[MaX PL]

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After months of anticipation and planning to purchase a F30 M Sport, I stumbled upon the 2012 Camaro ZL1. Didn't hear much about it til I read an Autoblog story, and now I cant get it out of my head.

Its luxury sports sedan vs. supercar performance coupe, both for the same price.

I love the interior in both, as the ZL1 improves the standard Camaro interior with Alcantara wrapped upholstery, and carbon trim here and there; I'd never consider a standard Camaro because of it's interior, but this one I love.

300HP vs 580HP. 5.4 0-60 vs 3.9 0-60.

And therein lies the problem. I was planning to get this everyday luxurious sports car, and now I've stumbled upon this monster thats incredibly fast and I cant get that 3.9 number out of my head.

A friend tells me I'm stupid to compare a BMW to a Camaro, and thats true if it was a standard Camaro. This is an almost Corvette-esque machine, and a Z06 is something I hope to one day own.
My dad on the other day continues to call the F30 "small", and I'm beginning to view it as standard everyday road car because of his comments. I dont want to feel like I'm driving something average 6 months down the road, thinking about what I missed out on with the ZL1.

What do you guys think?

[m630]

Originally Posted by MaX PL

After months of anticipation and planning to purchase a F30 M Sport, I stumbled upon the 2012 Camaro ZL1. Didn't hear much about it til I read an Autoblog story, and now I cant get it out of my head.

Its luxury sports sedan vs. supercar performance coupe, both for the same price.

I love the interior in both, as the ZL1 improves the standard Camaro interior with Alcantara wrapped upholstery, and carbon trim here and there; I'd never consider a standard Camaro because of it's interior, but this one I love.

300HP vs 580HP. 5.4 0-60 vs 3.9 0-60.

And therein lies the problem. I was planning to get this everyday luxurious sports car, and now I've stumbled upon this monster thats incredibly fast and I cant get that 3.9 number out of my head.

A friend tells me I'm stupid to compare a BMW to a Camaro, and thats true if it was a standard Camaro. This is an almost Corvette-esque machine, and a Z06 is something I hope to one day own.
My dad on the other day continues to call the F30 "small", and I'm beginning to view it as standard everyday road car because of his comments. I dont want to feel like I'm driving something average 6 months down the road, thinking about what I missed out on with the ZL1.

What do you guys think?

Smart friend!

But seriously, I dont see much comparison between a 4 door car and a 2 door coupe, they are not similar in any way.

Interiors are very different, and Im not sure how well the camaro will age, but again that is something you must decide.

The power situation is a large gap, but the question becomes, are you going to be able to use the power of either? There will also be power tunes available for the bmw to make up some of the difference, but still,its a massive difference based on the numbers, and if you are drag racing, maybe it matters, but then again...

As for size, Id say that the f30 is midsize, its not "small", its actually the size of the e39 5 series of just a decade ago, so its grown quite a bit and can readily fit 4-5 adults, so that is a difference that the camaro cannot make up, if what you need is space for more than 2.

Feelings and perceptions are personal, and there will be tons upon tons of f30s around thought they all wont be msports, but im sure they'll also be a fair amount of camaros, and only u would know the zl1 differences if you were looking to differentiate yourself. But, i can assure you, if the camaro isnt all that its numbers suggest, you'll probably dislike it more than you will in the bmw, which will only impress the more you drive it.



good luck

[Mason3]

May not ever get the choice:

http://jalopnik.com/5891305/camaro-z...-issue?tag=zl1

We'll see if it resumes...

[ric124]

Is this one better than the SS version? You may want to watch Motor Trends Ignition on the 335i and Camaro SS

[MaX PL]

Originally Posted by Mason3

May not ever get the choice:

http://jalopnik.com/5891305/camaro-z...-issue?tag=zl1

We'll see if it resumes...

no, that issue was resolved this past week and production is back on schedule.

[Mason3]

Ahhh... Did they say what the issue was?

[MaX PL]

No, they didnt:

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/03/29/2.../#aol-comments

[ric124]

LOL, its a chevy you will always have quality issues and poor high speed handeling.

Go do a test drive take the car over 100MPH and do the same with the 335i and you see which feels more confident at high speed.

[jtuds]

Originally Posted by MaX PL

A friend tells me I'm stupid to compare a BMW to a Camaro, and thats true if it was a standard Camaro. This is an almost Corvette-esque machine, and a Z06 is something I hope to one day own.
My dad on the other day continues to call the F30 "small", and I'm beginning to view it as standard everyday road car because of his comments. I dont want to feel like I'm driving something average 6 months down the road, thinking about what I missed out on with the ZL1.

Your friend is right, but you've missed his point.

The comparison is not erroneous because one is a luxury import and the other is a GM vehicle, it's wrong because one is a 580hp 2-door musclecar and the other is a 4 door executive sport sedan.

Would you compare an M3 and an Escalade?

One way to start making your decision is to go drive both cars. Until you've done that and are still ready to make a purchase, I don't know how asking people on a message board will help you...unless you plan to buy before you drive.

[MaX PL]

I compare vehicles within my price range along a variety of segments and frankly, in 2012, no longer go "lol GM" because their sports cars are highly regarded.

I guess it's based on my needs and at this point I'm unsure if my current and future needs match up. That's the problem for me.

[S_M]

Originally Posted by ric124

LOL, its a chevy you will always have quality issues and poor high speed handeling.

Go do a test drive take the car over 100MPH and do the same with the 335i and you see which feels more confident at high speed.

BMW fanboyism at its finest

[MaX PL]

pretty much.

didnt even want to respond to that.

[jtuds]

I was all gung-ho on a used M3 or c63 because I wanted the power and the hype Then I thought about practicality, drove some cars, and realized that even though it's expensive, nothing I'm considering matches a 3-series. I looked at the mustang and camaro too...but in the end those cars aren't able to do everything I'll want a car to do. The tradeoff between speed and practicality fell on the side of practicality, and when you're looking at a long term purchase, I think that's the way to go.

[ric124]

Originally Posted by MaX PL

pretty much.

didnt even want to respond to that.

Not a fanboy and still have yet to receive my first BMW but as I said on my second line go test drive them both! Numbers are not everything!! Also I dont have a lot of experience with GM cars but the ones I have experienced dont feel solid at high speeds.

So no matter what anyone says in here at the end of the day its your decision and you should test drive them both before making your final decision. Let us know after your test drives.

[BMWinGE]

Guess it depends on what you are looking for. The ZL1 is a beast and anyone that says different is not aware of it or just a BMW fanboy. No its not the same as an SS and there's as much visual difference compared to the base model as there is with an MSport. The engine is essentially the same as the Vette ZR1 and the caddy cts-v and will blow away most anything (if not all) BMW has. However, it's not as refined, theres no technology, and theres no prestige, it's just one bad @ss machine. The 2013 Mustang GT500 is the same. It can hit 200 mph, I would hope its stable at high speeds.

[MaX PL]

Oh man I forgot to mention the 7:41 time at the Ring.
It's a track monster at the price and that time basically negates any high speed handling arguments.

But yeh, I'm gonna have to evaluate my needs because all that power may be impractical for my day to day driving.

[shoptb]

It sounds like you need to get a better idea of what you're looking for. A BMW 3-Series sedan and a Chevy Camaro are as similar as cats and dogs.

[jtuds]

Camaro

Pros: faster car, more powerful, looks like a true sports car, not going to see many of the same model on the road, routine maintenance, minor repairs and mods will probably be cheaper.

Cons: Only 2 doors, have to start wearing denim vests/jackets with a wife beater/white t-shirt underneath, must start smoking, only allowed to drink Bud and Pabst (cans!), may become insecure about lack of chest hair....oh yeah, and fuel consumption.

[E36toF30]

Originally Posted by 328inGE

Guess it depends on what you are looking for. The ZL1 is a beast and anyone that says different is not aware of it or just a BMW fanboy. No its not the same as an SS and there's as much visual difference compared to the base model as there is with an MSport. The engine is essentially the same as the Vette ZR1 and the caddy cts-v and will blow away most anything (if not all) BMW has. However, it's not as refined, theres no technology, and theres no prestige, it's just one bad @ss machine. The 2013 Mustang GT500 is the same. It can hit 200 mph, I would hope its stable at high speeds.

Well said.

I don't think it's ridiculous to compare the two cars, as some people have said. The ZL1 is less practical, yes, but it still has a back seat that most adults can fit into if necessary. To me though, the biggest difference between a 335i and ZL1 is not the practicality, but the styling and overall persona of the car. Personally, something like a ZL1 is too flashy and aggressive for my tastes. I just can't picture myself driving one. However, if you love the styling/persona of it and really want something with dominating performance, then go for it. Just keep in mind the worse gas mileage and higher insurance costs. And the cost of rear tires, if you're going to be making use of that 580 hp

[bimmerjph]

Originally Posted by MaX PL

supercar performance coupe

[MaX PL]

Counter argument?

[Vervain]

Originally Posted by MaX PL

Counter argument?

Geeeeeez, it's a maniac!!!
Okay but you must think why would such a monster of a car be priced similarly to a 328i? Fine line between value-for-money and not-the-best quality...
I just googled some pictures and damnnn it's so hot!! Seeing it though kinda throws my whole point out the window!!!