Calaway Aerowagon

I have wondered if it will be kosher to show up at Hennessey for rallycross setup and what not in a Callaway..............

mazdeuce wrote: Yesterday was an allocation day. Today I asked exactly where things stood. They said they get two Z51 allocations every period, I didn't make it this time and I was 4th on the list. So THAT means that best case scenario, no constraints from the factory, I'd be looking at another month before my order was placed. Why the berkeley didn't they tell me that a week ago when I asked and they said to check back in two weeks? The knew damn well when the soonest it could be build and just let me hang. berkeley that. I called up the dealer that Callaway initially suggested I use. Super nice guy (though in all honesty, every has been nice, even when jerking me around) and he had one of his Z51 allocations open from yesterday, the order would go to GM on Tuesday. He's super excited about selling an Aerowagon because he loves them and was great to talk to about shooting brakes in general. Just have to go through whatever hoops there are to get my deposit back from the first dealer. Shouldn't be a problem as he hasn't actually ordered anything and there are people behind me to take my place so someone gets to be two weeks happier.

This is awesome! I'm glad you're finally getting somewhere.

Status 3000, Order accepted by factory for production. Waiting on the dealer has ended. Now I wait on the factory. Word is that it's 4-6 weeks. After that I wait on Callaway. Everything now is real progress.

I'm going to see if I can finish building a car myself faster than GM/Callaway can.

KOIn reply to bgkast:

That made me laugh. A lot. I'm trying to see if I can build a garage faster than they can build a car to go in it. I have a month head start. I also have a fresh shot of motivation!

Do you get to keep the stock hatch after the Aerowagon kit goes on? or does it ship to Callaway without it? (credit for that?)

I've asked that question but haven't received an answer yet. In defense of Chris at Callaway, I think he's already responded to something like 30 emails from me and my order just went to production yesterday. Callaway has been fantastic. I really wish I could pick the car up from Callaway and pick it up from the museum too.

Chevrolet has announced price increases on the car and the Z51 package.
Does not apply to orders already in the system.
My build week is next week.

OK, here's the story as far as I know it. Callaway is not currently building the AeroWagon. This was not communicated to me until after the car was already on the production line even though a asked repeatedly about a timeline for production in the weeks leading up to the car being built. This is a problem as I don't particularly want to buy a new C7 without the Aerowagon. Two choices.
1. Buy the corvette and hope that Callaway eventually calls me with the news that they're going into production and then send my car up to them.
2. Be done with it.
I have chosen option 2. This is mostly because communication and information from Callaway has been so bad that I have very little faith that they are going to build the AeroWagon. I hope I'm wrong. I hope we see them cruising the streets by Thanksgiving. Maybe I'll get to see one in the flesh and fall in love all over again and want to wade into the insanity that is ordering a car. For now, I just need to step back and be free of this for a while.
I am seriously bummed that this is where it has ended. There is a new C7 sitting at the Corvette Museum that has my name on a plaque on the dash and it's going to go live in someone else's garage.

Aww, that's a disappointing end to the story.

Maybe you could build your own. Set up a small composites shop in the back of the new garage. Should only take a weekend!

In reply to Keith Tanner:

The thought has crossed my mind.

This whole thing was just bad communication. All someone had to do was ask me if I wanted the car if I couldn't have the Aeowagon and do it before the car was built. It would have been very easy to suspend the order until things were figured out. Having a car sitting there built has forced everyone's hand in a way that shouldn't have happened.

So, who is paying for the car?

Not me.
The conversations I've had indicate that the dealer can certainly sell the car. They've sold almost 100 corvettes in the last six months and Z51 cars are still in pretty high demand. The only hitch is that someone has to pay for the car to be transported from the NCM to Oklahoma. When a car leaves the factory the shipping that you pay for is used up. Doesn't matter if it goes to California or Maine or across the street to the museum. It's really between Callaway and the dealer to sort out.
If nothing else, I have learned a lot through this whole experience.

Oh man, I'm so sorry this turned out this way.

Wow, what a pile of turds that saga turned out to be! I'm sure it sucks to get emotionally invested in something like this, only to have it turn into a dead end. Oh well, onwards and upwards. You chose right in the end.

Bummer...must feel kind of weird to be ready to pony up some serious cash for your dreamobile only to be told they were just kidding about building it after all this time.

Bryce

There have been more than a few "are you E36 M3ting me!" moments in the past couple of weeks.
The thing that feels weirdest is having the car built, but knowing that I don't want it. As much as a C7 is a fantastic car, if I brought it home I'd always be disappointed that it wasn't what I wanted. I'd never quite be happy with it.

Bum deal. I was trying to think if there was a way around this for you...but I can't.

I understand that.. you were set on the aerowagon.. and I would be disappointed too if I had to get into a normal vette after being so close.

Damn, that's a bummer. Sorry to hear it.

I can only say when I custom ordered my Mustang in 2012 it was a much smoother process, but of course, it wasn't going to then have to go to an aftermarket company to complete.

Sorry it worked out that way

That really sucks. What the hell is up with Callaway? I always thought pretty highly of them, but now I don't know. What a mess.

good question.. has their business practices always been so.. slipshod? And if they run their business this way, how do they build their cars?

Bu7E36 M3