[LT4Greg]

I agree with you Wyzz Kydd that 95 imp does seem to be that way about us SS and ZL1 owners but he is entitled to his opinions just like we are on this forum. A person can option out a LT1 that costs as much as a 2SS which makes no sense to me when you can buy a SS for the same money or less but at least people have choices from Chevy they didn’t have before in buying a Camaro. Like Blackbeast replied the LT1 is the lower cost V8 option for people that don’t want a 1SS or 2SS or a ZL1.

[GrayLT1]

I bought the LT1 because I like the looks better than the SS. Mechanically for the money a 1SS is a better deal, and I almost got a stripped down 1SS for a little more. The main reason I didn’t was that I just like the LT1 looks better (more of a sleeper look), and I’m not going to track my car. Now if GM would sell all the SS goodies with the LT1 style I would have gotten that no doubt.

[ember1205]

Originally Posted by Wyzz Kydd

Buy what you want, but why spend the same or more, and end up with less?

To me, this is really what's at the heart of a lot of the comments around part-swapping and "upgrading" an LT1. If you're changing the car into an SS, just buy the SS up front.

There's a $4,000 price increase from the LT1 to the 1SS. It adds a lot of stuff, including a bigger cooling system, Brembo brakes at the rear, Drive Mode selector, and the staggered summer-only tire setup. If you get the M6, it also comes with Active Rev Match.

While some of these changes can be done after the fact on an LT1, it's going to close that initial price gap very quickly. And, if you're after the different front end or tinted tail lamps, the SS spoiler, etc. - that gap is going to become negative and it will end up costing you way more money.

LT1 + a couple of SS options equals the same cost for less car. LT1 + a lot of SS options equals a lot more cost for less car.

OTOH, once you've optioned out a 2SS, any changes you make are more likely going to be items that you can't get from the factory no matter what (different wheels, tires, or exhaust, for example).

[arpad_m]

It is a subjective question after all, I for one don't judge anyone's option choices either.

As to OP's initial question ("What are your must have options?"), all of the above except the trans, I wanted an auto and only the A8 was available, so I took that, but a beefy A10 (10L90 from the ZL1) would've been nice, plus I'm a bigger fan of the reverse mohawk line than the moonroof that I wouldn't ever use anyway.

[ember1205]

Originally Posted by GrayLT1

I bought the LT1 because I like the looks better than the SS. Mechanically for the money a 1SS is a better deal, and I almost got a stripped down 1SS for a little more. The main reason I didn’t was that I just like the LT1 looks better (more of a sleeper look), and I’m not going to track my car. Now if GM would sell all the SS goodies with the LT1 style I would have gotten that no doubt.

Remove the rear spoiler and do a front end swap from SS to LT1 and you have the sleeper look you want with the additional mechanical things you mentioned. Still requires some additional cost, but it's more nominal.

[GrayLT1]

Originally Posted by ember1205

Remove the rear spoiler and do a front end swap from SS to LT1 and you have the sleeper look you want with the additional mechanical things you mentioned. Still requires some additional cost, but it's more nominal.

I looked into that and it was more hassle than I wanted to deal with. I didn’t want to buy a brand new car and have to do all that.

Of course that is just my opinion, and I don’t believe there is a right or wrong.

I have always been mor of a drag racer and I think the LT1 is setup a little better other than the more skinny tires on the back. I will most likely get another set of aftermarket wider wheels to lighten them up and get more traction. I would do that to an SS as well so that is a wash to me.

[cellsafemode]

regardless of what you do. Always get whatever technology or individual upgrade option that gets you the 8" screen and not the default 7" crap.

You will regret having the smaller screen almost certainly and i dont think it's even possible to make a change to 8" at any time after manufacture with the current MY (maybe not even from 2019+) due to how tied to online updates the system is.

[95 imp]

Originally Posted by Wyzz Kydd

I don't think that's what people are saying about LT1 buyers at all.

What I'm hearing is that it doesn't make sense to buy an LT1 and then spend as much money on options as an SS would have cost, but end up without the full SS package. I saw an SS dressed up like a 1LE not too long ago. Black hood, 1LE wheels, or replicas, 1LE splitter, but wrong spoiler and wrong mirrors. If those wheels were real, by the time he paid for them, the splitter, and the hood, he could have purchased the whole package.

To me that doesn't make sense. It sounds like you are willing to spend SS level money for a V8 Camaro, but it bothers you to have all those options included. You would rather spend the same amount of money, but exclude some options? Um, ok....which leads to another opinion.

I don't judge what others choose to buy. We all have our priorities and needs in a vehicle/toy. Personally, I would never buy an American muscle car that didn't have a V8 under the hood. Nothing against those who purchase V6s and turbo 4s. That's what floats their boat, go for it.

OTH, you seem to have a bit of a chip on your shoulder towards SS/ZL1/1LE owners.

I use pretty much all the equipment that came with my SS package and most of what came with my 1LE package. I haven't used it to beat old ladies out of parking spaces, but I have seen some Hemi's, Coyote's and M's in my rear view thanks partly to the 1LE handling.

Buy what you want, but why spend the same or more, and end up with less?

This whole debate has been going on since they announced the LT1 option.
Some how, in a lot of people's minds the LT1 is inferior to the SS.

No matter how many times it is pointed out that it technically an SS, we always revert back to this.

Nobody is trying to put dual zone, MRC, or E-diff's in their LT1. Not 1 thread about it.

And you can't get Recaros standard in a SS, or a sunroof, 1LE rims, or _____. They are all options you have to pay to get, just like a LT1.

So, why is it that I need to pay for a 2SS, order the options I want anyway (to jack the car price up even higher), and end up with a bunch of crap I do not want or need?

Put another way, say I bought a LT1 and wanted 5K in options (say NPP, sunroof, tech pack). If I would of bought the 1SS, all these options would magically appear on the car for free? Or, would I have to spend 5K on options to get them on my more expensive 1SS?

[GrayLT1]

On a side note. I have had my car a couple of weeks and have had 1 g37, 1 ecoboost mustang, and a v6 charger want to race me. I am still breaking in the car so no sillyness yet, but sure would have been funny to show them some tail lights. So I think the sleeper look is working.

[c4racer]

V8, 6MT and the extra big sunroof option were all that I needed!

Untitled by C4RACER, on Flickr

[Staves]

A10 was the only option I wanted and the only one that came on my 1SS. Zero regrets.

[gpskinzhut]

white or silver, 2SS, adrenaline red interior, NPP, auto. Sacrificed the auto since the M6 had all the other items checked and was almost 8k under MSRP.

[Bumbleboy92]

Subjectively speaking,

My 1LT is the base of the base that you can get on these cars. Over time I’ve added features, first thing I personally wanted was RS package. Everything else I’d say a must have would be 8” radio if that’s an option. Just because out of everything on the car you can replace or add on, the radio is most probably the hardest and costly to do. You can take a look at my signature “Car Journal” and see what I did first, first things were things I really wanted on the car and the occasional great deal I couldn’t pass up lol. Just scroll down to the post with the big list

[jb_camaro_2ss]

Manual, V8, leather. Pretty much the manual 2SS checks all the boxes for me.