Cost of ownership

[tooslow]

I think we will all agree the ZL1 is a marvelous machine with some impressive technology helping it manage some notable performance results, most notably the MR suspension, electronic controls and wider rubber.

In addition to the initial cost, which we can only make an educated guess on at this time, what arenthe short and long-term costs that will come with owning this car? I mean, if you read some of the Cadillac forums and those of other MR equipped vehicles, you will note that the lifespan of those very special dampeners is relatively short and the cost of replacement is astronomical. Tires are also going to be expensive and, most likely, have a low tread wear rating meaning they will probably need to be replaced pretty often if you are driving the car. Throw on top of that the cost of fueling the beast and it becomes pretty clear that even if you can find a way to fit the purchase of the car into your budget, if you are barely making that happen, you may find yourself in bind financially trying to keep the car maintenance up to date.

Thoughts? Fbodfather (Scott), do you know and/ or can you provide some insight to the lifespan of the MR components?

[Mark H]

Originally Posted by tooslow

I think we will all agree the ZL1 is a marvelous machine with some impressive technology helping it manage some notable performance results, most notably the MR suspension, electronic controls and wider rubber.

In addition to the initial cost, which we can only make an educated guess on at this time, what arenthe short and long-term costs that will come with owning this car? I mean, if you read some of the Cadillac forums and those of other MR equipped vehicles, you will note that the lifespan of those very special dampeners is relatively short and the cost of replacement is astronomical. Tires are also going to be expensive and, most likely, have a low tread wear rating meaning they will probably need to be replaced pretty often if you are driving the car. Throw on top of that the cost of fueling the beast and it becomes pretty clear that even if you can find a way to fit the purchase of the car into your budget, if you are barely making that happen, you may find yourself in bind financially trying to keep the car maintenance up to date.

Thoughts? Fbodfather (Scott), do you know and/ or can you provide some insight to the lifespan of the MR components?

They will last at least 5 years and 100,000 miles :-)

[Pappa Joe]

Originally Posted by Mark H

They will last at least 5 years and 100,000 miles :-)

Hahahahah sweeeet!:laugh above::laughab ove:

[IOMZL1]

Of course. I’m not sure why this is a question. If you own a bicycle it is obvious if you upgrade to a car there will be higher maintenance costs involved. Same if you move from renting an apartment to owning a house…

I suppose if you are strapped for cash and stretching by living paycheck to paycheck to trade your (Camry, Malibu, Prius, Fusion, etc.) in for a ZL1 as your daily driver you probably have to sell the ZL1 as soon as you need new tires. If you have a long commute to work you will feel it every time you fill the tank up and slowly plummet into bankruptcy. You’ll also need some snow tires if you live in the north.

For many, I’d guess they’ve thought of this already or it won’t matter to them.

I’m not sure how long the MR dampers last – are these people with failures racing? Have they modified their suspension or lowered the car? If so, they should expect there is a higher risk of failure. Although with a more complicated system there is usually more risk for failure, I wouldn’t call the lifespan short. How often do you have to replace a standard damper? They don’t last the life of the car either. 5 years / 100,000 miles seems reasonable to me for dampers. If they failed at 100,001 miles of hard driving I wouldn’t be crying.

What is the cost to replace the dampers? It only cost $1,695 to add the whole system to the GS Vette. Considering the price of the car I’d say ‘astronomical’ is on the order of $5,000 to replace the system not $1,000 or $1,500. Not a huge deal for many who will own the car.

If you are racing your car, you should expect to purchase tires more often. If you are driving on the street with a high performance tire you should expect the same. In anticipation of a ‘track pack’ I already knew I didn’t want the stickier tires because of the increased wear. I would have likely sold these for the standard tires if for some reason I wanted to get the track pack for the other options offered.

I will say that I think the maintenance on the ZL1 will cost much less than some of those ‘other cars’ it has out performed but will be higher than an economy car. All things considered, it will still be a value as compared to its direct and indirect competition.

[radz28]

The MR is the only thing I've been wondering about... Are the shocks expensive? I recall Gen II shocks not being unreasonable. I like aftermarket solutions because many are rebuildable, and I don't that's not going to be the case with MRC shocks, however, how long they last is a small concern for me, too.

EXCELLENT thread.

[htron50]

1. Unique tires at each corner
2. Soft Compounds - low treadwear
3. Tire beads affected by temperature... they talk about Summer tires and Winter Tires --- INFERRING that the summer tires will not hold bead or flatten in <40 degrees or <20 degrees. Need 2 sets of tires??
4. What type rim/spare do they put in trunk? I won't drive without a SPARE TIRE!!
5. Frequent changing of differential fluid - if racing. But what about if NOT racing?
6. Special engine oil?
7. Special oil filters?
8. Supercharger maintenance required?
9. MR maintenance (as mentioned already)
10. Just my own curiosity, IF I wanted to "save the orginal tires" ALA storage, and put on a set of Daily Driving rims/tires with longer treadwear understanding they won't corner as good, I wonder what rims you'd need to make it work and still have TPMS active properly.

Some of this technology is new to me, so forgive me if I appear novice. Let me see now, what Rx's will I give up this month to get a flat fixed? Please don't tell me I shouldn't be buying this if I can't afford to keep it up. I am not saying that.. I am however, just mentally trying to anticipate the title of this thread in real life!

[IOMZL1]

Originally Posted by htron50

1. Unique tires at each corner
2. Soft Compounds - low treadwear
3. Tire beads affected by temperature... they talk about Summer tires and Winter Tires --- INFERRING that the summer tires will not hold bead or flatten in <40 degrees or <20 degrees. Need 2 sets of tires??
4. What type rim/spare do they put in trunk?
5. Frequent changing of differential fluid - if racing. But what about if NOT racing?
6. Special engine oil?
7. Special oil filters?
8. Supercharger maintenance required?
9. MR maintenance (as mentioned already)
10. Just my own curiosity, IF I wanted to "save the orginal tires" ALA storage, and put on a set of Daily Driving rims/tires with longer treadwear understanding they won't corner as good, I wonder what rims you'd need to make it work and still have TPMS active properly.

Some of this technology is new to me, so forgive me if I appear novice. Let me see now, what Rx's will I give up this month to get a flat fixed? Please don't tell me I shouldn't be buying this if I can't afford to keep it up. I am not saying that.. I am however, just mentally trying to anticipate the title of this thread in real life!

Here is my attempt at answering your questions:

1. Unique tires at each corner Pretty much standard for any car with directional tires and different widths front / rear.
2. Soft Compounds - low treadwear Yes.
3. Tire beads affected by temperature... they talk about Summer tires and Winter Tires --- INFERRING that the summer tires will not hold bead or flatten in <40 degrees or <20 degrees. Need 2 sets of tires?? No traction at <40… not sure at <20. I’d imagine the compound starts to harden and maybe becomes brittle / compound changes permanently at <20? That is a real concern for people without heated storage. I’d say take the tires / wheels inside if you are concerned about the temps. Store the car on jack stands?
4. What type rim/spare do they put in trunk? None?
5. Frequent changing of differential fluid - if racing. But what about if NOT racing? If not racing, I’d follow standard fluid procedures and guidelines.
6. Special engine oil? Just Synthetic.
7. Special oil filters? Don’t think so, but maybe.
8. Supercharger maintenance required? ??
9. MR maintenance (as mentioned already) Just replacement if there is a failure like a standard shock.
10. Just my own curiosity, IF I wanted to "save the orginal tires" ALA storage, and put on a set of Daily Driving rims/tires with longer treadwear understanding they won't corner as good, I wonder what rims you'd need to make it work and still have TPMS active properly. Any rims would work as long as your TPMS sensors will fit (should fit most). You can also buy a second set of sensors so you don’t have to swap.

[DangerZL1]

I don't think anything besides tires and gas will be noteable issues aside from the high purchase price and maybe insurance. The car uses the same fluids as the SS and the supercharger doesn't require any speical maintenance. As pointed out, the tires will be an cost issue for those that drive the car reqularly and spirited, but the regular SS tires aren't known for longevity either. My biggest concern is a $900 plus payment a month, since I can't afford to pay cash. There's an old adage, "If you want to play, you gotta pay."

[Mark H]

Like mentioned above, no maintainance on the suppercharger

[Ryanbabz71]

Does it come from the factory with Mobil 1?

[upheval]

Different situations call for different vehicles IMO. You could run it as a DD but I would not want to.