[R3ctivision]

Do it! V6 1LE is a sweet car, perhaps a perfect daily and occasional track car. Its running costs would be a lot lower than SS 1LE I think. Also, for that price OMG

[Uncle Sam]

I never get into the upper RPMs driving on the street for very long. 300 HP was a V-8 muscle car a few years ago. $24K for that level of performance is a bargain. Get it.

[MosaicX1LE]

I have a 2LT V6 1LE and love it. It takes some getting used to as far as letting it rev to 7k RPM, but it's a very capable car. I think my color combination is very rare too which is cool.

[ddanj]

I love mine. I wind it out to 6-7k rpm every day. The sound the car makes in the first 3 gears after 5k is ridiculous.

It is the v6 though - so not much happens before 4k.

Would I go with a v8 1le if I had the funds? Maybe. Everything is more expensive though - initial cost, insurance, maintenance, consumbles.

I'm very happy with it thus far. Handles super well. I enjoy daily driving it year around, and doing some occasional autocross.

I also have rear facing and front facing kid seats in the back for daycare daily pickup and drop off.

Let us know if you have any other questions.

[zoutlawss]

Originally Posted by jricharc

I don't currently have a Camaro but I do have a modded HHR SS. I have been keeping an eye on local Camaro deals and I saw a local v6 1LE for $24 brand new and its got me thinking about selling the HHR. I have had a few people tell me I would be mad I didn't go for the SS later down the road. I have two kids too so I am trying to see if folks with the v6 1LE enjoy it or wish they had gone for the v8? I just don't like the '19 styling so thats what has me thinking about jumping on a good deal.

Once you get that V6 1LE your gonna get the bug and will eventually have to upgrade to that V8 1LE. Don't let anybody fool you . YOU can definetly use the power on the street

I use the power all the time on the street and in the mountains. passing on a two lane gets you up around 100 MPH before you even know your going that damn fast

Insane car on the road and track. I am amazed how this car handles in the turns. I ain't no new breed so watch the comments on the speed because I simply don't care and have been around these cars for over 40 years and know how to have fun and at the same time be safe on the street. I ain't skeered.

And yes I have attitude because well I can V6 will still get ya that 1LE performance on turns and track. Go test drive it then test drive the V8. Get what you can afford and you'll eventually Upgrade if your into the 1LE's

[ddanj]

Don't listen to these 'V8 or die' guys. There is always a faster or 'better' car then the one you are driving. It's all about finances and personal preference. I'm perfectly satisfied with my v6 1LE

Originally Posted by zoutlawss

Once you get that V6 1LE your gonna get the bug and will eventually have to upgrade to that V8 1LE. Don't let anybody fool you . YOU can definetly use the power on the street

I use the power all the time on the street and in the mountains. passing on a two lane gets you up around 100 MPH before you even know your going that damn fast

Insane car on the road and track. I am amazed how this car handles in the turns. I ain't no new breed so watch the comments on the speed because I simply don't care and have been around these cars for over 40 years and know how to have fun and at the same time be safe on the street. I ain't skeered.

And yes I have attitude because well I can V6 will still get ya that 1LE performance on turns and track. Go test drive it then test drive the V8. Get what you can afford and you'll eventually Upgrade if your into the 1LE's

[MosaicX1LE]

I have to agree with ddanj, but I also agree that if you test drive the V8, only the V8 will do after that. I would set your budget first, and if the V8 doesn't fit in the budget, do not even test drive it.

[Boost Creep]

Originally Posted by MosaicX1LE

I have to agree with ddanj, but I also agree that if you test drive the V8, only the V8 will do after that. I would set your budget first, and if the V8 doesn't fit in the budget, do not even test drive it.

This.
Test driving a car outside your budget only sets you up for disappointment. It makes you feel like you "settled" for the car you end up with.

I'd be living in a Frigidaire box under the bridge if I test drove a ZL1....


.......but I'd be the coolest homeless guy in town.

[ICTsccaCamaro]

Lets just say I went from a '12 V6 to a '14 SS 1LE to a '18 ZL1 1LE, if you ever think you may want more power save yourself some money and go big from the start.

[dfwcowboy]

Originally Posted by MosaicX1LE

I have to agree with ddanj, but I also agree that if you test drive the V8, only the V8 will do after that. I would set your budget first, and if the V8 doesn't fit in the budget, do not even test drive it.

I suppose you could just as easily say the same thing for the ZL1 vs SS, perhaps even more so since the power differential is significantly greater.

[zr1chris]

Originally Posted by Boost Creep

This.
Test driving a car outside your budget only sets you up for disappointment. It makes you feel like you "settled" for the car you end up with.

I'd be living in a Frigidaire box under the bridge if I test drove a ZL1....


.......but I'd be the coolest homeless guy in town.

I'm totally with you!

[Chris C 1SS 1LE]

America look at our choices. Best to you on what you choose!

[Roostie]

Originally Posted by MosaicX1LE

I have to agree with ddanj, but I also agree that if you test drive the V8, only the V8 will do after that. I would set your budget first, and if the V8 doesn't fit in the budget, do not even test drive it.

I agree that if you don't have the budget to purchase, insure, gas up and maintain an SS, don't test drive it. But, I completely disagree that if you drive the SS you'll only want the V8. I test drove the SS 1LE, the standard SS, and the LS/V6 1LE, and was happy to get the LS 1LE. I had a budget that could stretch to get the V8 version, but I was very happy with the V6. The V6 NPP exhaust sounded much better than I expected, it felt pretty quick at high RPMs, and was under $30k new. I'm completely happy with it.

Horsepower is relative. In the past, my 1995 Mustang had 215 hp, my 1995 M3 had 240 hp, my 2001 Camaro had 310 hp, my 2007 911 Carrera S had 355 hp, and my 1997 Miata had 130. Is a 335 hp V6 Camaro slow? No way, to me. It's been said many times, that it is more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow. On the street, you can push the V6 Camaro a lot more often than you can access the performance of the SS.

When people say that you'll inevitably wish you'd gotten the V8, or that you'll only want the V8 if you test drive it, that speaks to THEIR own feelings. You could feel like they do, so test drive the V8. To me, on a test drive the V8 felt heavier, less tossable. And quite a bit faster, but not super fast. I have driven sports cars on the track with 500+ hp. Those cars define what "really fast" is to me, and the Camaro SS 1LE didn't feel in that league power-wise, although it will probably keep up with them around a road course.

The awesome bits on SS 1LE, to me, are the MRC suspension and the magic electronically controlled diff. Those are special parts. My V6 1LE is mostly an SS with a V6 engine. This is an oversimplification, but is mostly correct.

The best thing about the Camaro is its excellent chassis and how well it handles. It's very rational to get the base model of a car that has an excellent chassis. OTOH, I wouldn't want a tall, heavy Challenger with any engine.

[jricharc]

I am considering the V6 just for practical reasons not budget. I have two young sons that play baseball and I am anal enough about my hhr ss. I know if I drop over $40k on a new car I will be overly anal and I don’t think I’m ready for that in a daily driver. I want something fun to drive that is still practical to an extent. It’s a tough choice because the hhr is quick as hell and has plenty of room for baseball crap but it’s 10 years old now and if turbo stuff starts going it can get expensive fast.