[Idaho2018GTPremium]

Originally Posted by BlaqWhole

The ZL1 at full MSRP is an incredible value. That being said, any amount taken off is just extra icing on a cake that already has icing on it. If you were soo impressed with the 2018 GT Premium that you had to buy it, then you will most likely leave the dealership after you test drive the ZL1. Because they are nowhere even close in performance. You'll be blown away. Even now after being used to the power of my ZL1 (3.5 years of ownership) and a (modded) Hellcat I am still blown away by the performance of the ZL1. I would say the price is low $60K-ish with the discount? If so then I'd take it immediately.

I test drove it. You're right, it's an amazing machine (that's a severe understatement, honestly). It's black '21 ZL1 with no sunroof and only minimal extras, like I want. After my drive the salesman said they haven't sold a ZL1 in months and probably won't sell that one very soon with winter here, but offered me to take it home to show my wife. I politely declined and said I'd go home and talk with her about it and come back. After a very short deliberation, I decided if they gave me enough for my Mustang in trade, I was going to buy it. 1.5 hrs later I headed back to the dealer to get my trade value and make the deal for the Black ZL1 - but on my way the salesman called and said someone else was working on a deal for it. By the time I got there 15 minutes later they were approved and signing papers. I'm so pissed. IF I had taken it home, I would have been the customer on the car, and therefore would have had first right of refusal and the car would be mine now (assuming they could give me enough for my Mustang).

I want black, A10, and no sunroof. I don't need Nav but wouldn't turn it down as it's not very expensive. Now my options in this region are a black one down in Salt Lake City for the same price (but for some reason the options weren't showing up in the system), or order one exactly how I want but gamble on the incentives/pricing. Salesman is going to call the SLC dealer on Monday to get the options and let me know.

Now, back on the ZL1 - HOLY CRAP is all I have to say. I loved it. Aside from the obvious power advantage, the chassis was tighter, better steering, better tuned transmission programming - obviously a much better performance car than my Mustang (that was never in question), but the feel is palpable. THIS is why I didn't want to test drive it - now I want it!!

[BlaqWhole]

Originally Posted by Idaho2018GTPremium

I test drove it. You're right, it's an amazing machine (that's a severe understatement, honestly). It's black '21 ZL1 with no sunroof and only minimal extras, like I want. After my drive the salesman said they haven't sold a ZL1 in months and probably won't sell that one very soon with winter here, but offered me to take it home to show my wife. I politely declined and said I'd go home and talk with her about it and come back. After a very short deliberation, I decided if they gave me enough for my Mustang in trade, I was going to buy it. 1.5 hrs later I headed back to the dealer to get my trade value and make the deal for the Black ZL1 - but on my way the salesman called and said someone else was working on a deal for it. By the time I got there 15 minutes later they were approved and signing papers. I'm so pissed. IF I had taken it home, I would have been the customer on the car, and therefore would have had first right of refusal and the car would be mine now (assuming they could give me enough for my Mustang).

I want black, A10, and no sunroof. I don't need Nav but wouldn't turn it down as it's not very expensive. Now my options in this region are a black one down in Salt Lake City for the same price (but for some reason the options weren't showing up in the system), or order one exactly how I want but gamble on the incentives/pricing. Salesman is going to call the SLC dealer on Monday to get the options and let me know.

Now, back on the ZL1 - HOLY CRAP is all I have to say. I loved it. Aside from the obvious power advantage, the chassis was tighter, better steering, better tuned transmission programming - obviously a much better performance car than my Mustang (that was never in question), but the feel is palpable. THIS is why I didn't want to test drive it - now I want it!!

Now you see why I'm such a fanboy, lol!! I honestly do not mean to be. This car made me like this. I swear. LOL!!

Don't worry because there will be more opportunities due to the whole Pandemic. There are gonna be ZL1s, GT500s, Hellcats, C8s, GTRs, you name it...they're all gonna be lined up in the front of dealership parking lots with reduced prices. Not many people are buying $60K+ cars and especially not limited-purpose cars like these are. I see the market heavily swaying towards MPG friendly CUVs and mid-sized SUVs in the forseeable future. Vehicles that are roomy, low on maintenance costs, gas friendly, AWD, and that come with crazy lease deals. I would say that you'll definitely find a brand new or slightly used ZL1 for a steal. But...next time you come across a good deal...just go ahead and grab it.

The good thing about the ZL1 is that it already has standard options like heated seats. So really the only thing you'll be adding on is the sunroof, Nav, and CF hood insert. So really there are not too many extra costs. At $6K off you're pretty much getting an almost fully loaded ZL1 for Base ZL1 price. You're pretty much just paying for the A10 at that point. There have been several cases where folks were able to get the manual trans ZL1 for high $50K.

[BlaqWhole]

Weird thing is that I might be wrong about the value of these cars. I checked a couple months ago and I was seeing 2017 ZL1s with around 20K miles in the low $40K range. Now it looks like they're in the $50K range.

Likewise with Hellcats. They seem to have hit an upward spike in used pricing. Back when I was getting ready to turn in my lease I checked the prices. I figured if the prices were the same as the lease buyout then I'd turn it in since I could get another one around the same price in the future if I wanted. But if the price increased then I'd keep it since it would have more value than I owe. But now it looks like the value went up by several thousand dollars which means I made the right decision by keeping mine!! Perhaps the GT500 release drove the prices upward.

[jvandy50]

Used prices are up across the board, was looking a raptors and trackhawks also and they have been crazy since COVID. Kinda the opposite of what i thought would happen. I would buy new right now, if possible. Read an article the other day(maybe a month old info now) but the used market was up 10.3% and new was only up 0.3%

[Idaho2018GTPremium]

Originally Posted by BlaqWhole

Now you see why I'm such a fanboy, lol!! I honestly do not mean to be. This car made me like this. I swear. LOL!!

Don't worry because there will be more opportunities due to the whole Pandemic. There are gonna be ZL1s, GT500s, Hellcats, C8s, GTRs, you name it...they're all gonna be lined up in the front of dealership parking lots with reduced prices. Not many people are buying $60K+ cars and especially not limited-purpose cars like these are. I see the market heavily swaying towards MPG friendly CUVs and mid-sized SUVs in the forseeable future. Vehicles that are roomy, low on maintenance costs, gas friendly, AWD, and that come with crazy lease deals. I would say that you'll definitely find a brand new or slightly used ZL1 for a steal. But...next time you come across a good deal...just go ahead and grab it.

The good thing about the ZL1 is that it already has standard options like heated seats. So really the only thing you'll be adding on is the sunroof, Nav, and CF hood insert. So really there are not too many extra costs. At $6K off you're pretty much getting an almost fully loaded ZL1 for Base ZL1 price. You're pretty much just paying for the A10 at that point. There have been several cases where folks were able to get the manual trans ZL1 for high $50K.

Ha! I understand now. And good points about the options. I do want the carbon fiber hood insert and A10 - those are about the only options I'd check since it comes so highly optioned to begin with. Does the CF insert actually reduce the weight of the hood slightly, or is it just for looks?

I may end up ordering one with only those two options in black if I can't find one in my region. I'll know more Monday...

[arpad_m]

Originally Posted by Idaho2018GTPremium

Ha! I understand now. And good points about the options. I do want the carbon fiber hood insert and A10 - those are about the only options I'd check since it comes so highly optioned to begin with. Does the CF insert actually reduce the weight of the hood slightly, or is it just for looks?

I may end up ordering one with only those two options in black if I can't find one in my region. I'll know more Monday...

As far as I know, the exposed CF hood insert is the same as the black one, that one's also CF but painted black, so no weight saving opportunity there. It's anyone's guess why GM are asking so much extra money for the exposed version.

You might want to get the CF dash trim pad, too, if you are into carbon fiber goodness.

Good luck with your search

[BlaqWhole]

Originally Posted by jvandy50

Used prices are up across the board, was looking a raptors and trackhawks also and they have been crazy since COVID. Kinda the opposite of what i thought would happen. I would buy new right now, if possible. Read an article the other day(maybe a month old info now) but the used market was up 10.3% and new was only up 0.3%

10% across the board I can agree. Because just this segment alone seems to be up by almost 20% based on a $44K value back in June vs low $50K value now. I'm not sure if that is how it works but it seems like it.

Originally Posted by Idaho2018GTPremium

Ha! I understand now. And good points about the options. I do want the carbon fiber hood insert and A10 - those are about the only options I'd check since it comes so highly optioned to begin with. Does the CF insert actually reduce the weight of the hood slightly, or is it just for looks?

I may end up ordering one with only those two options in black if I can't find one in my region. I'll know more Monday...

If there is any weight reduction then it is insignificant. It isn't like it's a huge piece or anything. But I do think it looks much better than the black hood especially on a black ZL1. It just looks much better to me. And I would say check CarGurus. They seem to have really great deals on there. And the filters they have are very useful.

And when you do get one, maybe one day you'll be cruising down a long deserted road...and you might remember the conversations a long time ago about how fast it can go...just remember what I said back then, lol!!

[BlaqWhole]

Originally Posted by arpad_m

As far as I know, the exposed CF hood insert is the same as the black one, that one's also CF but painted black, so no weight saving opportunity there. It's anyone's guess why GM are asking so much extra money for the exposed version.

You might want to get the CF dash trim pad, too, if you are into carbon fiber goodness.

Good luck with your search

My understanding is that the CF exposed hood requires more in the way of how it comes out. With the painted one it doesn't matter how it looks since it will be painted over anyway. But the exposed one has to be just right. So it costs more due to requiring more attention to detail.

[arpad_m]

Originally Posted by BlaqWhole

My understanding is that the CF exposed hood requires more in the way of how it comes out. With the painted one it doesn't matter how it looks since it will be painted over anyway. But the exposed one has to be just right. So it costs more due to requiring more attention to detail.

Makes sense, I should've thought of that

[Nightfall ss1le]

Originally Posted by Idaho2018GTPremium

I test drove it. You're right, it's an amazing machine (that's a severe understatement, honestly). It's black '21 ZL1 with no sunroof and only minimal extras, like I want. After my drive the salesman said they haven't sold a ZL1 in months and probably won't sell that one very soon with winter here, but offered me to take it home to show my wife. I politely declined and said I'd go home and talk with her about it and come back. After a very short deliberation, I decided if they gave me enough for my Mustang in trade, I was going to buy it. 1.5 hrs later I headed back to the dealer to get my trade value and make the deal for the Black ZL1 - but on my way the salesman called and said someone else was working on a deal for it. By the time I got there 15 minutes later they were approved and signing papers. I'm so pissed. IF I had taken it home, I would have been the customer on the car, and therefore would have had first right of refusal and the car would be mine now (assuming they could give me enough for my Mustang).

I want black, A10, and no sunroof. I don't need Nav but wouldn't turn it down as it's not very expensive. Now my options in this region are a black one down in Salt Lake City for the same price (but for some reason the options weren't showing up in the system), or order one exactly how I want but gamble on the incentives/pricing. Salesman is going to call the SLC dealer on Monday to get the options and let me know.

Now, back on the ZL1 - HOLY CRAP is all I have to say. I loved it. Aside from the obvious power advantage, the chassis was tighter, better steering, better tuned transmission programming - obviously a much better performance car than my Mustang (that was never in question), but the feel is palpable. THIS is why I didn't want to test drive it - now I want it!!

Damn that sucks dude. You could always buy the other 1 & get the CF exposed hood for that car, assuming they’re not too much buying used or aftermarket. I probably shouldn’t admit it in here, but I thought they all had CF exposed hoods until I read your post lol. I was stuck on getting a 1LE anytime I started shopping for a ZL1, so I guess that’s why. Anyway, good luck with your search & hope you find what you want!

[s346k]

Originally Posted by Idaho2018GTPremium

Aside from the obvious power advantage, the chassis was tighter, better steering, better tuned transmission programming - obviously a much better performance car than my Mustang (that was never in question), but the feel is palpable. THIS is why I didn't want to test drive it - now I want it!!

this is to be expected from a car that is literally twice the cost of yours. it should be better, WAY better, otherwise it's not worth it.

what i'm having trouble with is the "power advantage". everything you've said for the last year has been how fast your mustang is and how it puts zipcodes on gt350s from 40-75. that ZL1 must be a yenko car with no stickers?

[BlaqWhole]

Originally Posted by s346k

this is to be expected from a car that is literally twice the cost of yours. it should be better, WAY better, otherwise it's not worth it.

what i'm having trouble with is the "power advantage". everything you've said for the last year has been how fast your mustang is and how it puts zipcodes on gt350s from 40-75. that ZL1 must be a yenko car with no stickers?

Some time ago I came up with an explanation as to why certain people in the car game had specific attitudes and ideas about the Mustang GTs. Basically my POV was this. That the people who came from S197 and SN95 Mustangs probably were wowed by the 18 GT because of the performance gap. That was probably why a lot of them didn't understand why us Camaro folk over here were not all that impressed with it. Because we had that level of performance years earlier. Idaho was once such individual. He went straight to the 18 GT and because he had never been on that performance level before, he was instantly wowed. Now that he got to experience the ZL1 he can clearly see why most of us simply didn't think much of the Mustangs this Generation. He is basically about to get a car that can bang heads with the GT500 and Hellcat and Z06 for a little more than the price of a fully loaded Mustang GT...or for almost the same price as the GT350...or cheaper than the GT350R. On top of the handling, it doesn't weigh much more than the GT, HUD which is standard, eLSD, amazing tires that come on it, instant boost from the blower coupled with 10 gears, Recaros, and all the options with it, he is straight up getting a car that is almost a full second faster in the quarter mile.

What I want to know is...now that he has experienced it...if the visibility still as bad as he thought it was before. LOL!! I will not make fun of him if the visibility suddenly becomes a non-issue. I had the same thing happen to me. The first time I sat in a 6th Gen it was a 1SS and I was horrified by the visibility. I thought the 5th Gens were bad but not too bad. But the 6th Gen was just obscene I thought. That is, until my salesman buddy called me and told me they had a ZL1 coming in and asked if I wanted 1st crack at it. LOL!! Those visibility issues went away and never returned. I just wonder what he thinks of it now.

[BlaqWhole]

On another note, did anyone notice when and why one of the top vendors is now banned and no longer on this site? For all these years Juiced Motorsports has been an official sponsor and one of the top vendors. I am even working with them on their stage 4 package for my ZL1. But just the other day I saw that they were banned and all their posts in the marketplace are gone. It kinda has me a bit worried. Like, was it some sort of disagreement or did they perhaps not meet some requirement as sponsors/vendors? Was it complaints or something? I noticed nothing out of the ordinary. It just seems weird. I hate to bring this up if it is something that I shouldn't be discussing. But I just want to make sure it isn't anything severe since I'm set to throw a good chunk of money at my ZL1. Does anyone have any insight?

[Nightfall ss1le]

Originally Posted by BlaqWhole

Some time ago I came up with an explanation as to why certain people in the car game had specific attitudes and ideas about the Mustang GTs. Basically my POV was this. That the people who came from S197 and SN95 Mustangs probably were wowed by the 18 GT because of the performance gap. That was probably why a lot of them didn't understand why us Camaro folk over here were not all that impressed with it. Because we had that level of performance years earlier. Idaho was once such individual. He went straight to the 18 GT and because he had never been on that performance level before, he was instantly wowed. Now that he got to experience the ZL1 he can clearly see why most of us simply didn't think much of the Mustangs this Generation. He is basically about to get a car that can bang heads with the GT500 and Hellcat and Z06 for a little more than the price of a fully loaded Mustang GT...or for almost the same price as the GT350...or cheaper than the GT350R. On top of the handling, it doesn't weigh much more than the GT, HUD which is standard, eLSD, amazing tires that come on it, instant boost from the blower coupled with 10 gears, Recaros, and all the options with it, he is straight up getting a car that is almost a full second faster in the quarter mile.

What I want to know is...now that he has experienced it...if the visibility still as bad as he thought it was before. LOL!! I will not make fun of him if the visibility suddenly becomes a non-issue. I had the same thing happen to me. The first time I sat in a 6th Gen it was a 1SS and I was horrified by the visibility. I thought the 5th Gens were bad but not too bad. But the 6th Gen was just obscene I thought. That is, until my salesman buddy called me and told me they had a ZL1 coming in and asked if I wanted 1st crack at it. LOL!! Those visibility issues went away and never returned. I just wonder what he thinks of it now.

The media made the visibility sound like a much bigger deal than it is. It’s not as good as most cars but every bit as good as most cars it competes with on the track. Slap McLaren on it & it would be a non-issue with the numbers it puts up lol