Pro Team

[Gary Rubalcava]

Anyone have any good/bad experiences with Pro Team out of Ohio?

[Harmon C.]

Re: Pro Team

They sell Corvettes for a profit. Some are good some are bad as with all dealers you need to be able to tell the difference. They have lots of Corvettes and it makes shopping easy but you pay for it as they buy from want ads,auctions,and ect. and their is nothing wrong with showing a profit.

[Bryan L.]

Re: Pro Team

There was a guy hanging around here and on the old Discussion Board a few years ago who bought a 67 L-71 coupe. He was washing the engine a few months after getting it and the epoxied-on casting numbers came right off. He had a lot of discussions with them but nothing came of it the last I heard.

BL

[Bill Farmer]

Re: Pro Team

They have an ad in Hemings Motor News offer $1000-$2000 for specific casting #s. Oh, which one. You guessed it, 3904351. What was that? What engine is that for? Big block of course. It is often said that they have sold more 427/435s than were ever built. Call Paul Lutz at Corvette Techs in North Versailles, PA. He told me he goes over there all the time to look at cars for people. ProTeam is not always happy to hear what he has to say. I do know that if the ad on their webpage does not say "the real deal" it is probably only matching because they made it match. Good luck.

[Jim D.]

Re: Pro Team

On another Corvette forum, there was a thread that was many pages long about these crooks. The overall opinion is "beware". Cars are misrepresented and waaaayyy overpriced. Numbers matching cars seem to magically change from a base to a high HP car overnight and when questioned, the facts change too. I'd avoid these guys like the plague.

[Bill Farmer]

Re: Pro Team

I wonder how people waited this long to start blasting them. They do not call the NoTeam for nothing.

[Kurt B.]

Re: Pro Team

I'm old enough to remember when it was called T. Michaelis Corvettes because it was owned by Terry Michaelis. I may be misspelling his last name but he went bankrupt and came back as ProTeam. I also have heard numerous references to the fact that ProTeam seems to have uncovered more big block Corvettes than GM ever built. Isn't that a miracle. My personal opinion is that I would stay away from them unless you are sure you are an expert on the specific model year you are looking at. Buyer beware.
Kurt # 26406

[mike cobine]

Re: Pro Team - I asked last spring

the same questions. Here is what I found:

1. A lot of people have a lot of opinions. Some good, some bad.

2. There is a long history with Pro Team, Terry Michaelis, T. Michaelis Corvette Supply, and maybe a few other names. Some of it is good, some of it is bad.

3. They are still in business. Logic says they can't be as crooked as some say because they could not remain in business this long if they were. Someone would have sued them for everything, put them in jail, or shot them. Obviously, they are still alive and in business.

4. They are essentially a used car dealer. They are very expensive used cars, but still used cars. They don't answer to a parent company or nation-wide chain and so they operate the way they want to.

5. The salesmen I met this spring were no pressure, very nice, very helpful. I looked the cars over all I wanted to. They assisted with most anything I wanted, like lifting hardtops off, opening everything that could be opened, starting the cars, driving the cars, putting them over a pit a block down at the quick oil change shop, and so on. When they began to loosen up, they actually like Corvettes and were fun to talk to.

6. Nothing that I know of was misrepresented. In fact, a few cars with flaws were pointed out before I got that far, and even a few that I missed because frankly I was tired from looking. I looked for about 6 hours or so on the first trip.

7. I went there twice. We ended up not buying anything because the buyer decided he didn't want anything.

8. When you get into the really high dollar cars, and there are many there a LOT higher than the $80,000 discussed here on this '67, you really have to know your stuff. They do have a garage where they are working on cars and some of it is major work. They had a '63 convertible in May that I saw with the engine out and half apart that was at Bloomington Gold in June. I can't remember if there was any major differences in it (other than now being together) from what I saw in May. There were minor ones, like items fixed or replaced.

9. While they deal in rare cars, their goal is not to educate you or make you a restorer or collector of restored cars. Their goal is to sell cars, and they will modify those to suit the buyer. How far they will modify, I do not know, but tire, wheel, exhaust, and some other quick changes are readily available.

10. If you are coming in from out of town to see a certain car, they do suggest putting an offer on it to hold it for 48 hours, I believe. The offer requires a $2000 non-refundable deposit. The deposit can be applied to another car if you buy something else, but otherwise you do not get it back. We took the risk of the car being sold instead.

11. On the first trip, I do not know if I was treated differently because I had made it plain upfront I was there to examine them only. I could not buy, only examine and make a report. This might make a difference in how they handle you if you just walk in off the street with Corvette-struck eyes.

The second trip there were four of us, the buyer, two of his business associates, and me. A lot of talking, joking, and "Holy ___" over some of the prices, but still no pressure.

12. I was not initially left alone, but after awhile, I was alone while looking while the salesman handled some other business. It didn't matter either way to me.

13. If you are asking all the question you have been asking on this board, you are not equipt to determine a car well enough to buy here. Take along an expert. Of course, that is true for anyplace you go to buy.

[gary rubalcava]

Re: Pro Team - I asked last spring

Excellent advice Mike and thanks for a thorough breakdown of your experiences with Pro-Team. I actually visited them 5 years ago or so but I did not buy a car, I made an offer but they would not come down off the price one dollar...so I walked away.

I noticed that they have lowered the prices on a number of cars there (they are calling it a special) so some are now within my budget and seem more reasonable. That is what has peaked my recent interest.

I wonder if the cars that were bought there are generally found to be well represented and that there are no skeletons found under the hood/paint years later. I have never spoken to anyone that actually bought a car from them.

I agree that I should have an expert with me when I go to purchase a car, unfortunately I do not know one, and if the car is many miles away it is not feasible for me to take one with me. I am in the CA Bay Area.

[Howard K.]

Re: Pro Team - I asked last spring

I have had 35 yrs of experience with PRO TEAM and all their previous names and found them to be very forthcoming and straight forward. Yes their cars are expensive but ive noticed they will pay top dollar and sometimes over the top for cars, so what is expensive anyway!!! I usually find that people who call other people crooks, especially on an open forum, are people having no personal experience and little corvette knowledge which is where their problems begin in the first place.

[John S.]

Re: Pro Team - I asked last spring

Well said Mike, Gary and Glen. They are a used car dealer and in it to make money. I have never seen a small company spend so much on advertising. Some of the cars that the number's have fallen off of are the cars we sold them trying to get Gold certified etc. Terry has been a asset to the Corvette market. If you got stung buy the car you bought it was your own falt. Do your home work and hire a person if need be, that's what Terry would teii you.

[Dick W.]

Re: Pro Team

Gary, I think from all the replies on this board you should consider hiring someone that is QUALIFIED to appraise cars and is very knowledgeable about Corvettes. Do not make the mistake of paying someone that is not qualified. There are some hidden horror stories about that mistake. This is not advice to follow just for Pro Team, but all sellers of cars. Like any other hobby that there are dollars involved, there are some crooks out there. A lot of honest people too.

[William B.]

READ "July-Aug 1982, Driveline" about Terry!!! *NM*

[Dave F.]

Re: Pro Team

My 2 cents.

This is not directly related to Pro-Team, but what I don't understand is why buy a classic Corvette from a dealer, especially given the fact that everyone is saying "buyer beware", "do your howework" and "bring along an expert"?

If you need to bring an expert to a dealer, you might as well bring the expert to a private seller or an auction. You'll save money and probably have a fun time in the process.

As stated previously, the dealers are buying many of the cars from ads and auctions and then marking them up (usually way up). As I see it there are three levels of price. From cheapest to most expensive they go like this (in most cases, not all):

Private seller
Auction
Dealer

If risk is equal for all situations I think people are better off to skip the easy access to multiple cars in one place (dealer), and do a little hunting for same car at lower price.

I bought my car at auction. After contacting the previous owner, I wish I had just found him earlier through a private sale. I would have paid less, he would have gotten more, and the car would have been in better shape.

I'm not against dealers. I just want fellow members to get the car of their dreams at best price possible!

-Dave

[mike cobine]

Re: Pro Team

The advantage that Pro Team has is that you walk into a huge warehouse filled with C1s. Another is filled with C2s. Then there is one filled with C3s.

If you do not have something specific in mind when you went, then you get to see Baskin Robbins' 32 Flavors rather than Dairy Queen's chocolate and vanilla.

Your idea is basically right, but you can go to a dealer and see several cars at almost anytime you want, versus waiting until a private seller has someone close to what you want and go see that one only.

That isn't a recommendation of Pro Team or anyone, just why they do so well. How often do you find several big block '67 convertibles at a single time?

The only other case is an auction, and then you do have pressure, plus you can't drive it, and you will not get under it. And if you find something you like, simply your interest will generate interest in other bidders, trying to figure out what you find interesting. Often they will bid thinking you know something they don't, when it could be something as simple as your neighbor had one just like this when you were a kid, or your favorite color is blue or whatever.