Well, took a shot and went with a dealer not based solely on price alone but rather a combination of things that I thought would provide the most satisfactory and entertaining` overall experience.
Unfortunately, oftentimes these `great` ideas of mine end up on my list of things that "Seemed like a good idea at the time..." due to reality being at odds with my somewhat optimistic theoretical thoughts of how things `should` work. Sometimes the `glass half-full` ends up being `half-empty` after all.
With that in mind, yesterday we hauled ourselves outta bed at 6am and drove 150 miles to be at Chesrown Chevrolet`s door at 9am to finalize the paperwork and take delivery of Margaret`s new 2019 Corvette. After that we drove it over to Esoteric Fine Auto Finishing where we left it to have the windows tinted, STEK DynoShield applied to the entire car and the wheels pulled, prepped and coated with Kamikaze Stance Rim Coating.
At the end of the day, nearly 13hrs later, we had one of the most overall entertaining days in my recent memory. Both organizations probably took a hit on overall productivity yesterday as the hospitality (and associated time) they provided to us were beyond compare. Dunno about them, but we were just having SO much fun at both places that I was just unable to merely complete the task at hand in a timely manner and run out the door.
At Chesrown we met the entire dealership family, got an in-depth tour of the facility, the obligatory introduction to the cars features but mostly just had a great time talking with everyone about everything from how their dealership runs, the auto industry in general, cars in general and any other obscure but interesting-to-me things that mighta popped into my head. While they were prepared for our arrival and we coulda probably finalized everything and been on our way in 30 minutes, we ended up spending about 2.5hrs there because time gets away from ya when you`re having so much fun. Oh yeah, and we signed some papers and wrote a check too...almost forgot about that part.
We musta seemed like an interesting couple as Margaret was nicely dressed, appropriately accessorized with bits of St Patrick`s Day green and me, well I was wearing torn jeans and a Mr. Bubble t-shirt. Opposites attract, I guess.
Got a chance to drive the car for about 30 miles on the way Esoteric and I think its gonna be a winner for us. The controllable dual-mode exhaust is a hoot, it`s pretty comfortable for both Margaret and I and it`s just overall a nice step up from our 2004 Corvette for us; priorities change as we age and I think we`releaning more to `Tour` as opposed to strictly `Sport` these days. Rides nicer in Tour mode, steering is lighter when set to that mode and, for me anyway, the view through the windshield while driving is somewhat less `faith based` than it was with our previous model; I was just never quite sure exactly where the corners of that car were w respect immovable objects.
I don`t see myself laying on the garage floor bolting on longtube headers, cold air intakes or scheduling dyno-tunes with this one like I did with the 2004. We ordered the new one with specific options that we kinda DIY`d with the last one after having it for a while so the 2019 will likely stay pretty much stock.
We were somewhat unsure of the visibility with the tint we were having done so when we got to Esoteric, they grabbed some keys and had us sit in some cars with different levels of tint, both on the windshield and the other windows. In the end, we decided on 55% all the way around and actually seeing it on a car from the drivers seat was a big help.
Todd (Cooperider) was on site after doing some very early morning TV spots for the Columbus Auto show and getting the chance to talk with him, Zack, Dan, Ryan, Tak and all the others there is absolutely an opportunity not to be missed if you`re at all interested in the `automotive arts`. The knowledge these folks have and are willing to share is just incredible. Coatings, PPF, exotic cars in general, detailing specifics, trends in the industry (past, present and future) were all things we touched on.
Sorry for taking up so much of your time, guys...you`re just too darn nice for me to not babble on endlessly, absorbing as much info as I can.
Finally heeded Margaret`s mentions of "Kurt, you need to let these guys back to work..." and headed out the door...only to realize when pulling out of the parking lot that we forgot to leave them the keys to the Corvette. Oops.
Thanks to everyone at Chesrown Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, most notably Joey Gill who`s been putting up with me since last October, and the always first-class folks at Esoteric Fine Auto Finishing. It was a truly fun and memorable day...not sure actually owning and driving the new car will be as fun as the day we bought it.
