Argenteus Lives: Dragoneye's 1LE

[Happy_Dan]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

Tom Henry treated me (us) to one of the most wonderful delivery experiences I think I'll ever have....that is, perhaps until we buy our next car from him...

To start - we arrived Saturday morning to a salesman greeting us outside....

"You here for the ZL1?" More of a statement than an answer...

"Yeah - how'd you guess?"

"Well....you're all smiling - so you're definitely not here to pick up a COBALT, I bet! Hahaha."

...my other car's a Cobalt...

Annnnnyways....then he promptly shook my Dad's hand, saying "you're going to love this new car!"




Later - he realized his mistake and was good-natured about it, meanwhile John D, the salesman who handles most of the THR sales was simply brilliant about the whole introduction experience. Helping me through OnStar (who pretty much blew me off...the system was down, can't activate - sorry!)...showing me the functions of the car...and expressing a genuine appreciation for the thing.

In fact, all the guys in the area said the same thing (which did nothing to keep my already inflated ego in check)..."People are walking right by that grand sport convertible to get to your car!"

Yep - the car was in the showroom, as the pictures showed...and Tom kept my keys under his own personal surveillance to make sure nobody could do anything to it.

Weasel stickers in the car, bottle of wine, THR shirt, hat, ALL my associate build papers and documents....which by the way - he had the mailed window sticker laminated in such a thick plastic I think it'll outlive me!!...and a smokin' deal on this car to boot.

Honestly - I felt like a King, no joke. To top it off...he took us to the "Barn"...which is about the coolest place for a gear-head to be.

Tom is a class-A guy, as are the staff members of Tom Henry Chevrolet. I eagerly recommend anybody check them out if you're thinking of buying a car. It's so worth it...they've got the small-town, family feel that is so hard to come by these days.

And lastly, but CERTAINLY not least....gtahvit, aka Tran, aka that little snot who wouldn't tell me where my thread was at!!!!!.....flew all the way up from Florida and back in the same day just to spend that 6 hours with us as the papers were filed, and I got to fire the car up for the very first time.

...I can't quite put into words what that meant to me. I joked about about good friends...truly - it doesn't get any better than that. Thanks, brother!

I can't wait to see for myself.

The barn is cool! You should make that event.

[Mr. Wyndham]

More pictures!

This is something interesting I found while poking around the well beneath the trunk floor.....I've no idea where it came from...no idea who was behind it...nobody I know that *might* be involved will tell me.

Nevertheless.....Lazarus came with MORE than an LSA and some fancy suspension....

Whoever made this happen....please accept my sincerest, deepest thanks and gratitude.








Yes....Rick Hendrick signed a hat and a lithograph for me.

[SSE 4 2SS]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

More pictures!

This is something interesting I found while poking around the well beneath the trunk floor.....I've no idea where it came from...no idea who was behind it...nobody I know that *might* be involved will tell me.

Nevertheless.....Lazarus came with MORE than an LSA and some fancy suspension....

Whoever made this happen....please accept my sincerest, deepest thanks and gratitude.

Attachment 359600

Attachment 359601

Attachment 359602


Yes....Rick Hendrick signed a hat and a lithograph for me.

That is beyond cool...

Project for you...Build a shadow box,or have a student build it as a project, and put the shirt and the documentation from Lazarus in it...I've built shadow box's for each of my sons Pro baseball jerseys...They hang in the game room...

[Mr Twisty]

That's one of those days that will stick with you for the rest of your life... Congrat's


... 1st & 2nd gen...

[Mr. Wyndham]

Now.....about the car.


What can I say that I didn't say here? http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=201490

Well...I WILL say - spending just 370 miles with the car has reinforced nearly ALL of my initial impressions from VIR. It is THAT good of a package. And it's important to note that I use the term "package", and not engine, suspension, or any other specific part...

To me...driving it...there is no one thing that sticks out as much more impressive than the rest. Everything is THAT wonderful about it! From the exhaust note to the interior...to the handling, to the COMFORT of the ride...to the responsiveness when in 'sport mode' (even on the street!). The engine is marvelous, the clutch and shifter are just perfect...the looks are to die for, it's loaded to the gills (literally! ), and with all the potential it has - it is SO easy and comfortable to drive around town.

This is the first manual transmission car I've ever owned. I'd say I've accumulated a grand total of 40 miles in my life, with a stick shift, before this car. I think I've only stalled three times or so. And two were in my driveway trying to park at real slow speeds...

It's as though it thanks you to drive. It's just such a pleasure to cruise around in!

On a brand new engine, travelling about 70-75mph up and down hills, all highway for about 240 miles...I returned 20 mpg! The Impala my Dad and brother were in did the exact same trip at the exact same speed and earned 27mpg. To say I'm impressed would be a bit of an understatement. But...that's the last time I'll mention fuel economy, because at this point, I really don't care!

MR is SO cool. When driving in Tour - Potholes, cracks, dips, and bumps in the road are ironed out to near Cadillac ride quality...easily more comfortable than the Impala, or my Cobalt. AND - the steering is light, but direct. When in sport mode, however, it's a completely different beast...the ride is still what I'd consider comfortable - but now you feel EVERYTHING...every crack, every dip and bump...the car jumps over them like you'd expect a serious performance car to. The steering also changes noticeably, too...it feels as though return-to-center is a little more forced, and CLEARLY steering effort is increased. The wheel stiffens way up - it might fool a new driver into thinking they've lost power steering while driving down the road...

The exhaust note is just pure heaven, imo. You have to hear it to understand. Having those valves open at idle produces a sound that you FEEL in your chest as much as you hear in your head. It thrums through the house...ignition scares unaccustomed bystanders (), WOT (above 3000 rpms) just ROARS like I couldn't believe.....yet, when cruising, you can hear the rumble...but there's ZERO drone, and you're not bothered by the sound.

Speaking of cruising - cabin noise seems deathly quiet (minus the thrum of the exhaust), even at highway speeds. Heh - I didn't expect that at ALL. It's very welcome.

The carbon fiber hood is spectacular...glimmering in the sunlight like snake-skin, almost...the black wheels are simply to die for, imo. Pictures simply do not do them justice AT ALL. These things, and the overall aero package for the ZL1 adds this sinister vibe few cars on the planet achieve, imo. We ZL1 owners and ZL1-cloners (no offense intended, at ALL! I get why you swap! ) have a unique "weapon" in the looks arsenal!

The interior....some will point out that it's nastily designed or whatever....I don't know WHAT they're talking about. I LOVE it. Putting the suede in there adds a "richness" that several people have already remarked to me reminds them of a Mercedes or BMW. No - not exaggerating, and no these people were not "dim-wits" when it comes to the auto world.

The HUD thrills people, I'm noticing...everyone smiles, or laughs at the impact of the exhaust...they all are breathless after a brief acceleration run...but the HUD makes them go "WOW!!!! HOLY - THAT'S COOL!".

Regarding visibility.............

....I own one now.......(I can say that! )

...there is ZERO...NO....NADA....NONE....ZILCH....in the way of a visibility problem. With my mirrors adjusted properly...A car can be seen driving from the rearview mirror to the side-view mirror (with no gap is visibility), and then to peripheral vision. You need to get used to the corners, and the limited height of the windshield...but I'm even used to that, already. It's a WONDERFUL car to drive.

Bottom line is -- the ZL1 is the ultimate Camaro. Frankly, it's the ultimate Chevrolet. It combines levels of comfort, looks, performance, AND a forgiving nature that not even the Corvette can match. It's that balance that makes this car so amazing, in my eyes.

They did a STUNNING job with this car....and I am STUNNED that I have the pleasure of owning one.







...


Oh....there was one small *issue*.....

....somehow it seems that I've run over a screw in the front drivers' side tire.

Oh, it gets better!!! The car is so new, even the car dealers are having difficulties locating the proper tire. I called three tire shops and two dealers, they all needed to call me back because they couldn't find it.

THEN! When I did get calls back...2 quotes hovered around $500 (installation), 1 was about $470, and 1 was $530...I was reminded, forcibly...that this is not a cheap car to maintain. Call to mind the massive brakes, huge reserves of oil, sticky (thus quickly-wearing) tires, and compromised fuel economy......plan to pay out the nose to keep a ZL1 in tip-top shape.

In my opinion? Its worth every penny and more.

[Bad@ssCamaro]

Congratulations and welcome to the Camaro brotherhood and way of life You've made a wise and thoughtful decision on waiting for that silver beast that will forever change how you feel about this genre of cars. You're sure to experience things with that car that only few people get to know and experience, and it will create memories that will last a lifetime.......I'm sure most of them positive I wish you many miles of smiles to go along with that Ultragrin and I look forward to hearing about your experiences that you will share with us hear on C5 and what you plan on doing with Lazurus Congratulations!!!

[2010ABM]

Congrats on finally getting the car, Joe! I know you waited a long time, and no doubt the wait made that moment even more special. Looking forward to seeing the car and meeting you at the Fest this year!

[Bad@ssCamaro]

Oh...and are you planning on keeping the present name of your thread?

[RubyCamaro]

I love reading this thread. Congrats on your new love. Your ultra grin is infectious. I get sympathy grins just reading your words. I cannot wait to see & hear your baby in person. JEALOUS! Today is Ruby's 2nd anniversary. Of course I still love her like day one, but you...............you have a level of permagrin we can only imagine....and enjoy vicariously. X100

[mlee]

Just when I start losing hope and thinking about Vettes and CTS-V's you write something like this AGAIN, and get me all excited AGAIN... and the stuff in the trunk was so VERY

Fingers crossed for this Thursday allocations...

[PQ]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

a certain speed-challenged moderator started...no, I did not fill up Lazarus with diesel....

.............

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

...he took us to the "Barn"...which is about the coolest place for a gear-head to be.

Went there when Chris asked me to go get his with him. THAT was really cool. I was honored to have been invited.

Originally Posted by Number 3

Wait ............. What?????? GTA is Tran????? And I thought I knew him :(

Yup. Many don't know. He asked me to keep it a secret which I did. But when it got out I figured what the hell.

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

To be able to sit behind the wheel of this car - and let it sink in, nice and deep, that I'm not at a car show...this is not a friends...

I absolutely know the feeling. So jazzed for you.

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

This is the first manual transmission car I've ever owned. I'd say I've accumulated a grand total of 40 miles in my life, with a stick shift, before this car. I think I've only stalled three times or so. And two were in my driveway trying to park at real slow speeds...

If you're gonna keep driving that Cobalt as a DD you better get some really long weekends in with the stick and Laz. if you want to be ready for August.

Oh, and these wide tires seem to LOVE to pick up nails and screws.

[PQ]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

THEN! When I did get calls back...2 quotes hovered around $500 (installation), 1 was about $470, and 1 was $530...I was reminded, forcibly...that this is not a cheap car to maintain. Call to mind the massive brakes, huge reserves of oil, sticky (thus quickly-wearing) tires, and compromised fuel economy......plan to pay out the nose to keep a ZL1 in tip-top shape.

In my opinion? Its worth every penny and more.

Oh, and that's not really true. You have us. You can do things yourself. Tires? Yes, they are not cheap. Which is why I skipped the Eagles.

But normal stuff you can do on your own as far as labor.

Surely you can have the tire repaired???

[ShnOmac]

Joe,
Congratulations, I am sincerely happy for you! ( and a little jealous)

[TAG UR IT]

You know, the feeling is kinda weird.

All these YEARS...yep...YEARS....I've been listening to you talk about what you wanted, listened to you change your mind to this, that, back to this, back to that.... I've been waiting for the day for you to finally get your own Camaro. I know...I mean I KNOW...just how badly you've wanted one.

And your patience?!?!

Damn, boy! I'd have gone IN S A N E !! ! ! !!! !

But, it's paid off. It's absolutely paid off. I breeze through posts nowadays to try to get caught up. I read fast....and I miss the heart of a lot of stuff. Tonight is the first time in a long time I've actually slowed down, read the words, pictured the walking up and talking to the salesman, pictured you guys sitting down to do the paperwork...and just seeing the giddyness that comes with finally seeing and getting in your car for the first time.

You have a way with words that most people don't, Joe. I love to read your posts....and I've told you before, you are a HELL of a writer. All of this ^^^^^^....just makes me .

There's nothing left to say.

I'm happy for you...freaking ELATED that you finally have.....Lazarus.