Keep or return the zl1 I just bought

[joes407]

What happened to your 1le?

[ISurvivednmu]

My white car inside under fluorescent lights shows paint color deviations from the plastic parts tot he metal parts. Its all factory. The paint is not the issue in my mind.

The issue is that you did not get the full story of the cars repair from the beginning. I would ask someone to try to produce pictures of it when it was "wrecked" or the bill for fixing it. That would give you more info on how bad it really was.

[MountainMan1Le]

I would attempt to find out what happened to it. It they hung an entire new nose on it I would let them take it back. There are brand new left over ZL1'a out there for 49-50k and maybee better deals than that. I bought a brand new trans am in the rain that had been wrecked on a test drive so I know where you are coming from.

[DRKS1D3]

I'd get rid of it. You said it yourself, "This already stretched my budget thin.". I'd be damned if I'd stretch my budget thin over anything...let alone a poorly painted "dream car". Live within your means!!! Good luck!

[BlackinBlack]

Originally Posted by SamHouseIII

If your worried about the budget, then its not the car for you. ZL1s are not cheap to drive.

Originally Posted by Msmall143

The pics are pretty accurate, especially the second set.

And I get zl1's aren't cheap or cheap to maintain. But I got some stuff going on with my wife regarding health and I just have to make sure I don't over commit on this car. Basically I set a comfortable budget for a new 1le at 45k out the door (lots of tax in va). I saw this car and said if I can get it for that then it's just meant to be. They wanted 46k I hit them with 41k and we settled under 42,500. Which was 45 out the door

I just have to make sure I wouldn't take a huge hit if I had to get rid of it should things turn south with my wife. At 42.5k I'm sure I could dump this fast at 40-42k.

Just sharing so you guys get my frame of mind.

When I see the car I smile, so I think I'm keeping it.

License plate may be SHDYZL1 (shady zl1, a spoof on the different hues of red)

I daily drive mine and they do not cost so much more compared to a SS.

If compared to a 1LE they are going to be similar in cost. The big expense of driving a ZL1 daily is the tires.... which the 1LE shares. (I budgeted $1500 a year to replace them as 12000 miles per set is doing good. A DD will average that many miles so one set of tires per year.) They only other difference is MPG. I had an SS and my ZL1 added about $60 a month to my fuel cost. I hope you are not that close on your budget that $60.00 breaks you.

As for other expenses. Oil change is the same as my SS. Most consumables are the same as any Camaro. My insurance went up $3 verse my SS but most of that was the age difference.(2010 to 2013)

Now if you track your brake refreshes are going to be more $$$ verse a 1LE. (Pads are more money than a SS and the rotors are very pricey.)

[RealG]

I think if your asking here , you really feel down deep that you want to return it. Also Remember when you go to sell you will have to explain/disclose the damage and they will want a discounted price from you also. If your always going to have that doubt in the back of your mind Dump It ! , there are plenty of theses cars around, be patient and find a good deal from a private party. or just keep it and forget for now, deal with it later.

[Realist]

Can't see much of a difference in the pics. The price you paid was a steal for the year and miles. That said, a car is never the same in my eyes after body or paint work. If it bothers you now, it will always bother you. At that price though you could drive it 2 years, sell it and not be down much as the NFL dude took the major depreciation hit. If the repaint starts flaking off in 3 years off the nose will GM warranty it, would be one of my concerns. Wife had a fender painted by dealer and a year later the paint peeled off.

[G Money]

Keep it and enjoy the car..... You got a great deal on it !

[JJ-ZL1]

42k = run it!

[HDRDTD]

Originally Posted by Msmall143

So it was disclosed to me that the car had the front bumper repainted but I noticed a change in the depth of the paint where the drivers side front beam meets the body as well as where the trunk meets body. The roof and trunk seem to be a bit deeper red.

I only noticed because I was looking for scratches last night under florecent light and was using a flash light and noticed some parts are not as bright as others with the flashlight.

I went to the dealer and asked what my options are, they agreed they'd simply take the car back.

So I'm asking what you would do. I paid less than 42,500 for the car and this had already stretched my budget. Zl1's a dream car for me. If I returned it I'd have to go with a new ss(I me ow tough right) which would depreciate ASAP

Here are some pics of the differences. FYI....no scratches, those are snow flakes passing in front of the lens

FYI...this is a daily driver, not a garage queen, it's going to be tracked and driven!

It seems to me liek you have already made up your mind yourself.

as the poll clearly shows, the majority of people are reccomending you keep the car and enjoy it.

However, if you are that sensitive to the details of the car to examine it closely and up close with a light and you can detect color mismatches, something tells me that that fact will haunt/bug you forever if you keep it.

to me and probably a lot of us here, if there is a color mismatch, it's subtle enough for us not to see it at least not in the pictures posted. In real life it may be more detectible.

My point is, if it bugs you now, it'll be in the back of your head that the mismatch is there for the rest of the life of the car.

I'd say, keep the car, it's a wonderful beast especially at that price, and see if the paint continues to bother you. If it does, get the car re-painted to your satisfaction. Even with the cost of a paint job, it's still a good buy.

[DWS]

I owned a body shop for a number of years and there are so many things that can affect the color. Spray gun pressures, paint manufacture, outside temp. and/or humidity, orange peel, clear coat thickness and so on. You can try and talk the dealer into color sanding and buffing the car. This will sometimes help with a problem like this. What it really comes down to is you. The dealer disclosed that the car had a repair and you bought the car anyway so you can accept it as such or give it back. Your decision.

[Evil-Bee-NH]

cheaper to keepher. you buy an SS after driving a ZL1 you'll be headed down FI alley shortly and it's get far more expensive. not to even mention the suspension upgrades.

[Mwalterhouse]

I see nothing that would cause me to give it back.

[Msmall143]

Went and had an allignment done by an independent shop and everything is good
Told the dealer I'll be keeping it as long as they reimburse for the allignment.