Six Weeks. Fifteen dealerships. After all the insanity the end of the road is finally here. It’s been a roller coaster ride, but now I’ve reached the end of a journey that maybe wasn’t really needed. Seriously speaking, the whole search for the “Holy Grail” known as the Camaro ZL1 was nothing short of a monumental disaster. A lot of time and effort put in to a dream that would not come true. Of course, I’m not going to call this a total loss, because it made me appreciate what I already have even more than ever before.
Let me rewind the clock back about one year ago. While I was working during my first stint up in Alabama I came to a decision to get rid of my Ford Mustang. Sure I enjoyed the car, but there was one thing that really bothered me. Everyone has one. The Ford Mustang is nothing more than a popular yet common muscle car. You never really stand out from other people unless you own a Shelby GT500. Just think about it. Take a drive and count how many Mustangs you see in a five mile radius and you’ll get my point. Now I did consider buying a 2012 Ford Mustang GT at the time, but a certain Ford dealership in Dothan, AL was trying to fuck me by coming up with their own interest rates, but that’s a story for another day.
I always had in mind getting a Camaro. Like the Mustang, the Camaro has a strong tradition. I really became sold on the fifth generation car after watching the Transformers movie, however you couldn’t buy the car at least until 2010. Well I went to the Chevy dealership and there she was. The 2011 Camaro SS. I took a test drive and I was immediately in love. Sure the salesman thought I would be an impulse buyer and try to fuck me in the process, but I had other plans. Four other dealerships and the specific car I was looking for. The upper hand was mine and I made five dealerships fight for my business. The end result was the price went down. Two weeks later the V8 bad boy was all mine putting a smile on my face. Everyone around town was now looking at me and what I had.
Why do I mention all of this. Because at the time I made a statement. “This is my keeper. I’m not buying another car.” I was one hundered percent satisfied and for all this time I kept to my word. That is until another car crossed my path. The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The top of the line. The ultimate Camaro. Speed personified. When I first gazed eyes on it online I couldn’t turn away from the screen. I had to wipe up all the drool over the sexiness of this supercharged V8 car. If the SS is “The Beast,” then the ZL1 is “Godzilla.” I then thought about my statement and realized that I was about to do the one thing I said I wouldn’t do. I cheated.
For the past few weeks the ether was high. The juice was worth the squeeze. However, what evolved as I went from dealership to dealership started to eat away at that juice. It even made me think twice about what I already had. The mere thought of cheating raced through my mind like a disease. I kept asking myself if this was really needed. To trade one Camaro in for another. I must be out of my mind. Dealerships kept making promises they couldn’t keep. Even the thought of ordering a 2013 model year gave them the “cha-ching” look in their eyes as they would ask for security deposits of $500, $1,000, or even $10,000 just to see how serious I was. These people were sizing me up just to see if I had the green or wasting their time. I’m sorry, but I’m not giving a dealership $10,000 of my hard earned money just to order a car that’s not even made, or on a hunch that the car might possibly show up in around six months. Nothing was guaranteed. Shit, it was only last week when I finally stepped foot in the ZL1 and then the dealership tried to fuck me with the paperwork. It was then when it finally dawned on me.
What the hell was I doing?
It was at that moment, after six long weeks of wasted time, that the dream came to an end. I needed to move on. It was time to let the ZL1 go.
Throughout this whole excruciating process I always wondered if I was doing the right thing. What if I just changed my mind and decide to upgrade my own ride. My 2011 Camaro SS looked like she was begging for more. Superchargers, exhaust packages, leather interior. The options were endless. That’s when I made the decision to keep what I had and upgrade instead. When the first upgrades we’re completed last week I had a smile on my face for the first time in what felt like a long time. I put ZL1 type upgrades into my car and it feels so good. The acceleration is faster than ever before. The roar of the supercharger wakes up the whole neighborhood. The looks I get from people as I drive by is priceless. The comments of “nice car man” are back. All I could think about was how I made the right decision. In the end, the juice was definitely worth the squeeze…with my own car.
The World According To Brian 