Camaro vs. Nothing

[BigDan]

Originally Posted by Pentatonic

How are you stuck in a bad neighborhood, but yet your parents can drop the $$$ on a 50k+ car?

Homes in a lot of "bad neighborhoods" in the Bay Area can go for $400,000+ and rent on a 2 bedroom in that same neighborhood aint cheap and is probably around $1,500 a month.

The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most expensive places to live in the USA. Its home to the number #2 most expensive zip code in the US and it borders the zip code of a town that had the highest per capita murder rate in the US.

[Ravener]

Regardless of whether the op is trolling or not, sound advice is still sound for this forum's audience.

Horsepower is irrelevant. Cost of car is irrelevant. What matters is maturity and the willingness to exercise patience and common sense. Look to the example of the many 16-19 year old pro and semi pro drivers in numerous racing circuits. Some of these drivers come from money and some clawed their way up from nothing...all share a passion for speed and piloting vehicles they respect.

Nutshell, to the op. If you are considering a zl1, and you and your folks feel you have the maturity to respect the performance of that machine consider the wisdom in investing in a good performance driving course where you can learn the fundamentals of handling, control, high speed driving, etc. You will appreciate the capabilities more, have more confidence, more experience in handling adverse conditions, and be safer overall.

Life is impossibly short to not live it the fullest and experience what moves you to your hearts content. try to take what folks tell you and form your own good choices based on common sense and what you know of yourself.

[justa25thTA]

Originally Posted by BigDan

Homes in a lot of "bad neighborhoods" in the Bay Area can go for $400,000+ and rent on a 2 bedroom in that same neighborhood aint cheap and is probably around $1,500 a month.

The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most expensive places to live in the USA. Its home to the number #2 most expensive zip code in the US and it borders the zip code of a town that had the highest per capita murder rate in the US.

The fool is from DFW. I'm in DFW. I know the difference.

[Needs Exhaust!]

Originally Posted by oldlugs

Maybe the OP is trolling, maybe not. Some stupid parents do buy their kids, high HP cars... If the kid survives, maybe they'll be a better driver from it. I know of someone whose parents bought him a nearly new Ferrari 308 GT4, at 18 years old. He wrecked it within 3 months, so they bought him a used Lamborghini Espada. Don't know what happened to him after that, but heard his DL had been pulled... Probably a good thing.

Do you know how ignorant you sound? "Stupid Parents"? Maybe some children are more responsible and are better raised and more intelligent than what you have been/are. Granted that they are one in a million, it does not justify you calling their parents "stupid". That, my friend, is ignorance. I, However, do agree with you in the above situation that the parents raised an irresponsible, hormone-induced child and have no regard for what they are doing, but to generalize parents who buy their children nicer cars as "stupid parents" is completely uncalled for.

Just because an individual is labeled as a teenager does not mean that they have to carry the stigma associated with being one. Have you ever heard of a teenage with an "old soul"? They're out there, my friend. I hope that you meet one some day in your life, because you will be in for a surprise.

The OP may be a troll, he may not be a troll. If he is not, then I say consider college when buying a ZL1 because you may not be able to drive it as much as you'd like. If you are confident that a college campus is a safe place, then go for it because four months of ownership is not worth it.

[Numchuk]

get a v6 camaro , 2-3 years later get the ZL1. by then there will be more add-ons, diferent modle types etc etc.
GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT.

[The_Blur]

Looking back, I had a pretty crappy car at that age, and I can see why people like me would advocate that you need to mature before getting such a nice car. It's as if the poor man's Corvette has become a sort of prodigy in its own right. Some people would even rather have the Camaro than the legendary American exotic from Chevrolet.

If you really love Camaros and have the resources to do something interesting, I'd like to recommend a real head-turner for you. Imagine being not just the only 17-year-old but the only person in your neighborhood driving a particular car. Imagine something cool and classic.

Let's say you fixed up an old, fast Camaro. Get a 2nd or 3rd generation Camaro. Get under it and do some work. Take responsibility for it if you can't take out the initial money from the bank. Make it your own. If you want it faster, save up for a bigger engine. If you want it cooler, save up for a new paint scheme.

It's just an idea. If you can get a ZL1, none of us can really blame you for having the good taste in trying. If my parents could swing one for me, I'd be pushing for it, too. On the other hand, I look back at college and think that a nice car then would have gotten ruined between nights driving home people from the bars or idiots in school parking lots. An older car that is easier to repair, replace, or accept in damaged condition might be a better fit for you. It would have been for me.

[CamaroSpike23]

trolling troll is trolling

[ViperTomcat]

Personally I'd find a good second gen, restore it, build it up and have a bad ass, epically fast show/race car for less than the cost of a new ZL1..it'll be much cooler too!

Not saying the ZL1 isnt going to be cool, it will be..but it wont have presence

[oldlugs]

Originally Posted by Needs Exhaust!

Do you know how ignorant you sound? "Stupid Parents"?...

Whatever... Maybe I am ignorant,.. or maybe you're just naive. I've seen plenty that I consider "stupid parents", and they've raised spoiled, rotten kids.
I'm 50 years old. If my wisdom is perceived as being ignorance, then just ignore me.
At any rate, I certainly would not give any of my three kids a new 550 HP car, at a young age. Maybe I'm the stupid parent...but I don't think so. Maybe I just don't want to see them get into trouble.

[oldlugs]

Originally Posted by BigDan

So an 18 year old wrecked a early 80's 230hp V6 Ferrari that runs low 15's, I dont really see how that relates.



...

It was a mid '70s 308 GT4, and they were little 250ish HP V8s, as was the Magnum car ^. They were actually mid 14 second cars with the stick, stock. Fast enough...
It looked like this one:



That kid I knew destroyed his lowly 250 HP Ferarri in 3 months; imagine what he could have done with a 550 HP Camaro... Point is, any fast toy under the pants of an inexperienced driver, is a risk. Sure, some handle it just fine. However, many teens and early 20 somethings, are squirrley as can be.
I too, grew up in a time when many high school kids had fast muscle cars... A few of them didn't get past 25, and quite a few more were seen riding their bikes around town, or cruising with friends. They had their license pulled.

You-all can defend the teen drivers as much as you want, but I'm sure you also know what 500+ foot-pounds torque can do.

Just sayin'...

[REEFBLUE93]

Peer pressure is a bitch at that age. No way I would get my teen anything close to a ZL1....

[mikeSS]

my vote is get a SS or GT. if you were 20 i would say GT500 or Zl1. i got my SS at 18 i handled it pretty well. but honesty i might have to take the Zl1 at 17 just to cool to pass up IMO. and just be careful

[Bay Area SS]

Go for it! Just respect it, because im sure that car can get outta control with even an experienced driver. At your age I had a very nice 67 RS SS and a 68 Z28. I was a pretty good driver, experience with driving and owning a 600 HP dirt track car, unfortunately I was not mature enough and thought I was a better driver than I was. End result I totalled my 67 and I am lucky to be alive.

[ct06gto]

I dont care if i was a billionaire. There is no way i would buy my kids a musle car at that age. My boys are 15 and 16 and will not touch my gto until there 25.