Anxiety! Plant Pick Up Thursday

[GR8_ASP]

Don't know if I will be able to sleep tonight. Picking up the new SRT tomorrow at Conner. Weather forecast is as good as it gets in Michigan in February. 40+ and sunshine.

This is the first plant pick-up I have done. Any helpful hints. I have both the camcorder and camera ready. And money to spend at the plant store. Is it tomorrow yet?

Should be warm enough to wash it when I get home. Unfortunately I have the '95 (sounds old now) on the lift and apart so must park it on the normal side of the garage for a while.

Ron

 

[Y2K5SRT]

You will have a blast! Are you bringing a guest? Driving the car home? Make sure they videotape and/or photograph you as you drive the car out of the plant doors. It is VERY cool and one you will want framed for sure. Make sure your batteries are all charged in your various cameras and you have plenty of film. You will get the grand tour and will enjoy it all. If you have questions, write them down so you don't forget them before you get there. Be sure to smile and thank the folks that built your car. Not a ton of owners take factory delivery and I am sure the people at CAAP appreciate having their work acknowledged.

And one semi-serious note: Make sure you look over the car a little bit before you drive off. While your selling dealership will handle any immediate concerns, it is nice to note any cosmetic problems you find while you are there. Chances are VERY good that you will find NOTHING, but just check to be sure. They have very good quality control on these cars, but I would bet that nobody is pickier than the person who has plopped down the money to buy it. Buff marks in the paint (a problem with black cars more than any others), small scratches, or dings in the wheels - all should be noted before you drive off.

You will have an absolute BLAST and will remember this for the rest of your life. I won't tell you exactly how it goes, but you will be pleasantly surprised. I know I was when I picked up my 2000 GTS!

Chris

PS. And yes, LOTS of money for the CAAP store!

 

[GR8_ASP]

Thanks Chris. Yes I am going with my son. He will be on camera duty. I live about 1 hour north of the plant so will be driving home. Probably not straight home however.

Regarding inspecting the car what do you do if you find something? I do not believe anyone from the dealership is present.

Ron

 

[Y2K5SRT]

Thanks Chris. Yes I am going with my son. He will be on camera duty. I live about 1 hour north of the plant so will be driving home. Probably not straight home however.

Regarding inspecting the car what do you do if you find something? I do not believe anyone from the dealership is present.

Ron -

Glad to hear you are taking your son! We were originally scheduled for a factory pick up on our SRT, but it was too deep into winter (had originally hoped for a September/October delivery) and they limit you to one guest now. I have two sons and there is NO WAY I was going to exclude one over the other. Both boys love the Viper and that sealed the deal. Woodhouse delivery instead! When we picked up our 2000 GTS, we drove it 932 miles home - adding a couple hundred miles to stop by some relatives in Iowa. Pretty fun stuff!

As far as "inspection", you will have somebody with you at all times. I think "Tom" came up from the Jeep plant to give us the official tour (I think he is a PR guy and am not positive about his name - been awhile!). You will have DC folks with you when you first set eyes upon your new beast and they will stick with you until you make your departure. I know they are trying to do multiple pickups on the same day, so don't be surprised if someone else is there to pick up their SRT as well. My GTS was perfect when I picked it up (not even a speck of dust), but the SRT didn't look so hot right off the truck. Buff marks, a couple scratches on the top of the fenders, water in a reverse light, and a couple marks on the wheels. Nothing major at all, but noticable. Mind you, mine was an early car and I have seen others delivered since then and they were absolutely flawless.

Got a problem? Just point it out to the DC person so that if your dealership says, "Hey, you must have put that scratch there" you can then mention that DC was aware of it at the time of delivery. I suspect that is all you would need. Again, DON'T SWEAT A THING. I am being unduly paranoid only because my silly ol' SRT wasn't perfect when I got it. Still isn't, but only because I am not that good with a buffer (won't touch one) and don't know who is. Oh well!

Have an AWESOME time and soak in the experience as much as you can. You will LOVE it and so will your son. Let us know when you can finally make a post without having to go back to the garage every few seconds!

Chris

 

[Joseph Houss]

Chris! You're slipping! The Most important reminder:


BRING YOUR CREDIT CARD! The CAAP Viper Store is DANGEROUS!

 

[GR8_ASP]

It is now night time here in Michigan and the new SRT is home in the garage catching some well deserved z's. The whole plant experience was great. Tim (do not remember his last name) was a great host. Got a tour of both the engine and SRT lines. It was great that he allowed us to get right up to the engines and cars to observe and take pics.

Yes I brought my credit card and depleted it appropriately. Wish they would have sold trunk carpet and floor mats as I would have installed them on the spot. They had quite a supply of stuff with the new "Daffy" emblem. Had a few growing pains learning how to do things.

I will post more later.

Ron

 

[zoomie]

great info. I am going to be in Detroit Wed picking up my 'new' 2000 GTS
in the area, and would love to visit the plant. Do you have a contact
name and number there? Thanks !
410-965-1671

 

[Joseph Houss]

Call Kim at 800-998-1110

 

[zoomie]

Information from VCA/Kim is no more tours, no deliveries this
week. Any plant management contacts ?

 

[Joseph Houss]

Unfortunately, Kim (JR Thompson) has the best "highway" to those particular decisions.