[tarmelter]

Originally Posted by pauly1119

I have a 2003 Z06 Corvette with some bolt ons. First it’s a great car and can definitely hold its own. Mine is a very low mileage great example. But with that said and this isn’t really fair because I have a ZLE but it’s not even in the same playing field. A good car to compare it to would be mine 2012 SS Camaro also with bolt ons. Both of those are very comparable.

Sweet cars! Is that your C8Z too!!??

[pauly1119]

Originally Posted by tarmelter

Sweet cars! Is that your C8Z too!!??

No that’s not my C8. But they are very tempting. Was at a friends house last night that had a 2020 yenko and a new black C8 z06. I don’t know which one I liked more.

[Jorlebar]

Here is an update as of September 10th.

My Camaro 2SS 1LE M6 remains sitting in Michigan awaiting shipment across the border here to Ontario…. Approximately 125 miles away. It was built back in June. Recall my order was placed in January!

I am a loyal GM guy who buys a new truck every couple of years. Starting to question my loyalty!

So the other day my local dealer brought in a gently used 2019 2SS 1LE M6. I had to take it for a drive as I have never driven a 1LE Camaro before.

I drove my C5 to the dealer so I could make a direct comparison. Here are my observations after 20 minutes with the Camaro on country roads. (I am 6’2” 235 LBS with a 32” inseam.)

Camaro Positives:
Fast… lots of torque and pulls hard all the way to the red line. (Torque = fun on the street. Harley Davidson had that figured out long ago.)
Very precise steering.
Excellent braking.
Ride quality and road noise were better than expected.
Tranny and shifter were very precise. (Rev matching seemed unnecessary for street driving.)
Great looking car with a cool stance.
Visibility was just fine.
Exhaust note was good to excellent.


Camaro Negatives:
My head rubbed the ceiling. (Sunroof equipped; my order excluded the sun roof.)
Seat would not recline far enough. (I’ve seen on line that that can be remedied.)
Not sure if the Recarro seats are a great fit as they seemed to be uncomfortable across the shoulders.
Cabin felt narrow and a bit cramped.
Driver sits higher and the seating position is not as sporty as my C5.
Interior quality is way behind my new Yukon SLT.
Trunk opening is poorly designed. I’m a golfer so it matters a bit.
Overall fit and finish seemed a bit lacking for a car at this price point.

I have an excellent deal (supplier discount) in place with an attractive interest rate. That said, I’m under no obligation to buy.

I do like the car but I’m unsure if it is the right car for me.

I ordered it knowing it is the end of the line for Muscle Cars as we know them.

I am on the fence. I probably could buy it, enjoy it for a couple of years, and not lose much money.

None of us know exactly what the market will look like in the future so I don’t want to buy it as an “investment”.

She will probably show up on a truck soon and I’ll need to make a decision.

Will let ya know.

[arpad_m]

Jason, how tall are you? I'm 6' 2" and can set the driving position of the seat all the way down in my 2SS (seat memory recall takes care of this every time you get in the car, if you want), which leaves at least two inches above my head (no sunroof). You should be fine in the 2SS 1LE with no sunroof, even wearing a helmet, if you aren't much taller.

The Recaros will quickly break in to your body shape and you should be fine with those, too. Interior quality is quite a bit better in the 2SS, several ugly hollow plastic pieces in the 1SS will be replaced by leather, you'll have dual zone climate control, more electronic services (blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, rear radar, wireless phone charging etc), a better look and feel in many ways.

The trunk opening sucks indeed, GM should've broken up the taillights and increased the width of the opening, alas, they didn't. You should still be able to put your bag in the trunk and the driver(s) on the rear seat, or you can fold down the rear seat, there is a decent sized tunnel for longer objects that opens up that way.

To me, the tradeoffs with my 2SS seemed minimal, and a 2SS 1LE is even better in terms of driving characteristics (I upgraded several of my parts to 1LE equivalents in the meantime), plus you will be able to sell the car at minimal or no loss if you still don't like it.

[CTRifecta]

what other alternatives offer the same handling, steering precision, and overall sports car handling feel, paired with that gem of a V8 and satisfying tremec 6pd?



The only car that comes close is the Mustang, and we all know how much it lacks in true sports car feel vs the camaro..



If size is an issue, def try to get a camaro without a sunroof.

[Melon]

I had a 2002 C5 and really enjoyed it.

[Melon]

Originally Posted by arpad_m

Jason, how tall are you? I'm 6' 2" and can set the driving position of the seat all the way down in my 2SS

I'm 6'-2" as well.

When I got the car I was 350lbs, and since then I've lost about 140lbs and am currently down to 210lbs. The car is much more comfortable at 210lbs, but I did fit in it @ 350lbs. The only downside was the hip bolstering in the Recaro seats. That was a little tight on my posterior.

[Jorlebar]

She has arrived. Decision time. Two really nice cars.

[JamesNoBrakes]

Originally Posted by Melon

I'm 6'-2" as well.

When I got the car I was 350lbs, and since then I've lost about 140lbs and am currently down to 210lbs.

Truly impressive. Keep it up!

[LESS1]

Originally Posted by Jorlebar

Has anyone made the transition from C-5 Corvette to a new Camaro SS 1LE?

I have a low mileage 2003 Corvette Coupe that has been excellent. I’ve had a new Camaro on order since January. Looking forward to it arriving but apprehensive about letting go of the Corvette.

I am hoping someone has an informed opinion about how these two great cars stack up. There is 20 years difference between model years but arguably the vette was ahead of its time and the 2023 Camaro has not been updated in a while.

Please share your experience. Thanks, Jason.

You didn't mention what you intend to use the Camaro for, which would be helpful in answering you. I owned a low mile (7900) 2003 Z06 for ~ 4 years before moving to my 2019 SS 1LE. In my case, both cars were used for track days with very limited daily use. If you want to go fast on a road course without worrying about anything breaking, the choice is easy... SS 1LE. On the other hand, if you want a comfortable daily drive that you can take cross country in comfort... keep your C5. This is not to say the C5 can't be a good track car or that the SS 1LE isn't a good daily. However, one is a better commuter and the other a beast on track. Best of luck with your decision.

[Curr]

I went from a '16 C7 2LT M7 to a '17 SS 50th Anniv 'vert M6 and loved it. I wanted something to be a ~3 season DD and the C7 just didn't thrill me that much. I was much more fond of the Camaro.

As a weekend only toy, the C7 was fabulous, but the more I drove it, the more I wanted to drive it everyday and it just got tedious for a ~50 y/o guy with a bad back, and bad knee (thanks USN...). So the SS had ~90-95% of the performance and was MUCH easier to live with day to day (for me).

I'm super happy where I'm at now, but I do miss that 50th, what a great car.