[LT4Greg]

I say go for it! You only live once and if that’s what you really want then get it!��

[Staves]

Yes, car hop way too much. As long as you can deal with 17mpg average overall (I don’t even drive mine that hard) and back seat limitations. A pre-schooler should be fine though.
One drive in an LT1 A10 and you’ll buy it.

[ModernCamaroZ28Fan]

Originally Posted by Staves

Yes, car hop way too much. As long as you can deal with 17mpg average overall (I don’t even drive mine that hard) and back seat limitations. A pre-schooler should be fine though.
One drive in an LT1 A10 and you’ll buy it.

These are facts. ^^

[BrandanK]

Originally Posted by Zr8000

The back seat is useless. You won’t be happy with the car for that reason. I can’t even fit in my back seat. A ctsv sedan will be a lot better option

I will need to go test drive one and throw the carseats in it and see. I'm 5'-3", so the seat is never back very far.


Yes, the CTSV is a terrific option; only issue is the $60,000 price tag for a used car.


BK

[pauly1119]

The back seat is small, I have a ZLE, I’m 5’11” and need the seat all the way back so my daughter can only sit behind my wife. She never complains but is only 9 and a little peanut. My son can’t fit in the car but is 6”3”, backseat that is. We also have a big SUV I drive to work and with the family most of the time but it could work for a few years with little ones just not very easy.

[arpad_m]

Originally Posted by Zr8000

The back seat is useless. You won’t be happy with the car for that reason. I can’t even fit in my back seat. A ctsv sedan will be a lot better option

Quite the exaggeration. My kids are completely happy with the backseat, zero complaints. Definitely not designed for a tall adult, I'm 6' 2" and my head is pushing up against the headliner back there, but pretty adequate for kids, especially if the driver/passenger aren't too tall and don't push the seats far back.

One other thing you should be aware of is that there's absolutely nothing in the back, no radio controls, no USB, no vents and the quarter windows are very small, so you'll need to provide some kiddy entertainment.

Originally Posted by BrandanK

I will need to go test drive one and throw the carseats in it and see. I'm 5'-3", so the seat is never back very far.

Yes, the CTSV is a terrific option; only issue is the $60,000 price tag for a used car.

BK

Yeah, that's definitely what you should do, these things are pretty subjective, nobody can make that call but you Of course there are better cars and a 4-door sedan is much more family friendly, but way less performance oriented. Unless it's the Charger Hellcat, but then we're in the $75k range, even the scat pack is $40-45k.

Same goes for the infamous "visibility issue", by the way, I have the 2SS with blind spot monitoring and rear traffic alert (that you wouldn't have in the LT1), but with the proper mirror setup I have no issues and the BSM is just an additional, non-essential confirmation. Front and especially side visibility are fine, of course the windshield is low and one may need to move their head to see some traffic lights when first in line, but nothing unlivable or too inconvenient. I actually love the race car cockpit feel and don't care to feel like I'm driving a fish tank.

I will admit that merging left into traffic at 45° intersections is a bit tricky due to the big a** C pillar, but there are very few of these where I live, plus that'd be the same for any coupe that looks good

[pyroguy]

At 5'3" you shouldn't have much if any issue with forward facing car seats in the back and unless you have a VERY tall other parent your kids shouldn't be cramped because they will likely be shorter. At 7' tall my kids wouldn't stand a chance behind me in a 6th gen. My 3 year old barely fits behind me in my 5th gen, but he's the size of most 4 and some 5 year olds.

I'm not meaning to be sarcastic, but with as much car jumping as you do you might as well just buy it and if you don't like it jump into another car in a year. You're not adverse to the risk or potential added payment/vehicle deprecation from jumping in and out of cars so why not risk it for a year? The LT1 A10 is a surprisingly quick car and you'll have a lot of fun. Is it the right fit for you? Only time will tell.

[AnimalxxxMother]

Test drive an LT1 and enjoy the smile you will have on your face the rest of the day.

[MackSteelPrivateEye]

Originally Posted by BrandanK

Hi, I'm Brandan. I have seemed to find myself wanting a new car every few years. Seems like I am never satisfied after I purchase something.

This all started about 5 years ago. I had a Chevy Cruze, it wasn't big enough for two rear facing carseats. I wanted to buy something performance oriented. I bought a 2008 Pontiac G8 GT. Good power, good price, but I always felt like the DOD/AFM cam would shred the motor at any given time, and I was bothered by a lot of the Left Hand Drive controls given the cars came from Australia. Sold it about a year later and bought a cheap Impala to drive for a bit. I had it for about a year and bought a 2009 Cadillac CTS-V. It had the space I wanted, and the performance I was looking for, but it just seemed too dated for me. I sold it about one year ago and bought a 2019 Malibu Premier with every option. I bought it preowned, and got $12,000 off of sticker price. I thought if I bought something loaded-out, then I might keep it longer. I got a great deal on it, and I could actually make about $2k by trading it in right now.

Fast forward to present; I'm stuck wanting something performance oriented now. Both of my kids are a little old now, so I don't need space for rear facing carseats. I think the best car for me would be a 2016 or newer Cadillac CTS-V (V3), however prices have skyrocketed. Even if prices come down, I think I still might not pull the trigger, considering it will be $50k. Obviously the ZL1 is a more cost effective option, but still a lot of money.

That leaves me at the LT1 Trim Camaro. All the performance I want, decent price, and has a backseat for the kids. Luckily I am only 5'-3" tall, so I don't need much leg room.

Does anyone else have problems with car hopping? I am a very busy person naturally, and I love cars.

Brandan

Hi Brandon, I'm MackSteelPrivateEye. And I too am a Camaro 6 owner.... welcome to Camaro6 Anonymous.

[Fraxum]

[QUOTE=BrandanK;


Thanks for the kind word. I considered the 1SS, but after having a full loaded Malibu, I find that I don't care for a lot of the features that I have. The big thing for me is Chevy Infotainment 3, and fun to drive, while not feeling dated, old, and creaky. Honestly, I like the sleeper look of the 1LT being that it has the LT front end. Looking at Riverside Blue with Black wheels; slick trunk with no spoiler.
Brandan[/QUOTE]

I'm with you on the clean trunk. But we are in the minority here. The standard SS rear spoiler is really a decoration. I looks kind of cool but it provides no other benefit, but adds weight to the car. I would highly recommend the NPP option. To me it makes the car. I added a Rotofab to make even prettier noise to my ears. The LT1 is one of the best performance bargains on the planet.

Like you, before my youngsters moved out we had a series of minivans and big SUVs. The SUV were chosen to also tow stuff like boats. But if you don't tow the minivan is a much better family truckster when the kids are young.

As for me I had a series of cool not too expensive cars that were fun to drive. $250K of school money had to be put aside for 3 educations and they all had student loans to get some skin in the game. Once all that was paid off I became crazy about the modern Camaros. This is by far the best one ever and is a sports car with a small block V8. Eat your heart out BMW.

[Fraxum]

Originally Posted by BrandanK

What kind of power are the LT1 motors picking up from the mods that you have listed Nightfall? Do they respond similar to the LS3?

BK

I would say no, not to mild mods. The best thing you can do for cheap is replace the IM with a ported one or better with the new LT2 IM. Also with the LT1 Chevy did not leave much in the stock tune. The stock intake is just about as good as the after market ones my dyno examples and the TriY LT1 Manifolds help too:

LS3 with a CAI CAI, scoop, and LTs was about 40 RWHP.

LT1 with a Rotofab dry, and LTs was about 20 RWHP.

Note there is an LT1 scoop now but I never tried that. I dunno what it can make.

The LS3 is a great motor. Thousands of motor swappers agree.

[Hops]

just commenting here to counter the negativity on the back seat. If you're the OP's height to a few inches taller, and there are grade school kids in the back, it works fine! I know because that's my situation! The back seat is NOT useless for many people.

[Thill444]

When you test drive the car take a kid or two with you and do a real world test. Also if something happens to your larger car (stuck in the shop for a few days or weeks) can you live with an SS?

I would also say test drive a Mustang and Challenger. Both offer more room and would be more comfortable for your family while still checking the boxes you mentioned. Both can be found used too (although the market is crazy right now).

Also if you can wait a few months I think you will see the market for these types of cars really drop as winter approaches.

Lastly, have you ever considered something like a STI, Civic Type R, Veloster Type N, Golf R, etc? All of them are very practical and are fun to drive. I have owned lots of hot hatches/sedans with kids and it's the best of all worlds unless you just really want a V8 (which I totally get).

[BrandanK]

I picked up my Riverside Blue LT1 on Tuesday.
Both of my boys with their forward facing car seats fit great. My wife and I fit just fine in the front as well.

Don't get me wrong, we don't have "sedan" type space, but it is certainly reasonable for us. If you are 5'-5" or above, I can see it not working at all with kids in the back.

Thanks for the help.