Criswell Chevrolet’s Mike Furman delivers new Corvettes to his customers who come from all across the country to work with the nation’s top individual Corvette seller.
This week’s Delivery Dispatch from Mike Furman deviates a bit from previous delivery posts and we think you will like it. A couple of new owners have provided reviews of their new 2020 Corvettes and Mike shares those here. Also, the world’s most prolific Corvette seller has a very special customer that you all know who takes delivery of a new 2020 Stingray, and he shares photos of his other new Sting Ray, a 1963 Corvette Split-Window Coupe! Now that’s a great way to fill a garage! You will also see some other great new 2020 Corvettes handed over to their new owners plus a fantastic collection of vintage and throwback photos!
Visit Mike’s facebook page for even more photos and videos of his new Corvette deliveries: CorvetteFurman.
~I’ve had plenty of time to gather my thoughts to give an unbiased review of the new 2020 mid-engine, the 8th Generation Corvette. But instead of taking my word for it, I suggest you read the words from my San Francisco customer, Ron. F. down below. Ron put into words succinctly what I’ve been saying and thinking. I certainly value his opinion as he has owned many sports cars over the last 50 years. I took delivery of my own C8 a couple of weeks ago, Silver with the Tension Blue/ Twilight Blue wrapped interior. Enjoy the stories and pics this week! www.corvettefurman.com ~ Follow all my deliveries on my Corvette Furman Facebook Page. Email [email protected]
Happy Easter, stay safe.
~Ron F. of San Francisco, California placed his 2020 Corvette factory order from me to be drop-shipped near his Montana home at a Chevrolet dealer in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Then he had it enclose trailered to California. Ron just sent me these pictures of it all shined up. Equipment list: Black paint/Black interior, 3LT pkg, transparent top, red calipers, red stitching, performance exhaust, Red seat belts, 5 Trident spoke Machined-face spectra gray wheels and much more. Thank you for the referral from John E. Of Oregon!
~In Ron’s own words
“Great things come to those who wait…The long wait was definitely worth it. The C8 is a far superior car than the C7 and I loved my C7. It is in fact far superior to anything on the market.
Asian cars feel like they are made of Teflon with all the parts gliding in unison. German cars appear to be made in metal on metal but in precision alignment. English cars promise tradition and coddling but don’t always deliver the goods. And Italian cars are Bellissime, but with a temper, that is until my current Alfa Romero Giulia.
The C8 delivers more than it promises. Quality is an elastic term, A high-quality dress sewn in Bangladesh is far different from a quality garment made in France. Here the C8 interior jumps up multiple categories of cars and goes right to the top. It presents a magnificent level of quality, to the touch, to the eye, and even to the smell. The cockpit is visually active and alluring. It is hi-tech but user friendly, it creates an attraction to touch each button, each dial, just to see the response. And you are not disappointed as the action is fast and positive.
I have the 3LT interior and the leather fulfills the promise of a luxurious sensation with a deep texture that is firm but supple. The red stitching is straight and aligned, as good as any Italian leather goods.
There is no longer a painful delay when zooming in or out of the Navigation map. It just reacts like your map app on your phone. If you wanted to see the name of that approaching cross street, zoom and the name appears. In the C7, you would press +, +, + and then sometimes the enlarge view would still not show the name of the street and the + – buttons frequently blocked your view, and would not disappear until you passed the street in question. You have all been there to know the frustration!
I can’t wait to take a long trip in the C8 using the new Navigation. But that begs to question, with Apple/android car play, why would you choose to use the C8’s Navi over your phone’s Navi? There must be a reason, but I have not driven it enough to find out. I would think the phone Navi has the advantage of being able to copy/paste the destination address and not have to spell it out or talk it out. We’ll see.
The exterior quality is equally stunning. My paint job was flawless, with no bubbles, no orange peel, no drips, just smooth even flow of glossy finish. My paint was Black, the color that is asking for trouble, but the trouble did not answer. Perfection with a deep rich luster. I had the dealer do the PDI and even wash the car, but to my surprise, not one swirl mark although I was already standing by with my dual orbital buffing equipment for paint correction.
The fit and finish were perfect. Nice even seams and consistent gaps. Doors and Frunk and Hatch opened and closed with a solid and reassuring thud. The motorized pull-down hatch is a blessing after learning how to be passive-aggressive on the C7 hatch.
Here, there was one minor glitch. The Frunk lid, when closed, was not secure, it jiggled and I’m sure it vibrated with the road surface. The fix was simple, the two rubberized adjustment bolts were set in the up position. I turned them down a few turns and it made enough solid contact with the frame on which they rest to secure them and made the lid solid.
What about problems with the guts and heart of the beast? There were none. Suspension, transmission, and engine just simply did their jobs and excelled at it. They are telepathic. They read your mind and read the road conditions and react in a nanosecond to keep you doing what you wanted to do…drive the car.
The suspension, without mag ride, is noticeably better than the C7 which my wife said was her all-time favorite ride. This was even over the Lotus Evora, which I thought was better. The C8 is nimble, stable, firm yet light. It feels like a moon rover with those big puffy tires floating weightlessly over all terrain. You hear the bumps and you see them, but you don’t feel them. Go into a turn with a little speed and it feels like claws extend from the tires to give you infinite grip around corners. Truly remarkable!
The DCT transmission is invisible. It just knows when to shift and when you are thinking about needing a different gear and it does it in a blink. I owned one of the first electronic single clutch paddle shifting cars and you had to baby it, especially at slow speeds and up near the top of a hill with traffic in the back of you. The C8 in slow hilly traffic gurgles at you in a low tone then proceeds like nothing unusual. Complete control at any speed, even creeping speeds. I had a Porsche 911 that acted like a Brahma bull at slow speeds with its PDK transmission. Other DCT’s made parallel parking in a tight space and exercise in bumper braille with the car jumping or lurching trying to move 2 inches. The C8, with all its cameras and smooth DCT makes parallel parking a breeze.
I have to claim a caveat since I have not completed the 500 miles break-in period yet, so my driving has been calm and respectful, but I imagine this love affair will still continue at higher speeds.
The engine behaves exactly how you expect and wish a mid-engine to run. There is an aggressive bark when you want it and comforting hum when you are cruising. The sound comes from behind you. I could not distinguish the piped-in engine noise from the real noise, so I’m happy. We will see if the power is as advertised after my 500-mile break-in.
Side note: Careful driving out there. The streets are empty with the Virus lockdown and I have seen people driving recklessly because there is no traffic. But be smart and be safe.
I did not order the front lift which is a cool and practical feature but I took the risk to delete it to save $$. I am relieved to report my driveway has not proven to be an obstacle. The C8 does not scrape at all, where my C7 did touch slightly at certain angles.
I do see one ongoing problem that has already been mentioned on the forum. The shroud surrounding the engine bay does show water spots. Spots also appear on the underside of the rear hatch and struts. There have been several remedies published and I will wait for the reports for the best solution. Perhaps 2021 C8’s will come with a textured pattern that will show fewer spots.
Across the board this I give this C8 a score of 10 on all categories. Quite an accomplishment to rewrite the definition of supercars.
I would like to give Kudos to Mike Furman of Criswell Chevrolet and John Elegant for their support and encouragement.
Looking forward to Miles of Smiles.”
Ron F. San Francisco, California
~Hello, my name is Mike Furman and I’m a Corvette addict. I don’t believe anyone will disagree with that statement. I started the C8 deal folder list on March 14th, 2014 and many of my repeat customers soon followed. So yes my C8 deal folder has been in line for 6 years but in actuality, I have waited since meeting Zora Duntov for the very first time at the Malcolm Konner Corvette shows. He was a regular at the dealership during the years I worked for the Konner Auto Group 1978-1990. I would always pepper Zora with mid-engine Corvette inquiries and he would swat me away with his infamous quote” Rumors sell magazines, not cars!”…in his thick Russian accent of course. So when allocations started this past September I let a few hundred customers go ahead of me as I truly was in no rush…not knowing at that time there would be a 2-month strike and now the plant being shut down because of the COVID 19 precautions. The 21st Corvette that I’ve owned was built and completed on March 12th and arrived last Tuesday the 31st of March. My household was turned upside down last week as our family dog Copper passed away on his 13th birthday Thursday the 2nd of April. So even though I had been waiting all my adult life for the mid-engine Corvette it took a back seat to our Copper and what he had been going through. A month and a half ago I had bought Corvette #20, a 1963 Corvette split-window, another dream car of mine but it was this 2020 Corvette Z51 coupe that I really was looking forward to taking delivery. I had been to the C8 reveal in Tustin, California this past July as a guest of CHEVROLET and experienced driving the C8 in October on the track at Spring Mtn, Pahrump, Nevada…but I knew the retail C8’s would drive even better.
I factory ordered a Z51 in Blade Silver with the Tension Blue/Twilight Blue dipped interior. 3LT pkg, front lift, magnetic ride, engine appearance pkg, and much more. The 1963 Split window Coupe was produced on 4/23/1963 and was sold originally out of a Chevrolet dealer in Joplin, MO called R & S Chevrolet. So there you have my own delivery stories…I knew from the very first moment I viewed the 8th Generation Corvette that my 18th Corvette, a 1967 Marina Blue coupe would go up for sale quickly and it sold within minutes of the very first phone call. Stay safe everyone. Enjoy the pictures.
~Conway B. of Grant, Florida placed his factory order for a Torch Red 2020 Z51 Corvette with the Sky Cool Gray interior. The paperwork process is completed and Plycar trucking will deliver the new Corvette to Conway’s Florida home. Equipment list: 2LT pkg, GT2 seats, front lift, magnetic ride, red calipers, cf painted mirrors, and as soon as the high wing spoiler comes in that will be installed.
~John and Sharon W of Grants Pass, Oregon…in their own words about their special 2020 Corvette delivery.
“Today was the BIG day! We got up very early and left our home around 7 am and arrived Power Chevrolet just outside of Salem, Oregon around 11 am to meet with Jim Church, Fleet Manager, who was delivering Sharon’s new Corvette this morning as Mike Furman had it drop-shipped for courtesy delivery here in Oregon. We pre-ordered this new C8 Vette almost 24 months ago. It’s been a long time waiting! And we were told many times by our National Corvette sales guy (Mike Furman at Criswell Chevrolet in Maryland) that the wait would be worth it. And, the wait was worth it, trust me! I meticulously washed the Mercedes yesterday in preparation for this trip because we don’t get out much anymore, especially with the virus hanging over our heads. Ya know, a clean car drives so much nicer! Power Chevrolet also meticulously detailed our new car and was beautiful. By the end of the day, not so meticulous! LOl! I think bugs come out in the afternoon, not the morning? They’re lazy, they sleep late! What else would you do if you were a bug?
The drive was about 3 1/2 hours up to Sublimity (outside Salem) and we spent some time going over paperwork, signing Oregon DMV papers and learning the basics of the car. The weather here in Oregon today was perfect, in other words, Chamber of Commerce weather! We haven’t been out of the house much, so it was a very nice drive. Our Corvette was parked right in front and center of their dealership so you could see it when we drove up. It was so very exciting. He gave me the keys and Sharon and I went for about a 15-minute drive to just check it out. We both came back with "Sh_t eating grins on our faces". Sharon said that it’s exactly what she expected and more!
We left the dealership with two beautifully clean cars and started driving south back towards Grants Pass. Almost immediately when we got on I-5 southbound, two eighteen-wheelers went by us and were honking their horns and the drivers were waving at us out their windows. I drove the Corvette home as Sharon didn’t want the stress of doing that on the first day. She felt more comfortable driving the Mercedes that she’s familiar with. We weren’t driving more than about 65 MPH most of the day because GM had already sent an email to me along with the fleet manager telling us how to break in this new engine and transmission. They didn’t want us driving at a constant speed nor did they want us driving over 4,000 RPMs for the first 500 miles, so that ‘s what I did today. That also meant that most people were passing us up! As the cars past me, many of them were taking pictures and making videos on their phones. So cool! Some of them were waving and giving the "high five" or "thumbs up". I think there were a lot of people that didn’t know what they were looking at. (Obviously not car people or in the know, but knowing that it’s a beautiful and different looking car)
My phone rang about five or six times this morning with friends calling on our way up to the dealership asking if we had the car yet. I think they were as excited as us. Sharon and I talked a lot this morning on the drive up about how long this order had taken and how much we had enjoyed the experience for the last 24 months of anticipation. We also talked about how much we had enjoyed our C6 Corvette over the past years with all those experiences/road trips and how many people we have met because of the Corvette. It’s so nice to have something to look forward to when there have been so many bad days with her cancer. But, she has always taken the high road and had the best spirit about it all.
So, after a long day today, we’re home and "Bear" as "He" is now called is in the Garage Mahal with his older garage mates, and yes they are old Fords. The 66 GT and 69 Shelby GT500. Yesterday, I did tell them to play nice and be cordial to their new garage mate. Let’s just see how that goes?
I need to put 500 miles on the Corvette before I can really punch it according to Chevrolet. Today, we put a little over 200 miles bringing him home. Tomorrow and Friday I will be washing both cars as they are both covered in dead bugs. What a way to start a new life by killing bugs for over 200 miles. It shouldn’t be that difficult on your first day on the highway, should it? How devastating! We’ll get over it eventually.
Sharon has been talking and laughing and smiling all day long. What a total treat for her and for me to see her smiling so much and feeling so positive about life. From ear to ear she has grinned all day long! We’re gonna put some serious miles on this car this summer, I hope.
Thanks again to John Elegant who has helped us with ordering this new Corvette as he has incredible knowledge about the C8 and is Co-founder of the MidEngineCorvetteForum. Mike Furman is at Criswell Chevrolet in Maryland where I ordered the car and has been very instrumental in getting our order in early which is why we have one of the first C8’s in Oregon. And lastly, thanks to Power Chevrolet in Sublimity, Oregon who was the courtesy delivery Chevrolet dealership. They were very nice to us this morning and exercised extreme caution during the handoff this morning considering the virus situation that we are all facing.
YAHOO! HUGS TO ALL! Attached are some pictures of the delivery this morning.”
~Ken B. of Vero Beach, Florida splits time with his Illinois residence and had planned a Corvette Museum delivery. The virus kind of put a glitch on that scenario so Ken had it shipped to his Illinois home while he waits it out in Florida. Ken factory ordered a 2020 Corvette Z51 coupe in Shadow Gray metallic with two-tone Adrenaline red/Black interior and CF painted wheels along with CF painted mirrors and spoiler. In Ken’s own words…”Thank You for the great car! As you know I had Museum delivery. Well due to logistics ( I am still in FL. and probably heading back to Illinois in a month or so) I elected to have the car shipped to Illinois. I CAN’T WAIT to drive it!! Thank you for everything. “ Ken B.
Some others that left the yard this week…
~The Frank Class Corvette Barn find and throwback section. Please post up your favorite picture this week.
Mike Furman
Criswell Chevrolet
Gaithersburg, MD
301-212-4420 desk direct
Off Fridays and Sundays
"I sell and ship Nationwide and have done so for 42+ years!
[email protected]
CorvetteFurman.com
Mike can deliver new Corvettes at Criswell Chevrolet in Gaithersburg, MD or through the National Corvette Museum’s R8C delivery program. He can also deliver new Corvettes via covered transport direct to your door or a courtesy delivery to the Chevrolet dealer near you.
Related:
Corvette Delivery Dispatch with National Corvette Seller Mike Furman for April 5th
Corvette Delivery Dispatch with National Corvette Seller Mike Furman for March 29th
Corvette Delivery Dispatch with National Corvette Seller Mike Furman for March 22nd
-
That Shadow Gray/ Adrenaline Red/ Carbon Flash combo is one of the best looking C8s I’ve seen so far. Congrats to Ken, the lucky owner!
There other car jumping out at me is that Rally Green ZL1. Someone got a stunning and rare car with that one!
Every time I look at a new C8 delivery, I get really excited. I ordered a C8 conv. but the build has been delayed. I ordered it in October, and have been anticipating the call to say my build has started. I call the dealer every now and then to add something extra to the car. This month my dealer contacted me to tell me that they had a C8 coupe for sale, that I had first option on. I said no thanks, because I really want my conv. I know it’s going to be a long wait, but it’s going to be worth it, because I just love what I love.
Comments are closed.