Is Z28 good for daily driver
 

Hello guys, Im planning order a Z28 or ZL1 pretty soon, if I purchase the car this is the only car Im gona have, just wondering if is good for daily use, right now Im in between the ZL1 and the Z28, seems like ZL1 is a better daily driver because all the fancy stuff on it and also the car is not too low to the groud, I am planning on going to the track maybe once every 2 month, but I really like the look of the z28 better, so what do you guys think is the z28 gona be a good daily driver?

No, the ZL1 will be a much better daily driver. If you want a daily driver that's also a fun track car, get a 1LE. With the money you save compared to a ZL1 or Z/28 you'll be able to buy a lot of tires and brake pads for years for all your track time with the 1LE.

The Zl1 and 1LE are both much nicer street cars. You can take any car to a track and have a fun day. Why would you want to pay that much for a car that doesn't even have carpet, the road noise alone would drive me nuts
. What ever you decide you will enjoy, be safe.

Also I would like to welcome you to camaro5.com. This is a great website, about a great car with a lot of really nice people.

yea man for sure welcome and have fun!:happy0180:

I don't even use my ZL1 as a daily driver. A few people on here say they do and love it.. It's all about preference both cars can, but my opinion would be no to both cars..

yes if I get one it will be daily driver and winter too. There was a post about the engineers taking it on a long drive and they said the recaros made it nice. So it might not be like butter but who cares..you can drive it every day but I agree the approach angle and pulling to close to things is something to constantly watch for.

Did I miss something...I read people say it has no carpets??? I believe it has much of the sound deadening removed and the only carpet removed is in the trunk???...or am I wrong.

ZL1 for sure. While the Z/28 is "street legal" it was designed to be a track car first. Hell, you have to buy A/C as one of the options and the hood vent does not have anything to help drain rain water away from the engine.

As far as I know the only carpet delete is in the trunk.

ZL1 is 20k cheaper.

The Z/28 has no A/C / Stereo / etc...so that's one area where the ZL1 definitely comes out on top as a DD.

Plus the cost of replacing your tires, which are probably terrible in the rain, will be much higher than a ZL1's

I love the way the Z/28 looks and it's a beast on the track, but the ZL1 is the better choice for a DD IMO

Nick C.

your right on the carpet in the trunk, is the only one out of the car.

Depends where you live to be honest.

I would (in another world haha ;) )drive the z28 daily if i got the ac.

I'd definitely go with the ZL1.

first I have heard of this??? I doubt it is any different from any other 2014 with the hood vent...please elaborate???

We have already seen it in the rain and covered in salt somewhere up north. There is no way gm designed this car to have a weakness in the rain.

Do you mind shifting gears in traffic for the foreseeable future without a break, day after day after day . . . ? That can get old. No automatic in Z/28. Just something to consider.

I imagine his comment comes from this picture in the z/28 milford thread stickies

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/attach...0&d=1381871296

I am sure the water tray was only off to show how the angles of the insert louvres are wider than those on a regular SS insert. No way GM will ship these cars out without the water dish under the insert.

ALSO, yes there is carpet in the interior.

ALSO ALSO, get a spare set of wheels with PSS or proxes 1 tires, and check the AC option....perfect DD :thumbup:

There is a considerable price difference between the two but you didn't mention that as a deterent to buying the Z/28. Yes the ZL1 would be a better daily driver but it's not a Z/28. I would look at it as an opportunity to buy the last factory equipped 427 Camaro and how cool is that. Buy a Z/28!

for a daily driver? hummmmm why not get both? one for the odd days of the week and one for the even days of the week :P

personally i would like all the luxurious features that the ZL1 has to offer over the Z28 that would seem more comfortable to me i think i would save the Z28 for the garage and weekends or track and show just my opinion

+1

thank you guys for the answer, this is a great forum Ive learn a lot stuff on here

Does anyone know how the ride compares between the two cars, I know the suspensions are different.

id go with a 1le if its a daily and occasional track. im sure you'll be able to buy a z/28 body and wheels, if you like the look. with a few bolt ons you could have close to the same power and weight as the z/28

Based on what we know the ride in the Z/28 will be MUCH more severe. DD NO! The cost of tires alone will break ya! :faint:

p.s. I do believe the rain-guard is not on the Z/28. I'm sure one could be added.

Sorry. Sounds like I'm wrong a out the carpet. I thought it was one of the many things they left out.

What's many?

People buying this car usually wont use them as DD because I can assume they are financially well off so this will just be a side toy or garage queen. But If I had the money for either fully loaded zl1 vs z28, def. I would get the z28 and drive it daily! Very limited production= unique camaro for years to come :)

I would not consider a Z/28 for daily driver duty. It’s designed as a street legal track car that you can drive to the track and back. It will not be comfortable or practical as a daily driver.

Why can you only have one car? Budget issues? If so for the price of a Z/28 you could get a 1LE with aggressive track mods, AND a comfortable daily driver.

Are you talking about Willow Springs or drag strip? or both? Do you spend a lot of time on the LA freeways?

My ZL1 is a great daily driver and it is a manual, but if I was stuck in LA traffic daily I might want the auto which is still good on the track.

The guys have mentioned the 1LE, a fabulous car. I'm still partial to the ZL1. I've spoken to the engineers quite a bit about the Z/28 and it is really a track car that can be driven on the street. It is not a street car that can be tracked. Right now Al O. is driving his Z/28 on the street and LOVING it. Even in the snow. It all depends on what YOU want. Make your choice and enjoy it.
Janet

Just because you can .......................... doesn't mean you should.

You can drive it daily. But as everyone has mentioned you will for the most part suffer.

Even the awesome Z06 can be driven daily. But in traffic it is a bear. On the highway that wonderful exhaust becomes an annoying loud drone.

What makes a great track car and what make a great street car are two different worlds.

Even though one man's drone can be another man's music . . . I have to agree with you. In one day, 500 street miles in a Z/28 might make for a loooong day. The seats might be great, but 6th gear for hours, not so much.

Zl1 would be better. But you can use the Z28 for that, but it would be more of a cost as far as breaks and tires. The tire cost is around $600 each.

It has carpet. Just no sound insulation in trunk.

I defy anyone that purchases a Z/28 to come back and say what a great idea it was to make a DD out of this car after they pay for their first set of tires and brakes. LOL.

The 40 tread wear rated tires will pickup a lot of trash and throw it on to the car. Get a second set of wheels and street tires. Also, no AC will get old in SoCal, so I would check that option. For a week I did the commute from Anaheim to downtown LA; couldn't imagine doing that with a manual transmission car.

Not true. I can afford another car easily, but choose to enjoy my car daily. If I wanted a garage queen or weekend toy, I'd get a Ferrari. This is a Camaro!! If I want a pristine 2013 ZL1 in the future, I'll buy one in 20 years. Let someone else be OCD with their car and I'll buy their ZL1. In the meantime, I look forward to my commutes!

None of this is practical or necessary…it’s all fluff. You don’t need a z/28 you need a car, carpool or a bike…you WANT a z/28…and I suspect with the recaros and a “normal” road and a radio and a/c it will be perfectly comfortable to make the trip.

great to hear


“Suffer”….really? Do you know what a “1st world problem” is?


Should I get one, I will most certainly have another set of tires as soon as the factory set falls off…which might be only a few DE weekends and then try some hoosier a6s and will always have a street set ($250-300/tire NOT Pirelli) for 365 use and also as track “rains”. I will probably run the brakes for a few events then switch to stop tech steel rotors. I do NOT want to have to replace the rotor$. I met a guy last year that got a GT2 and that’s the first thing he did…it’s likely way more money on pcars. Has anyone found the price of the cc rotors yet?


right on brother!!!

I will put the LIE up against the 405 anytime…you guys might have road rage with guns but we have special kind of mooks out here and insane traffic ALL THE TIME…anybody driven the Cross Bronx on a Friday?…it should be classified off road.…sure I will got to bed with a sore left leg so what…this is not a mclaren and way less than a regular 911 I think….people drive those year round….get some salt on her it builds character…lets her run she will love you more for it than a stupid cover and warm garage 350 days a year.

It’s special…have fun with it…loosen up…it’s all transient…maybe she’s great in the snow with tc mode -1.

I graduate next May, and fully intend to be daily driving a Z/28 shortly thereafter. It's all about personal preference, but for me, I haven't needed any of the goodies in my last two Z's. I don't plan to need them with this one either. I started setting money aside for this car the day it was unveiled, price/options is not a deterrent for me.

I'd pick the Z/28 over the ZL1, but that is my .02.

I think the z/28 would not be a dd for the street-the front spliter would be toast soon,I think it is really a track car.tracks do not have speed bumps and pot holes,plus the ride is stiff,they do look cool thought

Auto, sunroof, stereo, sound deadening, I think nav, a real back seat, and most importantly Mag ride. No other Camaro rides as nice as a ZL1. I like the Z/28 and will get one when it is a year or so old and can buy it for the price I paid for my new ZL1, or when a dealer has one they can't sell and I can get the right deal on it. It is a really cool car but as a DD it isn't much better than my 71 Z.
I don't use my ZL1 as a DD, or any of my other cars for that matter, have a 2014 Malibu for that. My ZL1 is a six speed, no sun roof, and nobody will be in the back seat anyway, but would never want to give up the Mag ride.
2cnd Chance, your black Camaro is beautiful, one of the sharpest Camaro's I've ever seen.

Cross Bronx? You need a Ford Raptor on that road, not to mention all the nuts driving like NYC cab drivers on crack. I also always expected to be hit with a cinder block thrown from an overpass or a errant bullet!! Haha. Coming back from Yankee games was another miserable experience on the Cross Bronx. I'm from NY myself. I miss driving on Ocean Parkway and going well over 100mph there!

DD driver is all relative. Can you deal with it's harshness? I'm sure. It's better than the 1980 Chrysler LeBaron that I had as a DD in High School. It's better than the 1968 Mustang I had with holes in the floor that made me feel like I was driving a Flintstones' car.

Will it annoy you if you are used to a much better ride? Sure, but it's not like you are taking the bus.

The only reason I think the Z/28 would suck as a daily driver is that it would take a lot of abuse. The ZL1 was designed for the street and the track and can compensate better for shitty roads. Not much better, but better.

Enjoy whatever you buy. I know it is sacrilege here, but if you are going to spend $75k, I'd get a Shelby and upgrade the brakes. The Shelby has more clearance and won't get banged up as much as the Z/28. The other choice is to get a Stingray with the Z51, which will probably spank a Z/28 on the track and still leave you lots of cash for gas money. That is if you can deal with the two seats.