[NW-99SS]

Most of my family members have been GM owners (Dad, uncles, etc). I was raised in a GM home, and growing up, became a huge fan of 2 classics - 69 COPO ZL1 and 63 Corvette GrandSport.

Fast forward to growing up dirt poor on the farm, but still able to own a 1959 Chev Apache as my first vehicle at 17. Sold it and bought a more daily friendly 1992 Cavalier Z24 when I was 19. Same time, my friend bought a 96 Z/28 and took me for a ride. Instantly hated the Cavalier and had to have a Camaro since my dad used to have one. Really like the 4th gen style, and when the LS1s came out, I had to find an SS.

Took everything I could afford to do at age 20, but I scrounged up enough to by a used 1999 SS with 3200 KMs on the clock from a Ford dealer. Best decision I ever made and still have the SS.

Have had a few different rides since then, from beaters, to a limited edition Boyd Coddington Duramax. Found my Mongoose GS just over 6 years ago and couldn't pass up the opportunity to own my childhood legend (well as close as I will ever get since the original 5 are worth around 10 million USD currently).

It's been an interesting journey with the GS, and a part of me wants to keep it forever like my 99 SS, but I have a little one due next month, and the GS just takes way more time than it gives back in driving enjoyment. So the plan is the sell the GS this spring and we are looking at a ZL1 or ZLE (ZL1 must be manual - as all my sports cars have been). Looking for a clean second-hand ZL1 as I can't stand new depreciation, and I never rush into a purchase anymore - learnt that lesson years ago.

[nelsont]

Color- Crush- came from Inferno orange!

[chevyboy01438]

Wife told me no! $45K later, perma-grin for me

[CaptainRedHat]

I haven't ordered it yet (about a month to go), but here's where I am. I've daily driven a 2008 Mustang GT for the last 8 years and it got to a point where I was bored. I wanted more power. 300 hp is great for a daily, but it gets boring after a few years. So I was at a crossroad. Do I dump money into the Mustang or get something else? Sure, with 10k, I could get a Whipple, a rebuilt trans, and a suspension kit, but do I really want to dump that much money into an 11 year old car? I think not. So I crunched the numbers and after factoring in my family discount, I decided that a new Camaro was the way to go. I sold the Mustang last week and I'm using that for part of the down payment.

tl;dr: I test drove a 2019 2ss 1le and got hooked.

[Ringo64]

My dad, uncle and a lot of family owned Camaros when they were younger. My uncle for most of my growing up still owned his 1969. That was the "ultimate cool car" to me growing up and always vowed to own a Camaro.

The Gen 5's came out and picked up a brand spankin' new one in 2012. Going on 7 years later, it is the best car I've ever owned and I couldn't be more happy with it.

[cellsafemode]

I bought my latest camaro because despite not being a camaro at all because the camaro is an F-body car and the 5th and now 6th gen is not even close to looking like an fbody, it finally started performing like it wasn't almost 2 tons of cut-down SUV with a camaro name slapped on with the 6th gen. A 15 year jump in tech does a lot for a car too. Also helps not being dirt poor for once.

[JaxChris]

Blind loyalty
Have owned each generation that's been built in my lifetime
Fords are slower at the same price & options
Until recently - IRS
I'm a sucker for GM refusing to address major flaws in higher priced products which make you not want to drive them anymore, only 2k miles on the car in the last 6 months because the transmission is shit and GM refuses to pay dealers and they think a trans flush is 'Tussin

[COmatt27]

I grew up reading Road&Track and Motor Trend since I could read. I played every version of the Gran Turismo video games for hours on end. I talked about cars all the time to friends and family. I had always wanted a sports car. I never really considered a Camaro until the Gen5.

July 2010, I had a business trip to Houston, TX, landed at Hobby Airport and went to Avis for a car rental. Brand new 2010 Camaro 2SS Silver Ice Metallic was sitting out front. I was completely in love with the car at first sight. I go in to get my rental car. I had a coupon for a free upgrade and they were out of my car in the compact class, thank God it was to be a Chevy HHR.

The guy at the counter says, "alright we can take you up to a newer 2009 Sonata".

I say, "well I also have this coupon, how about that new Camaro out there?".

He laughed and said, "that is the sporty V8 SS model, we can't just do that without additional costs,".

I wasn't going to take no for an answer, "I would like to rent a Camaro, what can we do here?".

The guy says, "I can give you an RS V6 model for the upgrade combined with the coupon, if that works?".

I think well, should be similar, "Ok lets do it,".

I sign all the paperwork and I get the keys, as I am walking to the spot for the car I realize it doesn't unlock the RS V6. Interesting... I am about to head back in and get the keys when I start clicking the lock button on the remote to see which car it does go to. The horn honks on the 2SS Silver Ice Metallic, and I look at the key tag again "Camaro SS". The the guy at the counter gave me the 2SS assuming he signed me up for the RS. NO WAY I AM GOING BACK IN NOW!

So I get in and fire it up. The roar of that V8 and flying down I-45 south toward Galveston I was hooked! I made the promise to myself at that moment, I will buy a new Camaro ASAP. The feeling of being so deep, with the high window lines, long hood, low profile, 400hp V8 power, etc. I wanted this car now. I had the car for just over 50 total hours and I put 350 miles on it, driving the roads of Houston. Every time I stopped or got gas, people would start talking to me about the car, "what is that?", "When did you buy it?" "Can I sit in it?"

Fast forward 5 years to 2015. Living in Colorado just finishing a 3 year lease on a GMC Terrain AWD and I think, now is the time for the Camaro, I have been wasting my time... Well the wife immediately says, "No way, we live in a snowy mountain state, you can get any car you want as long as its an AWD. Maybe a Camaro in the future." Obvious choice, V8 power with AWD and a sports car... Ah ha, the 2014 Dodge Charger R/T AWD with blacktop edition. 375hp, I can work with this.

Wife's car gets completely trashed by hail in May 2017, luckily we had a 30 day rental car on the policy while her SUV gets repaired (2015 Nissan Murano). Just perfect timing I guess, but at Enterprise they hand her the keys to a 2017 1SS Camaro, bright red. Now that was fun chasing each other down the highway, wife in a 2017 SS, I am in a 2014 R/T, giddy up. I start reading Motor Trend again, everything I am seeing talks about how the Gen6 Camaro is superior in every way to the Challenger, Charger, and Mustang of similar trim levels. Also that the Camaro SS can compete with cars twice the price.

Well 30 days later we have to return the rental and the wife says, "dang, I really liked that car, we should get a Camaro, but with leather."

I say, "sounds great I can't agree more..."

Moving forward to 2018.
60,000 miles into the 2014 Charger R/T and $5k in repairs. The wife and I agree, too much in repair costs for a car less than 4 years old, time to trade this in.

We go to a wedding in Minneapolis, we rent a 2018 Challenger V6. Not the V8, but very similar to my Charger. The wife brings up how she misses the 2017 Camaro rental.

We rent a 2018 Camaro SS convertible to test out having a convertible on a trip to Key West in Aug 2018. We also try out a 2017 Mustang GT on a trip to Tampa, Florida. Similar comments from my wife, I really like the newer Camaros. So we come back and within 60 days we have a 2018 Camaro 1SS with leather. The only stipulation was that she gets to drive it from time to time and we get yellow with black stripes, bumble-bee. Buzz-buzz! I now have a daily driver with 450+hp, perfect!

[mdhopt36]

Why I bought it---

Well, a camaro has a nice aluminum small block with 6 bolt mains, plenty of flex there. Fords?

Not so flexible, can't take decent size bore as GM.

Around here, GM rules. More trucks than any other, IMO.
And dealers are familiar, with known salesmen I have confidence in.
Then, there's the triple 5's, Novas, etc.

Then, that neat V8 rumble. and the 'push you into the seat' acceleration.
The look like "it's gonna come right through you" from drivers just ahead.
No messing around, all business.

Nice retirement TOY.

[Deputy Dog]

Thats easy.....Fo' fitty five HP/Fo' fitty five lb ft. tq

[danbrew]

I rented a Camaro convertible last year down at Hilton Head and had a blast riding around with the top down in the summer. I was on a house hunting trip and didn't like the couple of houses I looked at, so back to Illinois. A few more house hunting trips and we find the right house - every time I was there I rented the same car. It was a lot of fun.


So... I'm at the point in my life where I've got some disposable cash, am buying a new house, and run smack into a slightly later than mid-life crisis. We buy the house and we're not ready to move there full time, deciding that we're gonna relocate to HH this summer. But, you know, in the meantime, I've got this great house that I could visit whenever I want. I decide that I'm gonna visit for 2 weeks out of every month until I move there full time.


I get to thinking, wouldn't it be great if I had a car to ride around in when I'm living in this new house? My wife, bless her heart, suggests that it would be a lot cheaper to just rent a car every time I'm down at HH. My daily driver back in Chicago is a Silverado 2500, which I really like & will never sell. But, you know, I need a car in Chicago. So I decide that I'm gonna get a car for the beach. See that part about the disposable income.


I go back and forth on whether I want a Camaro or a Jeep Wrangler. I decide upon the Wrangler. I make a deal with a dealer over the phone for the right Jeep. I show up with a check in my hot little hands and the guy says, "sit right there, I'll pull it around." After 15 minutes I'm starting to think something is up. He comes over and says, "I'm so sorry, we sold that one this morning." I'm like, "ok, see 'ya later." He tells me he's got a Rubicon that he'll give me for the same cost. I think about it for a few minutes and say, "ok." Ok, sit right there, I'll pull it around. Another 15 minutes goes by...


He brings the Rubicon up and, you know, it's super nice. But it has 5000+ miles on it. He's like, "um, yeah, this was driven by the sales manager." I tell him, ok, see ya. Man, he wanted to sell that Jeep something awful. He drops another couple of grand off the Jeep. And it was a very nice Jeep - Rubicon, fully loaded. But the 5000 miles bugs me. I tell him to call me when he gets another one in - he tells me he won't give me a new Rubicon for the same price. I tell him, no problem, get me the Wrangler that I wanted and I'll give him the amount we agreed upon. He agrees. I don't hear from him for two weeks and then I mention all this to my wife.


She tells me that she's glad that I didn't get the Jeep, she doesn't like it. Remember, this is my midlife crisis, not hers. But I've been married for a long time - I ask what she recommends? She tells me a convertible.


Boom, the light bulb comes on and I start thinking about that rental Camaro that I've enjoyed so much.


A week later I'm riding around in my 18 2SS convertible. Super glad I had that little snafu with the Jeep. Now, don't get me wrong, I'd still like the Jeep. But I don't have that much disposable income...

[CoolbreezeNJ]

I remember way back when , 7 years old watching cartoons on Saturday mornings with the Hot Wheels commercials. Surely Santa would get me one since it was the hottest new toy of the year. For sure got a Hot Wheels set with a Camaro and I forget the other car. All the kids got them and we would go to each others house and race them.

Fast forward 50 years and I had a '13 Civic Si which was a pretty fun little car but I got bored of it. Looked at the Civic Type R as I liked the idea of a 4 seater as I still take my kid to his High School hockey games but idiot dealers start at $5K over sticker for them . Tried a WRX and that is the most non-linear throttle I ever drove so that was out. Tried a Mustang and a Camaro and went about thinking.

Then I saw the Hot Wheels 50th Anniversary Camaro with that Crush color and I was sold. Took me right back to when I was 7. I was doing some consulting down in Virginia and their prices were way better then back here in NJ . I took the forums advise and made sure I had NPP, and MRC. I wanted a manual but wife said she would like to drive it sometimes so I took the Automatic.

My other vehicle is a diesel Silverado which is a torque beast yet the Camaro is as well and so happy I didn't get the Civic Type R which is supposedly great but can't hold a candle to the Camaro and I'm sick of the 4 cylinder wind up toys.

[FL2018-1SS]

I wanted to hop onto the V8 bandwagon and pick up a true american v8 n/a with a manual tranny and rear wheel drive while I still could. Pretty soon they will be turbo 4s and 6s automatics and self driving cars. This is my first Camaro and so far Chevy has done real good.

[SienarSystems]

Wanted a manual and just had ford buy back my ‘17 GT PP (lemon law - transmission). GT350s were MSRP+ and I got an incredible deal on a ZLE