[Geese1]

I've been trading out of weekend/fun cars pretty frequently for a while, and I had had my 2020 MX-5 for a couple of years now and was ready for something new.

I was actually planning on getting the new 2022 Toyota GR86, as I had previously owned a 2018 Subaru BRZ (sister car) and had loved it for the short time I had it before it was unfortunately totaled in an accident. So I was thinking about getting back into the platform now that the 2nd generation just got released, as I really didn't want a convertible anymore. It was fun for a while, and I'm glad I experienced it, but it just wasn't for me.

Then one morning last fall my wife and out went out for breakfast and while we were sitting in the restaurant she saw a Camaro out in the parking lot and commented how much she liked the looks of it, and how her father used to own one and used to take her and her sister out for rides in it.

I had looked seriously at the 2018 1LE Camaros before I bought my BRZ, but hadn't really thought much about them since then, as I've been trying out various 4 cylinder cars (BRZ, STI, and the MX-5). However, her comments made me remember how close I came to getting the Camaro before, so I decided to take another look at one.

Never really been into the Charger/Challenger or the Mustang, and the Camaro was the only one of the 3 I ever had any interest in. Not even sure when the thought really started, but I was really impressed with the idea of a V8 muscle/sports car that also had great handling. The Camaro fit all those things I wanted, so back in November I ended up placing an order at my local dealer.

Due to the way the car market is today, my dealership never did get an allocation, but I thankfully found a dealership not to far away that got a couple of allocations in this week, and today I was able to go up and put in an order for the car. With any luck it will be here by June or July, and I'm so looking forward to actually getting it after all this time (still haven't driven one, and have never even seen a 1LE outside of pictures).

And to top it off, on the way back home tonight we passed a 6th gen Camaro coming from the opposite direction. Was too dark to see what year it was, and it was a dark color (grey, I think) to begin with, but it was instantly recognizable, and I was struck again just how much "presence" these cars have on the road.

[Camaro fanboy]

Originally Posted by Karl Carson

The Camaro 2SS 6.2 torque was splendid the look is so cool, the seats were comfortable, gas mileage was amazing in the Camaro. The dodge has no convertible, gas mileage is terrible in the hemi. The mustang has very little torque, every body has one. GM offered zero % interest plus GM took $5000 off the suggest manufactures price. The exhaust is personalizeable (NPP) It was love at first sight.

the coyote motor is crap. daily driving it's terrible. cant beat the small block pushrod chevys for instant power.
only decent thing those s550's have is the 6 pot brembros..thats it. the rest of the car is junk.

[sactownbwoy]

I had been dailying my HD Softail for 2 years after selling my BRZ in the summer of '19. So, my next car was going to be an American V8 with a manual.

A dealer within a 3-hour drive of me had a manual V8 in stock and no markup. At the time I was looking for Challenger Scat Packs but most were autos and the few manuals had markups and I didn't want to pay.

That is how I ended up with my LT1 back in September.

After a glorious 5 months and 14k miles of ownership I happened upon and ZLE but it was an A10. Really wanted a manual but there were none around within 1.5k miles. Was ready to walk out the door and dealer was willing to let it go for MSRP and that is how I ended up trading in my LT1 for a ZLE A10.

My mom had a '12 SRT8 Charger and my dad had a '12 SRT8 Challenger when I bought my BRZ in '14. Loved the raw power of those things and so when I decided I wanted an American V8, my parents are the reason I was looking at the Challenger.

[Idaho2018GTPremium]

Originally Posted by FlukeSS

Truthfully, all I had was a Chevy, and all I drove were v8'S.

I think of Chevy like Comcast. Great service reliability, if you can handle their terrible support demeanor. I've never met a Chevy Dealer I liked to be blunt. I guess it would be different if I walked in with a bag of cash.

But, that said, I have to admit I almost bought a charger over the Camaro the second time. The only 2 real complaints I have about the Camaro, poor passenger side visibility, and the seats do not lean back far enough for my liking. I'm used to it now though.

To answer your question though:

1. Charger/Challenger more room

2. Mustang - Easier and Cheaper to upgrade than Camaros - Parts more readily available

3. Ford and Dodge do what GM/Chevy has never done. Build a #1 car in its category. For example: Hellcat/Demon vs ZL1 GT500 vs ZL1. The only thing a ZL1 does better is turn and that's only if it is the ZLE. Everything else it falls behind. Even Corvettes are a joke, they are lower hp but lighter weight, so they obviously turn better, but are not always top tier in everything else either, again cost to mod is expensive as well.

5. Sure we can talk about the ZR1 but even at that level, their are superior options I believe.

That said, the only thing Chevy has done that makes Camaro more appealing is the cost of what you get. Generally cheaper than the competition until you go to mod it.

So much wrong in this post. I agree with 1 and 2. Starting with #3: The ZL1 does everything better than the base '20+ GT500 except straight line acceleration above 30 mph. Better handling, shorter stopping distances, more grip, lighter weight (not that either are "lightweight"), quicker downshifts in auto mode from the trans. (yes, even quicker than the DCT), PDR available, more standard options (heated/ventilated/electric Recaros aren't even an option on the GT500), and yes, less expensive.

When the ZL1 came out it was as quick as a Hellcat in a straight line and quicker than a Mustang Shelby GT350R around the Nürburgring. It was peak "muscle car" (I'd argue it's no longer a muscle car, and firmly in sports car category). It took Ford 3 years just to fail to match it in every performance aspect except the 1/4 mile.

ZLE vs GT500 CFTP are similar in performance around a track, but the ZLE is much less money.

Nothing can touch the C8 Corvette for the money (except a ZL1, 0-60 not withstanding if it's a Z51 C8). The C7 Z06 and ZR1 hung with more expensive cars. You skipped 4, so onto #5: for the money, nothing could hang with a ZR1 except maybe certain Viper trims - but the ZR1 was definitely quicker than any Viper in a straight line.

[Idaho2018GTPremium]

Originally Posted by Camaro fanboy

the coyote motor is crap. daily driving it's terrible. cant beat the small block pushrod chevys for instant power.
only decent thing those s550's have is the 6 pot brembros..thats it. the rest of the car is junk.

Here we go again. No, the Coyote is not crap. The gen 3 coyote in my 2018 Mustang GT was an amazing engine. With the A10 and 3.55 torsen rear end I never felt like it had much of a torque deficit. It didn't spend much time below 3k rpm in the low gears so it wasn't an issue. You gotta know the engine, don't lug it around twisty backroads at 2200 rpm in a high gear.

The rest of my Mustang GT (Premium, PP1, A10, MagneRide) was great as well. It's no ZL1, sure, but I loved that car when I owned it.

You obviously had a lemon.

[Camaro fanboy]

owned 4 mustangs. all of them crap. my 2016 gt was brand new.
crap car end of.
my 2016.
hood trying to fly off above 90 mph.
horrendous driveline clunk and knock.
unable to keep a straight line on the motorway.
tamlined like no other car i have ever driven.
bouncy harsh crap suspension.
crap low tourque motor.
one rear tyre wore down twice as fast as the other.
steering wobble at 60mph as every mustang i have owned has done.
never had a single thumbs up from anyone.
it's called a crowd killer for good reason. worst handling car i have ever owned.

[Idaho2018GTPremium]

Originally Posted by raptor5244

Same here. The SS 1LE is the performance bargain of the century. I have a ZL1 now and although it is a big jump up in price, it is still a fantastic performance bargain.

There are no other cars on the market that offer this level of performance at this price point. Maybe the C8 in 1LT trim with a Z51 but that will cost $70k+ MSRP with a 12 month wait and doesn't have the raw visceral power of the LT4.

I agree, my ZL1 has me spoiled. I'd have to spend a lot more coin to upgrade (and I'm not just talking about 0-60 times). Though, a C8 Z06 would do (but a lot more money, of course)...And unlike some folks, I don't count the GT500 as an overall upgrade over a ZL1, since it performs worse than the ZL1 in everything but acceleration at 30 or 40+ mph, which can be easily fixed with some bolt ons, has fewer features/creature comforts, gets worse gas mileage, weighs 250 more pounds, and costs a lot more (esp. with markups).

Nissan GT-R? Nope, only quicker 0-60 due to AWD. A ZL1 hangs with it or beats it (depending on trim level) everywhere else. 911 Carrera? Cayman? Try again. AMG GT S? Similar performance for twice the money. AMG GT R, sure, but a lot more money. 911 Turbo? Yes. Turbo S? Yes, obviously by far, but they start at triple my ZL1's msrp.

It's a keeper.

[clg82]

The price for what you’re getting in this platform is second to none…….that’s why I went the way I did, plus i’ve always been a GM guy so that helped

[Val Walkinshaw]

1) Interior and exterior are superior in styling

2)LS motors are proven

3) IMHO, from what I gather it seems Mustang and Mopar attract a certain crowd of douchebaggery that Camaro attracts less of. Even if I wasn't' sold on the Camaro, I probably wouldn't own either of the others just because of the bad image. Call it superficial, it is what it is.

4)Poor/non-existent advertising is why they haven't sold. Production issues also as of late.

[fielderLS3]

Originally Posted by Camaro fanboy

the coyote motor is crap. daily driving it's terrible. cant beat the small block pushrod chevys for instant power.
only decent thing those s550's have is the 6 pot brembros..thats it. the rest of the car is junk.

I'd obviously have to disagree here. I've had mine almost 12 years with zero issues. Coyote is state of the art. I've always found it to have plenty of power, is super smooth, loves to rev, and is good for 28-30 mpg to boot. The latest version makes 420tq and 480hp naturally aspirated from 5 liters.

The coyote's seeming lack of grunt comes partly from the s550s weight, but more from a poor choice of gearing on newer models. 2018 and up have completely different transmission ratios. Mine is single overdrive, with 1 through 4 short and close, which suits it very well. The newer cars have ratios more similar to the Camaros tremec, tall with 2 overdrives. That works well with a bigger displacement pushrod engine, but is not a good match for a 7500 rpm engine like the coyote. Ford really should have kept the older ratios.

As for the original thread question, reason I have a 6th gen on order....Alpha chassis. I think the 6th gen Camaro is one of the most underappreciated platforms out there. I believe it will go down as one of those cars that was largely ignored in its day, but will be greatly missed and fondly remembered once it's gone.

[Invertalon]

I had no preference when I went car shopping... Test drove through comparable Mustang and Charger/Challengers. But it was a super easy win at the end of the day, it was hardly a tough decision.

Mustang was second best in driving dynamics, but the interior was boring and they are simply EVERYWHERE here. I don't mind the Challenger too much, but doesn't feel nearly as quick, far more mass to push around. Charger not too shabby, but the most boring of them all probably.

Camaro won in every area though. Powertrain, driving dynamics, interior and exterior styling. Suprised me, but so glad I ended up where I did! Love my SS!

[LT4Greg]

I have owned 6 Camaros over the years since I bought my first one, a new 1982 Z28 that I special ordered which was a no option car with a 4 speed. I kept it until I got a new 1987 IROC Z28 which had a lot of problems with it and kept it until 1998 when I bought a new SS Camaro which actually was the better of the 2 previous Camaros I had owned. Then in 2010 I traded for a new 2SS Camaro with the LS3/6 speed which was a fun car that had mods done to it during the time I drove it and planning on keeping it when I saw a new 2016 2SS at a dealership that caught my attention. One drive in that 2016 was enough to convince me to trade up to the 6gen which I kept until 2019 when I found a low mileage used 2017 ZL1 that only had 425 miles. I did look at a new 2018 Dodge Challenger RT Scat Pack 6 speed and did consider buying but when the ZL1 popped up on Cars.com I had to go for it because it was about $4000 more, supercharger, better interior and definitely better looking than the Dodge. That’s my Camaro story and I guess I am a diehard Chevy guy!

[xplct]

Originally Posted by Camaro fanboy

owned 4 mustangs. all of them crap. my 2016 gt was brand new.
crap car end of.
my 2016.
hood trying to fly off above 90 mph.
horrendous driveline clunk and knock.
unable to keep a straight line on the motorway.
tamlined like no other car i have ever driven.
bouncy harsh crap suspension.
crap low tourque motor.
one rear tyre wore down twice as fast as the other.
steering wobble at 60mph as every mustang i have owned has done.
never had a single thumbs up from anyone.
it's called a crowd killer for good reason. worst handling car i have ever owned.

It took you enough stangs to learn the hard way

[ColeD]

Originally Posted by mariojas

Ummm, what's garbage about Dodges inside quality? I think quality is spot on. It just looks dated. They just add HP, new colors and wheels - That's the main pita about Dodge. You want them, because of HP, sound and kick ass ads, but then you remember headlights are shit, and interior is million years old. They updated Durango, but didn't give a f... about Charger. They seem to treat it like 4 door Challenger, instead of family sedan with huge engine.

What you said, that makes it garbage to me. I'm not gonna pay new prices for a 20 year old dash