Remember the C8 Corvette that Fell Off the Dealership Lift? Here’s What Happened Next!

This is the amazing true story of how a Corvette tragedy went viral but worked out really well for the wrecked C8 Corvette’s owner.

You may remember Cameron Vanderhorst’s report on the C8 Corvette that fell off a lift at the owner’s local dealership, which went viral. Well, every cloud has a silver lining, as they say, and owner Jake Miller is over the moon at how it has all worked out. Talking with Corvette guru Rick Conti on his corvetteconti.com podcast, Jake explained how his nightmare which went viral, has turned out to be a most positive journey after all.

Not in the Market for a C8

Miller was actually scouting around for a good used Z06 when his local dealer called. “They told me they had a brand new mid-engined C8 that the buyer had backed out on,” Miller told Conti.

The next thing Miller knew, he was was driving his brand new C8 Corvette. After racking up the 1500 miles of break-in, he doubled that distance on a road trip. “It blew me away! I’ve never driven something so exciting! 0-60 is ridiculous — it may not have the power of some of the supercars, but for a base model car at that price, it’s incredible.”

Back home, the meticulous Miller took his beloved C8 to detailers and then on to the dealership to sort a little squeak in the front of the car. “They called an hour later to tell me that they’d identified the issue and all was well,” Miller reported. “Then I noticed a missed call from the dealership shortly after…”

The Fall that Should Have Been a Secret

Miller returned the call and was put straight through to the general manager. “He said he’d rather not beat about the bush and immediately told me that my car fell off the lift, etcetera. He asked me to come down to discuss how we’re going to sort all this. And that I should know that they were going to make it alright, and work from there.”

After going to see the car, Miller and the dealership agreed not to share pictures on social media and that they would not make a big thing out of it. “I needed to know what was going to happen to me in all this,” Miller admitted. “We never wanted it all over the social media and I gave them a chance to see where things went.”

A few days later, pictures of Miller’s stricken C8 dangling from the lift, went viral. “My car was all over the social media,” Miller explained. “I needed to cover myself. I thought they’d spread it on social media and I just wanted the car sorted out. I was a little miffed and maybe spoke a bit out of turn.”

“It was never a case of me finding out about the incident on the social media — they told me the proper way,” Miller confirmed.

The dealer has handled this matter very well,” Miller admitted. “I kinda wanted to make my C8 into a track car anyway. And with all the rumors of the next Z06 being a hot 5.5-liter V8, it sounded like something I wanted to have.”

First in Line for Next Z06 at MSRP!

“I knew it was going to be a long wait for a replacement with the fill order book on the C8. I also never wanted to jump the queue. So I asked how about the next Z06. The dealer elevated it to the auto group CEO and he offered me their first Z06 slot! So I have a very good deal on the new Z06 — if that’s even what it’s called. I’ll get it at list price with a 5-year maintenance deal — whenever it arrives. The dealer also paid me back in full for my C8, including all my costs on the ceramic coating I put on it.”

“I got every penny including the negative equity from the truck I traded for it. “A Corvette exec also called to ensure me that the brand would look after my best interests.”

A Temporary Z06

The story gets even better, though. “While we were resolving the problem with my C8, the dealer traded a mint, red one-owner 2011 C6 Corvette Z06. That’s exactly the car I had been looking for, for a very long time, so I bought it with full maintenance. I’ve detailed it perfectly and I’m loving it!”

Images: CorvetteForum & corvetteconti.com 

.