Warning: DCMotors Anaheim

[Head Hunter]

If you ever see a Blackwing pop up for sale at DCMotors (or a C8 for that matter), just know it was a Spring Mountain track car. They’ll have 9-10k miles, clean carfax, and no ownership history. SM buys them without a warranty from GM for significantly cheaper so any advertised warranty is a 3rd party warranty and not Manufacturer.

Example C8

 

[Ungwei]

That's pretty unethical, but I guess no dealer would ever disclose something like that. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[Finally-a-V]

@Ungwei ....We had a dealer here outside of PHX who used to get ATS and CTS V's from Spring Mountain (or whoever Cadillacs' HPDE was several years ago out west) via auction and sold them as used. They never told you they were HPDE cars or that they had warranty blocks.

 

[LF4472]

Typically the school cars that go through DC Motors have manufacturer warranty except for the powertrain. Anyone buying a used C7, C8 or Blackwing should have the VIN checked for warranty status regardless of where's its listed because you don't know where those cars will appear down the road.

 

[poor-sha]

If the price was right, I’d buy a SM 4BW for a track car. No warranty so go ahead and tune it, plus you know it was broken in and maintained properly.

 

[Matt27]

If the price was right, I’d buy a SM 4BW for a track car. No warranty so go ahead and tune it, plus you know it was broken in and maintained properly.

My SM car already had 52k miles on it... I wouldn't buy that one, but a 10k mile example? Yeah that's a great idea.

Though I guess you could also probably grab a used SS 1LE for less than even the ex-SM car.

 

[Exia]

If you ever see a Blackwing pop up for sale at DCMotors (or a C8 for that matter), just know it was a Spring Mountain track car. They’ll have 9-10k miles, clean carfax, and no ownership history. SM buys them without a warranty from GM for significantly cheaper so any advertised warranty is a 3rd party warranty and not Manufacturer.

Example C8

I don't think SM buys them without warranty, but when they are sold the warranty is void.

 

[FI Fiend]

Unfortunately it doesn't seem that the used prices reflect the use. The c8s they have now are all aligned with the general market prices so it isn't really like you can get them any cheaper than one with similar mileage that wasn't tracked.

There is the lifetime engine rev tracker on both the vettes and blackwing though so you could always get an indication of how the car was used

 

[Head Hunter]

If the price was right, I’d buy a SM 4BW for a track car. No warranty so go ahead and tune it, plus you know it was broken in and maintained properly.

If I’m buying an SM car, it’s for track only and is getting stripped and caged, but I’m also not paying retail for it which is what they typically charge. Also 10k track miles at 90% throttle or 90% braking is probably a lot of wear on all the bushings, mounts and Chasis.

 

[Head Hunter]

I don't think SM buys them without warranty, but when they are sold the warranty is void.

The Director of Racing for their members led our class and told me they buy them without a warranty because it’s so much cheaper. If they have a motor go out (and they have), it’s on their dime.

 

[Exia]

Interesting, I know GM gives them X cars a year because of the deal they have, but I didn't expect that there would be an option to forgoe warranty. I wonder who came up with that idea to try and save a buck.

 

[poor-sha]

If I’m buying an SM car, it’s for track only and is getting stripped and caged, but I’m also not paying retail for it which is what they typically charge. Also 10k track miles at 90% throttle or 90% braking is probably a lot of wear on all the bushings, mounts and Chasis.

I’m with you that at the prices they are publishing I’m not interested. I paid less OTD for my loaded 2020 C8.

I doubt your average SM attendee is really pushing these cars that hard - that’s based on attending 6 of their GM classes over the last 8 years. Sure you’re going to go through brakes and tires, but only other wear I’d worry about is clutch wear.

 

[Head Hunter]

I’m with you that at the prices they are publishing I’m not interested. I paid less OTD for my loaded 2020 C8.

I doubt your average SM attendee is really pushing these cars that hard - that’s based on attending 6 of their GM classes over the last 8 years. Sure you’re going to go through brakes and tires, but only other wear I’d worry about is clutch wear.

That’s true - but I expect these cars spend most of their life above 3k rpm’s and they weren’t really doing much to warm them up.

I found it interesting that each car was lapped by an instructor each morning before we got in it and when we went out, all the cars were relatively cold. Also thought it was odd that at no point did my tires ever reach optimum temperature even after 9 laps. They got “warm” but still only got as high as 32 PSI

 

[Daijoubu]

I was under the impression that GM loans the Cadillacs to Spring Mountain, then takes them back at some point. The Corvettes are all owned by SM.

 

[Head Hunter]

I was under the impression that GM loans the Cadillacs to Spring Mountain, then takes them back at some point. The Corvettes are all owned by SM.

Currently, yes - but they are working to purchase their own. They have 220+ C8s and they wholesale them through DCMotors

 

[pkincy]

I was under the impression that GM loans the Cadillacs to Spring Mountain, then takes them back at some point. The Corvettes are all owned by SM.

You are correct. So the Cadillacs can be found for sale around the country and I have seen some from the ATS and CTS V days that weren't being sold with full disclosure of the lack of warranty on the engine and suspension. Apparently GM puts those cars out for auction. However the Corvettes all go to DC Motors and there you do get full disclosure of the remaining warranty and what it covers and what it doesn't. When I was there this year I was told that the inability for SM to acquire enough BWs from GM was why they were buying used cars and then putting them in use at SM. Mine also had over 50,000 miles on it. But the Corvettes get delivered and broken in for their 1500 miles by the instructors and other employees driving them back and forth to their homes. Once they hit the 1500 mile mark they are put on the track and pulled off between 7000 and 9000 miles and sent to DC Motors.

 

[LF4472]

I was under the impression that GM loans the Cadillacs to Spring Mountain, then takes them back at some point. The Corvettes are all owned by SM.

I don't think that is a 100% rule. For example, GM owned the C7 ZR-1s.