Why do Texans get all the Blackwing's?

[Snowwolfe]

Go back and read post #18 again.

 

[Daijoubu]

Sewell does not always only sell to Texas residents. I have an order in with them (second order), and I am out of state. I'm guessing they got so backed up and they still want to be able to provide their service to their LOYAL local customers. It's one thing to tell a local customer that it's going to be 6 months before you see a car, but it's another thing to tell them they probably won't ever get a car because half the country is ahead of them. They can do whatever they want, and I would be willing to bet, if you are serious enough, and actually go to Dallas and walk in the store they would take your order.

 

[TFG]

I mean, nothing shocks me anymore on the internet but I'm a little surprised this is an actual thread.

 

[Commonman]

I read post #18. Go read post #20 again. I said I had no problem with the dealer allocation system. This is my issue, " So you look to Sewell in Texas and they say you can't buy one because your out of state. Thats my only complaint." Please respond to that. TGF I hope this conversation is not shocking to you. If it bores you that's fine. Thanks for reading it just the same.

 

[shbox]

In case people don't understand, dealers make most of their money from the service department. Therefore, they would like their customers local, so they can service their cars. Selling in state promotes that.

Would you feel better if they said, "yes, we will sell out of state, but you must pay 20k ADM" ? Just like you would sell a car in whatever way and for whatever price you want, they can too.

 

[Ivy1Le]

I read post #18. Go read post #20 again. I said I had no problem with the dealer allocation system. This is my issue, " So you look to Sewell in Texas and they say you can't buy one because your out of state. Thats my only complaint." Please respond to that. TGF I hope this conversation is not shocking to you. If it bores you that's fine. Thanks for reading it just the same.

I'm not sure what answer you're looking for. As others have said, regardless if you agree or disagree with their policy, they reserve the right to sell at their discretion. 4BW, last I heard, they allow out of state. The demand for the car is less than the 5BW. You keep mentioning the corvette, but me mentioning the museum delivery wasn't acceptable. I am also certain not all of those top volume dealers sell these special cars at MSRP 100% of the time meanwhile Sewell does.

There's no point beating a dead horse, I think your time would be better served contacting other top volume dealers for Cadillac and trying to get on their list. I do believe the case will be just as shbox mentioned, that out of state buyers pay ADM. Especially on a 5BW

 

[Commonman]

I have no clue what a museum delivery of a corvette has to due with this discussion. You can call Macmulkin in NH and order a corvette from any state. You can come there to pick it up, you can pay $1000 bucks and have a dog and pony show in Bowling Green KY at the factory or have it courtesy delivered to a dealer near your home for $1000. The key point is you get to buy the car from a high volume dealer (thus increasing your chances of actually getting one) from any state. I don't buy the local cliental maintenance survival argument either. At least not for high volume dealers like Sewell. Lets say I live in El Paso. Sewell says sure fellow Texan will sell you the 5 BW. I'm sure their confident that I'm going to drive 635 miles to Dallas for my on going maintenance. Now if I live in small town Las Cruces NM ( 3 allocations for the state in 2022) which is 685 miles away then they will not sell me a 5 BW because they think their is a pretty good chance I won't be going to Dallas for my maintenance? I know people who live in Los Angeles area who have ordered cars from relatively low volume MSRP dealers in the Bay Area. Do you think those dealers expect return customer maintenance from those sales? So at the end of the day it's just a poor company policy that I don't think reflects well on what is evidently a fantastic high volume Cadillac dealership. Finally just to respond to the comment "I am also certain not all of those top volume dealers sell these special cars at MSRP 100% of the time meanwhile Sewell does." Certain? Here is the stated policy of the top 3 high volume corvette sellers in the country regarding the insanely hot and in demand limited production Z06. From corvette blogger "While the lack of pricing information for the 2023 Corvette Z06 has been a source of considerable consternation among those vying for a position to order America’s new supercar, we now have confirmation that the top Corvette dealers in the country will be selling at MSRP. In addition to Ciocca, the number two and four largest Corvette dealers in the country (MacMulkin and Criswell/Mike Furman) have also pledged to sell the C8 Z06 at MSRP." Criswell has now moved up to #3 just to be accurate. Like I said before all three will sell to any customer in any state in the country.

 

[shbox]

Geez, just go buy a Corvette, then. Some dealers do stuff you don't like. It's blatantly obvious a dealer is not going to get back all sales customers for service even if they are close. It just increases the odds. All this debating is pointless.

 

[Z06DNA]

I have no clue what a museum delivery of a corvette has to due with this discussion. You can call Macmulkin in NH and order a corvette from any state. You can come there to pick it up, you can pay $1000 bucks and have a dog and pony show in Bowling Green KY at the factory or have it courtesy delivered to a dealer near your home for $1000. The key point is you get to buy the car from a high volume dealer (thus increasing your chances of actually getting one) from any state. I don't buy the local cliental maintenance survival argument either. At least not for high volume dealers like Sewell. Lets say I live in El Paso. Sewell says sure fellow Texan will sell you the 5 BW. I'm sure their confident that I'm going to drive 635 miles to Dallas for my on going maintenance. Now if I live in small town Las Cruces NM ( 3 allocations for the state in 2022) which is 685 miles away then they will not sell me a 5 BW because they think their is a pretty good chance I won't be going to Dallas for my maintenance? I know people who live in Los Angeles area who have ordered cars from relatively low volume MSRP dealers in the Bay Area. Do you think those dealers expect return customer maintenance from those sales? So at the end of the day it's just a poor company policy that I don't think reflects well on what is evidently a fantastic high volume Cadillac dealership. Finally just to respond to the comment "I am also certain not all of those top volume dealers sell these special cars at MSRP 100% of the time meanwhile Sewell does." Certain? Here is the stated policy of the top 3 high volume corvette sellers in the country regarding the insanely hot and in demand limited production Z06. From corvette blogger "While the lack of pricing information for the 2023 Corvette Z06 has been a source of considerable consternation among those vying for a position to order America’s new supercar, we now have confirmation that the top Corvette dealers in the country will be selling at MSRP. In addition to Ciocca, the number two and four largest Corvette dealers in the country (MacMulkin and Criswell/Mike Furman) have also pledged to sell the C8 Z06 at MSRP." Criswell has now moved up to #3 just to be accurate. Like I said before all three will sell to any customer in any state in the country.

You’re answering your own questions. I know the corvette market really well and comparing a mass produced car to a car that will see sub 3000 units a year is pointless. There’s not a single dealer that could make a living only selling Vs. GM simply doesn’t produce enough of them and demand wanes over time (usually). Former Kerbeck and Macmulkin have been Vette dealers for decades and that’s their bread and butter. Sewell does a lot of Vs I’m sure but they rely on all models to have a successful business.

 

[Commonman]

Final thoughts. I had a corvette. Sold the C8 and still have a C5. Hopefully I can win the goat rope lottery and get a 5 BW. Z06DNA : good points and I appreciate your informed opinion.

 

[rubberduck]

Dealers can sell to whomever they want as long as discrimination laws are not broken. I can buy from whomever I want that is willing to sell to me. I won’t be buying any future cars of any model from any dealer that is not willing to sell me a 5BW.

I don’t need a 5BW, so I’m not all too concerned if I don’t get one. I’ll just buy something else. It’s not that complicated.

 

[TRTL PWR]

Texans buy more Cadillacs, just like Californians buy more Teslas and Oregonians?? buy more Subarus...I have no data to support this just my observations spending time in these places. Texas has more ATS-V owners then any other state too. its not a BW thing.

 

[Throat Yogurt]

Here is a breakdown of allocation by state, this is a combination of Rob's registry and information collected of the Cadillac website. Included is the 2022 ranking of each state by population as reported by US States - Ranked by Population 2022

How sweet would it be to be the ONE person in Hawaii with a BW?

 

[Tall Steve]

Wow, I have been a "Sewell" fanboy for 29 years purchasing (I believe) 19 car during that time and I can say they get more allocations for Cadillac/Blackwings because they sell more than anyone else, like it or not that's the way the cookie crumbles. I know the GM, GSM, and several other great people in the dealership and they are all top notch so whatever their reason for not currently selling out of state is probably a good one.... They take care of my every need anytime I'm in the dealership/service department so just maybe they want to take care of the loyal customers first!

This thread kind of chaps my ass because I'm a loyal Sewell fanboy and know how much of a quality dealership they are and when I have to go buy a brand they don't sell (Honda/Chevy) I dread it!

DONT TREAD ON MY SEWELL!

 

[flipray]

I agree that not allowing out of state buyers a chance to buy a BW at Sewell shows some degree of loyalty to the in state buyer's. Could you explain how that is showing ethics?

Im in FL and I am on the list since Dec. When I signed up, I was 105 on the list and they were average 3-4 BWs a week. What really triggered it is the delivery flow near stopped in March. So they got backlogged on cars, the list got stupid long, they're not making money on future orders and they started alienating their local buyers with 1-1.5 year build dates. They stopped taking in out of state orders until they get a handle on things, production and delivery catches up, then they'll open it back up. Last update was maybe end of the year maybe early next year before they feel comfortable taking in out of state orders again.

Also, they get the most allocation since they sell the most cadillac in the US. You'll wait but you atleast have a better chance of getting your order picked up for a built and an allocation to match.

Your other options, SF Cadillac or Genesis Cadillac in MI.

 

[Ivy1Le]

they're not making money on future orders and they started alienating their local buyers with 1-1.5 year build dates.

I was going to mention this point but I figured it would fall on deaf ears. Sewell doesn't take deposits but these corvette dealers mentioned do. Last number I saw on a corvette forum was 657 deposits at $2k each. $1.3M in deposits. Doesn't sit right with me even if it is "refundable until you place your order" .. should be fully refundable until I take delivery. It's going to sell regardless

 

[Jimmerz]

Geez, just go buy a Corvette, then. Some dealers do stuff you don't like. It's blatantly obvious a dealer is not going to get back all sales customers for service even if they are close. It just increases the odds. All this debating is pointless.

My thoughts exactly……..

 

[1StunnaV]

First, I would like to thank the OP and many other for the kinds words about Sewell as well as about me.

I definitely understand where the OP is coming from. Perception is reality....... If you don't fully understand why or have correct information readily available, his post makes sense...... I want to be crystal clear, this statement is in no way shape or form meant to discredit or criticize the OP.... Let me address a few things....

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- A -​

I see that Sewell has 41 CT5V Blackwing's on the property or in transit to their dealership.

While I do have a nice chunk of inbound units, we certainly do not have that many inbound/in stock..... I can only assume you were on sewell.com and not sewellcadillac-dallas.com. Sewell.com brings up the inventory of all Sewell locations combined. If you sort down to just CT5-V Blackwing, it will show the inventory/inbound units for Dallas, Houston, Grapevine, and San Antonio (Ken Bachelor) all combined.. This is where my statement about "correct information" comes from....


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- B -​

But their policy is to only sell to in state customers and out of state buyers tough luck. ( I was told I would be put on a out of state list and when everyone in Texas has bought their BW then I will be considered.) This policy of preferred in state selling sure makes it hard for people in smaller population states to obtain this product from General Motors.

I agree that not allowing out of state buyers a chance to buy a BW at Sewell shows some degree of loyalty to the in state buyer's. Could you explain how that is showing ethics?

With more information, you will understand why this came about.

Currently 65% - 70% of all of my Blackwing orders are customers outside of the state of Texas. For a good while, there was no rule like what you have stated. At one point, prior to this rule being made, it was over 80% out of state orders.

While to the "typical dealership" this may not seem like a problem, to us, it was. As you can imagine, with any dealership, the vast majority of your customer base will be local. We have a large amount of local customers who are leasing their V series and when their lease expires, we don't want to leave them without a vehicle. They would either have to go to another dealership or, like you, outside of their state, likely having to pay unfair pricing to find one. While we genuinely appreciate ALL of our customers and would love to help everyone everywhere if we had the opportunity, we want to make sure we are taking care of our local loyal customers and not forgetting about them.

So in a nutshell, we have taken MORE out of state orders than in state orders. I hope this shines a little light on this subject.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- C -​

On the other hand I can order at MSRP a new corvette from several of the top volume dealers in the country from any state in the country. Seems to work well for them and they still keep the locals happy I'm sure.

This is likely the case, minus the keeping locals happy..... Your average dealer is a "turn and burn" and do not care about repeat business or "customers for life." We are not a "volume dealer." We are not like the others. We are Sewell. Only those who have purchased/leased/serviced with us can ultimately comprehend what this truly means.

"But you're the number 1 sales Cadillac dealer. How can you say you're not a volume dealer?" - This would be because our business model of treating people with the upmost respect, building relationships, great customer service, not charging over MSRP means customers WANT to buy from us. We aren't perfect, just as anywhere else, but we do our best to try to be..... This along with how allocation works allows us to be #1... I will touch more on this subject...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- D -​

I think the fact you can choose to have your corvette delivered to the corvette museum makes that particular car not an apples to apples comparison. Dealerships would be foolish to turn down that business if all they do is write it up, take credit, and you take delivery elsewhere.

While on paper, this make complete sense, it does not for Sewell.

The overall customer experience matters more to us than just selling a car. We can sell a car to anyone or we can provide an experience that customers enjoy and deserve.

A couple points here. The museum is "technically" a dealership which allows GM to ship the car there for delivery to the customer. This is essentially the same as a "courtesy delivery." These guys do one thing, they deliver and train customers how to use Corvettes. They know the care well and likely provide a great customer experience.

The problem here is most dealers know nothing about the Blackwing and could not provide the level of training or support that we can. This brings us back to the courtesy delivery topic. We do not complete courtesy deliveries because in the past, its never worked out well. The car gets shipped to a dealership that typically knows very little to nothing about the vehicle and they are unable to properly answer any questions or concerns... If the vehicle is damaged in transit, the dealer is arrives at really could care less as its not their car and have no obligation to fix anything or try to help make a bad experience better... Lastly, since most of these dealers don't usually get blackwings, there's a high chance your vehicle may end up with a few more miles on it than when it rolled off of the truck.... I will leave that one there....

We will not allow a bad experience to be considered acceptable, just because it wasn't our fault. By not allowing courtesy deliveries, this ensures we have control over the entire process from start to finish, nearly eliminating the opportunity for a bad experience. If there is a problem, we can resolve it rather than depend on XYZ dealer.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- E -​

I suspect some of this is simply that Texas is a LOT bigger than Oregon.

I don't know whether you're referring to Sewell-Dallas or Sewell-Houston. But the DFW and Houston Metro areas combine to have almost 4 times the population of Oregon.

Texas as a whole has 7 times the population of Oregon. (Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, and Austin are the 4th, 7th, 9th, and 11th most populous cities in the US.)

On top of that, Sewell might be getting a disproportionate number of Blackwings within Texas because of their lack of dealer sleaziness. The dealer nearest me told me BWs were $25k over sticker; I just checked their website and it shows 1 (one) CT5-V Blackwing.

So much truth in this post I just had to quote it so people could read it again....


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- F -​

Allocation and why we get so many V's

There are so many reasons that add up to the final number...

1) A good portion of allocation is based off of prior similar vehicle sales... How many of these V series did we sell prior to this shortage? Answer = The most... So even when there wasn't this "goat rodeo," we still sold the most.

B)It gets deeper...... GM has something called snapshot. In a nutshell, a couple times a month, GM will take a "snapshot" of what a dealer still has in their inventory unsold, and base their next round of allocation off of that number. If a dealer would have normally received 5 units but they still had 2 on the ground, then they only get 3.

This is where fair pricing (no "market adjustment") comes into play. Since we are not charging over MSRP, our cars move quickly once they arrive. Under most circumstances, when snapshot occurs, all blackwings are signed for and inventory on hand is ZERO. This allows us to get more allocation the next round. When a dealer is asking $50k over MSRP, the car will likely sit there for weeks or months until it sells. This means the dealer will lose multiple opportunities for more allocation. Essentially, they are making more money off of one sale and losing the opportunity for more sales making less money. While this business model may work for them, it doesn't for us.

In a nutshell, indirectly and coincidently, not charging over MSRP earns us more allocation. So its not necessarily that we are getting more allocation than "your local dealer," it's that your dealer is earning less allocation than they have the potential to earn because of their business practices...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

​

I hope this helps clear the air on a few things and allows for a little bit more understanding of this topic. It's now 4:00 am local now, so I have to get some sleep and get back to helping get more cars out to you all!

I will end with one of my favorite quotes......"The right thing to do is always the right thing to do"

​

 

[Tall Steve]

We can all split hairs/parse about the applied meaning of ethics on various levels;
... but this is what I've observed from Sewell (based on other posters on this forum & of course Dustin) so far*:
1. Selling for msrp
2. Cultivating/respecting ongoing relationships
3. Great service
4. Quality info (for non-clients as well).

(I'd probably have even nicer things to say if they were further away from a certain football team that plays in Arlington)... go birds!
View attachment 9466
*coming from an East coast guy that's been waiting close to 11 months since originally placing order (it was July, not August) from my own local dealer (that I've been happy with throughout this process/ordeal)

I have lived in the Dallas area all of my 57 years and I bet you don't hate that "Arlington" team as much as I do! lol

 

[shbox]

First, I would like to thank the OP and many other for the kinds words about Sewell as well as about me.

I definitely understand where the OP is coming from. Perception is reality....... If you don't fully understand why or have correct information readily available, his post makes sense...... I want to be crystal clear, this statement is in no way shape or form meant to discredit or criticize the OP.... Let me address a few things....

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- A -​

While I do have a nice chunk of inbound units, we certainly do not have that many inbound/in stock..... I can only assume you were on sewell.com and not sewellcadillac-dallas.com. Sewell.com brings up the inventory of all Sewell locations combined. If you sort down to just CT5-V Blackwing, it will show the inventory/inbound units for Dallas, Houston, Grapevine, and San Antonio (Ken Bachelor) all combined.. This is where my statement about "correct information" comes from....


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- B -​

With more information, you will understand why this came about.

Currently 65% - 70% of all of my Blackwing orders are customers outside of the state of Texas. For a good while, there was no rule like what you have stated. At one point, prior to this rule being made, it was over 80% out of state orders.

While to the "typical dealership" this may not seem like a problem, to us, it was. As you can imagine, with any dealership, the vast majority of your customer base will be local. We have a large amount of local customers who are leasing their V series and when their lease expires, we don't want to leave them without a vehicle. They would either have to go to another dealership or, like you, outside of their state, likely having to pay unfair pricing to find one. While we genuinely appreciate ALL of our customers and would love to help everyone everywhere if we had the opportunity, we want to make sure we are taking care of our local loyal customers and not forgetting about them.

So in a nutshell, we have taken MORE out of state orders than in state orders. I hope this shines a little light on this subject.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- C -​

This is likely the case, minus the keeping locals happy..... Your average dealer is a "turn and burn" and do not care about repeat business or "customers for life." We are not a "volume dealer." We are not like the others. We are Sewell. Only those who have purchased/leased/serviced with us can ultimately comprehend what this truly means.

"But you're the number 1 sales Cadillac dealer. How can you say you're not a volume dealer?" - This would be because our business model of treating people with the upmost respect, building relationships, great customer service, not charging over MSRP means customers WANT to buy from us. We aren't perfect, just as anywhere else, but we do our best to try to be..... This along with how allocation works allows us to be #1... I will touch more on this subject...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- D -​

While on paper, this make complete sense, it does not for Sewell.

The overall customer experience matters more to us than just selling a car. We can sell a car to anyone or we can provide an experience that customers enjoy and deserve.

A couple points here. The museum is "technically" a dealership which allows GM to ship the car there for delivery to the customer. This is essentially the same as a "courtesy delivery." These guys do one thing, they deliver and train customers how to use Corvettes. They know the care well and likely provide a great customer experience.

The problem here is most dealers know nothing about the Blackwing and could not provide the level of training or support that we can. This brings us back to the courtesy delivery topic. We do not complete courtesy deliveries because in the past, its never worked out well. The car gets shipped to a dealership that typically knows very little to nothing about the vehicle and they are unable to properly answer any questions or concerns... If the vehicle is damaged in transit, the dealer is arrives at really could care less as its not their car and have no obligation to fix anything or try to help make a bad experience better... Lastly, since most of these dealers don't usually get blackwings, there's a high chance your vehicle may end up with a few more miles on it than when it rolled off of the truck.... I will leave that one there....

We will not allow a bad experience to be considered acceptable, just because it wasn't our fault. By not allowing courtesy deliveries, this ensures we have control over the entire process from start to finish, nearly eliminating the opportunity for a bad experience. If there is a problem, we can resolve it rather than depend on XYZ dealer.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- E -​

So much truth in this post I just had to quote it so people could read it again....


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- F -​

Allocation and why we get so many V's

There are so many reasons that add up to the final number...

1) A good portion of allocation is based off of prior similar vehicle sales... How many of these V series did we sell prior to this shortage? Answer = The most... So even when there wasn't this "goat rodeo," we still sold the most.

B)It gets deeper...... GM has something called snapshot. In a nutshell, a couple times a month, GM will take a "snapshot" of what a dealer still has in their inventory unsold, and base their next round of allocation off of that number. If a dealer would have normally received 5 units but they still had 2 on the ground, then they only get 3.

This is where fair pricing (no "market adjustment") comes into play. Since we are not charging over MSRP, our cars move quickly once they arrive. Under most circumstances, when snapshot occurs, all blackwings are signed for and inventory on hand is ZERO. This allows us to get more allocation the next round. When a dealer is asking $50k over MSRP, the car will likely sit there for weeks or months until it sells. This means the dealer will lose multiple opportunities for more allocation. Essentially, they are making more money off of one sale and losing the opportunity for more sales making less money. While this business model may work for them, it doesn't for us.

In a nutshell, indirectly and coincidently, not charging over MSRP earns us more allocation. So its not necessarily that we are getting more allocation than "your local dealer," it's that your dealer is earning less allocation than they have the potential to earn because of their business practices...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

​

I hope this helps clear the air on a few things and allows for a little bit more understanding of this topic. It's now 4:00 am local now, so I have to get some sleep and get back to helping get more cars out to you all!

I will end with one of my favorite quotes......"The right thing to do is always the right thing to do"

​

Whether you have any dealing with Sewell or not, I hope everyone appreciates the effort that Dustin has made to explain not only his dealership, but some of the inner-workings of dealership process as a whole. I believe the above answers any questions about ethics. No dealer is perfect and any business is a struggle to combine all aspects of operation into profit. Having your compass pointed in the right direction is where you want to start.