[VIDEO] 2013 Corvettes at Carlisle – Corvette Seller Mike Furman

[VIDEO] 2013 Corvettes at Carlisle - Corvette Seller Mike Furman

At the 2013 Corvettes at Carlisle, CorvetteBlogger spoke with Corvette seller Mike Furman from Criswell Corvette in Gaithersburg, Maryland about his 35th anniversary in the business. By the end of this year, Furman will have personally sold 3,000 Corvettes!

We talk with Mike about the visits his dealership receives from Corvette enthusiasts all over the world, as well as his latest personal Corvette which he bought earlier this year.

Over the last few months that Mike has been one of our sponsors, we’ve been amazed with his enthusiasm and attention to the smallest details when working with customers. Mike shares many of his stories of new Corvette deliveries and dealership visits on the Corvette Forum like this one where he got a customer in an out in a 2013 427 Convertible in under an hour. Yep, he’s done this once or twice!

If you’re interested in ordering a brand new 2014 Corvette Stingray or one of his remaining 2013 Corvettes, call him at 301-212-4420 or visit him on the web at criswellcorvette.com/mike_furman.aspx.

Related:
Callaway Cars Shows Off New Hood Design for the 2014 Callaway Corvette Stingray
Mike Furman – Selling Corvettes for 35 Years and Still Going Strong
Questions about Ordering a 2014 Corvette Stingray? Contact National Corvette Seller Mike Furman

 

Report: C7 Corvette Stingray to be Sold in China

Report: C7 Corvette Stingray to be Sold in China

Taking a slow boat to China?

How about a fast Stingray to the Orient instead?

We’ve heard all about the high prices some dealers in the U.S. are planning to charge for the new seventh-generation Corvette, but they’re nothing compared to what Chinese sports car enthusiasts will have to pay if they want to drive a new Stingray.

Reports from CarNewsChina.com say that the Corvette will be available in China in the first half of 2014, with the official debut likely in November at the Guangzhou Auto Show.

But the Chinese should get ready to shell out some serious cash for the new Corvette.

While the Stingray will have a base price of $51,995 in the United States, import taxes will jack that price in China up to 1.5 million yuan or $245,000 in U.S. dollars.

Just think, you could buy four Corvettes in the States for the price of one in China!

Unfortunately, Chevrolet won’t be the one making the big profit on the car; the government in China will.

It’s interesting, though, that at even with the huge tax, the Corvette – as it is in the U.S. – is still a relative bargain, considering that a Maserati GranTurismo goes anywhere from $327,000 to around $400,000 over there.

Source:
CarNewsChina.com

Related:
Corvette Coupes to be Sold in South Korea
Chevrolet Prices the Corvette Stingray for Europe at €69,990
Is Chevy Preparing to Sell Corvettes in China?

 

Dealers Face Decision to Sell the 2014 Corvette Stingray at MSRP or More

Dealerships Face Decision to Sell C7 Corvette Stingray at MSRP or More

Those of us who were around for the dog-eat-dog days of the 1978 Corvette Indy Pace Car know first-hand how greedy some dealers can be when a hot car comes their way.

Automotive News is reporting this week that some Chevy dealers are asking as much as $10,000 to $20,000 above sticker price for the soon-to-be-here 2014 Corvette Stingray.

Fortunately, not every dealer is gouging its customers.

Take Coughlin Chevrolet in Pataskala, Ohio, for example. Our friend Rick “Corvette” Conti is sales manager there and says Coughlin is charging MSRP for all Stingrays. They already have almost 100 orders for 2014 models and Rick figures to sell 75 more Stingrays before production ends for the year.

“Guys who go above sticker — that’s a one-shot deal,” Conti says. “These are customers who you’re going to see again, and they’ll remember that. I’m looking at the bigger picture.”

Three more of our friends are also offering fair deals on the sure-to-be-red-hot Stingrays. If you are planning to order a 2014 Corvette Stingray, please check out Kerbeck Corvette, Mike Furman at Criswell Corvette and Sport Chevrolet. These three dealers not only support CorvetteBlogger.com as sponsors, but they are also supporting Corvette owners by selling Corvettes at MSRP.

With supplies of the Stingray expected to be tight during the first year of production, you can expect to see more of the old “supply and demand” challenges that force prices up in some cases.

It’s interesting to read what one Chevy dealer out West told Automotive News. That dealer has sent mystery shoppers to its competitors and discovered that they plan to offer the cars $10,000 to $20,000 over sticker. That dealer has decided to make its markup just half of what those competitors are asking.

“If the competition is charging $15,000 above,” the manager says, “we’ll charge $7,500.”

Still doesn’t sound fair and its telling that he didn’t want his dealership to be identified.

We asked Corvette’s Marketing Manager John Fitzpatrick about dealers who are charging thousands more over MSRP and he told us there is only one group who can stop this practice in its tracks – the customer. He says that Chevrolet doesn’t control what dealers will ultimately charge for the new Stingray, but his message is clear. If you’re not willing to pay for a Market Adjusted Corvette, dealers won’t charge the premium price above MSRP.

We think your best bet is to check with the four Corvette-owner friendly dealers mentioned above, and you might be able to save thousands of dollars on your Stingray.

Source:
Automotive News

Related:
CorvetteBlogger Welcomes Sport Chevrolet to Our Family of Sponsors
Chevrolet’s John Fitzpatrick Details the Production Process for the 2014 Corvette Stingray
Mike Furman – Selling Corvettes for 35 Years and Still Going Strong

 

CorvetteBlogger Welcomes Sport Chevrolet to Our Family of Sponsors

CorvetteBlogger Welcomes Sport Chevrolet to Our Family of Sponsors

CorvetteBlogger.com would like to give a Corvette wave as we welcome Sport Chevrolet to our family of sponsors.

Sport Chevrolet is a family run dealership that has been serving the greater Baltimore/Washington D.C/Silver Spring MD area for over 35 years now.

The Corvette specialist that we are working with there is Robert Kramer who tells us they have 2014 Corvette Stingray allocation as well as 2013 Corvettes in stock now including two Torch Red Corvette 427 Convertibles.

Are you planning on ordering the 2014 Corvette Stingray? Give Robert Kramer a call at 888-880-9772 or email him directly at rkramer@sportautomotive.com.

Sport Chevrolet is located at 3101 Automobile Blvd in Silver Spring, MD.

CorvetteBlogger Welcomes Sport Chevrolet to Our Family of Sponsors

Mike Furman – Selling Corvettes for 35 Years and Still Going Strong

Mike Furman - Selling Corvettes for 35 Years and Still Going Strong

Mike Furman is one lucky guy.

Many kids at the age of 17 have no idea what they want to do with their lives. But Mike knew what he was going to do.

On July 26, 1978 he sold his first Corvette. A mere 420 months or 12,775 days have gone by since then and now he’s one of the top Corvette sellers in the Country. By the end of the year, Mike will have completed his 3,000th Corvette sale!

Mike says a lot has changed in those 35 years.

“A guy named Bill Gates said ‘in the future every home will have a computer’ he said in a post on the Corvette Forum. “We all laughed at that one. Fax machines weren’t even invented as we know them yet!” he adds.

Mike says that over those 35 years, he has seen the good, the bad and the ugly. But he isn’t talking about the Corvettes he has sold. “I have never seen an ugly Corvette. I have loved them all including the 13 Corvettes and 44 Musclecars that I have owned” he said.

Mike says the process of delivering Corvettes to customers is more than just signing the paperwook and handing over the keys.

“Even though I am delivering the Corvettes to my customers…I thoroughly enjoy the whole process and as I have always said, being a Corvette enthusiast myself…it allows me to develop friendships with customers that go beyond Corvette. Does it get any better then that? I don’t think so.”

Mike reflects on some of the history he has witnessed over the years:

“I was there in the beginning when Callaway Cars first started creating more Horsepower for Corvettes (1987) and I watched the Callaway “Sledgehammer” get delivered after setting a World Record. Even Zora Arkus Duntov and Larry Shinoda among other luminaries would come to our dealership for our annual Corvette show at the Malcolm Konner Auto Group.”

Beginning his 35th of Corvette sales, Mike is very excited about the 2014 Corvette Stingray.

“The 7th Generation Corvette is World Class in every imaginable way.” said Furman. “In August I will be under the Callaway tent (right next to the GM Tent) for two days (Friday and Saturday) at Corvettes at Carlisle…and then I get to test drive the Stingray for a few days at Spring Mountain in September (with Chevrolet) and October (with Callaway). Tough job but someone has to do it!” he says.

Mike’s knowledge of Corvettes and his professionalism in selling them over the years has cultivated quite a following. Mike recounts stories of how Corvette enthusiasts from all over the world just drop in to the dealership to say hello.

And here is how one forum member answered another member’s question about how Mike has gained so much acclaim by fellow Corvette owners:

How is it? Goes like this: every business, every profession, has its stars. And stars are not born—they make themselves that way. Nor do they tell you how great they are. They listen, learn, let customers come to their decisions (even if it takes years, people remember how they were first treated, and they do go back to where someone took the time with them). And finally, they let others do the talking.

All that Mike states are the facts that he can talk about – his enjoyment of selling these cars, and his length of time in the biz. Frankly, that’s not much different than the best in any biz including the sale of cars.

What I’m most impressed with is, I haven’t seen one post that said, “he pressured me.” Or, “he said this was a one time deal only good for one hour.” Quite the opposite is said: “It was an enjoyable experience,” “It went so quickly and smoothly,” “I learned everything I needed to know.” Comments like that only get said about the best and we’ve been lucky to hear/read it on this Forum.

In every line of business I’ve been in, I can name two or three people who are the stars, the best for all the right reasons. I’d bet all of us can. Mike happens to be one of those in his line of work. And that’s why he’s talked about by others.”

Accolades like this don’t come with every Corvette sales professional. If would like to talk to Mike Furman about your next Corvette, call him direct at (301) 212-4420 or by email at mfurman@criswellauto.com. His website is http://criswellcorvette.com/Mike_Furman.aspx.

Here are some pictures of Mike with some of the Corvettes he has been around over the years. Click the image to view a larger version.

Fall ’92-That’s my son Tyler and I in my 1961 Corvette. Tyler is 21 now!

Fall '92-That's my son Tyler and I in my 1961 Corvette. Tyler is 21 now!

Sept 11th 2004-My daughter Samantha and I in my new 2005 Precision Red Corvette. She is in College now.

Sept 11th 2004-My daughter Samantha and I in my new 2005 Precision Red Corvette. She is in College now.

Taking the 61 down the highway.

Taking the 61 down the highway.

Dave Hill and I with the all new 2006 Z06 behind us.

Dave Hill and I with the all new 2006 Z06 behind us.

1986 outside Malcolm Konner Chevrolet helping out the Konner Family for a sock hop.

1986 outside Malcolm Konner Chevrolet helping out the Konner Family for a sock hop.

With the Corvette Racing team at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

With the Corvette Racing team at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

60th Anniversary 427 Corvette Convertibles arrive at Criswell Corvette

60th Anniversary Corvettes arrive at Criswell Corvette

And of course, Mike is selling C7 Corvettes!

60th Anniversary Corvettes arrive at Criswell Corvette

Source:
Corvette Forum and Criswell Corvette

Related:
Questions about Ordering a 2014 Corvette Stingray? Contact National Corvette Seller Mike Furman
Here is the Last Available 2012 Callaway B2K 25th Anniversary Corvette
Top Gun Air Force Pilot Buys a 2013 Corvette 427 Convertible