Camaro orders

[jdv69z]

Curiosity, Who actually initiated orders for 67-69 Camaros? Some were obviously customer initiated by individuals at dealerships. Did dealerships order cars based on what they thought they could sell? ie, colors, models, etc? Did someone in Chevrolet marketing order car models/colors based on what they thought would sell? A combination of all of the above?

Jimmy V.

[JohnZ]

Orders were submitted by dealers - either "Sold" orders (where a customer had ordered the car and placed a deposit), or "Stock" orders (where the dealership ordered the car for their inventory). In the 60's, less than 10% of cars were ordered by customers - 90% of customers picked a car from the dealer's stock. Today it's even less - only about 5% of customers actually sit down, order the car they want, and wait for it to be built and delivered. Each dealer was on his own in terms of what he ordered, and the ones who guessed best what would move in their region had the fastest turnover, which reduced their wholesale financing costs; the longer an inventory unit sat on the lot, the more the dealer had to pay in wholesale financing interest ("floorplan" costs).

[william]

Dealers ordered cars for stock, fleet or individual customers.

Units ordered for stock were carefully ordered to be affordable and have broad appeal; I'm sure Chevy provided guidelines. I have all the 1st gen Camaro paperwork for a local dealer: 6 cylinder cars were usually manual trans with floor shift, 8 cylinders automatic with power steering and AM radio, ww tires & wheelcovers; maybe style trim and a console. Few had a/c. This dealer had only 10 Z/28s and some SS Camaros but no 396s.

BTW for every dealer that liked Hi-Performance cars there were probably 10 that wanted nothing to do with them. They had limited appeal, were an insurance and finance problem. Many were stripped of parts on the lot or stolen from dealerships. The fun continued after the sale with many returning with blown engine/trans/axle not always cheerfully covered under warranty.

By the early '70s a used '60s muscle car was nearly worthless as a trade-in.

[67camarorsss]

Dealers ordered cars for stock, fleet or individual customers.

Units ordered for stock were carefully ordered to be affordable and have broad appeal; I'm sure Chevy provided guidelines. I have all the 1st gen Camaro paperwork for a local dealer: 6 cylinder cars were usually manual trans with floor shift, 8 cylinders automatic with power steering and AM radio, ww tires & wheelcovers; maybe style trim and a console. Few had a/c. This dealer had only 10 Z/28s and some SS Camaros but no 396s.

BTW for every dealer that liked Hi-Performance cars there were probably 10 that wanted nothing to do with them. They had limited appeal, were an insurance and finance problem. Many were stripped of parts on the lot or stolen from dealerships. The fun continued after the sale with many returning with blown engine/trans/axle not always cheerfully covered under warranty.

By the early '70s a used '60s muscle car was nearly worthless as a trade-in.

That and the 1st gas crisis in 73 is what allowed me at 19 to purchase a used 69 SS 396/325 with just over 40,xxx for $600 off of a used car lot. Spun a bearing racing it and took it to the boneyard. Who knew back then what it would be worth now.

[wtexz10]

Man that sounds familiar.  1974 I couldn't justify pouring 35cent gas in a car that got 15 mpg highway.  So I traded of a perfectly original 68 Lemans Blue Z/28 complete with POP for a slightly used 73 Vega Gt.  The great part was that I got $650 for the Z/28 in trade.

Flash forward to 1978 and I got $600 for the Vega, which would be about the same price you could pick one up today.

Oh how bright I was.

Kris

Please see one of two of my remaining poloroids from 1972

[jdv69z]

Thanks for the info. I guess at the very beginning of a new model run, eg 67 Camaro, dealers were really going out on a limb since they had no history on which to base their orders. If a model was a dud, they could be sitting on some expensive inventory.

Jimmy V.

[lakeholme]

I know from some long time friends who were Chevy dealers in NC back in the day (a couple are still around) that the 67 Camaro orders went very well.  Some places couldn't get them fast enough.  Wasn't really a surprise in 67, but may surprise some today that many potential buyers were not looking for a muscle car.  It started out more like the Mustang, which grew in its muscle car market.  But to this day most dealers don't want cars to sit on the lot and cost them floor plan money every day.  By the end of the month the sales manager really gets the pressure on cars that aren't selling.  "Move it or move it on!"

The one classic Chevy model that started out slow for many NC dealers --that comes as a big surprise to me because they are well loved today and have been for years-- is the 57 Bel Air. 

[jdv69z]

I believe that the 57 Ford outsold the 57 Chevy. Hard to believe today. Where did all those 57 Fords go?? I know several that are now part of a river bank. I guess they helped slow erosion?

Jimmy V.