I pulled the trigger on...
 

Well as you know, I've considered buying anything and everything under the sun up to $150,000. It's amazing to realize how a LARGE selection of sports cars in that price range can become so small. I was hellbent on getting an Alfa Romeo until my salesguy was being deceptive about typical possible repair costs and wasn't clear about a date for shipping.

The second car was the infiniti Q60. The most stunning to look at with the most beautiful seats in the business. The drive is indistinguishable from the Q50, so paying over $3,000 for it over the 50 made no sense. At $5,000 lower than its entry price is an amazing sports car with more features than even it's most loaded Q60. The Q60 chassis rigidity isn't bad, but neither is the Toyota Camry by comparison. The engine and looks are what make the Q60 feel special. It's sexxxy!!! It should've been called the Q69, so my personalized plate can say 2canchu!! :rofl2:
Last i must say. The q60 transmission is embarrassing and atrocious compared to the competition. The paddles are a pitiful downgrade.

Then then there was the corvette grand sport. I fell in love with this car. Especially the limited carbon 65. But truth spoken. Being fully honest. At $82,000, other than a more commanding view and way better seating position. In drive, it didn't feel much different than the car that won.

At $45,000 cold hard cash, plus $6,000 in in-house mods I'm ready to drop instantly to convert this very fast 0-60 in 3.9 second, 12.3 quarter mile monster into an even faster car with its 1LE pkg. Giving it much lower consistent performance times. At a total of $51,000 it will run with mid pack Porsche's and it's sister, the corvette.

I picked the JDM unpopular, Chevy Camaro 2SS loaded with every single option. Nightfall gray, jet-black interior with gray accenting and beautiful white, bold baseball stitching and the leather dash etc.

There are plenty of amazing cars out there. Most cars make you settle for less at a reasonable price and will give you the option of perfecting your car at astronomical prices.
I just had a hard time doing that.
The Camaro gave me a platform in which the possibilities are endless for modification. The interior is truly "sport oriented", just like the Z, it feels special, as does the corvette.

The Camaro 6 SS, in my area is pretty hard to spot. The 4 and 6 cylinder versions are fairly common, but the actual SS is rare enough to garner some attention.

I've always loved Corvette,Camaro's and Monte Carlo SS of the past. I've owned 2 Monte Carlo's.

Now as for the Z. It is getting traded. I'm getting almost full value... BUT, I'm getting a Nismo Z34 in January. I plan on building that into a FI car and the SS will be my n/a build. If more news about the Z35 or supra change for the positive? I may forgo the nismo build for a newer supra or Z if they feel right?

My Camaro, I pick up Saturday and it has every option including npp exhaust & sunroof, heated & cooled seats. BSM, LDW, CTA, and all that craziness I'm planning on shutting off so my radar can work.
The Camaro offers a shockingly good amount of feedback and both vette and Camaro have AMAZING steering feel. I hope to get a GS one day? It might be the upgrade after I build out the Camaro.

Some will be happy. Some will be disappointed, but we all like different cars for different reasons.

I look forward to being a Nismo owner in a few months. I plan on buying used n not paying more than $30,000.

I added a Lil bit above about the Q60. It's very important I note the transmission and paddle quality.

Best of luck with the SS bro, and the nismo !

Sounds nice. Post up some pictures of the New Ride!!:tup:

I love the new Camaros...especially the ZL1 and the SS. For the money, they have almost as much performance as the Vette, at a lot less dinero.

Good luck with your new ride...

Congratulations on your new car.:tup:

I pick it up Saturday, so I'll post within a couple days of picking it up. Thanks guys!!!

Congrats!
I know you've been torn for quite some time.

Do give us a running review of the car. I haven't had a Camaro in the pack since early 80's (my second). Didn't like them for many decades, but the newest iteration are definitely worth a second look.

Best of luck with it!

http://animatedimagepic.com/image/co...tions-4308.gif



Well done Sir :tup:

Allot of car for the money..

Thanks Cliff and Canadian... yes, it was very hard. I felt the cars I narrowed it down to were the best of what's out there. I wasn't shy to spend money on a car, but running costs played a part.

I didn't get a ZL1 for one single reason. When I drove the Z06, it was so wicked fast, it would take the fun out of daily driving it. 60 comes before the car can react to speed. The SS handling to power ratio is amazing and I think the 550HP n/a sweetspot will be more than enough power.

I just didn't want a track day only car. The SS fit the mold.

Nobody asked but I thought I'd add. Lol. :tiphat:

Running reviews WILL COME SOON.

I may sell my Nismo. I am thinking about getting a fully loaded Z06. I have never been a fan of corvettes. I have changed my mind about the C7. I may end up having 2 Corvettes in the garage. Dang wife and her dream car.

The last time I was this in love with American performance was the 1987 cars.

I'm glad to see Murica FINALLY competing after so long.

Your very welcome Sir :tup:

Correct the Z06 is not for everyone.. I still daily drive my 2010 Nismo. Just did a repaint and added a new windshield and the new black Nismo headlights..

I hit 100,000 miles and plan on keeping my 2010 Nismo for many years ahead..

I am still not in love with them. The new Corvettes are just impressive. Never new it until I drove one. Awesome driver car.

I feel you. To me, there's not much I find truly impressive in terms of an overall package. But Chevy definitely gives you a lot more than anyone else in the sports department.

And you can't beat the aftermarket support on these cars.

Congrats & enjoy both cars! Looking forward to your pics!

Congratulations!

Congrats, Camaros have a great value to what you get as far as performance, and the performance of 1LE is very impressive, enjoy your ride.

Thanks.... not to mention, I have more USEFUL features, more power and a stiffer chassis, over the Q60, for much less money. My OTD price is $45,218 on the car. To have a decently equipped Q60 was going to cost me $55,000 out the door while still lacking features I have like...

-Cooled seats, (I live in Texas)
-Wi-Fi ready without paying $500
-Dual mode exhaust that actually sounds like something.
-cell charger. (Novelty)

-The Camaro does not have 3D camera but it has front & back cameras.
- forward collision warning
-intelligent cruise control.

All amazing features on the Q, but features that I don't absolutely need.

THE Q is gorgeous though.
The Camaro is not... lol.

I think it's crazy how in the end, I was comparing the Q to a Camaro. Who woulda thunk it?

Over here, 2SS Camaro without 1LE package costs around USD 64k. The fully loaded Q60RS is a tad cheaper, around 60k.

And I have both FCW and ACC as well as active lane keeping assist in the charger, I disabled all of them as they annoy me sometimes, some technologies aren't good for city driving.

And I am like you when I want to buy a car, I just mix a very wide type of cars to decide.

Nothing better than Air conditioned nuts in the summer. Corvette I bought has them also. I can shiver while driving if it is on high. LOL

How do you find the interior quality, the hard plastics and the sort? When I first looked at them several years ago I was turned off hard by the cheapness. Have they gotten better over the years or is it a sacrifice? Hard to imagine the interior feels coming close to the Q. The rest of the car intrigues me, but those first experiences left a bad taste...

Well, I mean coming from my Z. The plastics in the doors are either better or equal to the Z. Hands down. Most of the visible dash is leather with some plastics around the gauges. That plastic could've been a Lil better. BUT...

As a whole... the car interior feels like a luxury cars of 5 years ago in quality. Considering I'm paying $51,000 that will have acceleration and top speeds of a Porsche Cayman GT4 and get 1.2g's of grip for $45,000 brand new?

The tiny bit of visible plastic that may not be the most visually pleasing is miniscule.

The Camaro is a quality vehicle. Bold colors, great quality leather. Attention to detail on the baseball stitching. Beautifully lit and organized gauges, SUPER HIGH QUALITY button feel, intuitive my link, 53" ride height, and 52" with lowering springs.

Corvette engine
Corvette grand sport suspension
Excellent seating position.
Good steering feedback...

I mean... the Camaro is hard to beat. Remember, I had a budget of up to $130,000 at first. Then lowered it to 90,000. I'm not saying the Camaro ended up being the best car, or best looking. But it has a balance of sport and muscle that's unique and truly mind blowing.

It feels more natural to go from a Z to a Camaro, than to a Mustang if you are upgrading performance.

The difference between the corvette and Camaro is not so distant, that I had to jump into a more expensive vette. It really is a complete package.

The Camaro is a car you rent for a week to fall in love with it.

IT GROWS ON YOU.

Put this here for reference.

http://www.the370z.com/other-vehicle...-camaross.html

:rofl2::rofl2::rofl2::icon18:

Reading up on the Camaro I found this... I didn't realize they added launch control to the auto...

https://youtu.be/yVzQBbrkB5E

...yea but its not a Z, when i bought mine, it didn't have to grow on me.

When I bought my Z it didn't grow on me either. The Camaro doesn't feel bad the first day either. It's just an adjustment as most of my sports cars have been low slung 2 seat sports cars. I haven't bought muscle in a loooong time.

Changing your mindset is hard when you're used to something. It was hard for me to make a decision. I had to bring myself to a state of neutrality. I had to think of what I was looking for in my next vehicle and accept that the Camaro had it all. Now... that said. I'm most likely buying a used nismo to build out. This will be my N/A MOD. But after being in a Z for 6 years. I want to try something different. N the Camaro is pretty crazy.

It feels waylighter than 3700lbs. But it doesn't feel light either. But I was a Lil shocked at how hard I can take that thing around corners. Like a GTR, It defies logic due to its size.

If you're looking for a unique driving experience and you're looking for something DIFFERENT from what you know? It's a great car.

Unknown, congrats! Haven't logged in for a bit. Going through the big ugly D word. No, settle down guys, Magic Mike and breakaway pants are not the D you're thinking. I hope. Lol. Anyway, great decision. Bang for the buck it's impossible to do better in every metric IMO, especially the most important-passenger seat air bag sensitivity. I kid. Enjoy it my friend.

Thanks man. I'm sorry about that D. I went thru it 3 years ago. In the long-run, you realize. Single is amazing... lol.

Well all that magic Mike talk, I see where your futures headed. LMFAO!!:rofl2:

Hey it's crazy cuz Bros fourr speed on you tube just compared the SS to the Nismo. Every Single Comment was SPOT ON. it's why I will collect a nismo as soon as I'm don't with my Camaro NA build. It's crazy cuz they both are talking about builds exactly the way I want to do them both!!!!

Sheck it owwwt

https://youtu.be/rq-LPvHDUA8

Still waiting to see pictures of the new ride!! :driving:

awesome man.. its been awhile since ive posted here, but ive been through a couple trucks/cars since I traded the Z. I'm sitting on a challenger now!

Here's some pics... I took em with my cell. Forgive me for my lousy photography.

http://s1268.photobucket.com/user/is...?sort=3&page=1


http://s1268.photobucket.com/user/is...tml?sort=3&o=1
http://s1268.photobucket.com/user/is...tml?sort=3&o=5
http://s1268.photobucket.com/user/is...tml?sort=3&o=4
http://s1268.photobucket.com/user/is...tml?sort=3&o=8

One week in the Camaro. There's so much to say... I never thought a MUSCLE CAR can feel this good on the road.
But before I talk about what's great. Let me satisfy the haters and say what's bad... Well...
Nothing really. Lol. OK well... Let me nitpick a lil bit...

On the nav, when using voice command, you have to annoyingly wait 3 secs after she asks u a question the you gotta speak slow, otherwise. Biatch, don't understand you...pThe plastic around the steering column looks cheap as hell. But so did the Z. The plastic in the dash supports the glass for the gauges is cheap looking. That was NOT a Z problem. The gauges motorcycle theme prevented the use of nasty looking plastic. That said.... It's not noticeable as you drive it daily. But when you're actually looking for flaws, it pops out.
My other issue is the car doesn't engine brake as aggressively as a Z. Or maybe chevy just didn't program it well? Not much audible drama when coming to an engine stop like the Z..
Lastly, for such a big car, the interior can stand to be a lil bit more roomy and storage is not very plentiful inside the cockpit.
OK, I'm done bitchin... Lol.

Let's get to the good. Though I wish there was a lil better design to the center of my steering wheel, the wheel itself is a perfect size with a flat bottom. I have 3 steering modes... Touring, sport & track... Sport being the best, cuz it feels weighty without being artificially heavy like it does in track mode. Sport mode gives a lil more than decent feedback. I guess with certain types of tracks, track mode would be good. It almost feels like you have no power steering on a small car of yesteryear. Overall the steering in sport mode is the best of the muscle cars. Challenger being the worst.

The chassis. Which is what sold me. This chassis comes stock without bracing, which I intend to purchase. This thing is STIFF, I love it.... No flex in the chassis what so ever. I have an SS and I virtually have no roll. So I can only imagine the 1LE which I'm going to add the suspension soon. The chassis feels like it belongs on an $80,000 sports car. I can't get over it...

The ride.... As stiff as this car is... It is NOT harsh. It soaks up bumps like nothing, without feeling floaty or breaking your back. It's probably the most perfect suspension tuning in the price range. The car drives ahead of its price range which is why I decided to purchase. This car is EVERYTHING the Camaro 5 wasn't.
The a pillars are slimmed down, the stance is lower which gives you a better forward view. If you drive a Z, you won't have issue with forward view. To the rear you have big blind spots and over shoulder checking takes a lil leaning forward. But... That said... Blind spot monitoring works perfectly and eliminates most of the frustration. Also my escort Max 360 works fine even with the safety features.

I have a loaded 2SS and leather quality is on our with a $50,000 car. There is a lil more exposed plastic on the doors than most 50k cars but, it doesn't look cheap and is very well shaped, complimenting the cars design. There's quality leather mixed in with the plastic and the Camaro light show is fvckin Kool, so you're not thinking about plastic at all.

Handling... Well i can corner the hell out of this thing n I hate big cars. But this car does not feel big. Also it DOES NOT FEEL HEAVY. At around 3690 lbs manual. And about 3720 in auto. The Camaro feels like it has a similar power to weight ratio than the Z. But I'm gonna say something that will perplex most. The Camaro does not feel as front heavy as the Z @ mid-corner. There is less understeer than the Z, I'm guessing it's the 455lbs of torque that makes it so seamless in a corner. The tail kicks out and you rebound quickly and just barrel down the road hitting 60 in 4 second range.

LAUNCH CONTROL. Haven't used it but I'm glad I have it. I think that's pretty awesome to have all these features and still have launch control..

Exhaust- manual mode
The transmission is very quick and seamless when upshifting. The sounds of the exhaust are amazing. The sound of the pushrod engine nevsr gets old...
But then, you switch to manual mode... The transmission gets even more aggressive than track mode in auto mode. The exhausr
Gets a few decibels louder, and THE CRACKS, BURBLES and POPS are so SINISTER when coupled with that v8 rumble. I would have never thought a optional factory exhaust can sound so good. I'm sure this thing is only eclipsed by the jaguar F type in terms of stock sound.

The technology. I have all this crazy tech and I HATE tech. But considering I paid about
$47,000 out the door. (I will get my taxes back) I think that the Camaro is seriously a bargain. As bad as I wanted a new nismo, I couldn't see the value as a new car. It is why I will get a used nismo. But the Camaro 6 in my book is a near legendary ride.... At least for right now... I put a lot of thought before making a final decision. 1 week after my decision. I have NO REGRETS!

I'll update if I have issues problems or find things I hate.

So happy for you Sir :tup:

Great write up.. We are all looking forward in seeing photo's of your new Camaro

PThat photobucket link didn't work?

Oh I have 4 steering modes... Track/ice is #4 and I completely ignored it. Lol. Texasl

Your photobucket doesn't support hosting so the pictures will only show up if folks click through.

Just an FYI, the full address of the house you took the pictures in front of is visible - depending on your desired level of privacy here, you may want to adjust that.

congrats on a sick m3 killer vehicle, I almost pulled the trigger on a 2ss a few month ago.
The only thing that's stopping me from buying one has nothing to do with the car itself, rather the depreciation that comes with it.

If it follows anywhere the 5th and 4th gen camaro depreciative curves, you stand to lose near 50% at the 3-4 year mark, compared to <25% on a 370z (when it was new),
I love everything about it and agree on the briliant alpha platform, just wish it didn't carry the bowtie stigma that's causing the resale value to be so atrocious...

It bothers me too. It's why I don't buy American typically. But this car was just that good.

But let me state what's annoying the Shyt outta me.

STEERING MOUNTED PADDLE SHIFTERS...
They are an abomination. You're searching around trying to change a gear coming out of a turn. U can't. You gotta be mindful of where the paddles are. Add in that force of habit makes me go for fixed SHIFTERS. And infiniti thought. Hey let's switch the most amazing thing we ever did n put cheap plastic paddle shifters on our luxury car. It played a big part in me not choosing the infinit. I can forgive it in a Camaro. Not an infiniti.

The GAUGE COWL.
Sometimes it's just distracting. It's so big and you have to position the HUD rather high to see it. All because of the ridiculously tall cowl. I hope the refresh next year fixes this?

VOICE COMMAND BITCH IS A MORON.
She only understands me half the time.
Good thing the steering command controls are super intuitive. So when she has her period. I can punch in Shyt quick.

What I love...
THE EXHAUST... THE EXHAUST.... THE EXHAUST.
The soundtrack is phenomenalin manual mode. It bucks n burbles n farts n cracks n pops n is loud. People here me a couple block away when I get on it. Stock optional exhaust is sick. All I need are test pipes. Ordering after lowering it...

HANDLING.... it gets around corners for its size like a car a quarter smaller. Torque everywhere, tail gets loose A LOT but the amazing steering and non intrusive traction control keep your *** in check...

Competitive mode... Launch control.

Easy to use and you fly sooooooooo fast.
It's super smooth take off in auto . A wild bull in manual mode. My car is bipolar and a pedal nympho. Sometimes I'm only getting 191 miles to a tank. It's easy to get a lil crazy cuz it sounds so good.

Lastly.... Unlike the Z you get less people challenging you and more people thumbs upping you. Driving my Z was like making Friday's a F&F extension with all the race invites. I've only gotten one challenger try. And that was last night. I had a 350z do a cut off fly by but that's about it. Also last night. I ignored them both.

This Camaro deserves its respect. It's sick for the money. If depreciation goes the way you said... You guys will be so fortunate to have all this performance at such a low price.

Does all this performance replace the Z???
NOT IN A MILLION YEARS...
Why?
The driving dynamic of the Z is still superior in terms of size, to power, cornering is more effortless as its a smaller vehicle, though I'm doing great with the Camaro. You still feel more planted in a Z.

I won't say one is better than the other. They just provide two different types of excitement while still having strong similarities in steering feel in sport mode and handling capability. They're a lot closer than you'd imagine.

good review, sucks about the paddles - any aftermarket solutions?

I am gona get a lot of flack for this; but I disagree on your last point; from my limited test drive of one - the difference couldn't be greater between the Z (at least for me) the alpha platform camaro just has the overall solid feel - almost mercedes like - grips corners, doesn't rattle, Its unfair to compare a brand new 2016 platform car to one from 2008-9 but this new camaro feels superior to a stock Z in every way you can imagine.

My last point; the depreciation - it probably won't be anytime soon but I am thinking by late 2018 (winter) or early 2019 one will be able to pick up a very clean low mile alpha platform SS in the mid to low 20's. I know it sucks for the early adopters, but hey you get to enjoy this beast while the rest of us have to wait and salivate until it drops into that price range. Its feasible for me to get one, but after always balancing my investments/ making sure my portfolio is diversified, throwing away 10-20k just hurts a little too much right now (obviously your mileage will vary).

Think of it this way all the people who paid 50-60k for a civic type R got to enjoy theirs for the past 3-4 month, now the new wave of 2018's is on the way and the factory ramped up production, its a matter of time until the CTR will be going under MSRP / invoice, (personally I would rather buy an SS and lose 10-20k rather than buy a type R and lose 25-30k over 4-5 month lol) not to mention the SS will roll up and down the CTR.

The Alfa platform is stiffer than the Z and equally agile. I'm about to add cross bars and sways and am perplexed if I'll feel a difference cuz its so stiff. That said a Nismo Z is just as stiff with the added bracing and the shorter wheelbase adds for less flex. The Camaro has a dual personality. It can float around like a Caddy or romp like a real sports car. It's amazing.

The Camaro SS in Texas didn't get into the 20's for a long time last Gen. When the SS came out... In 2016. The average price of a 2010 SS was $24,000. Now a 2010 is about $20,000 with about 80,000 miles. That's an average so their are higher n lower priced ones. I'm expecting the SS to hover around $30k and 35k with reasonable miles. For a while till the drop into the 20's I think that will be the arena for 2LT V6's as they are solid performance fast cars as well. They hold their own unlike the last gen v6.

The civic is a joke. You really gotta be stuck in the 90's with your original fast and furious movie poster hanging on your wall, right next to the Tokyo drift poster to pay that shyt for a civic. I don't hate it. It's just delusional pricing for a overpriced/overrated car like the FRS was. Honda saw how stupid we are with the TOYOBARU TWINS and ran with that Shyt like a Superbowl football.
It's pathetic. But that's another conversation.

My point on the Z is, it's size just inherently makes it more nimble so you can't replace that feeling with a 3700lb muscle car. But... It gets CLOSE in the sense. It's not front heavy at all. So I can only imagine the balance of the v6 or 4 banger must be insane. I think if you have a v6 1Le? The Z might have trouble on a track. Only cuz weight andpower would be almost equal and yes. The Camaro chassis is better. But a nismo chassis is still amazing. Just saying.