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Old 05-10-2014, 12:49 PM   #1
DenverTaco07


 
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Probable Buyer - questions

Hey all - been lurking around here for a little reading up on the ZL1. Surprisingly my wife is on board - which means good possibility of picking one up soon - but need some info:

1. How much room is left for passenger if Baby (rear facing) seat is in back? One of our current vehicles is an 07 Tacoma Access cab style - and my wife's legs are pinned against the dash with car seat behind her - not comfy at all.

2. What kind of maintenance costs should I expect to incur with the ZL1 - lets assume no drag / track - just normal service intervals / maintenance?

3. This car will be a "Toy", not a daily, so can I reasonably expect that there will be service / parts readily available in the years to come...say 10, 15, 20 years (I know...crystal ball question)

4. Should I get an Auto or Manual....................I'm kidding - I've seen all the debates - Going with Auto, if I can find one - there are none in Colorado.

5. As it seems I will have to order one - how long should I expect to wait?

6. What good deals have folks got for: Automatic + carbon fiber + Nav?

7. Regarding the hood insert, are they all carbon fiber, but the $600 option only exposes it vs. it being color matched painted?

Ok - hope you all have time to help - much appreciated.
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Old 05-10-2014, 02:05 PM   #2
z28lt1
 
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Congratulations on the possible new purchase. See some answers below.


Quote:
Originally Posted by DenverTaco07 View Post
Hey all - been lurking around here for a little reading up on the ZL1. Surprisingly my wife is on board - which means good possibility of picking one up soon - but need some info:

1. How much room is left for passenger if Baby (rear facing) seat is in back? One of our current vehicles is an 07 Tacoma Access cab style - and my wife's legs are pinned against the dash with car seat behind her - not comfy at all.

MY best advice is to go to a dealer with the seat you want to try. Doesn't need to be a ZL1, pick any Camaro. I haven't put a rear facing seat in mine, but based upon typical room required, I don't think your wife is going to be very comfortable. Best thing to do is try, instead of relying on people who don't have your specific seat (or specific wife).

2. What kind of maintenance costs should I expect to incur with the ZL1 - lets assume no drag / track - just normal service intervals / maintenance?

In general, without any track or racing, maintenance is pretty much like other cars. GM calls for Air filter changes every 15k miles instead of 45k for standard Camaros, and spark plugs at 60k instead of 100k for standard Camaros. Tires will wear much more quickly (and aren't cheap) and if you want stock or better brake rotors whenever they need to be replaced, they are much more expensive rotors than a regular car. So, Take your regular budget, add for tires every 15,000 miles a few bucks for air filters, and if you aren't a DIYer double the spark plug budget.

3. This car will be a "Toy", not a daily, so can I reasonably expect that there will be service / parts readily available in the years to come...say 10, 15, 20 years (I know...crystal ball question)

As a guess, you'll be good for quite some time. Many of the parts (not all) are on some other GM cars, either another Camaro, the CTS-V and such. 20 years out gets a little sketch on some cars for certain specific parts, but in general, the common parts should be availble through GM or aftermarket.

4. Should I get an Auto or Manual....................I'm kidding - I've seen all the debates - Going with Auto, if I can find one - there are none in Colorado.

5. As it seems I will have to order one - how long should I expect to wait?

Probably depends upon your dealer but it seems if your dealer has allocation, figure 4-6 weeks until build week, then another few weeks for delivery to the dealer. I'm not sure when the 2014 order cut-off is, but it is probably coming up in the next month or so. Not sure if you'll get delayed in a model year switch over if you go 2015.

6. What good deals have folks got for: Automatic + carbon fiber + Nav?

Can't help here, as I didn't have those options. An in stock car is often (but not always) cheaper than an car that you order, if the dealer has had it for a while. Also, incentives may get worse (temporarily) if you move to the 2015 model.

7. Regarding the hood insert, are they all carbon fiber, but the $600 option only exposes it vs. it being color matched painted?

Correct. Exposed, and clear coated.

Ok - hope you all have time to help - much appreciated.
It's a great car, hopefully you get into one. Let us know when you do.
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Old 05-10-2014, 07:04 PM   #3
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Maintenance cost so far for me are low. I haven't done major mods. So other than oil, which is synthetic therefore more than beater oil changes, the brakes are still original and I got new tires at about 22,000 miles and that's with some drag racing. Maybe a hundred passes down the 1/8th mile.

Not sure about the '14s, but for the '12s the painted hood insert wasn't color matched, it was a black or a grey. They discontinued one of the colors. It was that you couldn't wax the painted inserts because they would haze over or something. So I'd say it would be easier to care for if you get the exposed carbon.

I can't help with the rest, especially the baby seat. It's a great car though. Good luck.
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Old 05-10-2014, 08:21 PM   #4
affox83
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See answers below.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DenverTaco07 View Post
Hey all - been lurking around here for a little reading up on the ZL1. Surprisingly my wife is on board - which means good possibility of picking one up soon - but need some info:

1. How much room is left for passenger if Baby (rear facing) seat is in back? One of our current vehicles is an 07 Tacoma Access cab style - and my wife's legs are pinned against the dash with car seat behind her - not comfy at all.

There is absolutely not enough room for anyone that you care about to sit in the front seat with a rear-facing car seat in the back. More so because you have to set the seat back almost completely upright. Its so bad I just pulled mine right back out after checking it. After my son was born last August, that was my biggest disappointment. He will have to wait until he can sit in a normal car seat; they fit just fine.

2. What kind of maintenance costs should I expect to incur with the ZL1 - lets assume no drag / track - just normal service intervals / maintenance?

I've had nothing other than rear tires and I'm just over 14000 miles. The fronts are about gone. Your mileage may vary.

3. This car will be a "Toy", not a daily, so can I reasonably expect that there will be service / parts readily available in the years to come...say 10, 15, 20 years (I know...crystal ball question)

4. Should I get an Auto or Manual....................I'm kidding - I've seen all the debates - Going with Auto, if I can find one - there are none in Colorado.

I like having gears to play with. I had been stuck without a manual car for about 5 years and it killed me. The autos are supposed to be great, though. I'm not really biased, just missed having a clutch. Badly.

5. As it seems I will have to order one - how long should I expect to wait?

6. What good deals have folks got for: Automatic + carbon fiber + Nav?

7. Regarding the hood insert, are they all carbon fiber, but the $600 option only exposes it vs. it being color matched painted?

Ok - hope you all have time to help - much appreciated.

Last edited by affox83; 05-10-2014 at 08:22 PM. Reason: can't spell
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Old 05-10-2014, 08:32 PM   #5
jessrayo
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Everyone has opinions but since you mentioned the carbon fiber insert, there were some early problems with the exposed inserts developing bubbles or discoloration spots. I think Joe had 2 of them replaced under warranty. It seems they have fixed this now but in my opinion you pay 600 bucks to get the same part with a less durable finish..... but to some people they have to be able to see it to appreciate it.
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Old 05-10-2014, 10:34 PM   #6
DenverTaco07


 
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Thanks everyone for your input.
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