Cons of a ZL1 - Page 5 - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

onewaydave · 12-19-2014, 11:27 PM

Cons, not able to drive it everyday!

bradt800 · 12-19-2014, 11:53 PM

Cons- Going to the dealership. Now mind you if you don't/have to go to the dealership for any reason, good. Eventually you will and that means only the certified Z mechanic can work on your ZL1, so if he is out, hope there is another dealership with a Z certified mechanic on duty close by. I like the idea about having a certified mechanic working on my car (but aren't all the mechanics supposed to be certified?), but if I got to wait on him, not feeling so special anymore. Waiting a month for the certified mechanic is taking me away from what that car is all about...driving.

rcandiloro · 12-19-2014, 11:54 PM

I've had my 2014 for almost a year, use it as a daily driver and have put almost 13000 miles on it. I'm going to jinx myself by writing this post, but so far the car has been absolutely flawless in terms of some of the other minor issues a few folks have mentioned. Not a single rattle, issue with the radio, steering wheel controls, nothing. I keep waiting for something to break on it, even though it's only a year old, but the car runs beautifully. Gas mileage isn't great, but I knew that going in. Don't really care too much about that. Visibility isn't that great, but now I'm used to it so I don't even think about it. I'm really racking my brain trying to think of something that I don't like about the car but it's really hard. It's a great daily driver, very smooth and is just so much fun to drive. Love the power obviously. Wait, now I'm not answering your question about what the cons are?.........seriously, for the 20% off, run don't walk to the dealer. For this kind of performance that is an absolutely unbelievable steal!!!! Good luck!

Todd in Vancouver · 12-20-2014, 12:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sven59

I thought this was a high performance car not a Lexus. I paid for performance not fru fru crap.

Via lightning from a large Hammer.

Fru fru Crap

-Sunroof helmut clearence
-Check the race seats before - i dont fit in them
-Tires are great when hot so they stick and suck when cold
-I ditched my Samsung phone 1st week Imhad my Camaro. Mo issues with my iPhone -and Navi is the best one I've owned yet.
-Ive got 23mpg if you hypermile it, but then i floor it nd yell Wheeeeeeee!

Honestly the only thing that will get you are all the " I can just mod mine to go faster and my XYZ model will out corner you and blah, blah, blah. It gets old but the car is absolutely solid and a joy to own. Mine just turned 1 year old and I've got over 20K Miles on it already. Everytime I drive a different car I think how much it must suck for others to drive boring cars, life is too short. Go buy your ZL1 and start living.

Do it NOW! Why are you still reading this? You could be driving a ZL1.

.

shinzon · 12-20-2014, 12:29 AM

con: 1 : FLUTTER you let out under 1k be burbbels. To avoid burble / flutter/ etc let out over 1100 or you'll gurgle, burble, flutter the f out. no joke. no stopping it. That's the price the 2014 pays for the gm isolator.

con 2: various reports on strut fail at 44k to 60k

con 3 service, most dealerships don't have a zl1 certified tech from what I read here

Raven87 · 12-20-2014, 12:31 AM

While I haven't had much seat time in mine yet, I love just about everything about the car. I've yet to sit in the absolute 'perfect' car and I've sat in and driven nearly everyone of today's modern model American muscle cars except the C7Z (sat in but did not get to drive), including:

The Hellcat Challenger
SRT 392 Challenger
Scat Pack Challenger 8 speed auto and 6-speed manual
Gen V Dodge Viper (2014 model)
Mustang 5.0 2015
2014 Shelby GT 500
1LE Camaro and standard SS Version
2015 Z/28
C7 Corvette with 8 speed auto and 7 sped manual
ZL1 Camaro

Out of all of them, for me, the ZL1 won hands down. The bang for your buck, exterior design, comfort, power, interior, and the ever elusive 'Gotta Have It!' Factor, especially at 20% off, is without peer!

From the slowest to the fastest, from the cheapest to the most expensive, from the lowest to the highest horsepower rating - NONE are perfect in the strictest sense.

There will always be something about the ones you didn't buy that might have 'something' you like a little better than the one you did. Whether it is mpg, blown versus naturally aspirated, headroom, shoulder room, legroom, 2 seats or four, pounds of weight per horsepower, Hp per dollar, trunk opening size, rear visibility, dealer support, steering wheel size, footwell lighting, push button or key start ignition, etc, etc, etc,... Well, you get the point.

But to live in times like these, where we have all these great choices (yes, ALL of today's cars are an outstanding choice), are extraordinary times indeed.

I will say this - remember the "choices" we had back in the '70's and early '80's? Did you ever dare dream we would have a class of modern muscle cars like we have today that the LOWEST horsepower is an incredible 400 and would run a minimum of high 12's in the quarter??

So while we may differ on what is a con for our ZL1, we still own one of the best of the best modern muscle cars ever made!

ZL155 · 12-20-2014, 02:10 AM

I'm not going to come out and say it. But notice I have not typed any cons either. Knock knock!!
Long time mustang/cobra/Shelby owner here (and a couple SS's), and this is by far my favorite car ever owned.

Oh and gas mileage should never ever be mentioned as a con. This is a 580 hp beast muscle car, who the heck cares about gas. Buy a Prius!

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

Raven87 · 12-20-2014, 05:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZL155

I'm not going to come out and say it. But notice I have not typed any cons either. Knock knock!!
Long time mustang/cobra/Shelby owner here (and a couple SS's), and this is by far my favorite car ever owned.

Oh and gas mileage should never ever be mentioned as a con. This is a 580 hp beast muscle car, who the heck cares about gas. Buy a Prius!

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

Amen!

Trickskier · 12-20-2014, 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swizlstik

The only con would be not getting it!!

Agreed - No cons for me. Love my ZL1!!!

Red Hot ZL1 · 12-20-2014, 06:38 AM

Gas mileage of the ZL1 as a con? My '67 Olds 442 gets 8 mpg on the highway and it handles like 1960's boat technology.
Visability, I get stopped by folks wanting to talk or take pictures all the time.

Oh you're talking about visibility from inside the car not an issue that I've had, even with the top up (rarely).
You haven't bought it yet? Why are you reading about it? Buy it, drive it.

BriteCrawler · 12-20-2014, 11:37 AM

I too went from SS to ZL1. Going from SS to ZL1 there are zero cons. It's a whole different animal (especially if your SS is mostly stock). Maybe 1-2 mpg less, but if that's a concern in this price range, your SS is already getting you garbage gas mileage. I've put 6500 miles on mine since July with zero issues. Daily driving, but I live in the south (GA) where the tires aren't an issue in the winter (it's 50+ every day here so far this "winter") and I can simply drive my wifes Equinox if it freezes. My car insurance was about 8 bucks difference a month, so basically no change.

The only con I'd say is going to be an increase in maintenance. You can put tires on stock SS wheels for 600-800 bucks. That's not going to happen on the ZL1. In general, it's a more expensive car to maintain, but again that simply comes with the territory for this kind of car and isn't really a "con". Every other "con" I could come up with are general Camaro issues that you already have in your SS (visibility, helmet for track use clearance, paint chips, etc.)

jayno20 · 12-20-2014, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Todd in Vancouver

Fru fru Crap

-Sunroof helmut clearence
-Check the race seats before - i dont fit in them
-Tires are great when hot so they stick and suck when cold
-I ditched my Samsung phone 1st week Imhad my Camaro. Mo issues with my iPhone -and Navi is the best one I've owned yet.
-Ive got 23mpg if you hypermile it, but then i floor it nd yell Wheeeeeeee!

Honestly the only thing that will get you are all the " I can just mod mine to go faster and my XYZ model will out corner you and blah, blah, blah. It gets old but the car is absolutely solid and a joy to own. Mine just turned 1 year old and I've got over 20K Miles on it already. Everytime I drive a different car I think how much it must suck for others to drive boring cars, life is too short. Go buy your ZL1 and start living.

Do it NOW! Why are you still reading this? You could be driving a ZL1.

.

This is how I feel about the Nav system myself. I have yet to see a FACTORY nav system that is even close to as good as this one is. I was/am very impressed with this unit IMO.

ss/rs/378 · 12-20-2014, 01:29 PM

I had a 2011 Victory Red Synergy Camaro loved the car but when the ZL1 came out I had to have it and when I drove the ZL hands down the SS couldn't hold a candle to the ZL the difference is night and day two totally different cars as far as the Bose system I grew up with 8 track tape players then cassette,then cd players the Bose is more then I ever grew up with if you play with the adjustments its fine in my opinion, Mpg I drove to Camarofest last year and got 21mpg which isn't bad for 580rwhp yes that's at the wheels.The only thing I can think of is the stock tires. I am 5'9" so my moon roof isn't a issue I love the car and will pass it on to my son and he already loves it to buy it you won't regret it!!!!

2013 ZL1 #7860 · 12-20-2014, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shinzon

con: 1 : FLUTTER you let out under 1k be burbbels. To avoid burble / flutter/ etc let out over 1100 or you'll gurgle, burble, flutter the f out. no joke. no stopping it. That's the price the 2014 pays for the gm isolator.

con 2: various reports on strut fail at 44k to 60k

con 3 service, most dealerships don't have a zl1 certified tech from what I read here

The Flutter is only on the manuals and is a result of a common and known issue with many types of roots blowers from numerous different OEM platforms. I certainly wasn't expecting it to be any different when I bought my ZL1 and I was pleasantly suprised. I suggest you try the ATI Damper with 5% OD Pulley and see if it doesn't go away.

44-60k is a lot of miles for a car of this performance level. $500-1,000 for strut replacement is pretty reasonable considering the tech involved.

Why do people think the ZL1 requires a special tech cert. to change the oil? I can see doing major work, but this thing is still an LS motor. Doesn't get much simpler than that.

These are not really cons, but rather scrapping the barrel for things to talk about. IMO

12-19-2014, 11:27 PM	#57
onewaydave Innocent Bystander Drives: 2013 ZL1 BRM/2002 35th SS/2009 GMC Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Alaska Posts: 385 View My Garage	Cons, not able to drive it everyday! __________________ Living on the RaGgEd EdGe!

12-20-2014, 12:29 AM	#61
shinzon Night Fury Drives: 2014 ZL1 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Isle of Birk Posts: 747	con: 1 : FLUTTER you let out under 1k be burbbels. To avoid burble / flutter/ etc let out over 1100 or you'll gurgle, burble, flutter the f out. no joke. no stopping it. That's the price the 2014 pays for the gm isolator. con 2: various reports on strut fail at 44k to 60k con 3 service, most dealerships don't have a zl1 certified tech from what I read here __________________ 2014 Black ZL1 - Toothless - Previous Lovers :2014 1LE , 2010 2SS RS,2004 GTO, 2000 Camaro SS x 2

12-20-2014, 12:31 AM	#62
Raven87 C'mon- really? Drives: Looking for a ZL1 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Nortwestern Ohio Posts: 1,966 View My Garage	While I haven't had much seat time in mine yet, I love just about everything about the car. I've yet to sit in the absolute 'perfect' car and I've sat in and driven nearly everyone of today's modern model American muscle cars except the C7Z (sat in but did not get to drive), including: The Hellcat Challenger SRT 392 Challenger Scat Pack Challenger 8 speed auto and 6-speed manual Gen V Dodge Viper (2014 model) Mustang 5.0 2015 2014 Shelby GT 500 1LE Camaro and standard SS Version 2015 Z/28 C7 Corvette with 8 speed auto and 7 sped manual ZL1 Camaro Out of all of them, for me, the ZL1 won hands down. The bang for your buck, exterior design, comfort, power, interior, and the ever elusive 'Gotta Have It!' Factor, especially at 20% off, is without peer! From the slowest to the fastest, from the cheapest to the most expensive, from the lowest to the highest horsepower rating - NONE are perfect in the strictest sense. There will always be something about the ones you didn't buy that might have 'something' you like a little better than the one you did. Whether it is mpg, blown versus naturally aspirated, headroom, shoulder room, legroom, 2 seats or four, pounds of weight per horsepower, Hp per dollar, trunk opening size, rear visibility, dealer support, steering wheel size, footwell lighting, push button or key start ignition, etc, etc, etc,... Well, you get the point. But to live in times like these, where we have all these great choices (yes, ALL of today's cars are an outstanding choice), are extraordinary times indeed. I will say this - remember the "choices" we had back in the '70's and early '80's? Did you ever dare dream we would have a class of modern muscle cars like we have today that the LOWEST horsepower is an incredible 400 and would run a minimum of high 12's in the quarter?? So while we may differ on what is a con for our ZL1, we still own one of the best of the best modern muscle cars ever made! __________________ Steve 2018 Camaro 2SS 1LE Black #3805 - SOLD

12-20-2014, 01:29 PM	#69
ss/rs/378 Drives: 2012 ZL1 Camaro Victory Red Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Fort Wayne Indiana Posts: 333	I had a 2011 Victory Red Synergy Camaro loved the car but when the ZL1 came out I had to have it and when I drove the ZL hands down the SS couldn't hold a candle to the ZL the difference is night and day two totally different cars as far as the Bose system I grew up with 8 track tape players then cassette,then cd players the Bose is more then I ever grew up with if you play with the adjustments its fine in my opinion, Mpg I drove to Camarofest last year and got 21mpg which isn't bad for 580rwhp yes that's at the wheels.The only thing I can think of is the stock tires. I am 5'9" so my moon roof isn't a issue I love the car and will pass it on to my son and he already loves it to buy it you won't regret it!!!! __________________ 2.55 UPPER PULLEY,100MM IDLER PULLEY,160 STAT,PORTED TB,PORTED SNOUT,MSD PLUG WIRES,NKG PLUGS,KENNE BELL EXTERNAL FUEL PUMP,2"KOOKS HEADERS,HIGH FLOW CATS,3"CORSA 60LB DEKA INJECTORS TUNED BY FROST 580RWHP,571RWTQ.

12-19-2014, 11:53 PM	#58
bradt800 BradT800 Drives: 2013 ZL1 Ashen Gray Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 15 View My Garage	Cons- Going to the dealership. Now mind you if you don't/have to go to the dealership for any reason, good. Eventually you will and that means only the certified Z mechanic can work on your ZL1, so if he is out, hope there is another dealership with a Z certified mechanic on duty close by. I like the idea about having a certified mechanic working on my car (but aren't all the mechanics supposed to be certified?), but if I got to wait on him, not feeling so special anymore. Waiting a month for the certified mechanic is taking me away from what that car is all about...driving.

12-19-2014, 11:54 PM	#59
rcandiloro Drives: 2018 ZLE Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: United States Posts: 454	I've had my 2014 for almost a year, use it as a daily driver and have put almost 13000 miles on it. I'm going to jinx myself by writing this post, but so far the car has been absolutely flawless in terms of some of the other minor issues a few folks have mentioned. Not a single rattle, issue with the radio, steering wheel controls, nothing. I keep waiting for something to break on it, even though it's only a year old, but the car runs beautifully. Gas mileage isn't great, but I knew that going in. Don't really care too much about that. Visibility isn't that great, but now I'm used to it so I don't even think about it. I'm really racking my brain trying to think of something that I don't like about the car but it's really hard. It's a great daily driver, very smooth and is just so much fun to drive. Love the power obviously. Wait, now I'm not answering your question about what the cons are?.........seriously, for the 20% off, run don't walk to the dealer. For this kind of performance that is an absolutely unbelievable steal!!!! Good luck!

12-20-2014, 02:10 AM	#63
ZL155 Banned Drives: 13' ZL1 Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: NY Posts: 311	I'm not going to come out and say it. But notice I have not typed any cons either. Knock knock!! Long time mustang/cobra/Shelby owner here (and a couple SS's), and this is by far my favorite car ever owned. Oh and gas mileage should never ever be mentioned as a con. This is a 580 hp beast muscle car, who the heck cares about gas. Buy a Prius! Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

12-20-2014, 06:38 AM	#66
Red Hot ZL1 Drives: 2014 Red Hot ZL1 Vert. M6. Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Brandon, FL Posts: 217	Gas mileage of the ZL1 as a con? My '67 Olds 442 gets 8 mpg on the highway and it handles like 1960's boat technology. Visability, I get stopped by folks wanting to talk or take pictures all the time. Oh you're talking about visibility from inside the car not an issue that I've had, even with the top up (rarely). You haven't bought it yet? Why are you reading about it? Buy it, drive it.

12-20-2014, 11:37 AM	#67
BriteCrawler Drives: 2014 ZL1 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Atlanta Posts: 183 View My Garage	I too went from SS to ZL1. Going from SS to ZL1 there are zero cons. It's a whole different animal (especially if your SS is mostly stock). Maybe 1-2 mpg less, but if that's a concern in this price range, your SS is already getting you garbage gas mileage. I've put 6500 miles on mine since July with zero issues. Daily driving, but I live in the south (GA) where the tires aren't an issue in the winter (it's 50+ every day here so far this "winter") and I can simply drive my wifes Equinox if it freezes. My car insurance was about 8 bucks difference a month, so basically no change. The only con I'd say is going to be an increase in maintenance. You can put tires on stock SS wheels for 600-800 bucks. That's not going to happen on the ZL1. In general, it's a more expensive car to maintain, but again that simply comes with the territory for this kind of car and isn't really a "con". Every other "con" I could come up with are general Camaro issues that you already have in your SS (visibility, helmet for track use clearance, paint chips, etc.)