The V6 Mistake

[Doopree]

I wanted to share my story with the hope that anybody could learn from my "mistakes". I really enjoy this community and there's a lot of great info here.

On to the story-

On some what of an impulse buy, after the wife said yes I pulled the trigger on a brand new 2015 RS V6 with every option available (excluding the moon roof but it had racing stripes!!). I've been a long time Camaro fan and this was my first time owning a sports car so I admit that I wasn't very knowledgeable going into the purchase.

During the handful of test drives I went on I really liked the V8 but I thought it just wasn't practical as a daily driver. The lighter weight and better gas mileage of the v6 was really attractive along with the "330+ HP", which I figured would be more than enough for me.

About a month in of ownership, after the newness wore off, I started to realize a few things that made me ultimately decide this wasn't the car for me.

1. It gets really old telling people "no, it's not the V8, it's just the V6". I know the tech sheets say this car is really fast with hundreds of horse power but at the end of the day it's a V6 that sounds like a V6. Performance is really good at times (at higher RPMs) but not much fun under 4k RPMs.

2. Exhaust - I spent a ton of money on different exhaust systems for this car which all sounded pretty bad. First I tried the MRT 2.0 which sounds like a fart in a can. After installation, I literally turned around after the first half mile and asked for the stock mufflers to be put back on because it just sounded ridiculous. Nothing like the YouTube videos.

After that I tried some Flowmasters. These sounded pretty good but the Drone @ 1800 RPM was just unbearable. It sounded (again) like a fart in a can. I tried the J-Pipe solution and it didn't work for me.

I ended up going with Corsa due to the promise of no drone. This was by far the best sounding exhaust but in reality it's a really expensive exhaust that sounds almost identical to stock. I would definitely buy from this company again because the sound was better than the stock.

So after all that I came to the conclusion that I don't think the stock motor is capable of sounding decent without some major high dollar modifications. I know some people like the straight pipes sound but IMO it sounds like crap.

3. Paddle Shifters/Automatic transmission: I thought I would enjoy the auto as a daily driver but the paddle shifters never grew on me. Without using the paddles the car seemed to want to sit in 6th gear all the time which resulted in a pretty un-fun driving experience. For me, a manual transmission is the only way to go in a car like this.

4. Gas mileage- I got a combined 19MPG. Pretty bad for settling on the V6.

After everything was said and done I ended up trading for a 2016 Subaru WRX which for me is great for a DD. Very fast, manual, Turbo!, mod friendly with many enthusiasts web-sites and it gets so far about 28 Hwy and 24 city.

I do plan to purchase another Camaro in future, which of course will be an SS 6 speed set aside for weekend fun.

[Dizzy82]

Your problem was you didn't get what you wanted, which was the v8, and now choose to say the v6 is a "mistake"?

[Whoomba]

The only one I agree with on is the gas mileage. I'm getting 21 but it should be better than that.

[sixtyseven]

How many miles on your car?

I have a model like yours and I'm very pleased with my purchase.

Don't be afraid to give it some pedal. The computer in these cars will adapt to your driving style.

With mine the power started coming on at around 2,200 to 5,000 milles and was noticeably more responsive. The MPG increased also around 5,000 miles on the odometer.

I have the Corsa catback. This exhaust sounds good. Let someone drive your car and listen from outside. It sounds better outside and out back than it does in the drivers seat. Although not bad from the drivers seat but much much better outside.

[rtcat600man]

Sorry to hear about your bad times with the V6 Camaro. Not all have the same experience.

For me the MRT 2.0 was a killer sound.

I can turn a decent 1/4 mile time with my "baby" V6.

Handles like a slot car.

Looks GREAT, getting compliments all the time.

Oh and it gets over 30 mpg on the highway.

ALL FANTASTIC in my book for my DD.

Maybe you didn't give the Camaro enough of a chance?

[chasmanian]

Good luck with the new car.

[VTSummit]

Hmmm... I like mine. I guess that's all that matters in the end.
Do I wish I had the V8? No. I have a different car for stirring the gears and recreational driving.
Sounds as if impulse-buying a car was the mistake. I'd rather take a cheese grater to my naughty bits than drive an STI as a daily driver.

[Dubchitts]

At first I wanted a v8. The car I was making payments on at the time had a gasket let go right when I moved to a new city. Because I had no money to have it towed the only option I had was to limp it a mile at a time and let it cool down. Unfortunately it still overheated multiple times.

I decided to trade in and initially wanted the ss model. But with money still owed on my car I had to "settle" for the v6. I worked at the dealership I bought from so I helped out by taking one in our inventory instead of ordering exactly what I want because I'm a bit of a team player.

Flash forward to today. I'm very pleased with the car. A 14 1lt rs that I bought all by myself at 20!!! No one has the right to give me crap about being a "little v6". Until it's their money paying for it they have no room to talk. For me it was a budget issue. Now that I'm more on my feet I can afford to trade up. I like the thought of the '16 camaro ss. But after my recent mods I'm on the fence about trading it. Sure it would be cool, but this car has done everything I've asked it too. I've never had anyone legitimately bash it for being a v6.

Honestly to each they're own. If you feel it was a mistake so be it. You moved on and that's great. But I will never be ashamed or embarrassed to say mines a v6. And if I do trade it the, 6cyl and 4cyl crowd will always have my respect. Even if it happens to be a different car all together you have my respect (...unless it's an annoying honda that's "stanced" and falling apart. Lol) It's not about what I think they should have. It's what's perfect for them!

[Battlezone580]

To put things in perspective think about it like this. A 2015 V6 camaro is faster than a 69 SS 396 Camaro.

I had a 2011 RS and really enjoyed it, however I did get tired of hearing "its not a V8 ect" It was totaled in a not at fault accident and I got my SS which was great.

My friend has a 2015 WRX and its a great car, she got a nice exhaust and a blow of valve and it sounds really nice. I believe the wrx is almost as fast as the SS right?

Originally Posted by chasmanian

The title is v6 mistake. It should be doopree mistake. You chose poorly based on not having all the info, you let your wife tell you what's acceptable for you, and you second guess your own decision and blame it on the car. That's pretty weak. Enjoy your Subaru we won't miss you.

Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk

Someone's in a bad mood today, he already admitted he made a mistake going with the V6 no need to further beat him down The wrx is a nice car and I sure hope he enjoys it.

[camrytt]

I love mine, but wish I had gotten a v8 as well. Maybe I'll be able to get a used 2016 ss next year

[JantzenOKC]

I can't imagine buying a brand new car and then trading it in on another brand new car after such a short time(unless it's a lemon). My brother does this, he's probably had 5 new cars since I bought this Camaro.

[Kyrac0103]

Originally Posted by Whoomba

The only one I agree with on is the gas mileage. I'm getting 21 but it should be better than that.

I don't understand how you guys are only getting 18,19 or 21 MPG in your V6, my 2013 gets 26-28 MPG and I don't even try... I just drive responsibly and don't race from light to light, or put my foot to the floor every time I accelerate and slam through gears... I have on several occasions on road trips even gotten 30 plus MPG so if you are getting less than 20 MPG in your V6 you might want to look at your driving habits as the cause, not the car!!!

[rtcat600man]

Originally Posted by Kyrac0103

I don't understand how you guys are only getting 18,19 or 21 MPG in your V6, my 2013 gets 26-28 MPG and I don't even try... I just drive responsibly and don't race from light to light, or put my foot to the floor every time I accelerate and slam through gears... I have on several occasions on road trips even gotten 30 plus MPG so if you are getting less than 20 MPG in your V6 you might want to look at your driving habits as the cause, not the car!!!

I avg. 23.94 mpg for my entire ownership (81K miles worth). This includes over 170+ passes at the 1/4 mile track. Countless "spirited parade" laps at the local road course track, more times out on Woodward than I can even count. I am happy with my performance and mileage.

[Alex Benavitz]

I think it's a great car, the v6. It has great performance for the price and there aren't many cars for under $25k that can beat it.