[Abubaca]

....little backstory. Owned a 2016 2SS that I bought in 2018. Hands down best car (for it's given purpose) that I've ever owned, and it's time to get back into another 6th gen. I've been looking at '22s and '23's with under 10k miles, in the mid $40's. An MRC 2SS is the goal, but the 2SS 1LE cars aren't selling for much more so they're on the list too. Car is NOT a DD, but it won't be a garage queen either.


Here and there however....I'm finding 2016 to 2018 models with similar miles.....say under 15k....and they're significantly cheaper than similar mile 21,22,23 models, etc. etc. I was showing my wife one that I found, (2016) fully loaded, 12k miles for about $36k. She asked me if I really wanted to buy a car that old!? The car was immaculate....but....it IS 8 years old. I'm not gonna cross reference every used 6th gen, but it wouldn't be a stretch to say it's about $10k cheaper than a similar mile '23 model.


I'm having trouble making an objective decision on whether or not she has a valid point! This purchase isn't gonna wipe any kid's college fund, and it's not even my second car, it's my third. I have an 88 Iroc too! So I'm good with my budget. Still, saving $10k isn't chump change, and I have lots of expensive hobbies!


If we set aside the personal tastes regarding bumpers, tail lights, hoods, etc. etc..... and if you have a minute to indulge me on this late Friday evening....I'm curious what your thoughts are on an 8 year old car.

[SS_Don]

A lot of it IS going to come down to personal taste. I happen to like the styling, exterior and interior, of the 6 gens better than the 5 gens. I think that some parts for the 5 gens are getting harder to get. Gen 6 has more HP and torque.

[2SS Capt]

Originally Posted by SS_Don

A lot of it IS going to come down to personal taste. I happen to like the styling, exterior and interior, of the 6 gens better than the 5 gens. I think that some parts for the 5 gens are getting harder to get. Gen 6 has more HP and torque.

A 2016 IS a 6th Gen, it is just the first year of the 6th Gen...

I don't know, I'd say 8-10K more for a 20+ model year would probably be worth it, just the age of everything and likely lower miles (if you are looking at very lightly driven cars)... Especially if you are going to keep it for any number of years...

[JoeCamaro444]

My only concerns within a generation of cars is available features and mileage. Year has no bearing, except for style update changes. I’d be looking for the best deal, with the lowest mileage, with the features you want. 2016-present would be on equal footing, small cosmetic changes aside.

*Note: if you’re looking for an M6 car, no concerns. If you’re looking for an automatic, consider the 2016-2018 transmission shudder issue in the A8. It can be a pain to deal with, if it hasn’t been corrected early with the latest flush.

Best of luck!!

[2SS Capt]

Originally Posted by JoeCamaro444

My only concerns within a generation of cars is available features and mileage. Year has no bearing, except for style update changes. I’d be looking for the best deal, with the lowest mileage, with the features you want. 2016-present would be on equal footing, small cosmetic changes aside.

*Note: if you’re looking for an M6 car, no concerns. If you’re looking for an automatic, consider the 2016-2018 transmission shudder issue in the A8. It can be a pain to deal with, if it hasn’t been corrected early with the latest flush.

Best of luck!!

I agree, if you want an automatic, DEFINITELY go with a 2019+ A10 Automatic... Just avoid the potential headaches of the older A8 Transmission and the possible "shudder" issues...

[Bumbleboy92]

They are cheaper, but the expense is more especially since there’s 0 warranty powertrain left on anything before 2018 and some 2019’s now.

The transmission shudder is a pretty big issue for A8’s that are out of warranty imo as if the shudder happens and you pay $300+ to do the transmission flush. If the shudder comes back then your options go to paying $300 again and so on until the torque converter blows, buying a replacement torque converter, or getting tuned to turn off AFM and/or get an aftermarket converter.

Otherwise the other expense is unplanned maintenance. For example, my 2022 at 10.8k miles had a lifter failure which was covered under warranty. At 19.5k miles I had an oil leak which was covered under warranty. They replaced all of that side lifters and seals, and resealed timing cover, oil pan, new oil cooler for the second issue. All under warranty, while the first happened with the previous owner, the second I did see the internal quote: $2,122.19 in labor, $866.98 in parts, for a total of $2,989.17 for a random oil leak I saw.

While I hope these don’t happen to others, they do happen at a chance. I was in your position when I was looking to buy my car this past summer. Pre-refresh are cheaper by a good margin and typically have more miles but you may have found a lower mileage one. MRC struts are expensive as well, that could potentially be a repair after 8 years, there’s a thread of someone recently having had to replace them on the suspension sub-forum I believe.

As you can see by my signature, I eventually found a 2SS 1LE on Facebook Marketplace. Ended up traveling to Miami, FL and driving it back to TX having bought it for $46k with 11k miles. (Also found out it was a CPO so that was a nice surprise)

So I’m advocating for not settling and getting what you want if it’s in your budget. Hell, I’ll even PM you the other listing I saw for a ‘22 Rapid Blue 2SS 1LE A10 with 20k miles in NC for $47k. I didn’t go with it due to carfax saying the engine was replaced under warranty and the seller not responding until a week before I decided on mine but if it’s still available I’d hit them up

[Joshinator99]

Originally Posted by 2SS Capt

I agree, if you want an automatic, DEFINITELY go with a 2019+ A10 Automatic... Just avoid the potential headaches of the older A8 Transmission and the possible "shudder" issues...

It’s literally just a fluid change. If that scares a possible Camaro owner off, they should buy a Toyota lmao!

My stock, untouched, A8 is 7 years old with no shudder, has funneled down 1059 HP to the wheels (and over 900 WHP for 4+ years), and gone 9.4@150. It’s hard to ask for more than that.

[The Chief (tm)]

Cannot and would not disagree with any of the caveats that Bumble points out. That said, lemme mention my experience:

Bought my 2016 almost exactly two years ago, when it had 9,573 miles on it.

Because it had such low miles, I was able to purchase a 3rd-party warranty for it for the next 6 years, or 100K miles in total.

(Back story: in a previous life I was a BMW salesman, back when 3rd-party warranties were pure rubbish, and I would NEVER have bought one. But I got a look at a detailed repair & payout history for other 2016 Camaros, with this particular company, and for the $1,600 I decided it was worth it.)

Admittedly, this was two years ago, when the 2016 was only six years old, not ~8 or whatever, now. But because of the low mileage you might still be able to get a warranty that could take care of some eventualities as Bumbleboy has indicated.

WRT the transmission flush, it appeared not to have been done in the car's lifetime, but the selling dealer and I made a deal for them to cover some of the cost. (No way I *wasn't* going to do it.)

Of course, if you get the 6-speed, no shudder issues to contend with (perhaps only the first owner's clutch foot skills...)

PM me if you'd like me to dig up the warranty company's name. They were out of Atlanta, I can recall that much anyway.

FWIW it seems like you are finding some rather excellent deals, either with the '16's or the newer ones. Without doing a deep dive, I think a $10K premium for the newer ones, or a $10K discount for the '16's, feels just about right. Although you could also say that a '16, for $10K less, leaves a lot of cash in the pocket for possible future maintenance, especially if this is car #3...

Bottom line, win-win either way. The forum *must* know what you end up doing!

[m6-lt1]

Personally I have a hard time paying 36k for an 8 year old car that retailed for 42k. If budget allows and it sounds like yours does I would rather spend 42-46k for a much newer one that’s still under warranty. If you’re getting an auto I would absolutely look for 19+. While a fluid change typically fixes the A8 issues, if the change isn’t done in time it’s going to require much more than a fluid change.

[Chutzpah]

The car market is starting to crack in a big way (I watch a ton of YouTube / car dealers talking sales and auctions etc.) A lot of dealers clinging to higher prices for as long as they can (Florida happens to be one of the worst), but the auctions and volume of repos are pointing to much lower prices coming. Dealers will have to move their expensive stock to make way for new and cheaper stock.

While I think any low mileage, well maintained 6th Gen is a great buy, reality is the 2016 is kinda over priced (while it may seem it’s a good deal next to a newer model). For example : I traded my 47k MSRP 2016 1SS convertible w/ 9.6k miles in early 2019 for 27K. The dealer sold it retail for 30K… and rates back then were ~ 3.5 %. That was the real market and we’re moving back in that direction. I’m also seeing both new and used Camaro’s marinating on websites and dealer lots up here in the Northeast. They’re not moving. I bet there’s deals to be had end of the next few months (dealer volume sales bonus from manufacturer, especially in the chilly Northeast).

Good luck either way. Sometimes its hard to wait for a practical time to buy an impractical car. I know that all too well

[The Chief (tm)]

Originally Posted by m6-lt1

Personally I have a hard time paying 36k for an 8 year old car that retailed for 42k.

I don't disagree with the reasoning, although was a 2SS really going for only $42K in 2016? Mine's a convertible, and with all the options, but MSRP was *$54K*.

[SomeGeoffGuy]

I sold my 2016 with 33k miles on it last July, and if I was in the market, I wouldn't have hesitated to buy it. I had the trans fluid change done early and it was fine after that. It had the exhaust valve rattle and the foggy windshield from the AC in the summer, but I lived with that stuff and it never bothered me.The only one I ever worried about was the "Slow crank" when doing a hot restart. Mine never failed to start but it did make me nervous sometimes. If you are worried about the trans - get a manual! It will save you the fluid issue, and you can push start it if you get teh slow crank.

These are great cars, save the money for mods!

-Geoff

[KingLT1]

2016 is the cheapest year to mod. Only takes 3 credits with HPtuners to unlock all controllers(ECM, TCM, FSCM). The TCM doesn't need to be sent out for unlocking like all other years. They also utilized the R134 refrigerant for the AC system and not the newer high dollar stuff.

I would say buy it, change trans fluid, purchase HPtuners, install a flex sensor and get it tuned. A tuned A8 is one hell of a good transmission. I know a guy that can dial in that trans tune.

[Abubaca]

Wow, thank you guys for all the replies. Thought this topic might not get a lot of traction, so thank you all!


First off, I should've mentioned that I'm looking for a manual. I literally don't know anyone who's ever owned that GM 8 speed and not had problems, though of course there ARE some of you out there!


I was going to address a few specific points that some of you made, but for the most part, many of you are on the same page. The warranty is something I've thought about and that looms large in my headspace! I've also "lost" a few vehicles over my life due not to mechanical/drivetrain failures, but to simply wearing out like an old pair of jeans. I had a beautiful slightly lifted '05 Trailblazer LTZ and it ran like a champ with 200k on the clock, -but switches, knobs, relays, buttons...little cracks in trim pieces etc. etc., it just wore out faster than I could fix stuff. It finally became too much and I was no longer enjoying it. That's a concern. I have an '03 e46 that I'm currently fighting. Actually going out to replace a window switch and coolant bottle this afternoon. I'm gonna sell this for cash to put into the Camaro. Anyhow, -things DO simply wear out with age.


I really do appreciate all the responses. Most of you didn't offer an absolute right/wrong opinion on it, but echoed my gut feeling that ultimately a newer car, regardless of the mileage is probably the better choice, assuming it's within budget. ...I've typically not been a fan of third party warranties, though I may PM The Cheif about his experiences. Thanks for that thought btw.


Little bit of fluff commentary. Totally my opinion, but I absolutely LOVE the 16-18 front bumper with the 1LE chin splitter. I like it better than the ZL1 bumper. To me the 20-24 wants to be crowned as the best looking muscle car, then shake hands with Dodge and Ford and say thanks, and better luck next year. The 16-18 though, it looks as if it just wants to stomp all comers into the dirt and then go home! Facelift cars are great looking and respectable. Early cars just look angry! Opinion of course, but it's the reaon I'm even asking these questions! LOL