CAMARO6 - View Single Post

whitelightning011 · 06-10-2017, 02:18 PM

I'll chime in here with my story.

I originally looked into performance cars in 2016 when my Honda Civic lease was approximately 9 months from being over. I soon found the 6th gen Camaro to be very appealing, and then discovered that the 455 HP engine was something I wanted to feel/experience (I had never been in a car where I felt anywhere near 300 HP, let alone 400+).

So I went to a Chevy dealership around October of 2016 where I test drove the Camaro SS. "Wow" is probably the one word to describe how I felt when I first went full throttle on the car. I never imagined a car could be so exhilarating. However, like mentioned earlier on this thread, the price was just a bit out of my range (~$5-7k out of my range).

That being said, as 2017 arrived, I realized that waiting for the price of the SS to drop was just not happening. All the new SS models were out of my range, and the pre-owned models were flying off the lot. So I started looking into the Subaru WRX as an alternative, cheap performance car (not compared to the SS, just in general). I figured, "If I can't get the V8, there's no point in getting the Camaro."

However, after test driving the WRX (which was fun, but nothing near the SS experience), I decided to look into the 2.0T and V6 models. On paper, the numbers were impressive, and the design of the cars were nearly identical between the three Camaro models. I started rationalizing with myself to get the 2.0T instead of the V6, as I'd save ~$3-4k (in NYC).

My rationalization at the time of purchase was:

The 2.0T had more HP and torque than the WRX, and it came with power seats, push-button ignition, and android auto standard. That was a big deal to me as I was getting more for my money.

So, I ended up financing a new 2017 Camaro 2.0T around March of 2017. I really liked the car, especially after I test drove it and felt it pull. I thought it would be "more than enough" for city driving and commuting. However, about a month later, I started getting buyer's remorse. When I floored the car several times, the initial boost kicked in and that felt great, but you could tell the car did not have the HP to keep pulling. Also, I felt that the 2.0T "struggled" to get up to speed from 0-30 mph (not floored, just casual driving). Overall, I basically craved more power.

Then I hit Autotrader and started looking up preowned 6th gen SS models within a 300 mile radius. The inventory that popped up were again, out of my range by $3-5k. However, one day on this forum a member recommended a dealership in North Carolina that they had good experiences with (and low prices). So I looked it up and they were selling a CPO 6th gen SS (with NPP, which was a must for me), at the price point I wanted. The catch? It was located 500 miles from me, in North Carolina.

I decided that enough was enough, and that I was not going to be satisfied with the 2.0T if I was feeling buyer's remorse a mere 1 month after my purchase. So I drove 500 miles down (and 500 miles back up), traded in my 2.0T and purchased the SS. As you can imagine, the difference is substantial. The car effortlessly gets up to speed, never feels like it's struggling to get up to speed, sounds incredible, and just makes me feel like I got what I finally wanted.

The depreciation loss on my 2.0T was very substantial. That, combined with the down payment on the SS really hit my wallet. However, I am truly satisfied and the joy in driving/owning an SS makes me happy everyday.

I agree with what several of you have been saying on this thread as well—life is too short to not enjoy it once in a while. The way I look at it, the money I lost with my foolish decision to finance the 2.0T and then trade it in will eventually be made back over the course of my life. It's a hard mistake, but I've learned from it. Always get what you truly want, even if it means waiting to earn more, or simply paying more for it (within reason, of course; food/family/housing are top priorities).

All in all, I learned a great deal from my mistake but man am I happy with the SS!

06-10-2017, 02:18 PM	#227
whitelightning011 Drives: '16 1SS A8 w/ NPP Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: New York Posts: 117	I'll chime in here with my story. I originally looked into performance cars in 2016 when my Honda Civic lease was approximately 9 months from being over. I soon found the 6th gen Camaro to be very appealing, and then discovered that the 455 HP engine was something I wanted to feel/experience (I had never been in a car where I felt anywhere near 300 HP, let alone 400+). So I went to a Chevy dealership around October of 2016 where I test drove the Camaro SS. "Wow" is probably the one word to describe how I felt when I first went full throttle on the car. I never imagined a car could be so exhilarating. However, like mentioned earlier on this thread, the price was just a bit out of my range (~$5-7k out of my range). That being said, as 2017 arrived, I realized that waiting for the price of the SS to drop was just not happening. All the new SS models were out of my range, and the pre-owned models were flying off the lot. So I started looking into the Subaru WRX as an alternative, cheap performance car (not compared to the SS, just in general). I figured, "If I can't get the V8, there's no point in getting the Camaro." However, after test driving the WRX (which was fun, but nothing near the SS experience), I decided to look into the 2.0T and V6 models. On paper, the numbers were impressive, and the design of the cars were nearly identical between the three Camaro models. I started rationalizing with myself to get the 2.0T instead of the V6, as I'd save ~$3-4k (in NYC). My rationalization at the time of purchase was: The 2.0T had more HP and torque than the WRX, and it came with power seats, push-button ignition, and android auto standard. That was a big deal to me as I was getting more for my money. So, I ended up financing a new 2017 Camaro 2.0T around March of 2017. I really liked the car, especially after I test drove it and felt it pull. I thought it would be "more than enough" for city driving and commuting. However, about a month later, I started getting buyer's remorse. When I floored the car several times, the initial boost kicked in and that felt great, but you could tell the car did not have the HP to keep pulling. Also, I felt that the 2.0T "struggled" to get up to speed from 0-30 mph (not floored, just casual driving). Overall, I basically craved more power. Then I hit Autotrader and started looking up preowned 6th gen SS models within a 300 mile radius. The inventory that popped up were again, out of my range by $3-5k. However, one day on this forum a member recommended a dealership in North Carolina that they had good experiences with (and low prices). So I looked it up and they were selling a CPO 6th gen SS (with NPP, which was a must for me), at the price point I wanted. The catch? It was located 500 miles from me, in North Carolina. I decided that enough was enough, and that I was not going to be satisfied with the 2.0T if I was feeling buyer's remorse a mere 1 month after my purchase. So I drove 500 miles down (and 500 miles back up), traded in my 2.0T and purchased the SS. As you can imagine, the difference is substantial. The car effortlessly gets up to speed, never feels like it's struggling to get up to speed, sounds incredible, and just makes me feel like I got what I finally wanted. The depreciation loss on my 2.0T was very substantial. That, combined with the down payment on the SS really hit my wallet. However, I am truly satisfied and the joy in driving/owning an SS makes me happy everyday. I agree with what several of you have been saying on this thread as well—life is too short to not enjoy it once in a while. The way I look at it, the money I lost with my foolish decision to finance the 2.0T and then trade it in will eventually be made back over the course of my life. It's a hard mistake, but I've learned from it. Always get what you truly want, even if it means waiting to earn more, or simply paying more for it (within reason, of course; food/family/housing are top priorities). All in all, I learned a great deal from my mistake but man am I happy with the SS!