Finally! After months of excitement, anxiety, disappointment, anger, and constant debating the wait is finally over. It has happened. The roller coaster ride has ended. The 2012 Chevy Camaro ZL1 is all mine. For the final time I said goodbye to my 2011 SS that brought me nothing but great memories. Now, I officially welcome the beast. 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 #595 is here and she kicks some major ass.
When I made the trip to Bob Steele Chevrolet the only thing that crossed my mind continuously was that I was heading back to “eBay Chevrolet.” The same place that made me mad about the price bump and lousy trade offer. I kept my cool when I arrived and this time it was a new salesperson that I got to deal with. It looked like this experience was going to be much better, and it was.
After the casual meeting with Will it was time to check out the car. Victory Red was the color and the thought entered my head that this car is the exact same car that was here three months ago. It was! Sounds like these guys were desperate to make a sale especially at GM Employee Pricing. I already knew what to expect from the car and with no test drive allowed I had to make a decision. Should I commit? Well all that depended on the trade in value of my Supercharged SS.
With all the upgrades installed by GM I knew that their previous bullshit offer was not going to work with me. I didn’t expect much and kept my expectations rather low. Thoughts rang in my head that disappointment was soon to follow. At least they’ll give me a gas card for my troubles if there was no deal. The pressure was all on them to deliver. Then the offer came in and the shock went across my face. Wow! this trip was worth it. They made the offer I couldn’t refuse. I made a call to my mom back home and told her there’s a new car on the way. She thought I was nuts, but when I told her the offer I got for my car she was happy. I immediately told the salesman to get the paperwork. This ZL1 is mine.
After the commitment of buying the car was implemented it was time for the drive, and what a ride it was. The ZL1 shifted and idled so smooth which was much better than the SS. The handling on the turns was amazing. Of course the best part was the drive itself especially when I took it on I-95 and surpassed 120 mph off the on ramp. The adrenaline was rushing at an all time high and the smile on my face continued to grow. My excitement was on par with The Dukes of Hazard when the General Lee did one of it’s famous jumps. The only thing the other cars saw on the road was a red blur speed right past them.
Once I was handed the keys it was time to say goodbye to my Black 2011 Camaro SS. She was a beauty and for a minute a tear went down my eye. I said once before that I would keep this car. It was a sad moment to hand over the keys. At one point I was a little reluctant, but the transfer was done. I did have one request and that was to do a lineup with both cars. Will said they were going to do it anyway. When my ZL1 was ready she stood right next to my SS. I took a few pictures in between both cars and then started up my SS for the last time giving it a few revs of the supercharged V8 engine. It was a great send off. Now it was time to get in my new ZL1 and drive off into the sunset.
As I drove home to Palm Bay for the official revealing to my family I knew that they were going to be happy with my purchase. While driving back All I could think about is that I’m now part of an elite club. Sure there’s a few people who own a Camaro whether it’s a V6 or V8, but I’m the only man in town with a ZL1. That puts me on the top of the food chain as Mustangs will choke in my smoke as I see them in my rear view mirror. It’s time to make some new memories and this time I’m sticking to my word that I’m keeping this car. Seriously!
The World According To Brian 