Finding Allocations

[Dirkbg]

First post besides the one on the new member thread. I have an order with a local dealer since March who said they had allocations, but that apparently wasn't the case since we are now into August and the order was never picked up. Is there any way to determine which dealers are getting Blackwings so I can search a dealer who may actually have allocations? I tried going through the registry list looking for dealers in my state that seemed to be delivering them, but I'm not sure how effective that is.

While I have waited, I've been second-guessing my order. Originally I had infrared with (black) performance cloth seats. The dealer came back a while later and said red was not being accepted, so I changed to my 1b choice, blaze orange. I've since seen a regular CT4-V in orange on a dealer lot and really like it now more than the red. But, I have also developed a liking for the sky gray interior. I think the gray interior looks great with the red, but I'm not convinced it would look as good with the orange. Any thoughts on the orange/gray combination?

 

[Neveready]

First post besides the one on the new member thread. I have an order with a local dealer since March who said they had allocations, but that apparently wasn't the case since we are now into August and the order was never picked up. Is there any way to determine which dealers are getting Blackwings so I can search a dealer who may actually have allocations? I tried going through the registry list looking for dealers in my state that seemed to be delivering them, but I'm not sure how effective that is.

While I have waited, I've been second-guessing my order. Originally I had infrared with (black) performance cloth seats. The dealer came back a while later and said red was not being accepted, so I changed to my 1b choice, blaze orange. I've since seen a regular CT4-V in orange on a dealer lot and really like it now more than the red. But, I have also developed a liking for the sky gray interior. I think the gray interior looks great with the red, but I'm not convinced it would look as good with the orange. Any thoughts on the orange/gray combination?

It's time to start asking your dealer hard questions. March of 2022 may seem like a long wait but it all depends on how many they actually got for 22 model year and if they received any allocation for 23. I'd also ask them how many people are in front of you on the list, thus you can do some quick math. (I.e. if your #20 on the list and they only received 5 BW allocations total I would not bet on getting one)

Also, do you have anything in writing they intend to sell you a BW at MSRP, with no add-ons?

To answer your question, you must first understand how GM allocation process works:

How to Order a New Corvette and Understand the Process

The Corvette Action Center has put together this detailed article to help clarify the process of placing an order for a new Corvette.

www.corvetteactioncenter.com

If you ask your dealer the questions above and you don't like their answers then maybe it's time to find a larger dealer who sold more BWs with a shorter wait list.

Top 50 Cadillac Dealers in 2021

A while back, someone asked me what the top Cadillac dealers were in the U.S. Cadillac told me they didn't have that information available. I was able to get it another way though. Below is the top 50 Cadillac dealers for 2021: MTD Rank Dealership Region City State CYTD Sales 1 SEWELL...

www.cadillacvnet.com

Ask yourself how far are you willing to travel to get one, how much longer can you wait and is ADM a deal breaker for you?

If your looking for a ct4v BW and your not hardset on a particular build then I'd go on Cadillac.com and find a build you like and give them a call to see if you can work a deal on a retail stock order.

In many cases we've seen several Ct4vBWs listed by Sewell at MSRP on this site. Keep in mind the 22 base price went up (search the forum for 23 pricing) so if you find a 22 that's got a little ADM you'll have to make that call if you are willing to go for it.


Best of luck to you and welcome to the forum!

 

[Neveready]

One other piece of advice. Most people on this forum have waited at least a year to get their original build. Even those who were the first 250 orders placed in Feb 2021 waited 6 to 9 months, some close to a year.

You could get lucky by calling the right dealer at the right time and your allocation could get put through in 3-6 months( depending on your build constraints) but you have to assume waiting another 3 to 6 months for the car to get built and shipped.

If you seriously plan to put in an order somewhere else, the time now.

 

[Dirkbg]

Thanks for the information. I've been reading this forum since before I even ordered, so I've picked up a lot of this information. The dealer that took my order (CT4-V BW) didn't take a deposit and I have nothing in writing. They haven't given me much information at all which is why I'm looking at other alternatives. Recently I've been looking at inventories on cadillac.com, but ones that I checked are either unavailable due to being a customer order, or are not available to out of state buyers, or have a market adjustment typically around $10,000. I am not interested in an automatic, and there are some colors/options I just don't want, although I have been more flexible if it's things I can live with. If I place an order with another dealer, I want to have an idea that if I'm 5 on the list, they would hopefully be expecting 5 allocations. It's just difficult to know who those dealers are, and which are just saying what they think the customer wants to hear just to get you on thier list.

 

[Snowwolfe]

4’s seem easier to buy than 5’s. My sales guy at Andrew’s Cadillac had a blue 4 in stock 2 weeks ago. Dealer is just south of Nashville. They charge msrp plus require you to either buy PPF or ceramic coating for $2500. Their detail shop does a great job. PM me if you want his contact info.

 

[ClassaxV]

Dealers attempt to justify ADM as a function of limited supply due to high demand.

Resale vs Retail value is normally a function of the depreciation ratio of a given item new vs used. A new car by definition unless there is some mitigating factor (ie once owned by insert celebrity name here) is usually higher in value than a used one.

If additional artificial demand is inserted into the equations price goes up and supply goes down increasing both prices of new and used vehicles. The problem is its a bubble because if you're flipping a car ( NOT changing vehicles) this purely short sale investment strategy simply raise prices for everyone, so an unnecessary middle man can make a buck. It eventually floods the market with nearly new cars no one wants, and obliterates any trade in value for vehicles that are actually driven.

An original warranty is simply part of the value proposition of a new vehicle. Limiting it to the original sale or to trade in protects the value,both new and used, dealer network, consumer (if the dealer does what they are supposed to and sells at MSRP or less) by actually holding prices down.

 

[Dirkbg]

4’s seem easier to buy than 5’s. My sales guy at Andrew’s Cadillac had a blue 4 in stock 2 weeks ago. Dealer is just south of Nashville. They charge msrp plus require you to either buy PPF or ceramic coating for $2500. Their detail shop does a great job. PM me if you want his contact info.

Thanks for the tip. I'm chasing down some local leads for now. One has a $2000 adm fee which doesn't sound bad considering the 2023's are $1500 more base price. It's a balance of gettting colors/options I can live with, an adm fee that is acceptable, or roll the dice on a 2023 order.

 

[Vakane]

Thanks for the tip. I'm chasing down some local leads for now. One has a $2000 adm fee which doesn't sound bad considering the 2023's are $1500 more base price. It's a balance of gettting colors/options I can live with, an adm fee that is acceptable, or roll the dice on a 2023 order.

Do it. The 4 is the true drivers car after driving both at a track. That’s the real steal

 

[Dirkbg]

The real steal are the dealers charging a $10k adm...

I'm considering broadening my 2022 search to include automatics since there are more of those with color/options I want, although I was dead set on 6MT. I've been driving MT for 20 years and like everything about it, but if I get the AT maybe I'll like it too. I can keep my 2023 order going and if an allocation comes in I can decide then to go with it and sell the AT, or cancel the order if I like the AT.

 

[Berserker]

I'm considering broadening my 2022 search to include automatics since there are more of those with color/options I want, although I was dead set on 6MT. I've been driving MT for 20 years and like everything about it,

The auto is objectively better. It accelerates quicker, gets better fuel economy, and there is tech available with the auto that you can't get with the manual.

And comparing a shiftable auto to a manual with rev-matching downshifts and no-lift upshifts ... I mean, the actual operation of the two is getting to be pretty similar.

I went through a similar thing as you with interior colors and options. I really, really wanted the tan sports seats. But I grabbed an order with the black sports seats (my 2nd choice) and $5.5k of options I did not want because my dealer had an order accepted by GM that had no buyer. It is scheduled to be built next week.

And like you, once I have one in the hand and see what I like and what I don't, I'll do some thinking about ordering another one spec-ed out exactly like I want.

I didn't want to wind up missing out on the experience of owning this car, so I compromised.

 

[ClassaxV]

The auto is objectively better. It accelerates quicker, gets better fuel economy, and there is tech available with the auto that you can't get with the manual.

And comparing a shiftable auto to a manual with rev-matching downshifts and no-lift upshifts ... I mean, the actual operation of the two is getting to be pretty similar.

I went through a similar thing as you with interior colors and options. I really, really wanted the tan sports seats. But I grabbed an order with the black sports seats (my 2nd choice) and $5.5k of options I did not want because my dealer had an order accepted by GM that had no buyer. It is scheduled to be built next week.

And like you, once I have one in the hand and see what I like and what I don't, I'll do some thinking about ordering another one spec-ed out exactly like I want.

I didn't want to wind up missing out on the experience of owning this car, so I compromised.

I hear you on the compromise bit. I worked with a dealer trying to get a car specked for months with no joy, I finally went to Sewel and got an allocation but by then carbon fiber was a constraint and I had to drop it if I want to get a car anytime soon.

The truly sad part is the dealer I was working with had allocations and CHOSE to build a stock car so they could max out profits. So they built a black-on-black car with all the boxes checked. They wanted 15K over msrp for it. Its been sitting at their lot now over a month. Yesterday I finally got a call from them wanting to know if I was interested in the car they might be able to do 5K over, I told them I would not be doing business with them in now or in the future based on the principle. I love the car, but I'm not going to support bad behavior.

That and being a fairly diminutive fellow at 6'4 and 275lbs I don't do cars with sunroofs, my head touches the ceiling when wearing my helmet. So no joy...

Now that GM has introduced some of their early resale countermeasures I think more allocations will open up, and dealers are going to be less likely to do stupid stuff. So hopefully the light at the end of the tunnel is not an oncoming train.

 

[Neveready]

The truly sad part is the dealer I was working with had allocations and CHOSE to build a stock car so they could max out profits. So they built a black-on-black car with all the boxes checked. They wanted 15K over msrp for it. Its been sitting at their lot now over a month. Yesterday I finally got a call from them wanting to know if I was interested in the car they might be able to do 5K over, I told them I would not be doing business with them in now or in the future based on the principle. I love the car, but I'm not going to support bad behavior.

Ugh! That irks me. I think this is happening all over the country which is why most of us are idling on our builds.

$5k over on a ct5vbw is a good deal at this point given the price increases on a 23. Was it 10A or manual?

 

[Throat Yogurt]

The auto is objectively better. It accelerates quicker, gets better fuel economy, and there is tech available with the auto that you can't get with the manual.

And comparing a shiftable auto to a manual with rev-matching downshifts and no-lift upshifts ... I mean, the actual operation of the two is getting to be pretty similar.

The auto is objectively better at acceleration, fuel economy, and detaching you from the driving experience.

The extra tech you get with the auto is also beneficial for people who hate doing the driving themselves.

 

[M2Cto4BW]

The auto is objectively better. It accelerates quicker, gets better fuel economy, and there is tech available with the auto that you can't get with the manual.

When comparing acceleration and fuel economy, the auto is objectively better.
Otherwise...

The auto is objectively better at acceleration, fuel economy, and detaching you from the driving experience.

The extra tech you get with the auto is also beneficial for people who hate doing the driving themselves.

I'm glad the post I started typing and then thought better of, was ready to go for you
I get it if a car has a less than stellar manual and a good auto option (hello BMW), but when a car like the BWs have a truly brilliant shifter and you pass on it, barring physical issues, it's just plain 'ol sad.*

BWs do make quality Autobahn cruisers, but there is so much more to them than that!

*Each to their own and all that. This statement does not effect your statutory rights or otherwise void your warranty... assuming you keep it 366 days.

 

[Berserker]

The auto is objectively better at .... detaching you from the driving experience.

The experience is "subjective". There is no right or wrong.

the BWs have a truly brilliant shifter

Yes. And it was a deal-breaker for me.

I had two absolute requirements: manual and sports seats. And I had a few deal breakers: carbon, a couple of exterior colors, one interior color. Everything else was something I could compromise on. And while I got my preferred exterior color, I did wind up compromising on everything else. And I think I'm going to be OK with that.

Which was the encouragement I was trying to give OP. If he decides what really matters to him, he might find he's OK with making compromises elsewhere.

 

[M2Cto4BW]

The experience is "subjective". There is no right or wrong.


Yes. And it was a deal-breaker for me.

I had two absolute requirements: manual and sports seats. And I had a few deal breakers: carbon, a couple of exterior colors, one interior color. Everything else was something I could compromise on. And while I got my preferred exterior color, I did wind up compromising on everything else. And I think I'm going to be OK with that.

Which was the encouragement I was trying to give OP. If he decides what really matters to him, he might find he's OK with making compromises elsewhere.

Gotcha
In my short search I had a mere 4 (manual, upgraded interior for the sport seats, CF1, 'acceptable' color): think we all know about CF1.
Suffice it to say I got 3/4.

 

[SIX 40]

I hear you on the compromise bit. I worked with a dealer trying to get a car specked for months with no joy, I finally went to Sewel and got an allocation but by then carbon fiber was a constraint and I had to drop it if I want to get a car anytime soon.

The truly sad part is the dealer I was working with had allocations and CHOSE to build a stock car so they could max out profits. So they built a black-on-black car with all the boxes checked. They wanted 15K over msrp for it. Its been sitting at their lot now over a month. Yesterday I finally got a call from them wanting to know if I was interested in the car they might be able to do 5K over, I told them I would not be doing business with them in now or in the future based on the principle. I love the car, but I'm not going to support bad behavior.

My local dealer did the same thing with their allocations. They had 3 5 BWs at my count over the past year, all automatics. The last one that they had was a loaded black auto. I think it topped out at 115k so it had just about every option. They had it listed at 30 over if I recall. I suspect they could have ordered my spec but I'll never know. I'm number 1 on their list but not that list I guess. Whatever, I finally got myself on Sewell's list and am waiting for an allocation for a '23. Now I get to pay the inflated price for a '23 thanks to my shitty local dealer (and my own stubbornness).

Ironically, Sewell called me the other day offering a rift 5 6mt. I declined because of the color combo, it looked like my V3. I probably would have taken it anyway if I wasn't enjoying the M5 so much. I'm also in no rush till GM gets their assembly quality issues ironed out a bit. I mean, it's a GM product so I expect some issues upon delivery but this is crazy what we're seeing here.

 

[Matt27]

Gotcha
In my short search I had a mere 4 (manual, upgraded interior for the sport seats, CF1, 'acceptable' color): think we all know about CF1.
Suffice it to say I got 3/4.

I had to compromise on sunroof, PDR and HUD (not in my car).

Wound up with Carbon 1 and Carbon 2 instead.

And honestly? Don't regret it one bit. Car is amazing, and the carbon looks pretty sweet on a black exterior.

 

[ClassaxV]

Ugh! That irks me. I think this is happening all over the country which is why most of us are idling on our builds.

$5k over on a ct5vbw is a good deal at this point given the price increases on a 23. Was it 10A or manual?

It is a 4, and it's manual. They wanted $10k deposit for an allocation to spec a car because " these were exclusive cars and they didn't want to be stuck with a car they could self if for some reason my deal fell through." I was actually willing to do that but they couldn't tell me WHEN they would get an allocation so I was unwilling to let them hold $10K interest-free. I said hey call me when have the allocation and I'll spec it and put down the deposit. They never did but just did stock orders.

NOW they claim they need to charge $15K over MSRP because they are exclusive cars and a lot of people want them. Bayway in Houston, if you want to talk with them for the car go ahead but as for me, after buying three cars with them, they've lost my business.

The mark of integrity is not found in doing the right thing when it is easy, it is doing the right thing when it is hard.

 

[Neveready]

It is a 4, and it's manual. They wanted $10k deposit for an allocation to spec a car because " these were exclusive cars and they didn't want to be stuck with a car they could self if for some reason my deal fell through." I was actually willing to do that but they couldn't tell me WHEN they would get an allocation so I was unwilling to let them hold $10K interest-free. I said hey call me when have the allocation and I'll spec it and put down the deposit. They never did but just did stock orders.

NOW they claim they need to charge $15K over MSRP because they are exclusive cars and a lot of people want them. Bayway in Houston, if you want to talk with them for the car go ahead but as for me, after buying three cars with them, they've lost my business.

The mark of integrity is not found in doing the right thing when it is easy, it is doing the right thing when it is hard.

Wow! That is disgraceful. I understand you weren't trying to badmouth them but that's the type of info people would want to hear before doing business with a dealer.