[GroundhogSS]

You're never too old to get the car you want. I was 71 when I got the 2SS convertible and six years and 75K miles later I'm still loving it. I've had very few problems with the convertible. I've had convertibles in the past, 1963 Impala SS and a couple of MGBs in the 70s. Those are when you had convertible problems. I wouldn't change anything. The ZL1 was tempting but I don't need that much power and decided to leave it for the younger guys. I will say I've never had a sunroof that I liked. Good luck and post pictures.

[N Camarolina]

Originally Posted by Rock-It Man

I'm not going to debate ZL1 vs SS. Both are too fast for public roads, so if you want to fully enjoy the power, you need to go to the track or the drag strip.

So, that would rule out the convertible for me, since you can't track one without a roll bar.

The only other comment I have is that the sun roof is butt ugly, as it ruins the roofline.

Buy what you want, of course. But since you asked for opinions, I say stick with a 2SS. As noted by others, it's capability is greater than what you can take advantage of on public roads. Therefore, the extra money spent on the ZL1 is effectively for looks or "knowing" that it can go faster and handle better than the SS. Step on the pedal in an SS, and you still get to 100+mph way faster than you expect. A supercharged ZL1 will just end the acceleration enjoyment that much sooner.

[SS_Don]

Originally Posted by GroundhogSS

You're never too old to get the car you want.

63 when I bought my '22 2SS.

[SteveV]

Originally Posted by razorwired

I've always been impressed with GM's ability to make a high-powered car very comfortable to drive in everyday conditions. 122 Lb GS - now that's a beast!

He is a gentle giant...

[Cmax]

Having a 2SS vert, as well as being 60 myself…. My humble opinion is that on public roads the SS is plenty of power enough to both scare the crap outta me, and make my lips touch both ears.
However the sound of the SC, and the look of that awesome hood would be very tempting.
If money is the reason to stop short of a SGM ZL1 in a vert, then I would go with option one…. But if you got the coin, then I say option 2 and add a soft top….
I think a fully optioned ZL1 vert will be very desirable in a decade…..your kin will fight over it…

[JTS]

66 age wise, been a car guy,since I was very young , got it from my Dad "thanks Dad". I have had many 60s Muscle Cars ,I also Drag raced for 20 years til 2000.I sold my last muscle car a year ago , gravitating lately towards late model muscle. I purchased a 2022, Camaro SS a year ago , great Car . I too thought I wanted a Corvette so I sold the Camaro and picked up a beautiful low mile C7 ZO6, I was never happy with it, so I used it for a trade on my 2023 Camaro ZL1 , and haven't looked back since. As we speak , I'm still in my break in mileage so nothing over 4500rpms. You will not regret eather Car, ZL1 is an awesome late model muscle super car. Have fun and enjoy, you worked hard to get to this point . Happy Motoring

[Jus Cruisin]

Another picture of my ZL1. Windows tinted. The wheels you mentioned you like are going to take time and patience to clean. Anyway, I'm thrilled with the car.

[HemiDave]

Enjoy your ZL1!!

[CheeseHeadNinja]

Put it this way: nobody ever bought a ZL1 and said I wish I got an SS instead.

[arpad_m]

Originally Posted by CheeseHeadNinja

Put it this way: nobody ever bought a ZL1 and said I wish I got an SS instead.

This sounds very profound, except there are users here who had a ZL1, then decided it had too much power to use on the street and sold or traded it for an SS or LT1.

I will say that this is indeed the rare exception rather than the rule.

[MR's 2SS]

Im 66... Not yet ready to retire but its on the horizon.
Wife is 9 years younger and still working. The Camaro is actually her car as she has always wanted a vert and I always nixed that for obvious reasons as a primary commuter in NJ.
Maybe not so obvious if you live elsewhere. But more than weather is the actual act of driving on Rt 78 and 287 which were her commutes. Its like doing battle. Not the kind you win with speed and handling, but the kind you win with a truck.
We had test driven Camaro verts by renting them In Fla. a few times.
Depending on your size, the Camaro 6th gens are a very cozy interior. My wife is 5'2" and it fits her perfectly with the Recaros and she sits with them all the way forward. I cannot lean the seats far enough back to get really comfortable and I need to move them all the way to the rear getting in and out. I drive with them forward a couple inches max. I am 5'8" 165. As for actually driving the car the Recaros are great and the seat/wheel/shifter relationship I great.
A recent trip 90 miles to the Jersey shore, doing work at the shore house, driving the boat around to top off tanks and get stabil through the engine and then 90 miles home... I was uncomfortable and squirming a bit the last 30 or 40 miles. But thats me with some back issues. She loves the car but when Im there she always likes for me to drive.
I am a vehicle guy. So Im into muscle cars... vintage cars.. Bikes, trucks, tractor trailers, boats.... vintage radial engine aircraft... Anything that moves and uses combustion to motivate. I had several Vetts in the 70s. A 65 convertible, a 69 427 convertible and a 70 with T tops. The 69 was a garage queen but the others were my daily drivers 12 months out of the year.
Of the 3 American muscle/sports cars. I have leaned Camaro since 1967. There are some Mustangs I would love and some mopars I would love. But today its Camaro only.
Im a bike guy but Harleys. Ive owned others and love all nice bikes but I am a Harley guy. I ride like I stole it and I am an extremely aggressive driver. I have 30 years of driving tractor trailers including over the road when I was a kid on to hauling large over dimensional stuff. Millions of miles in every condition possible in Continental US. A bit of track time.. more 1/4 mile than road. Not a lot. A little boat racing in the 80s before a crash put my close friend in a wheel chair for life. I was standing right next to him and walked away. A bit injured but I had to swim while holding him up in rough water and that sort of tempered me a bit.
We would only buy a manual. I know the auto is better from a performance perspective but then Im a Harley guy and if it was only about performance there are much better choices. We want to run through the gears on the street. No racing a vert and my wife rows through the gears better than probably 95% of the population.
We test drove a coup and the vert. Both 2ss. Similar configurations. Same colors. Oddly the coup had standard seats and the vert Recaros. The coup had Magride and coups have better posi. With oil cooler. In 2020 anyway.
I was more comfortable in the coup. It may be a false read but I felt like it handled better even at the low test drive speed.
The little lady always wanted a vert... I never wanted to deal with a vert again and the car cannot fit in the garage because 2 Harleys. The final straw was that she could not floor the clutch in the coup and she could with no problem in the vert. I dont know if its the Recaros or if the cabin is tighter in the verts but thats what happened and vert it is.
I should point out we have an Accord for her to DD and an F-250 for you know who.
In almost 2 years the Camaro has less than 5,000 miles. Weve loved every mile. It stays under a Covercraft cover always and its only driven in the nice weather although it did get caught out in a super heavy rain once. It didnt leak. But before the cover it did sit out. The changes in temp and moisture allowed a build up of moisture in the cabin. Not a leak. So far. I clean it with Miguires waterless wash and wax every single time before putting the cover on. Or the cover stays off until I can. I bought 18" snows for all 4 corners because we will drive it until they put the salt down and the summer only tires are brought indoors for the cold rather than leaving them on all winter. Not for snow but if it was absolutely necessary I would have no fear of driving it in snow up to several inches. Seems unlikely but Ive driven lots of front engine/rrear drive hi power cars in snow. Thats all there was in 1973.
I would love a ZL1. I would deffinately get into trouble. The 455/455 GDI engine is great. It sounds great when you wail on it. It performs better than the old school muscle cars or vetts of my youth ever could. A bit less visceral because everything is so much more refined. And gets close to 30 mpg if driven accordingly. In <5,000 miles I did get used to it and theres times I would like to have the ZL1... But I absolutely do not need it. My Harley has been worked a bit but its an 06 88. Brought to 100 with cams and head work. Others have way more power but its a touring bike... It pulls the front wheel off the ground in 1st and 2nd if I get really frisky and hit it just right in the power bad. It happens. And when the traffic is obnoxious on rt 78 I have travelled 30 miles between 90 and 110 working through the obstacles.
Therefore a ZL1 is out of the question.
Verts are a pain if you cant garage them but the chassis is rigid enough that I never notice any cowl shake or flexibility. Ever. Maybe back to back on the track you could find it but they did a great job with I think about 350 extra pounds worth of vert stabilization.
If you want to cruze around on a sunny day and make some good noise the 2SS vert will not disappoint.
Hope that helps.

[Cmax]

I wouldn’t commute a vert on 278 and route 78 in Jersey either….. and not just because of traffic.
Good lord, I’ve spent enough time driving in NY/NJ to know. Heck ice balls on the highway would tear off the front air stabilizer… having more than 100 hp isn’t needed to go 5 miles an hour 75% of the time, and I noticed tons of cars with rubber pads front and back….I guess for parking garages….
If I had a vert and two Harley’s, it would be to drive away from that town…
Made me laugh when you said you had to put seat back to get out and your 5’8”
I’m 6’5”, and thankfully I have a vert because climbing out with the top up, makes my wife laugh….but with the top down, I’m like Bo Duke jumping in to start er up…

[Memphis SS]

I’m 59 as well… Don’t know how I got here so quick.

I’m not going to be any help to you picking between the two options, both are great cars.
I will give you a third option. You might consider a low mileage C7 Corvette. It’s really easy to find Corvettes used that are garage queens. If you have never owned a Corvette you should own one in your lifetime. Plus you can take the top out on a coupe.

Good luck and keep us posted on what you buy.

[MR's 2SS]

Originally Posted by Memphis SS

I’m 59 as well… Don’t know how I got here so quick.

I’m not going to be any help to you picking between the two options, both are great cars.
I will give you a third option. You might consider a low mileage C7 Corvette. It’s really easy to find Corvettes used that are garage queens. If you have never owned a Corvette you should own one in your lifetime. Plus you can take the top out on a coupe.

Good luck and keep us posted on what you buy.

I was going to say something about a nice C7 also. I still like them better anyway.
Although if the C8 stayed with the program of being a European supercar beater for under 70 grand I might think differently. But with the JO dealers initial gouging I just looked the other way.