[Camfab]

Originally Posted by Mike818

If you were old enough to buy anything in 79' it might be a little too late for that (midlife crisis). Source: I'm a millennial pushing 40.

Lol Mike that’s true, that car is an amazing car, but there definitely is a dividing line for me, and I’m old enough to have bought a really inexpensive gold chain in 1979 (I turned 16, hated disco and gold chains). I’d pay mark up on a Demon 170 long before I’d pay over sticker for any C8. Now that I think about, the Zl1 is Baseball, apple pie and Chevrolet. The C8 Z06 is soccer, tiramisu and Ferrari-ish, Lambo-ish which is great if that’s what you want.

[Z06ZLE]

Originally Posted by Camfab

Lol Mike that’s true, that car is an amazing car, but there definitely is a dividing line for me, and I’m old enough to have bought a really inexpensive gold chain in 1979 (I turned 16, hated disco and gold chains). I’d pay mark up on a Demon 170 long before I’d pay over sticker for any C8. Now that I think about, the Zl1 is Baseball, apple pie and Chevrolet. The C8 Z06 is soccer, tiramisu and Ferrari-ish, Lambo-ish which is great if that’s what you want.

I prefer apple pie but definitely soccer over baseball. Chevy guy for life but I wouldn’t kick a Lambo out of bed.

[Z OH 6]

Originally Posted by JSH

As you get opinions on your question, you should know that some here, such as Z OH 6, have consistently held a low opinion of the ZLE. You should factor that into your thinking.

You're delusional. The 1LE is just a trim package on top of the ZL1. I don't have a low opinion of the 1LE, in fact its amazing when used for its intended purpose. For resell though, naa.

[Z OH 6]

Originally Posted by Camfab

Why is that so alarming to you. The first Gen ZL1 was a powertrain option designed to go Drag Racing, it was a back door option as GM “wasn’t racing”.
It wasn’t anything that special in today’s terms, however in that era, aluminum 427’s weren’t supposed to go into a Camaro. It’s a really cool piece of history.

The 1LE isn’t a back door effort, but a front door effort that GM willingly made to produce a car that destroyed many of the benchmark vehicles of the time on the Nurburgring. It absolutely accomplished that mission. Remember, most of the cars from the sixties were average sedans with a sticker package and increased displacement to make up for a lack of efficiency. I’m not dogging on them, I still love those cars, but most ran 13’s in the qtr. on a good day.

If you ask why those cars are so special today, it’s because they weren’t back in the day. Sounds weird right? In 1969 you didn’t have droves of collectors waiting to put their order in to snap up a car and place it in a cocoon. A performance variant was a few bucks more and styling was epic. People bought them to drive them, everyday and everywhere. They sold hundreds of thousands of these cheaply slapped together cars. Comparing the engineering of a 1969 Camaro to a modern day Camaro is laughable, even a six cylinder Camaro can run numbers better than most big blocks. So you might ask why are they so desirable? First off the styling was great, safety was not a concern so you had beautifully styled dash boards and straight awesome looks. What’s better looking than a 69 Camaro, not much IMHO! Sweet simple engines, four speeds, posi and light weight.

The key is what came next, the next two decades were crap. GM and every other US OEM couldn’t engineer their way out of a hole. So for three decades the magazines did nothing but talk about the good old days of the muscle car. Those cars got faster and faster with each article. Lots of stories embellished year after year. Yeah the cars got legendary as well as the prices. We live in a different world, the cars are getting faster and faster every day, so much so that 800 hp is so yesterday. In my mind Dodge’s will always be the King. The Dodge boys have brass balls and the cars back up the marketing. The only thing they currently don’t have is a record breaking muscle car that handles. As far as I’m concerned that’s the only box that Camaro can click. That’s the ZLE, Ring king, supercharged old school V8, manual trans. No other GM car checks those boxes. If you want one, time to get one.

While I’m on my soap box, I love that GM finally built a mid engine Vette. If you always dreamt about owning a Ferrari, well the Z06 is it. They admitted bought an older outdated Ferrari and copied the powertrain only better. Does it sound cool, 100%, every time I hear a Z06 drive by my head snaps, then I realize it’s a fake Ferrari. So if you want the LAST GM ICE BAD BOY MUSCLE CAR, the ZL1 and its Angrier brother are your best bet. If you’re hitting your mid life crisis and you’re having a hard time trying to find the right car to wear that gold chain you got in 1979, look no further than a C8 Z06. Ok boy did I hurt some feelings

If you think the 1LE is going to skyrocket in value, then you'll be in for a rude awakening. But hey, who am I to kill your dreams?

[Realist]

I definitely see 1LE’s going up over time. But not nearly like a GT350, a 1LE would be over $2 million in 50 plus years in my guesstimate to hit similar investment potential. But those that keep them stock, have low mileage, limit track use and have documentation like window sticker should see decent returns. I think the manual PDR equipped ones will rise to the top long term and what I’m interested in if I go 6th Gen again.

[DangerZL1]

Originally Posted by Realist

I definitely see 1LE’s going up over time. But not nearly like a GT350, a 1LE would be over $2 million in 50 plus years in my guesstimate to hit similar investment potential. But those that keep them stock, have low mileage, limit track use and have documentation like window sticker should see decent returns. I think the manual PDR equipped ones will rise to the top long term and what I’m interested in if I go 6th Gen again.

You touched on what I was going to comment on. It may be go up significantly in value, but it will likely take 30 years and the car will have to be original. I'd compare it to the 1986 and 1987 Buick GN.

[m6-lt1]

Originally Posted by Z OH 6

You're delusional. The 1LE is just a trim package on top of the ZL1. I don't have a low opinion of the 1LE, in fact its amazing when used for its intended purpose. For resell though, naa.

This is how I feel too. 1le is a package, not a trim.

Now if Chevy had given 1le’s more power/slightly different engine, then I could see these cars appreciating quickly.

[hawk02]

I wouldn't count on the 6th gen ZL1 1LE being a sought-after collector's car in 30-50 years.

Chevy has been using the 1LE moniker to designate the track package on the Camaro since the 90s. In 1991 Chevy built 478 Camaro 1LEs. A very low mileage one might go for $40K today. Most are in the $20K range. Hardly what I would call a collector's car in demand.

What made the '69 ZL1 so special was the all-aluminum 427 that Chevy originally developed for racing and never intended to put in a street-legal car. Add in that only 69 were built and that many of those 69 had the engine replaced so the cars would sell. A $7200 Camaro in 1969 was a hard sell. The combination of all this makes the car with the original 427 very rare and that is why it goes for north of $1 million at auctions.

The 6th gen ZL1 1LE has none of those traits. The LT4 is not a "special" engine like the all-aluminum 427. It has been put in the Corvette, Cadillac, and Camaro. So you're left with some different aero pieces and suspension. Hardly features collectors go crazy for.

The ZL1 1LE is a great car for what it was intended for -- the track. As a collector's car, I predict it will have a value comparable to other 6th-generation Camaros in 30-50 years.

[Z OH 6]

Originally Posted by hawk02

I wouldn't count on the 6th gen ZL1 1LE being a sought-after collector's car in 30-50 years.

Chevy has been using the 1LE moniker to designate the track package on the Camaro since the 90s. In 1991 Chevy built 478 Camaro 1LEs. A very low mileage one might go for $40K today. Most are in the $20K range. Hardly what I would call a collector's car in demand.

What made the '69 ZL1 so special was the all-aluminum 427 that Chevy originally developed for racing and never intended to put in a street-legal car. Add in that only 69 were built and that many of those 69 had the engine replaced so the cars would sell. A $7200 Camaro in 1969 was a hard sell. The combination of all this makes the car with the original 427 very rare and that is why it goes for north of $1 million at auctions.

The 6th gen ZL1 1LE has none of those traits. The LT4 is not a "special" engine like the all-aluminum 427. It has been put in the Corvette, Cadillac, and Camaro. So you're left with some different aero pieces and suspension. Hardly features collectors go crazy for.

The ZL1 1LE is a great car for what it was intended for -- the track. As a collector's car, I predict it will have a value comparable to other 6th-generation Camaros in 30-50 years.

Bingo!

[North of You]

This discussion reminds of if something I heard when discussing art….

“Buy what you like, not what you think will increase in value. If in twenty years the value goes up that’s great. If it doesn’t then you will have enjoyed it all the same.”

I personally love looking at this car in the garage, and that’s good enough for me.

[HemiDave]

Originally Posted by hawk02

I wouldn't count on the 6th gen ZL1 1LE being a sought-after collector's car in 30-50 years.

Chevy has been using the 1LE moniker to designate the track package on the Camaro since the 90s. In 1991 Chevy built 478 Camaro 1LEs. A very low mileage one might go for $40K today. Most are in the $20K range. Hardly what I would call a collector's car in demand.

What made the '69 ZL1 so special was the all-aluminum 427 that Chevy originally developed for racing and never intended to put in a street-legal car. Add in that only 69 were built and that many of those 69 had the engine replaced so the cars would sell. A $7200 Camaro in 1969 was a hard sell. The combination of all this makes the car with the original 427 very rare and that is why it goes for north of $1 million at auctions.

The 6th gen ZL1 1LE has none of those traits. The LT4 is not a "special" engine like the all-aluminum 427. It has been put in the Corvette, Cadillac, and Camaro. So you're left with some different aero pieces and suspension. Hardly features collectors go crazy for.

The ZL1 1LE is a great car for what it was intended for -- the track. As a collector's car, I predict it will have a value comparable to other 6th-generation Camaros in 30-50 years.

I compare the last V8/manual Camaro ZLE to the last V10/manual Viper ACR...not to a ZL1 or other "name slap" 1LE's of the past.

The last Camaro V8 ZLE was a true track car as proven by its ring time, it's not just a 1LE name tag.

Collectors are desiring the last V10 Viper ACR, and that's just different aero pieces, suspension and the same engine as the other 5th Gen Vipers....and it was just an option package box to be checked. Sounds like the ZLE formula.

I predict your prediction will be off.

[Camfab]

Originally Posted by HemiDave

I compare the last V8/manual Camaro ZLE to the last V10/manual Viper ACR...not to a ZL1 or other "name slap" 1LE's of the past.

The last Camaro V8 ZLE was a true track car as proven by its ring time, it's not just a 1LE name tag.

Collectors are desiring the last V10 Viper ACR, and that's just different aero pieces, suspension and the same engine as the other 5th Gen Vipers....and it was just an option package box to be checked. Sounds like the ZLE formula.

I predict your prediction will be off.

You are spot on here. Vipers held values ok for years. The Gen V came out and they had to discount the heck out of them after first year sales were terrible. ACR comes out and demand goes through the roof. I remember the same exact threads on the VCA website. Non ACR owners always poo pooing guys who thought their ACR values would increase. Predictably enough the ACR extreme is more valuable than the Non Extreme variant.

[HemiDave]

Originally Posted by Camfab

You are spot on here. Vipers held values ok for years. The Gen V came out and they had to discount the heck out of them after first year sales were terrible. ACR comes out and demand goes through the roof. I remember the same exact threads on the VCA website. Non ACR owners always poo pooing guys who thought their ACR values would increase. Predictably enough the ACR extreme is more valuable than the Non Extreme variant.

Bingo.

[m6-lt1]

Originally Posted by Camfab

You are spot on here. Vipers held values ok for years. The Gen V came out and they had to discount the heck out of them after first year sales were terrible. ACR comes out and demand goes through the roof. I remember the same exact threads on the VCA website. Non ACR owners always poo pooing guys who thought their ACR values would increase. Predictably enough the ACR extreme is more valuable than the Non Extreme variant.

I honestly think the reason people are doubting the zle being sought after is because handling packages either weren’t much of a thing in the past so there is a lack of data to support the claim it will be sought after, or collectors haven’t cared for them until the Viper ACR. The thing that always made cars of this genre special were the one off engines and production numbers in collectors eyes.

In the viper acr’s case, I didn’t think that car was being purchased by collectors yet as collector’s don’t tend to go after late model cars. I thought a big reason why the values of ALL Vipers have shot up is due to the fact that big displacement (especially manual) sports cars are almost no longer being produced/going to be produced so genuine car enthusiasts have pushed the prices up (not folks who just keep them in the garage 300 days out of the year).