Will I regret the LT1?
 

Hi, trying to make a final decision on LT1 vs 2SS for a convertible.
I will not track the car. I’ve always wanted a V8 RWD, stick convertible. It’s now or never. Car will be used to drive to work about 1-3 days/week, pleasure and errands.
Mid-$40,000s would be great but since I’m very keen on adding NPP, Recaro, and must have the bigger screen and better sound I’ll go to $50k. I like the standard RQA 20" Silver wheels and Riverside Blue is awesome. For reality I have added an extra 10% on the build price for California tax and license.
Biggest regret with LT1 is not getting the safety options of the 2SS. I’m not willing to pay essentially $8,000 for them - see below. Well played Chevrolet. 1SS is basically ruled out but shown for reference.

LT1 seems to make a lot of sense all things considered. Am I missing anything?
EDIT: I can afford the 2SS. This is tough because the LT1 (as I spec'd) seems such a great car. I am pretty happy to skip all the 2SS stuff except for the safety aspects but $6k-$8k extra does not seem worth it. If 2SS had adaptive cruise control I'd likely not even write this post and just order 2SS. But it doesn't :-/

(Anyone know why copper free brakes are listed as a $995 option on SSs but not available in LT1 - I'm concerned that would make SS $1,000 more than the LT1 again because it will be automatically added for a California order)


LT1 manual convertible (added $900 Bose 8” 7-spkr, $1,595 Recaro seats, $995 dual mode exhaust)
Price $49,154 (incl. 10% tax and lic.)
Pros:
· Price under $50k (mind that I will add PPF, ceramic, audio upgrades, tow hitch which will push it over $50k anyway)
· Can order Bose sound with extra speakers vs the 1SS
· Recaro seats – a must after I saw the mushy cloth ones on a 4cyl at the dealer – seems like this kind of upgrades the front and rear seats to leather/alcantara, probably nicer than the std 2SS leather – good value option!
· Same tire size all round, save money, staggered set ups result in half mileage warranty for the rear tires
Cons:
· Wish I could get the safety options of the 2SS à la carte i.e. forward collision, blind zone alert, rear park assist, rear camera mirror since the visibility is poor.
· Missing the 1SS and 2SS goodies listed below
· Basic instrument cluster – seems very functional but can only see one thing at once
· V6 front bumper, no SS badges
· Narrower rear rims/tires (launch and grip)

1SS manual convertible (added $1,595 Recaro seats, $995 dual mode exhaust)
Price $52,014 (incl. 10% tax and lic.)
Pros:
· Better rear brakes, cooling, instrument cluster
· SS bumper and badges
· Wider rear rims/tires
Cons:
· $3,000 more than the LT1 but the pros above do not justify it.
· Less speakers than LT1 - Bose not an option in 1SS
· Wish I could get the safety options of the 2SS à la carte i.e. forward collision, blind zone alert, rear park assist, rear camera mirror since the visibility is poor.
· No 2SS goodies listed below
· (?forced to buy the $995 copper free brakes for California? Not listed as option in LT1 - not included in my price estimate here)

2SS manual convertible (added $995 dual mode exhaust)
Price $55,759 no Recaro (incl. 10% tax and lic.) – or $57,514 with Recaro
Pros:
· 2SS goodies: leather, heated/cooled, seat/mirror memory, HUD
· safety options: forward collision, blind zone alert, rear park assist, rear camera mirror
· the 1SS stuff
· Could drop Recaro to save money since 2SS has leather
Cons:
· $8,000 more than the LT1 if both include Recaro
· (?forced to buy the $995 copper free brakes for California? Not listed as option in LT1 - not included in my price estimate here)

Imo, for the little its worth, if you are hung up on $3k, then I'd look at a i4/v6. The way to look at the LT1 is for what it is. An affordable v8/rwd car with not alot of options (good and bad, depending on what the person wants). The 1SS is the same as the LT1 but with some of the good options. 3k when ur talking 50k isn't going to make or break you. Or if it does, then either of these 2 options shouldn't be in your budget.

2SS, as u noted, is where all the "good" options are. But your talking 8k is more. If 8k is pushing your budget then its between the lt1 and 1ss and that's just an option u have to decide.

That being said, imo the best bang for your buck for all the models is a 2ss 1le, but since ur never going to track it, it would be pointless to get that version. Idk what the deal with the $1000 copper free pads r about. Except maybe its a California thing?? Which idk how any car enthusiasts (or gun enthusiasts) could even live in that state, but whatever.

The front end alone (lights, grill setup) is worth jumping to the SS to me.

It's all about your budget... but I have the 2SS and wouldn't go anything less. I'd go up in trim, but not down.

Get the car that fits your budget and has the options you want... literally that simple. I'd get the LT1, but not for anywhere near the 50k price you listed as that defeats the entire purpose of the LT1. At that point, get a 2SS or make the jump to Ford and get a Mustang

When making this type of purchase get the model and features you really want within reason. You don’t want to spend $50k and a week later be like, damn I wish I would have just sprung for the 2SS and got the features I really wanted. If you think that will happen then just bite the bullet and pony up the extra money. You will also get some of that money back in resale anyway.

Did you miss the very first criteria, where he said "I’ve always wanted a V8 RWD, stick convertible."

To the OP - I went through a lot of the same, though mine was between a 1SS and a 2SS because I've always wanted an SS and I can't justify the cost to get and maintain the 68 RS/SS that got me hooked on the idea. I also don't like the front end on the non-SS models, but that's just my opinion. I'm going w/ a 2SS personally because of the added safety features and leather. You also get extra cooling capacity w/ the SS, which may be useful depending on where you are in CA and where you intend to take the car.

As Camarokid said, at the price point you're talking, I'd go ahead and spend the extra for the 2SS as long as you can afford it. You've also got (probably) a couple of more years before they kill the Camaro, so you could wait a bit and save up some more money to make up the difference. It would be a shame to "settle" for the LT1 and decide later you made a mistake and lose more money trading up to get into a 2SS.

I went with an LT1 for one reason only

I don't daily the car, its my toy. If I daily drove the car I would opt for more options. I have big plans for it and comfort isn't one of them. The car produces the power I want for straight lines. I am not a fan of gadgets in a hot rod toy. My truck is loaded but I daily it. It all comes down to you and what you want.

Get all the accoutrements, especially if you're keeping it long term.

Buy once, cry once is the saying. Nothing worse than buying a car you really wanted then 6 months later regret not getting the one you really wanted IMO.

If these cons seriously matter to you, that is, you didn't just list them for completeness' sake, you will forever regret not getting the top trim (2SS) and its goodies, especially the safety/visibility ones.

This may not be the popular opinion, but I'd say try to swallow the $8k and get the 2SS. You will amortize the difference over x years anyway, and if you get the LT1, I bet you will be lurking here and other venues in no time for a cluster swap, Recaro swap, mirror swap, new wider tires, new wheels, etc.

I did this in 2018 when I found a new 2017 1LT convertible for the right price when I really wanted the ZL1. I had the money for the ZL1 just didn't want to separate with it at the time. I enjoyed the 1LT but it wasn't what I really wanted. This year with the used car market being crazy like it is I sold the 1LT and ordered what I really wanted. No regrets now!

You got right to the heart of the matter. Heck my LT1 spec includes Recaro too. Safety/visibility is the top one giving me pause. The rest I would 'like' but I do think I will miss them honestly. So it is $49 for the LT1, $55.7 for 2SS and lose the Recaro which I really want or $57.5 for 2SS with Recaro. That's $8k for the safety bits. It is not that I can't afford $8k. It's more like: is a Chevy Camaro worth $60k to me (with some light personalization added)? That is a tough one. For ~$60 I start to wonder what else I should look at. For context, I drive a 2012 Audi A6 3.0T Prestige (top trim) which has great safety options including adaptive cruise control which disappointingly you can't get on any Camaro and I said I'd never buy a car again without. But here I am for the V8, stick convertible which I have wanted since a kid. What else is there? Mustang I suppose but they seemed a bit more $ and I do not like the look as much. Also I am working from home a lot now so I feel like I can get away with something more fun and less practical.

(I'm ruling out the 1SS, not cheap enough and not complete enough)

I thought the lights were same on all trim levels now. All LED. Are you talking about nicer looking DRLs on SS?