Chevy Camaro ZL1 owner fights dealership that totaled his car

Yahoo news ^ | 01/09/14 | By Justin Hyde

[rawhide]

At 580 hp and a starting price of $55,000, the Chevy Camaro ZL1 ranks as the top dog of the Camaro lineup (at least until the Z/28 hits the track.) For Camaro enthusiasts like John Hooper, author of six books on the history of Camaros, it's a dream car — or at least was a dream car, until an employee at a Chevy dealership totaled his ZL1 on an unauthorized joyride. Nearly a month later, Hooper and the dealership have yet to agree on how much that particular top dog was worth.

According to Hooper's posts on the Camaro5 forum, he had taken his 2012 Camaro ZL1 to First State Chevy in Georgetown, Del., for warranty work on a paint issue. On Dec. 15, a Sunday, one of the dealer's employees took the keys from the closed dealership and went for a spin — that ended when the ZL1 sheared off a telephone pole.

The next day, the dealership told Hooper about the incident, and by the end of that week, the car had been declared a total loss. Since then, Hooper and First State have been unable to reach an accord over how to replace the ZL1.

To First State's credit, it immediately fired the employee who took the car and tried to pursue charges against him — but local officials said since the car was in the dealership's legal possession at the time of the crash, no crime was committed. Hooper's ZL1 had about 10,000 miles on it, and while First State has offered other used ZL1s as replacements, Hooper has said those cars were not worth as much as his example was pre-crash.

[ladyjane]

Dent Wizard. $99

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[rawhide]

Wow! I want need one of those!

[fieldmarshaldj]

Exact image in my head.

[2ndDivisionVet]

[rawhide]

Just curious what year, make and model car this is, so I get my order in tonight? (salivating)

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[Paladin2]

My first thought.....

LOL funny....

[piytar]

When are these idiots (another example is Enterprise rent-a-wreck) going to grok that being jackwagons will cost them far more in new media exposure than (a) paying up and (b) their entire advertising budgets?

Idiots.

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[Nervous Tick]

rofl

[cableguymn]

well for one. They never offered it to him.

What they offered him was a used car, with 2 previous owners, wrong wheels and badges, new tires (car has 15K on it. why the new tires?) and a dirty carfax.

I would have turned it down too.

[Jane Long]

Funnee.

[reg45]

You may be able to get one of these soon at your ChryslerFiat dealer.

[Nuc 1.1]

I have been mulling a ZL-1 or a 1LE. Probably go with the 1le as it is faster than I am at this point in my life. Still...not much more for a ZL-1. Sad for the wreck. Looked like a nice machine.

[2ndDivisionVet]

It’s an Alfa Romeo 4C, will be sold as a 2014 here in a few months. About the same price as the Camaro in the article.

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[DaxtonBrown]

That will buff right out.

I have a 1967 Camaro convertible. Interesting thing is that it weighs about 800 lbs less than the new cars.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Actually they’re thinking of selling them at their Maserati dealerships.