Question about Mike Furman at Criswell

[jagamajajaran]

In my opinion, if you're calling Criswell Chevrolet because you saw one of Mike Furman's posts, you really ought to talk to Mike about placing your order. He's the only salesman there that I see posting on the forums, Facebook, etc. When you call the dealership and talk to someone else, you're not rewarding the one that is working hard to earn your business. I've been doing business with Mike long enough to also know that there are some additional perks that come along with ordering from him that you won't get with other salesmen there, including best pricing when they aren't selling at MSRP and top trade-in allowance when that's in play. You can't go wrong with Mike Furman.

[stryker1969]

Thanks, he seems like a stand-up guy

[Ateupjoe]

Thanks, he seems like a stand-up guy

Yes he is.

[docprego]

Not talking with Mike is like winning a golf lesson with Tiger Woods and taking it from his caddy instead because Tiger is running a few minutes late.

[Herb Smith]

Mike was very responsive to my requests both by phone and email. I have a deposit with him and MacMulkin only because my number with Mike was pretty high. I hope I get to work with him.

[swmonaharley]

Today 8/28/20 I had the pleasure of meeting Mike Furman at Carlisle. He is located near the NCM tent. His car is gorgeous and I spent a few minutes with him regarding some questions I had. He took the time to answer my questions and opened his car so I could see the interior (same combo I have ordered)..Additionally I hung around admiring his car and listened as he spoke with everyone who had questions regarding the 2020s...this guy is first class..answered any and all questions. If you are serious about buying a C8...Mike is the guy you should choose...thanks again Mike for your time. Steve Maglidt

[John]

swmonaharley, what a gracious first post of yours. Thanks for being a positive force here. As to the content of your post, you are right that Mike is truly “one of the good guys.” Having his owned personally 21 Corvettes, he is not foremost a salesperson but a Corvette lover as we all are. His having sold Corvettes for 42+ years and approaching 5,000 total Corvette sales also speaks to his character and his Corvette passion. He is one of the rare people who has taken a passion, a hobby, and made it a career.

BTW, we live in Oregon yet bought our C8 from Mike.

[CVII]

Mike is a first class act! My 7th and last Corvette will be delivered to me by Mr. Furman.

[Bobfred44]

I have posted a few times about my positive experience dealing with Mike. I had been on Mikes list for a C8 since May 2018. Last August, just before the original allocation was given to dealers I had a health issue. I called Mike to tell him I was not sure it was a good time to be ordering our long awaited C8 and I did not want to hold anyone on the list behind me from getting a C8 in a timely manner. Mike told me not to worry and make sure I take care of my health. All the time I was recovering Mike stayed in contact with me and even sent pictures of a ZB C8 from 2019 Carlisle show. Fast forward all worked out fine, although a longer than expected recovery, my wife and I are now enjoying our ZB C8. As I tell people, Mike is a professional and gentleman. It was good seeing him a Carlisle yesterday.

[Racer86]

Bought our C8 online from Mike and did the museum delivery. Mike’s steady hand made it all work effortlessly on our part.
Hope to do the same deal with Mike on a C9.

[Eagle One]

FWIW - I have wanted a Corvette pretty much ever since I saw Martin Milner and George Maharis on "Route 66". Have never been able to own a Vette until now and the C8 I believe is a once in a generation car. So I read the forum and visited several dealerships in the Central Florida area. No interest from any salesman to discuss details and at least 4 calls to different dealers and left messages with their "Corvette Sales Team", No calls back...nada. Learned of Mike on this forum and emailed him. Within an hour he wrote back. shared all his contact information and walked me thru the process to place a deposit on what will most likely be a mid-year 2021 C8. I placed a deposit with him via phone that day. He was totally professional and made me feel like I was his only customer....which is very remarkable these days. Got a post card from him a few days later with a nice personal note. He is a class act.....

[meyerweb]

When I gave Mike my deposit for the C8, he thanked me for giving him repeat business. I told him it was nice to deal with a car salesman I wanted to deal with more than once.

I'm sure there are other car salespeople who are as knowledgeable, helpful and honest as Mike, but they're few and far between.

[Prof. Eindackel]

I live in Pittsburgh and after poor experiences with the local dealer, I bought my new Alfa Romeo from Criswell Alfa Romeo. The salesperson, Karifa Mara, did a great job and is a real professional.

When I decided to get a C8 I was inclined to just go to Mike Furman first. Given the challenging times I decided to give my local dealers a try so perhaps I could give them some business and support the local community. One of them confirmed they are selling for MSRP plus tax, two others never returned my calls. I called back the local MSRP dealer three times and left messages because I had questions. The salesman never called me back.

I was offended and frustrated and thought about visiting them in person. Realizing they didn’t deserve my business and I could not trust them with a Corvette order, I did what I should have done to begin with and contacted Mike. He got back to me immediately, on his day off, and explained how easy his process is. Just from my brief interaction with him I realized how much he cares for his customers and how good he is at his job. My excellent experience with the other Criswell dealership made me realize I am actually a repeat customer and all would be good. Mike had a deposit the same day, and he has always gotten back to me right away whenever I’ve had a question.

When you buy a Corvette, you are not buying transportation - you are buying a dream. It is essential that the person you are working with knows the product inside and out, and gets it right. That can’t be found when you dial up a dealership and someone picks up the phone randomly. Based on my conversation with the first salesman and the nonexistent follow-up I had zero confidence in his Corvette knowledge, and who knows how the order and the delivery would have come out had I done business there. With Mike in charge I have zero doubts or anxiety about my car and the way the process will play out. In a car with as high demand as the C8, the importance of this cannot be overstated. There are no games with the pricing and you get the best professional in the industry. In this case, the best actually costs less.

A few weeks ago I traveled down to Criswell to say hi to Mike and see a couple of C8s in person. If you decide to pick up the car from him at Criswell, it’s a nice place and you will be proud to pick up the car there. Sadly, many Chevrolet dealers haven’t kept up with the times. Given the Corvette volume Criswell puts through their shop you can be sure the techs will do a proper PDI. After seeing the C8 that fell off a lift because the tech did not know what he was doing, the experienced technicians make me feel more confident as well.

[jloryfsu1]

FWIW - I have wanted a Corvette pretty much ever since I saw Martin Milner and George Maharis on "Route 66". Have never been able to own a Vette until now and the C8 I believe is a once in a generation car. So I read the forum and visited several dealerships in the Central Florida area. No interest from any salesman to discuss details and at least 4 calls to different dealers and left messages with their "Corvette Sales Team", No calls back...nada. Learned of Mike on this forum and emailed him. Within an hour he wrote back. shared all his contact information and walked me thru the process to place a deposit on what will most likely be a mid-year 2021 C8. I placed a deposit with him via phone that day. He was totally professional and made me feel like I was his only customer....which is very remarkable these days. Got a post card from him a few days later with a nice personal note. He is a class act.....

I also live in the Orlando area. In May I made the decision that I wanted a 2021 C8. I live within 30 minutes of three Chevy dealers. Contacted all of them, said I am ready to give a deposit and want to get on a list. None of them called or emailed me back.

From this forum I learned about Mike Furman as well as MacMulkan and I have deposits with both and am extremely impressed by both and feel confident in either and will go with whoever gets me allocated first.

In central Florida, the only dealer I have dealt with positively regarding a C8 is Stingray Chevrolet in Plant City. I gave them a deposit as well but since their allocations are quite a bit lower than the other two, I don't expect them to deliver my car. They have been top notch though.

Won't mention the Orlando and Clermont dealers but I was baffled by the lack of response and follow up unless they simply had a list longer than expected allocations. Even then, send an email or call me and tell me that. No response at all after three or four inquiries. I will never do business with them as far as purchasing a car.

I was in sales for 17 years and prided myself on great customer service. That and busting my butt allowed me to retire young and allows me to pay cash for my c8.

Lazy sales people drive me insane. On the other hand, working with professionals like Mike, the MacMulkan group and Stingray makes me happy.

[NyVetteGuy007]

I have sent many friends to Mike and am on my 4th Vette purchased from him with this C8.
From the first time I met Mike in 2013 to today, he is first class all the way and has become a friend of mine as well.
You can’t go wrong dealing with him for what is a very important purchase.