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Old 01-31-2013, 10:05 AM   #1
Gohan
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There's actually a Chevy dealership called "Stingray"

Kinda cool

Why one Chevy dealer REALLY loves the new Corvette Stingray

Many people liked Chevrolet's decision to badge its next-generation Corvette with the throwback Stingray name. Steve Hurley really liked it.

He's dealer principal at Stingray Chevrolet in Plant City, Fla.

"It plays into our hands perfectly," says Hurley. "When people hear there's a dealership called Stingray Chevrolet, how will they not think that it's the perfect place to come in and get the new Corvette?"

Not that Hurley needed the marketing boost.

In 2011 he was one of the country's top Corvette dealers, having sold nearly 200 of them. Last year Stingray slipped a little, selling 119 Vettes. (Hurley attributes the decline to other big Corvette dealers aggressively moving the outgoing model so they'll be allocated more of the next-gen Vette under General Motors' turn-and-earn allocation system).

Hurley, 50, owns the dealership along with business partner Tom Durant, owner of Classic Chevrolet in Grapevine, Texas, the nation's largest Chevy store by volume. They bought the Plant City store in late 2008 as part of Bill Heard Enterprises Inc.'s 14-store bankruptcy liquidation.

At the time, Hurley was stunned to learn that the Stingray name -- and the stingraychevrolet.com Web address -- was unclaimed.

Stingray also was partially a nod to the indigenous fish commonly found in Florida waters and the Tampa Bay Rays, whose stadium is a 45-minute drive from the dealership, Hurley says. But with the 2014 Corvette Stingray headed to showrooms by late summer, the commercial tie-in seems prescient.



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Old 01-31-2013, 10:10 AM   #2
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Yes, indeed there is. It's a large volume Corvette dealer too. And how ironic since I recently contacted one of their Sales Mgrs already via a referral... well enough said, just one emoticon...
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Old 01-31-2013, 11:46 AM   #3
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Awesome dealer, they bought out the dealer that used to be there in 2008 or so when they went bankrupt. One of the largest in America. I used to live 20-30 minutes from there, never bought a car from them but always had a good experience when I went there. Wouldn't hesitate to purchase from.
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Old 02-01-2013, 01:27 PM   #4
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We bought our 2012 ZL1 from them when all of the southeast coast dealers wanted big money on top of MSRP. Matt Desaulniers, the inventory manager, was great to work with and very knowledgeable. We picked up our ZL1 before they had finished their renovations. The showroom was great but their customer waiting area was spectacular. A great dealership with great people to work with. I highly recommend them.
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Old 02-01-2013, 01:50 PM   #5
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Awesome story, and that's a bit of a trip to go from Davie to Plant City, must have been worth it. And awesome color ZL1.
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Old 02-01-2013, 01:53 PM   #6
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Thanks for sharing! Since last week, I'ved been in :phone: with someone there already...
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Old 02-01-2013, 03:37 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by C7_Z51 View Post
Awesome story, and that's a bit of a trip to go from Davie to Plant City, must have been worth it. And awesome color ZL1.
It was a couple of hundred miles and we drove US 27 all the way home. All the small towns and stop lights kept me from setting the cruise control and kept the new engine at different speeds. We stopped and took a few pictures at Seebring Racetrack. The Z is a great car but I do look forward to getting a C7 in a few years. I have no plans to sell the Z or 67 Vette so I need to find a solution or 4 car garage.
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Old 02-09-2013, 07:42 AM   #8
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I pass Stingray all the time when I head to the other side of Tampa.




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Old 02-09-2013, 12:32 PM   #9
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Sweet! Sooner or later that showroom will have C7s for everyone to gawk at...
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Old 02-09-2013, 01:18 PM   #10
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I feel like every Chevrolet dealer should have an area dedicated specifically for Corvettes.
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Old 02-10-2013, 09:55 AM   #11
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I feel like every Chevrolet dealer should have an area dedicated specifically for Corvettes.
Or at least an area or wing for both Corvettes and Camaros...
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Old 02-10-2013, 12:13 PM   #12
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I feel like every Chevrolet dealer should have an area dedicated specifically for Corvettes.
I thought it was silly a few years ago when it was suggested that 'Vettes be broken off into a separate division but have changed my mind after a while. The C6 getting the same steering wheel as the Cobalt was a classic example. GM has upped interiors on Chevys significantly over the past few years. If you want a demonstration on how to do that right, go look at my $25,000 GTI which has a fantastic interior feel and almost Audi-esque levels of refinement now (not surprising). There's every indication that Gov't Motors is benchmarking that level and good for them. But 'Vettes should be treated as the halo car undoubtedly. Dedicated sales training, service training, a separate sales area? Absolutely................
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