Purchasing The 2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
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It still feels almost surreal to say it, but my fiancé and I are the proud owners of a Hyper Blue Metallic 2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. This blue beauty is very different from the other vehicles in our fleet, and the first 6,500 miles with it have been an absolute pleasure.
For context, here’s a list of our other vehicles – all of which have manual transmissions:
- 2005 Saab 9-2X “STi”
- 2008 Saab 9-3 Aero (Super Saloon)
- 2008 Saab 9-3 Turbo X (Super Saloon)
- 2008 Saab 9-3 Turbo X (SportCombi)
- 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt SS (Sedan)
Before the 2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE model was unveiled, we had our eyes set on the “regular” Camaro ZL1. The car simply blew us away. Sure, the performance figures on paper are impressive alone, but feeling that performance and experiencing all the creature comforts included in the range-topping Camaro is what really sealed the deal. It’s a jack of all trades that excels in acceleration, cools your butt with its ventilated seats, warms your hands with its heated steering wheel, and wows you with its bumpin’ 10-speaker Bose sound system.
While we’re madly in love with the brighter Hyper Blue Metallic finish, we did consider one other color: Riverside Blue Metallic, which replaced the Hyper Blue Metallic hue for the 2019 model year (see Camaro colors availability). However, when we saw the two colors side-by-side, in person, the shifts in the Hyper Blue finish dazzled us.
Another change that solidified our decision was the revised taillight design. Call us crazy, but we think the rear end of a 2018 Camaro ZL1 1LE is more attractive than the rear end of a 2019 model. While I no longer find them to be utterly repulsive, my fiancé still refers to the tail lights on the facelifted 2019 Camaro as “gross” and “tacky”.
Aside from all of the subjective justifications, it’s also a vehicle that’s already the way we want it to be (for the most part), without having to tweak it, tune it, repair it, or otherwise work on it. Sure, it’s bought not built, and we’re perfectly ok with that – because building your own project is unequivocally more challenging than paying for a brand new, warrantied vehicle. That said, understanding what’s actually covered under that warranty is akin to deciphering the Da Vinci Code: while engineers tell reporters that the ZL1 1LE is covered at the track even if something happens, Chevrolet Customer Care says otherwise, but that’s a story for another time.
The best part has been no buyer’s remorse, so far. The only temptations we’ve had are the upcoming CT5-V Blackwing sedan, as it is expected to have the same delightful 6.2-liter LT4 engine paired with a manual transmission. Aside from that, a 1 of 100 2017 Aston Martin Vantage V12S with a 7-speed doglegged manual transmission (and an original MSRP of $200K) has been the only other vehicle that we’ve weighed against the ‘maro – and we think that says a lot about the Chevy.
It is rather fitting to juxtapose the Camaro ZL1 1LE to the raunchiest Aston Martin Vantage ever built, as the Aston excels where the Camaro lacks: refinement. For instance, the silver trim around the Camaro’s gauge cluster will sometimes squeak and rattle, signaling to the driver that the plastic bit needs to be pushed in more snuggly. A lot of owners have reported issues with the ventilated seats, with one gentleman finding that his issues were due to the fact that the internal fan was being blocked by the seat’s cushioning material. So, no, it isn’t perfect… but it’s exactly what we wanted.
Next time around, we’ll dive a bit deeper into the not-so-pretty side of Camaro ownership, talk tires, the ZL1 1LE’s performance at Pocono Raceway, and contrast the range topping Camaro with SS 1LE. If you have any specific questions, please let me know in the comment section below.
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nice, love it!
BTW, why do you own three 2008 Saab 9-3’s?
Over-simplification: because I kept breaking them. But it worked out as we were able to acquire a 1 of 45 manual wagon, a sedan with the same drivetrain (2.8L LP9 V6 Turbo + F40 6-speed with Haldex XWD system) – and the Aero is the same as well but a FWD model. I fell in love with those annoying transverse V6es.
The Aero met its demise after this – https://gmauthority.com/blog/2016/11/saab-story-a-quest-for-500-pound-feet-of-torque-from-my-9-3/ – as Spec sent me a twin-disk clutch for the XWD application rather than the FWD, which I didn’t realize until the engine wouldn’t turn over – I botched checking for engine rotation once the trans was back in and had the car fully assembled at this point.
There was a period of defeat in between knowing something was wrong and finding out exactly what was wrong. During that time the Aero sat while I had a pity party, and we purchased the Turbo X sedan. The engine would fail within a year.
A buddy of mine convinced me of an insane idea: take the Aero engine and upgrades and put them in the TX, and put an LS V8 in the Aero. Now his skill far exceed mine, and I saw what he learned how to do, and wanted to do it. “Turned all my L’s into lessons” – that sorta thing.
As for the SportCombi, we’d always talked about jumping on the opportunity to get one if we ever saw one for sale. We purchased it on a Bring A Trailer auction – it was far from perfect and needed some small things that we’ve since taken care of – front brake pads, front strut hats were shot, 1 of the end-links were blown, and sparks and plugs needed to be replaced. She’s a peach now. (You can see the BaT listing here: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2008-saab-9-3-6/ )
This one was almost #4, as it was simply a better buy in my eyes: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2008-saab-saab-turbo-x-sportcombi/
But, needless to say, we’ve already got our hands quite full.
We? Our? First Relationship?
You can pretend to have done things on your own and not acknowledge the commitment and efforts of others if you wish. I’m not going to pretend I did it on my own.
And when my partner of nearly a decade not only supports my interests and passion but actively participates in them with me, I’m not going to neglect it.
Thanks for reading!
I suspect that the “D” in “Dbel” Stands for “d0uche”
Congrats Francisco on an awesome car… Dbel is crying right now from his mom’s basement. His matchbox collection has an ZL1 tho.
How many of us would actually prefer a 2017 Aston Martin Vantage V12S over a 2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 especially when you’ve added up how much it would cost to keep the Aston Martin running as well as a Camaro and one can imagine the nightmare that the V12 engine will have if the buyer tries to make the Aston Martin their daily driver.
I agree with you on the taillights and the choice of the color! The taillights were a major reason why I pulled the trigger on a 2018 mozaic black metallic ZL1 convertible about a year ago. Hyper blue metallic was a very close second!
Must be your first Camaro…
A convertilble lol…
Some people like convertibles and they don’t live in places where it snows…. it’s a (sometimes)free country…
Was this a new 2018 still on the lot in 2020?
For me, I’d go with the regular ZL1, I don’t really like the whiskers and spoiler on the 1LE.
I also have a 2018 ZL1 1LE Camaro. I really like the car! No rattles yet. The only thing I’ve done to the car is I have installed a K&N air intake system, just to wake it up a little bit.
You don’t happen to like Saabs, do you??😁😁
Just found out about this website today. I like your choice in cars, just don’t have your budget. We have had two Saabs, and currently have a 20808 combi with 6sp manual and have it since new.
We also have a Hyper Blue 2017 Camaro 2lt turbo 6sp man and I love it. Years ago I had a 327 1969 Camaro, followed by a 350 1974 Camaro, which my 2lt will hands down eat up them two. My favorite of course is the ZL!-1LE. I really like the front splinter facial piercings and rear spoiler. It just looks so punk.
I find with the manual 2 lt. the car is so well balanced, and I can exploit all of its horsepower in most conditions. The SS and LT1 sure sound better, and have gobs of power to play with the competition, and I don’t begrudge anyone for spending the extra money on purchasing them.
Mine came as a stock L1, with black bowties, spoiler, hyper blue and 20″ wheels, and with all shipping, tax’s etc. I wrote out a check for $31, Canadian. If I was to do it all over again, I would just order the 1LE package, because that also includes the 20″ wheels, and then order the Recaro’s. And, of course, the 6 sp. manual.
Thanks, Gerald, I appreciate that. It must be quite a pleasure to experience the ownership of several Camaro generations, and to have owned a brand-new Saab!
I do think a 2.0 1LE model with ventilated leather seats and illuminated door sills will be highly coveted for its lightweight, and versatility (more than adequate daily driver and competent/composed at the track), though we already get to experience a tuned 2.0 LNF in the Cobalt SS.