member of Bay Area CC Dimmitt gives us special pricing on Vettes, new and used. We work thru one of our members who is a saleman there, Mark McIntyre. Sam Pilato is the manager and will see to it you get handled properly. We also get a 10% discount on all work done at Dimmitt; both labor and parts! They also sponsor our annual show which is coming up September 22. Stop by and see Mark, join up and receive a free membership!

Jim H.

[thebeepster]

I had the opposite experience @ Dimmitt ("Dimwit"). I tried to buy my '07 from them and all they would offer was a $1000 off MSRP which they called a "Corvette Club discount". Have talked w/several ofthers who have had similar experience. Historically, they have not been competitive. Ended up getting a GMID # which they would NOT accept. I ordered the vette when the GMID was accepted at another area dealer...took about 5-6 weeks to get the car. I got the car about the time Dimwit had their show (Sept) and I noticed they still had the car on the lot I had been previously trying to buy...smart business eh??

Also have not had good experience w/ their service dept. Unless they have new mgmt or have changed their business philosophy, GO ELSEWHERE.

[Pres712]

Originally Posted by thebeepster

I had the opposite experience @ Dimmitt ("Dimwit"). I tried to buy my '07 from them and all they would offer was a $1000 off MSRP which they called a "Corvette Club discount". Have talked w/several ofthers who have had similar experience. Historically, they have not been competitive. Ended up getting a GMID # which they would NOT accept. I ordered the vette when the GMID was accepted at another area dealer...took about 5-6 weeks to get the car. I got the car about the time Dimwit had their show (Sept) and I noticed they still had the car on the lot I had been previously trying to buy...smart business eh??

Also have not had good experience w/ their service dept. Unless they have new mgmt or have changed their business philosophy, GO ELSEWHERE.

As I stated in my first sentence....not everyone can get the best deal everytime at one dealer otherwise there would only be one dealer. I've been associated with our club and Dimmitt since '93 and even some of our members have had their share of problems with them. BUT, they still sell more Corvettes than any other dealer so there must be a reason. And the majority of us get their cars from them and use their service whenever possible. So far this year 6 Corvettes have been sold to members. I still believe all in all they are better than the "others".