10 Year of Ownership Anniversary! - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

rocknroll_jeph · 11-04-2023, 04:17 AM

10 Year Anniversary of Ownership
I was looking back over my records and noticed that I'd owned my Camaro for 10 years already. Its been a wild ride and I still have memories of reading every post I could find on Camaro5 before I bought my car to try to understand it better and do everything I could to make my car better, make it last and take care of if.

I already wrote a little blurb on my car journal and on my Chinese car site, but here is another draft. It has been a pleasure to be a part of this community, both in China and with others across the globe.

https://www.dongchedi.com/ugc/articl...23135505400371

Here's to many more years ahead!

Jeff
11-4-2023

I’ve had my Camaro for 10 years on Nov 4th. It’s been a big part of my life and every day I am so proud to be the owner of this fantastic machine. The story of how I got this car makes everything even more meaningful, as its wasn’t as easy as going to the store for groceries.

In 2007 I bought my first car. It was a brand-new car that I saved up for a long time to buy, I also had a little help from my family too. At that time, I was really into the tuner type cars and most of what I wanted was unattainable. I tried sitting into a Mazda RX-8 but I was too tall, the Mitsubishi Eclipse was ugly and not the car it used to be and the Toyota Celica was too hard to find, but I remembered a car I had seen when I visited my uncle at work a few years ago. In the US he sold Hyundai’s and there was a two door fast looking car in the show room. I did some research and found out that it was also for sale in China and the price was pretty reasonable, so I settled on buying a black 2007 Hyundai Coupe or Tiburon as it was known in the states.

I was really happy to have that car, I thought it looked great and with a few upgrades in wheels, tires and brakes it handled very well. However, the engine and transmission were a letdown. No matter how I modified it, I was never satisfied. I used to ride sport bikes and in 2009 I bought at E85 BMW Z4, and could really notice how the Hyundai looked good, but wasn’t really the car for me. In 2013 I had enough saved up to start looking for a new car.

At first, I wanted to get another Z4, and found a E86 for sale and in order to buy that car I sold my Tiburon and went to buy the E86. I had everything in order but when I went to get the license plate, they said I couldn’t because my visa expires soon, I needed to have 6 months or more on the visa, so I had to return the E86 and had my paper plate with 6 months left, but no way to get a car.

That summer I went back the US and got a new passport and was issued a longer visa from work so went back to the car lot in Fengtai to look for the Z4, but it had sold a long time ago. Not knowing what else to do, I walked around and looked at cars, and was surprised to see a silver Camaro. I looked around it and the previous owner did some questionable things to it, and for a 2-year-old car it looked to be in poor shape, but it reignited a flame in my heart.

Growing up in Michigan, there were muscle cars all around me. I remember my babysitter’s son had a black IROC-Z Camaro that I would always stare at when he parked it at her house. I also had a lot of Camaro and Firebird toys I loved playing with, not to mention my dad’s first car was a 1959 Corvette.

With those feelings stirring my heart I started walking around the used car lot with more of a purpose, looking for American Muscle. Not long after seeing that run down Camaro, I saw another one that was nearly identical, but in much better shape. It also had a Borla Exhaust already attached and a K&N air filter in disassembled but in the trunk. The price was good and the car was in pretty sold shape.

After bargaining a little bit to lower the price we came to an agreement and started the paperwork. My paper plate only had a little time left before it expired and I didn’t want to have to go into the lottery and get a new license plate so everything was hanging on getting this right.

Fortunately, the process when smoothly this time and the transfer of ownership went without a problem and I was able to drive home my Camaro after a few days.

Because of that struggle I felt that this car was meant to be mine, and it means so much to me because of that. Over the years I’ve done everything I can to enjoy the car, to take care of the car and to try and transform the car into the best version of itself. I don’t abuse it, but use it the way it was designed to be used- on the track and on the street.

Even sitting in traffic you could see me smiling because nothing is better than being behind the wheel.

PS. I am not sure how to imbed the photos into the text, but I hope they are pretty self explanatory. That being said, the photo of my Camaro with a very blue background was taken on the day I finally brought it home. I took it to an unused dead-end road to test its burnout properties, and left feeling very satisfied.

1JEWLDSSRS · 11-04-2023, 04:20 PM

Happy Anniversary brother!!

redcoats1976 · 11-04-2023, 04:25 PM

nice pics,but im curious about the SS hood scoop.according to your profile the car is a V6 like mine.not trying to upset you or anything,just wondering about the hood scoop...

rocknroll_jeph · 11-04-2023, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redcoats1976

nice pics,but im curious about the SS hood scoop.according to your profile the car is a V6 like mine.not trying to upset you or anything,just wondering about the hood scoop...

No problem, and thanks for asking! I bought the car used and the previous owner had put on the SS front facia. I like the way it looks better, so was pretty happy that came pre-installed.

As for the hood, the car overheated a lot on track and I thought that the vented hood would help with that problem, and while it helped a little bit, the car still overheats regularly on hot track days.

There are a lot of V6 Camaros around here that stick on random 6.2L, SS or even "supercharged" badges and it really annoys me. I'm always happy to pop the hood and show off my V6 because I am proud of what I have.

rocknroll_jeph · 11-04-2023, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1JEWLDSSRS

Happy Anniversary brother!!

Thank you! Your level of commitment to the community never ceases to amaze and humble me!

1JEWLDSSRS · 11-05-2023, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rocknroll_jeph

No problem, and thanks for asking! I bought the car used and the previous owner had put on the SS front facia. I like the way it looks better, so was pretty happy that came pre-installed.

As for the hood, the car overheated a lot on track and I thought that the vented hood would help with that problem, and while it helped a little bit, the car still overheats regularly on hot track days.

There are a lot of V6 Camaros around here that stick on random 6.2L, SS or even "supercharged" badges and it really annoys me. I'm always happy to pop the hood and show off my V6 because I am proud of what I have.

Nice! That was a pretty cool idea. People would never know just by looking at your Camaro that it wasn't an SS.

1JEWLDSSRS · 11-05-2023, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rocknroll_jeph

Thank you! Your level of commitment to the community never ceases to amaze and humble me!

Well thank you kind sir!! I appreciate that!! Like I have said many times before, I have owned my Camaro for 12 years now and have touched and massaged just about everything on her. Been there, done that, and learned a lot from it, and from a lot of the "big folks" on here who have done the same. I like to share all I have learned to the community so that they to can learn, and do.

el ess A · 11-05-2023, 09:18 AM

Congrats on the long-time ownership!

End of August was our 10 year anniversary with our ZL1 vert and end of October was the 14th anniversary with our 2010 SS L99. Our 2010 was one of the earlier ones that got the bumper sensors and came without the chicklets. I think there were some just prior to ours being built that had sensors AND chicklets. I wasn't a fan of those chicklets.

And I thought owning my 2002 Camaro SS for 13-1/2 years was a long stretch. (although my 1985 Olds 442 will have been in my stable 39 years this coming February.)

redcoats1976 · 11-05-2023, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rocknroll_jeph

No problem, and thanks for asking! I bought the car used and the previous owner had put on the SS front facia. I like the way it looks better, so was pretty happy that came pre-installed.

As for the hood, the car overheated a lot on track and I thought that the vented hood would help with that problem, and while it helped a little bit, the car still overheats regularly on hot track days.

There are a lot of V6 Camaros around here that stick on random 6.2L, SS or even "supercharged" badges and it really annoys me. I'm always happy to pop the hood and show off my V6 because I am proud of what I have.

true,for 217 cubic inches over 300 horsepower is impressive.to be that efficient the 376 mill would have to make around 550 horses stock if my half ass math is correct.

Modernmusclecar · 11-05-2023, 11:47 AM

Congrats..I'm 11 years in and was here for the popular years on Camaro 5 haha. Wonder how many double digit owners are still here.

1JEWLDSSRS · 11-05-2023, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Modernmusclecar

Congrats..I'm 11 years in and was here for the popular years on Camaro 5 haha. Wonder how many double digit owners are still here.

I joined the forum just after I bought my 2011 SS/RS in May 2011, 12 years 6 months now!! Loving every minute of it!

morepowerjoe · 11-05-2023, 11:44 PM

Yeah Jeph, that's what we like to hear. A great story of triumph. I'm glad you found what you where looking for in a 5th gen and it looks great still.

rocknroll_jeph · 11-06-2023, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by el ess A

Congrats on the long-time ownership!

End of August was our 10 year anniversary with our ZL1 vert and end of October was the 14th anniversary with our 2010 SS L99. Our 2010 was one of the earlier ones that got the bumper sensors and came without the chicklets. I think there were some just prior to ours being built that had sensors AND chicklets. I wasn't a fan of those chicklets.

And I thought owning my 2002 Camaro SS for 13-1/2 years was a long stretch. (although my 1985 Olds 442 will have been in my stable 39 years this coming February.)

Thanks for sharing! I was hoping that others would share their ownership stories here too.

My "summer" car I've owned since 2009, but the Camaro is the newest car as well as the most recent car purchase for me, and I've been a member for 10 years here as well, but with so many members that have have been here longer than me, I still feel like the new guy some times.

camguynj · 11-06-2023, 02:56 AM

Good you got it when you did and decided to keep it. Enjoy it for many,many more years. I got mine new 11yrs ago as a retirement present for myself 47 yrs after my first new muscle car a ‘66 GTO 4 speed of course. I’m leaving it to my grandson who is 6 and into cars. He likes going to car shows and looks for the 3 pedal cars! He especially likes riding in the car because it shakes from being cammed and when I open the cutouts. Next month I’ll be starting my 76 lap around the big track God willing but still 18 behind the wheel

11-04-2023, 04:17 AM	#1
rocknroll_jeph Drives: 11 Camaro V6 RS, 03 BMW Z4 Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Beijing & Michigan Posts: 476 View My Garage	10 Year of Ownership Anniversary! 10 Year Anniversary of Ownership I was looking back over my records and noticed that I'd owned my Camaro for 10 years already. Its been a wild ride and I still have memories of reading every post I could find on Camaro5 before I bought my car to try to understand it better and do everything I could to make my car better, make it last and take care of if. I already wrote a little blurb on my car journal and on my Chinese car site, but here is another draft. It has been a pleasure to be a part of this community, both in China and with others across the globe. https://www.dongchedi.com/ugc/articl...23135505400371 Here's to many more years ahead! Jeff 11-4-2023 I’ve had my Camaro for 10 years on Nov 4th. It’s been a big part of my life and every day I am so proud to be the owner of this fantastic machine. The story of how I got this car makes everything even more meaningful, as its wasn’t as easy as going to the store for groceries. In 2007 I bought my first car. It was a brand-new car that I saved up for a long time to buy, I also had a little help from my family too. At that time, I was really into the tuner type cars and most of what I wanted was unattainable. I tried sitting into a Mazda RX-8 but I was too tall, the Mitsubishi Eclipse was ugly and not the car it used to be and the Toyota Celica was too hard to find, but I remembered a car I had seen when I visited my uncle at work a few years ago. In the US he sold Hyundai’s and there was a two door fast looking car in the show room. I did some research and found out that it was also for sale in China and the price was pretty reasonable, so I settled on buying a black 2007 Hyundai Coupe or Tiburon as it was known in the states. I was really happy to have that car, I thought it looked great and with a few upgrades in wheels, tires and brakes it handled very well. However, the engine and transmission were a letdown. No matter how I modified it, I was never satisfied. I used to ride sport bikes and in 2009 I bought at E85 BMW Z4, and could really notice how the Hyundai looked good, but wasn’t really the car for me. In 2013 I had enough saved up to start looking for a new car. At first, I wanted to get another Z4, and found a E86 for sale and in order to buy that car I sold my Tiburon and went to buy the E86. I had everything in order but when I went to get the license plate, they said I couldn’t because my visa expires soon, I needed to have 6 months or more on the visa, so I had to return the E86 and had my paper plate with 6 months left, but no way to get a car. That summer I went back the US and got a new passport and was issued a longer visa from work so went back to the car lot in Fengtai to look for the Z4, but it had sold a long time ago. Not knowing what else to do, I walked around and looked at cars, and was surprised to see a silver Camaro. I looked around it and the previous owner did some questionable things to it, and for a 2-year-old car it looked to be in poor shape, but it reignited a flame in my heart. Growing up in Michigan, there were muscle cars all around me. I remember my babysitter’s son had a black IROC-Z Camaro that I would always stare at when he parked it at her house. I also had a lot of Camaro and Firebird toys I loved playing with, not to mention my dad’s first car was a 1959 Corvette. With those feelings stirring my heart I started walking around the used car lot with more of a purpose, looking for American Muscle. Not long after seeing that run down Camaro, I saw another one that was nearly identical, but in much better shape. It also had a Borla Exhaust already attached and a K&N air filter in disassembled but in the trunk. The price was good and the car was in pretty sold shape. After bargaining a little bit to lower the price we came to an agreement and started the paperwork. My paper plate only had a little time left before it expired and I didn’t want to have to go into the lottery and get a new license plate so everything was hanging on getting this right. Fortunately, the process when smoothly this time and the transfer of ownership went without a problem and I was able to drive home my Camaro after a few days. Because of that struggle I felt that this car was meant to be mine, and it means so much to me because of that. Over the years I’ve done everything I can to enjoy the car, to take care of the car and to try and transform the car into the best version of itself. I don’t abuse it, but use it the way it was designed to be used- on the track and on the street. Even sitting in traffic you could see me smiling because nothing is better than being behind the wheel. PS. I am not sure how to imbed the photos into the text, but I hope they are pretty self explanatory. That being said, the photo of my Camaro with a very blue background was taken on the day I finally brought it home. I took it to an unused dead-end road to test its burnout properties, and left feeling very satisfied. Attached Images

11-04-2023, 04:20 PM	#2
1JEWLDSSRS Drives: 2011 SS-RS Join Date: May 2011 Location: FLORIDA Posts: 11,435	Happy Anniversary brother!! __________________ TSP STAGE 3 CAM,231/246 @112 LSA 614/641 LIFT, CIRCLE D 5C-4200-4500 CONVERTER,LOD INTAKE.CORSA EXHAUST. DSS 1 PC DS. PEGASUS SOLID CRADLE MOUNTS. 486RWHP/475RWTQ.LOTS MORE.

11-05-2023, 09:18 AM	#8
el ess A Older Than Dirt Drives: 2010 & 2013 Camaros Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Aiken, SC Posts: 4,564	Congrats on the long-time ownership! End of August was our 10 year anniversary with our ZL1 vert and end of October was the 14th anniversary with our 2010 SS L99. Our 2010 was one of the earlier ones that got the bumper sensors and came without the chicklets. I think there were some just prior to ours being built that had sensors AND chicklets. I wasn't a fan of those chicklets. And I thought owning my 2002 Camaro SS for 13-1/2 years was a long stretch. (although my 1985 Olds 442 will have been in my stable 39 years this coming February.) __________________ 2010 2SS TE, 1 of 822/2013 Camaro ZL1 vert, 1 of 54

11-05-2023, 11:47 AM	#10
Modernmusclecar Drives: 2011 Camaro SS Join Date: Jul 2019 Location: Parts unknown Posts: 820	Congrats..I'm 11 years in and was here for the popular years on Camaro 5 haha. Wonder how many double digit owners are still here. __________________ EPS CUSTOM GRIND CAM....K@N CAI....VMAX PTB.....FRANKENSTEIN STAGE 2 HEADS ...1 7/8 STAINLESS POWER CATTED LONGTUBE HEADERS...CORSA XTREME 3 INCH CATBACK.....CIRCLE D 3800 Pro Series stall...391 gears.....Ported/modded GPI intake .Forgestar drag pack with Mickey Thompson ET street drag radials AGP PERFORMANCE DYNO TUNED. 463 WHP 428 FTLBS TORQUE.

11-05-2023, 11:44 PM	#12
morepowerjoe Drives: 2012 Chevrolet Camaro l99 Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 2,105	Yeah Jeph, that's what we like to hear. A great story of triumph. I'm glad you found what you where looking for in a 5th gen and it looks great still. __________________ DSS FX Forged Pistons, Eagle ESP L19 Forged Rods, ARP Head and Main Studs, TSP PRC 260 CNC Ported Heads milled .030, Cometic .040 Head Gaskets, GPI SS3 VVT Camshaft, GM Performance Racing Lifters, CHE Trunnions , Molly Pushrods, Melling 10355HV Oil Pump, Cold Air Inductions CAI, Fast LSXR Intake Manifold, Nick Williams 103 TB, TSP 1 7/8" Longtubes with 3" TSP Exhaust, ZL1 Fuel Pump, Mishimoto Radiator, Mishimoto Oil Cooler, Tru Cool 40k Tranny Cooler, 3600 Circle D Converter, Fluid Dynamics Balancer Build Thread https://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=609817

11-04-2023, 04:25 PM	#3
redcoats1976 Drives: LT W/2LT,blue metallic Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: central florida Posts: 4,915	nice pics,but im curious about the SS hood scoop.according to your profile the car is a V6 like mine.not trying to upset you or anything,just wondering about the hood scoop...

11-06-2023, 02:56 AM	#14
camguynj Drives: '13 SS/RS LS3 BRM Cammed NPP Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: NJ Posts: 3,812 View My Garage	Good you got it when you did and decided to keep it. Enjoy it for many,many more years. I got mine new 11yrs ago as a retirement present for myself 47 yrs after my first new muscle car a ‘66 GTO 4 speed of course. I’m leaving it to my grandson who is 6 and into cars. He likes going to car shows and looks for the 3 pedal cars! He especially likes riding in the car because it shakes from being cammed and when I open the cutouts. Next month I’ll be starting my 76 lap around the big track God willing but still 18 behind the wheel