[toronto18zl1]

Hi everyone,
Just recently ordered a 2018 ZL1 in 10A.. 13 days ago to be exact. I did soo much research and I watched all the ZL1 related videos that I could find on YouTube, before I finally came to the conclusion that the ZL1 is the best car for my budget and so for that reason, I decided to go with the Zl1. However, with all the excitement aside (8 more months till I'm getting the car, according to the sales guy), I am sorta concerned about a couple of things, and I feel like that I didn't quite think them over before I paid the $5000 deposit:
1, this is going to be my very first performance coupe, I have driven a whole bunch of cars, most of them being my parent's all wheel drive SUVs and a Tesla P90D (ok guys take it easy on me), besides those, I have also driven my dad's turbo charged 911 cerrera s, but even that, the 911 has less than 450 hp. Did I overkilled it for my first car going with the 650 hp ZL1? Will it be relatively easy to handle or very much different experience that I will need a long time to get used to?
2, therefore, is a 2ss a better choice for my situation?
3, I understand that MT and all the big reviewers are saying that the ZL1 can be an easy everyday driver, but I mean these guys test cars like 918s, P1s for a living, so I don't know if their "easy everyday driver" means the same to me?
4, maintenance fee comparing to a cayenne suv?
5, I know this one nobody can really do much about it, but how much damage should I expect from bad road conditions like potholes? I drive from Toronto to a small town called Kingston, the highway is okay but roads ain't so great in Kingston.

More questions to come but overall I'm just so grateful that I found this forum and community, I am also so excited for the ZL1 as this will be my first car at 21 years old. Let me thank you all in advance for your help!

[JimmyJak]

21 years old and what?, an $80k plus tax car for your first car. Must be nice first of all, 2nd'ly with our winters (I'm not too far from Toronto) no, I would not buy this car as a DD but I'm assuming you mean winter too?? We've been lucky with lite winters the last 2 years but don't assume.

Maint vs. a Porsche - no brainer really

[catdog]

Originally Posted by toronto18zl1

Hi everyone,
Just recently ordered a 2018 ZL1 in 10A.. 13 days ago to be exact. I did soo much research and I watched all the ZL1 related videos that I could find on YouTube, before I finally came to the conclusion that the ZL1 is the best car for my budget and so for that reason, I decided to go with the Zl1. However, with all the excitement aside (8 more months till I'm getting the car, according to the sales guy), I am sorta concerned about a couple of things, and I feel like that I didn't quite think them over before I paid the $5000 deposit:
1, this is going to be my very first performance coupe, I have driven a whole bunch of cars, most of them being my parent's all wheel drive SUVs and a Tesla P90D (ok guys take it easy on me), besides those, I have also driven my dad's turbo charged 911 cerrera s, but even that, the 911 has less than 450 hp. Did I overkilled it for my first car going with the 650 hp ZL1? Will it be relatively easy to handle or very much different experience that I will need a long time to get used to?
2, therefore, is a 2ss a better choice for my situation?
3, I understand that MT and all the big reviewers are saying that the ZL1 can be an easy everyday driver, but I mean these guys test cars like 918s, P1s for a living, so I don't know if their "easy everyday driver" means the same to me?
4, maintenance fee comparing to a cayenne suv?
5, I know this one nobody can really do much about it, but how much damage should I expect from bad road conditions like potholes? I drive from Toronto to a small town called Kingston, the highway is okay but roads ain't so great in Kingston.

More questions to come but overall I'm just so grateful that I found this forum and community, I am also so excited for the ZL1 as this will be my first car at 21 years old. Let me thank you all in advance for your help!

OK, too much speed for 21 y.o. but assuming you are mature beyond your years then here goes...

1.It's as easy as a little *****cat when driven gently normally but becomes a fierce angry lion with appropriate roar and noise when needed...

2. 2SS is awesome, i had one but since the ZL1 introduction, it's kinda difficult to argue with more more more.... if you were a manual gearbox kinda driver then the SS1LE maybe a better choice, bit more comfortable and still plenty of power but not as ungodly as ZL1

3.Definitely easy daily driver, in fact if you put exhaust in stealth mode, its like a silent torquey cruise missile

4.Much less costly maintenance than porker

5.20" wheels and low profile means you are not going to like it on potholes. Even though wheels are forged, you can easily rip them/sidewall as has happened to a forum member here (i think morespeed)... That's only big problem you may have... also in Tour mode the ZL1 is stiffer than 2SS in sport mode... I have SS wheels on all weather Conti DWS06 for winter... they fit but car feels softer and less like a ZL1 not to mention too much power for those tires but definitley doable in winter if not deep snow but then it's really not suited/designed for that and would be a shame to drive it in such conditions except here and there/get a beater or suv or maybe not ZL1

Enjoy... responsibly

[keon718nyc]

Amen to you my friend! If you can afford to do it with no issues then you will fall in love with the Zl1. You drove exotics as in your post and don't think this would be out of your league IMO.

[toronto18zl1]

Sorry I didn't clarify.. by daily driving I meant when there's no snow and cold condition.. in winter probably will drive an SUV and not risk driving the ZL1..

[crunch527]

I don't see a rear wheel drive ZL1 being a good daily driver for the winter in Canada...the 911S you mention is all wheel drive...kind of a different animal...

On other questions...you will regret getting an SS...there aren't $400 (P-car) oil changes with a ZL1...

[toronto18zl1]

Originally Posted by catdog

OK, too much speed for 21 y.o. but assuming you are mature beyond your years then here goes...

1.It's as easy as a little *****cat when driven gently normally but becomes a fierce angry lion with appropriate roar and noise when needed...

2. 2SS is awesome, i had one but since the ZL1 introduction, it's kinda difficult to argue with more more more.... if you were a manual gearbox kinda driver then the SS1LE maybe a better choice, bit more comfortable and still plenty of power but not as ungodly as ZL1

3.Definitely easy daily driver, in fact if you put exhaust in stealth mode, its like a silent torquey cruise missile

4.Much less costly maintenance than porker

5.20" wheels and low profile means you are not going to like it on potholes. Even though wheels are forged, you can easily rip them/sidewall as has happened to a forum member here (i think morespeed)... That's only big problem you may have... also in Tour mode the ZL1 is stiffer than 2SS in sport mode... I have SS wheels on all weather Conti DWS06 for winter... they fit but car feels softer and less like a ZL1 not to mention too much power for those tires but definitley doable in winter if not deep snow but then it's really not suited/designed for that and would be a shame to drive it in such conditions except here and there/get a beater or suv or maybe not ZL1

Enjoy... responsibly

Thank you very much for your detailed response!
I did the ss vs ZL1 debate in my head for the longest time..The 2ss is a great car and I test drove it and it was fun and great. Sounds really good too. That motor trend ZL1 video was the one big factor why I finally decided to go with the ZL1 instead of the 1le

[Boilermaker128]

At least your sales guy is being honest. 8 months should be worst case, but you never know with GM Canada.

An SS is a more economical choice, if money is not an issue for you go right for the ZL1. The maintenance/running cost(gas insurance etc) depending on mileage per year will be about 50% more in the long run. Tires will eat your wallet the most. I have no idea on maintenance on a porsche.

If youre humble you will learn the car just fine. Its not as risky as jumping on a litre bike for the first time, even then people manage to do it and become good riders/drivers. You will take a lot longer to get good at throwing the car around corners, since youre missed out on the days of pushing the limits on cheap cars which are much more forgiving when making a mistake. But anyone can learn to go fast in a straight line safely. When bad/cold weather comes into play always remind yourself about the wide performance tires/rwd, and sloooow down. A cheap fwd economy car with skinny tires will be a safer bet in heavy rain/slush/god forbid light snow. As soon as temperatures hit single digits be aware you're at risk of losing traction, add wind and rain=be alert.

With a lower car with wide tires you will be forced to watch the road more closely, which is an overall good habit to get into, every milli secound counts when doing xx km/h. You will quickly learn which roads in your town to avoid.

[DDP98]

Congratulations! Here's the thing: The ZL1 is not hard to drive. 650/650 sounds like a lot, and it is, but it's so easy to drive. This thing doesn't scare you half to death when you drive it. It's so composed it's almost hard to believe it's got 650HP. Other cars with less power have all the torque down low that when you jump on it, it's just a rush of power. The ZL1's power delivery is very nice.

I wouldn't worry about the power. You'll be fine.

[toronto18zl1]

Originally Posted by crunch527

I don't see a rear wheel drive ZL1 being a good daily driver for the winter in Canada...the 911S you mention is all wheel drive...kind of a different animal...

On other questions...you will regret getting an SS...there aren't $400 (P-car) oil changes with a ZL1...

Carrera S is rwd, 4s is awd. But I still agree with you, that the two are very different animals, I have test driven the ss before, ss and the 911 are both fast cars but feels completely different.
The maintenance question might sounded stupid but I had very little knowledge about the maintenance of a car that has this level of performance. Thought they might be higher than an average chevy. It's good to know it's low. Saved up long enough for the car, don't want to save up for the maintenance for another couple of years.

[Diggitydog]

Get the ZL1. Couple things though. 8 months will be torture as you get to fall and missed the summer. The tires are low temp rated at -7c so you'll be in your SUV mostly until....March or April. Look at the March delivery pic for NB2017ZL1. ZL1 popsicle. I ordered mine in November and got lucky for April. Just something to keep in mind.

The car is SO stable you will not have trouble handling it at all.

[Diggitydog]

Originally Posted by DDP98

Congratulations! Here's the thing: The ZL1 is not hard to drive. 650/650 sounds like a lot, and it is, but it's so easy to drive. This thing doesn't scare you half to death when you drive it. It's so composed it's almost hard to believe it's got 650HP. Other cars with less power have all the torque down low that when you jump on it, it's just a rush of power. The ZL1's power delivery is very nice.

I wouldn't worry about the power. You'll be fine.

+1

[catdog]

Originally Posted by Diggitydog

Get the ZL1. Couple things though. 8 months will be torture as you get to fall and missed the summer. The tires are low temp rated at -7c so you'll be in your SUV mostly until....March or April. Look at the March delivery pic for NB2017ZL1. ZL1 popsicle. I ordered mine in November and got lucky for April. Just something to keep in mind.

The car is SO stable you will not have trouble handling it at all.

Hello there... whatcha talking about tires rated to -7C?

They become ineffective below 45 F.... and downright dangerous ... and they cannot handle deepish standing water very well (risk of aquaplaning)...

[toronto18zl1]

Originally Posted by Boilermaker128

At least your sales guy is being honest. 8 months should be worst case, but you never know with GM Canada.

An SS is a more economical choice, if money is not an issue for you go right for the ZL1. The maintenance/running cost(gas insurance etc) depending on mileage per year will be about 50% more in the long run. Tires will eat your wallet the most. I have no idea on maintenance on a porsche.

If youre humble you will learn the car just fine. Its not as risky as jumping on a litre bike for the first time, even then people manage to do it and become good riders/drivers. You will take a lot longer to get good at throwing the car around corners, since youre missed out on the days of pushing the limits on cheap cars which are much more forgiving when making a mistake. But anyone can learn to go fast in a straight line safely. When bad/cold weather comes into play always remind yourself about the wide performance tires/rwd, and sloooow down. A cheap fwd economy car with skinny tires will be a safer bet in heavy rain/slush/god forbid light snow. As soon as temperatures hit single digits be aware you're at risk of losing traction, add wind and rain=be alert.

With a lower car with wide tires you will be forced to watch the road more closely, which is an overall good habit to get into, every milli secound counts when doing xx km/h. You will quickly learn which roads in your town to avoid.

Wow! Crazy good advices. Those tires tips are insane, will keep the weather inind when I drive it, don't think I'll bring it out when it's snowy or super cold. Guess rain driving will feel pretty different too comparing to an awd suv