^^^ Couldn't agree more ^^^
I'm really fortunate that about a year ago my wife essentially gave me a blank check to buy any new Camaro I wanted. She didn't care what year it was, trim level, color, or transmission. She didn't care what it cost, be it a vert, a coupe, 2SS or ZL1. She basically said... "Buy a car you'll love for a very long time, get the one you really like. You want the supercharger go for it, you want a stick, fine, 8-speed, 10-speed, who cares… just get what makes you happy."
Well it took a while for me to weed through the options, all the while waiting to see the 2019 refresh.
1) I've driven manuals now on and off for 30 years, and while certainly fun for a little while, I don't want one for the long term. I’d like an A8 or A10, so not a 1LE.
2) I don't like the Recaro seats so that takes the ZL1 out. I'm not getting any younger and I want comfort now and in the future (before searching out Camaros, I thought I’d be getting a Corvette but the seats are just too low, I’m not interested in fighting to crawl out of it every time I get somewhere, so that was a no on the Vettes). I'm basically trying to find a car I can be happy driving for possibly decades. I want to buy a keeper.
3) I wanted a car that would age well and be pleasing to look at for a long time. So when the 19's finally arrived and the look was so polarizing to so many, myself included, it looked like they probably weren’t for me. Without any coaching, I showed the new front end to my wife to get a reaction; she made a funny eyebrow wiggle and said… “if that’s what you want”. She’s a poor poker player, but has good taste, she obviously thought it looked weird. The 19’s were out. I'd look for a good deal on a new 16-18 with an A8.
Cars lose their value so horribly that I'm not going to get a lot of chances to "pick whatever you want" over my lifetime. I don’t want to/probably can't afford to trade in frequently looking for the next best thing. I want a Camaro that will become part of the family. I sort of tried to think about the 16-18's vs the 19's in extremes to get a gut feeling. Would either car look great for a long time? The 16-18's seem like they would. Would the '19 end up like buying an AMC Pacer, a Ford Edsel, a Pontiac Aztek? Maybe, why risk it?
It wasn't really that hard of a choice in the end. The A10 isn't something that I'm going to really notice missing and that front end isn't something I want to hope to learn to love.
As I've mentioned in other posts, we ended up going with a leftover 2017 2SS. I found one with every feature I wanted and none that I didn't. I got the color I liked without having to choose a black one just to hide the new bumper line. The car I bought doesn’t need any excuses. I even scored nearly 25% off sticker, which was a nice plus. I drive American cars and it would be nice if they tried to look American. I don't want to drive a Toyota, or any car that has the modern design language of massive grille monstrosities. I want a normal car with a normal a front end, not just a big hole up front. Something that’s good looking today and has a reasonable chance of standing the test of time.
Our new car has been home now for a few weeks and while not as outrageously fast as the ZL1, or as “new” looking as a 2019 we've gotten so many compliments from neighbors and co-workers. It’s fast enough for us, and very comfortable. My wife has driven it to work several times and many co-workers young and old have raved about the color and style, she's given lots of little rides around town and it seems like a big hit. I like it, she likes it, friends, family, co-workers like it. It's a beautiful car, nothing strange about it!
In reality cars are all so similar, they all have doors, steering wheels, tires, engines. I already have a couple of great cars and honestly don’t need a Camaro at all; it’s just a toy for fun and its good looks. Maybe the 2019’s will be perfect for someone, but that someone wasn’t me.
