Camaro SS review soon

M030 wrote: I bought a new Camaro SS back in May. I got an early delivery black/black 2SS 6spd/426hp car and I have to say... While I found it cool to look at, and it was fast, it really was no fun to drive at all. The visibility was terrible and the car really felt as heavy as it was. In terms of quality, it was worlds better than the GM cars of the 80's & early 90's that I remember. When a German client of mine offered me substantially more for my Camaro than the sticker price I had paid, I happily loaded it on the first east-bound boat I could. Driving my Camaro made me really appreciate my slow and cheap old 97 Boxster a lot more.

Interesting perspective but are camaros and boxsters in the same category / price point / league? I haven't driven either but I would trust your judgement, sounds like the boxster would be more enjoyable. And of the few articles I read about the new SS I see similiar comments to what you have written, mainly that the car seems heavy, ponderous even whereas the mustang is not as powerful but is more fun to drive.

I had a mid-90's camaro Z-28 awhile back. I agree with others, it seemed the quality was lacking, the shifter rattled like a paint can, my car and every one I have ever seen always had misaligned body panels (check the front fenders next time on any camaro of this vintage and see how the bottom of the front fenders right before the doors always stick out.) And it did feel a little heavy but in some ways it was like a corvette without the independent suspension. I raced a buddy who had an SVT cobra of the same era and then we swapped cars for a while to see how they compared. The mustang was even more uncomfortable, the ergonomics were terrible and the car was much slower. I had to listen to a lot of mullett comments from him but not after I blew his doors off.

The Camaro Review said: * John Brown: — Jan 5, 2010 6:52 a.m. As the Camaro starts becoming mainstream and more and more have been rolled by mommas little boys I expect to see them as a perfect donor car for the ultimate roadster kit car. Maybe it is time for Factory Five to start working on a Grand Sport replica?

The more I think about this idea the more I REALLY like it:

In reply to John Brown:

+1 to that. As a bonus, it keeps people from stuffing LS engines in perfectly innocent Ford bodies, hahaha.

Could make for a pretty cool race series, too.

Of course, isn't there already the Street Cheetah to fill that role? : http://jalopnik.com/366119/street-legal-cheetah-replicas-to-hunt-cobras

Cheetahs are ugly though.

plance1 wrote: <Interesting perspective but are camaros and boxsters in the same category / price point / league?

Not at all. I only made that comparison because my Boxster is what was sharing garage space with the Camaro when I had it. After the Camaro, the Boxster felt like a Lotus Elise.

M030 wrote:

plance1 wrote: <Interesting perspective but are camaros and boxsters in the same category / price point / league?

Not at all. I only made that comparison because my Boxster is what was sharing garage space with the Camaro when I had it. After the Camaro, the Boxster felt like a Lotus Elise.

Kind of like when I go from my 71 Chevelle 454SS to my 87 944 Turbo...except I really like both.

In reply to M030:

I hear you. You can get a used boxster for a lot cheaper than a new SS and I think I would prefer the boxster based on what I have heard from those of you in the know. Not that it matters, no new car for me for a while anyway.

plance1 wrote: So your judging the car by how well it takes speed bumps??????????

You are exactly correct. I am unanimous in my idiotic stories with no real point that were just a ploy to post more disparaging camaro material....

My friend really did have a camaro. It was pretty cool, until it kept breaking. Cam drive water pump = p00p.

redzcstandardhatch wrote: that totally looks like PER.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that...

Keith wrote:

redzcstandardhatch wrote: that totally looks like PER.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that...

+1. Even the same color banana hammock.

the music in that video is giving me ecstasy flashbacks of a rave I went to last weekend on the international space station......

irish44j wrote: the music in that video is giving me ecstasy flashbacks of a rave I went to last weekend on the international space station......

Ha! I'll pass that on to out composer. I'm sure he'll be pleased someone is at least noticing.

jg

JG Pasterjak wrote:

irish44j wrote: the music in that video is giving me ecstasy flashbacks of a rave I went to last weekend on the international space station......

Ha! I'll pass that on to out composer. I'm sure he'll be pleased someone is at least noticing. jg

next time he needs to throw in some samples of Skynrd for background on a camaro review.

(ok, that was a low blow...)

Keith wrote:

redzcstandardhatch wrote: that totally looks like PER.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that...

Wait thats NOT PER!?!?!?

probably is Per. he seems like he'd be down with a mullet

In re-reading the article.. it occured to me that GM is making the SAME mistake they made with the last generation of Camaro. And in looking at one in person, they are. Ergonomics and visibility are taking a backseat (third row if this was an SUV) to aesthetics. I do not care how much power a car has, how well it brakes, or how many Gs it can take in a turn.. if you cannot get comfortible and see out of the car to take advantage of those wonderful attributes.. what is the point?

compare the "greenhouse" on the 69 in that video (or was it a 68?) to the new one. the original Camaro's looks are DEAD ON gorgous. Perfect proportions from the length of the hood, high roof, and short trunk. There is nothing about that car i would have changed... the new ones needs the roof about 2 to 3 inches higher.. because as big as it is, it is starting to resemble a flounder

Have you ever driven a camaro

Ive never driven or ridden in a camaro that i liked. Even modded ls1s. Imo every single one of them is uncomfortable to sit in, see out of, and drive.

The thing i hate the MOST about them: WEIGHT. They feel heavy and huge. For the same weight, i would much rather own a 3000gt VR4.

Only camaro i would spend money on building (but probably not buying) would be a 4th gen 30th anniversary clone. Coolest looking Camaro to date, imo. Just as an homage to Americana. But my 320 wheel-torkz k-car would probably still be more comfortable to drive than the 320 wheel-torkz camaro.

I just happened to be sitting at a long, long red light today and sitting at the side street waiting for the arrow was a new Camaro SS. I thought it looked pretty good until a 2000ish Accord pulled up behind it.

I was like at how monstrous the Camaro was compared to a mid-size family sedan. I had to look twice to make sure it wasn't a civic, it looked to small....

This is the same impression I got a while back when a new Challenger SRT-8 parked next to my Maxima (a pretty large sedan) in a parking lot. The Challenger was simply massive next to my large sedan.

Why do American car companies think everything needs to be a variation of big, really big, or massive?

^ thought i recognized your username from years ago on maxima.org.

I like dodges, like the challenger styling, but same problem.. i HATE the size. I think the new mustang is a proper size for what it is, slightly smaller than the last gen i believe. May be a trick of the eye but any trick that makes a car not seem bigger and bigger every generation is better than none.

Maximas suffered from the same thing. The last gen i REALLY liked was 4th.. i think they've gained over 500 lbs since then, though i havent checked. At least the latest gen is actually desirable. The 6th gens were just big, butt ugly and had no appeal to me over an altima se-r of the same year.

Compare first gen Civics to the current ones. All cars are getting larger for the most part.

Interesting thing about 1st gen Camaros. They weren't all that heavy. My buddy and I weighed his 68 Camaro and my 85 911 at the same scale. They were 300lbs apart. He offered it to me when he sold it and I really wish I had bought it, but had just bought a Chevelle. The Camaro was a nice car at a good price and I missed out on that one.

I like K cars as well, but I'm just a big fan of RWD. I've owned a lot of FWD cars, but always go back to RWD.