[ctrlz]

Originally Posted by Jonster

Sure, what I am planning to do may not be the most financially logic thing. However, owning a camaro in itself isn’t a logical financial thing. It’s the enjoyment we seek.

I mentioned the financial aspect mostly to gain opinions from the commuters and their enjoyment. I didn’t want to spark a debate on financially what I should do, because only I know that answer ��

I DD my car about 20 miles round trip. I considered more expensive cars as well as the ZL-1. For me, the 2SS was the sweet spot as far as performance and value. ZL-1 was tempting, but I would rarely get to enjoy the added power where I live.
For DD in NC you will probably want all season tires.
I have a manual, and have never topped 26 mpg with this car on long highway drives.
The V6 vs V8 decision is primarily a financial one, and since you don't want to talk finances...

[brushmore]

I just bought a 2019 3LT for daily commute to replace my Chevy Volt for my daily drive. Thanks to BeckyD for hooking me up with a deal!

Like the OP, I wanted something a little more fun for my commute. What's amazing to me is that engine only has barely cracked 200 miles, the temps were below freezing yet the V6 is still giving me 31 mpg for my drive!

[mikeman]

Originally Posted by arpad_m

Or he can just call an uber/lyft for every ride he needs---that $40-45k will stretch quite long that way, plus there is no insurance, installation of 240V charging equipment in the garage, power costs, maintenance... that is the real future you wanted to talk about, isn't it

True, but that's primarily the better option for young single urban/suburban millenials. If he wanted to take the wife and kids along, the EV is the better option than a ride share service. In fact, I think many utilities offer rebates if you install a charging station at your home. Maintenance would be pretty low in comparision to a gas vehicle as well.

[c4racer]

interesting thought - wouldn't work if you had to travel anywhere far away, but if you lived close to work and could walk to grocery stores and such I guess if you paid $25 in Uber rides per day (say 2 short rides / day) that would be about $8K / year. Cost of owning a car is quite a bit more than that. Depreciation alone on a new $40K Camaro of any flavor is going to be pretty close to that for the first 3 years, and that is before gas, insurance, registration and other consumables. Easily $10K / year or more.

But man - I couldn't do it. I mean I take Uber when I have to - but I don't like it very much!

[arpad_m]

Originally Posted by c4racer

interesting thought - wouldn't work if you had to travel anywhere far away, but if you lived close to work and could walk to grocery stores and such I guess if you paid $25 in Uber rides per day (say 2 short rides / day) that would be about $8K / year. Cost of owning a car is quite a bit more than that. Depreciation alone on a new $40K Camaro of any flavor is going to be pretty close to that for the first 3 years, and that is before gas, insurance, registration and other consumables. Easily $10K / year or more.

But man - I couldn't do it. I mean I take Uber when I have to - but I don't like it very much!

I hear you brother, couldn't do it either... but those times are coming whether we like it or not, because we own mass manufactured vehicles that, when said masses have their minds changed, will either transform or simply go niche, meaning even more expensive. Combine that with the cost of all the added technology and mandatory safety requirements, rationally speaking it makes less and less sense to own cars. We identify with them, but that is less relevant with each new generation.

If self-driving tech doesn't catch on fast enough, I also expect lots of extra legislation as these sub-3 second 0-60 AWD electric cars become prevalent, it's just too much power in the hands of less and less capable drivers.

All that said, I don't give a rat's a** about the sea of boring pseudo-clone SUV's and fast electric appliances on wheels, I'll drive my Camaro as long as possible. This is why I bought it now and didn't wait, heh.

[DIYguy]

My '17 V6/8AT is my almost daily commute vehicle.
It has averaged 29-32 mpg across complete fills for more than a year now.
It varies a bit with traffic, weather and how much fun I want to have with it of course.
This is for a 38 mile each way commute (90%) plus weekend in-town driving (10%).

I specifically sought out a V6 specifically because of the commute.
The only real purchase question was MT (my preference) versus AT.
This particular one with its AT was a sweet financial deal, so that's what I bought, but no regrets.

I travel a fair amount for business and try to rent Camaros whenever possible.
As a result I have driven gen5's and gen 6's from the turbo 4 up to a couple of 8/SS models, but mostly V6's.
The sweet spot for me remains the LGX V6 (not that the 8SS wasn't a hoot to drive).
Very smooth, plenty of power, good fuel economy, easy to work on.
I have also owned gen1 and gen3 Camaros.
I like the one I own now the best of all of them.

As for modern tech, to re-purpose a saying from around 20 years ago-
"I drive, not iDrive"
BMW totally lost me as a future customer over that "feature" alone even though I owned a 740 for 14+ years.

But to each their own........

[metalhead79]

Make sure you get the car you want, not just what seems logical. When you're talking sports cars, pony or muscle cars, it's as much an emotional decision as a financial one.

I made the mistake 3 years ago of letting logic dictate my getting an Ecoboost Mustang when I wanted a GT.

[DIYguy]

Make sure you get the car you want, not just what seems logical. When you're talking sports cars, pony or muscle cars, it's as much an emotional decision as a financial one.

Oh, I totally agree.
That may not have come across quite right.
I was 50.01% in favor of an MT, and 49.99% in favor of an AT.
I test drove close to twenty Camaros of various vintages while looking (I could not find a brand new one I liked).
Everything but convertibles because I owned one of them for five years and grew to greatly dislike them.
But to each their own, so if you like convertibles, bless you, enjoy.
So when I found the one I finally bought, it was because the combination of everything just clicked for me.
It wasn't really a compromise at all.
And I got a great deal on it as icing on the cake.

My car spends much of its life in traffic.
MT can get old in that situation after a while regardless of its other benefits.
So I am just fine with the AT it has.
And my left foot gets a rest after commuting with an MT for 12 years or so before that.

I love my car.

[metalhead79]

Originally Posted by DIYguy

I love my car.

That's all that matters.

[arpad_m]

Originally Posted by metalhead79

Make sure you get the car you want, not just what seems logical. When you're talking sports cars, pony or muscle cars, it's as much an emotional decision as a financial one.

I made the mistake 3 years ago of letting logic dictate my getting an Ecoboost Mustang when I wanted a GT.

It's actually more emotional than financial I made the same mistake btw, thought a V6 was more than enough without test driving a V8... cost me a bit, but now I'm all smiles whenever I press the start button, and even more once the wheels start rolling.

[mikeman]

Originally Posted by arpad_m

It's actually more emotional than financial I made the same mistake btw, thought a V6 was more than enough without test driving a V8... cost me a bit, but now I'm all smiles whenever I press the start button, and even more once the wheels start rolling.

The total cost can not be ignored though. Sure, if you have the funds, then get the biggest baddest best performing model you can afford. However, if you have to decide on a non V8, turbo 4 or the 6 cyl, that doesn't mean it's not a great car with a lot of emotional appeal for those buyers.

[NEGXXIS]

I daliy drive my Camaro 2SS. 80 miles round trip to work and back. its a pleasure to drive it!

[DIYguy]

I think it comes down to getting what you really want if at all possible.

If what you want is a V8, then by all means get a V8 and don't look back.
In my case I specifically wanted a V6 having rented and driven 4's, 6's and 8's for extended periods (typically a week at a time on business trips).
That evolved into my personal preference as a practical motor to live with on a daily basis.

As for the baddest, best performing, etcetera, well yes up to a limit.
Been there, done that.
If I had wanted a brand new ZL-1 I could have afforded one.
I just didn't want it for my driving situation at this time. Perhaps later.
For now I have my bikes for 0-60 in Oh My Dear Lord performance whenever I feel the need.
I have owned cars such as a 1969 Z-28, a Porsche 911, a 500+hp Corvette, and others of that sort.
They can be a LOT of fun, without any shred of a doubt.
But as a daily driver / commuter car, they can also be a bit much sometimes.
So of the current engine offerings the LGX V6 is the sweet spot for me.
Let us not forget that that new-gen V6 puts out 335hp without going 0-60 feet between gas stations.
My Corvette got 11mpg on a good day.

And yes I definitely smile every time I get into my car and start it up and love driving it to work.

[metalhead79]

Originally Posted by arpad_m

It's actually more emotional than financial I made the same mistake btw, thought a V6 was more than enough without test driving a V8... cost me a bit, but now I'm all smiles whenever I press the start button, and even more once the wheels start rolling.

Two weeks into ownership and I regretted not getting a GT. Traded the EB after 10 months.

Originally Posted by mikeman

The total cost can not be ignored though. Sure, if you have the funds, then get the biggest baddest best performing model you can afford. However, if you have to decide on a non V8, turbo 4 or the 6 cyl, that doesn't mean it's not a great car with a lot of emotional appeal for those buyers.

I didn't mean to make it sound like I was saying "get a V8, anything else is a mistake". In my case, I wanted the V8 but settled for the Ecoboost (2.3L Turbo) because of the lower gas mileage of the V8 and my 50 mile round trip commute.
Finances weren't an issue, I just got in my head and convinced myself to buy the car I didn't want.

That's the mistake people should avoid, in my opinion. It's not about having the biggest, baddest, fastest car. It's about having the car that makes you smile every time you see it in the parking lot waiting for you at the end of a long day at work, where you crack a smile when the engine fires up. Where just driving down the road doing nothing is just... satisfying. That's the car you should be in. For some, they need a ZL1 for that, others an SS and still others a V6 or 2.0T.

If you're not interested in a V8, but want a Camaro because they look awesome and are pretty fast even without the LT1 or you just love 4 cylinder turbos, then deciding between the 2.0T or V6 is reasonable (I say go turbo, tune it and upgrade the intercooler).
But if you want an SS and are looking at a 2.0T because it's gets better gas mileage... you probably won't be happy long term. I found that out the hard way.