Hello, current 370z NISMO and 2010 Camaro SS owner. Also previously owned a 09 sport/touring 370z. I'll try to give you my perspective as an actual owner of both cars as well as someone who as actually raced with both cars. No fanboyism or bench racing or regurgitation of what mags say.
The two cars are really different. The 370z is precise, nimble, powerful but with purpose. The Camaro is heavy, large, brutish, but can still deliver a great experience. In handling the 370z wins hands down but thats not to say the Camaro is bad for a driver such as the op who will only drive spiritedly on the street. Obviously on the track the Z will eat the Camaro in the turns but on the streets just having fun the Camaro is plenty good. It still handles better than the majority of cars on the road and provides that sports feel. Turn in, feed back, etc.... everyting when it comes to the handling of the car is better with the Z BUT again, for someone only looking to have a fun daily driver the Camaro has little to fault in the handling department
Power, well it's odd to say. The Camaro feels more powerful but it also feels like it's trying to move it's weight. The Z feels much lighter but it also has you waiting for the explosive feeling you get with acceleration, but it never comes. The Camaro puts down power from all rpm ranges where as the Z is adequate down low but only really feels powerful in the higher rpms. Obviously on paper the Camaro is the faster car when you compared 12.9 for the Camaro vs. 13.1 or slower for the Z. That being said, both will deliver fun and more acceleration than you need for the streets. The only thing I have to really praise the Camaro for is tractin. Dispite the bigger engine, more hp, and more torque it also has more traction. I'm not sure what it is about the Z as I'm not a track guru but the Z's traction sucks. I get slip all the way to 4th in my NISMO and the same was said for my previous touring/sport. The Camaro has much better traction dispite inferior tires from factory and more power. Also the traction control system on the Camaro is much more friently to spirited runs meaning that it's less intrusive and it comes on smoother. The Z's VDC is abrupt and comes on way too soon.
Interior, I'm not sure what Camaro's people are sitting in but the 2SS interior I have (full leather, etc) is pretty decent. My only gripe with it is the hard plastic materials Chevy is still using while others, like the Z, is moved towards softer touch materials. That being said, in almost 2yrs of ownership our Camaro interior is like new. I did prefer my touring interior to the Camaro but with my current NISMO interior I prefer the Camaro.
Overall you can't go wrong with either car as a daily driver. They will both provide a great ride and lots of fun. The Camaro is better for longer trips as its more comfortable and larger inside. I hate the trunk on it as the large trunk is hindered by the small opening to the trunk. The Camaro sounds better from the exhaust standpoint compared to the almost non-existant exhaust tone of the Z. The backseat in the Camaro is good in a pinch but I wouldn't want to drive anywhere long with someone back there. The Camaro is very easy to get tons of power from if you decide to mod compared to the 370z. The Camaro lacks the "cockpit" feel of the 370z which is something I love and have loved about all Z's. Stepping into my 280z, 300zx, or 370z it all feels the same; like everything is at your finger tips and ready for launch. The Camaro feels like your typical American car. All the pieces are there but it's not very connected. I had the same feeling in our previous C6 Vette.
I say drive them both. They both have pros and cons but in the end you can't go wrong with either. Lasly, have you considered the new Mustang. Actually, from all the cars in this price range the Mustang is really the hot ticket right now. Better power than the Z and Camaro while still retaining excellent cornering skills similar to the Z. And it's cheaper.
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