[yankee]

Hi,

Unfortunately, 6th Gen might be the last and as much as this saddens me, I might be forced to accept this change starting next year. I love my Camaro but being a 2.0 1LT, I always wanted a 2SS/ZL1.

Financially this is impossible for me until 2024, and I might have to consider a Mustang.

Camaro’s handling is awesome, I’ve tested it on lots of corners at various speeds, and it didn’t feel like I was about to hit something or die.

I have never driven a Mustang but there are always “crowd” jokes and YT is full of videos with Mustangs hitting trees, falling off the road, slipping badly etc.

Is this just very subjective hate? Are they very similar handling-wise in real world?

Thanks!

[Jus Cruisin]

Roush Mustangs consistently pull 1.05+ g's. Jack Roush Jr was successful racing them (actually had restrictors placed on them) in the old Continental Tires series. I'm not a "tracker" so no personal experience.
Personally, I like both Camaro and Mustang and have owned both over the years.

[NinthWave]

Just to check my understanding of your question- you anticipate buying new in 2024 and expect only Mustang is available then? If so that would be the new 7th gen S650 Mustang. In many ways it looks like mechanically it is an evolution of the S550, but how it drives and handles isn't known yet. Haven't seen any full road tests yet.

I have experience with 6thgen of both cars, SS1LE and Mach1. They're very different. I think the SS is better for routine driving. Suspension compliance is better, seating position is much better. Part of the problem with the Mach1, is the HP version with sport cup 2 tires "tramlines" badly and it can be tiring. The seating position feels very high and a bit awkward. The Mach has a lot of grip when pushed and on a track I think they would be close in lap times.

Not sure if that view is helpful. I would say look for an opportunity to drive a 6thgen Mustang and see what you think. I suspect a GT would have less of the tramlining I experience with the Mach. Maybe your best bet is to look for a good condition used SS or ZL1 when the time comes.

[cooldawg]

I owned a fox body LX coupe manual way back when. Always been a Chevy guy, but that car was great fun to drive. One of my favorites. That said, LT1 powered ILE is worlds better.

Op has great taste in colors. With any luck, we’ll both end up in <bright yellow> SS or ZL1. If not, I’ll hand over my hard earned $$ to Ford with zero regrets. They saved the day for me with that Fox body, and they may yet do it again. There’s no doubt we’ll miss some of that low end LT1 grunt, however.

[Idaho2018GTPremium]

I think the reason the Mustangs have that running joke about them is that they are not as communicative nor controllable at the limit as the Camaro. They tend to snap into oversteer more readily than the Camaro. Steady state grip (e.g. skid pad) is one thing, but handling and chassis stability and communication at the limit is another. The Mustang chassis isn't as dialed in as the Camaro chassis, the Camaro steering is better, and the damping is better. All that leads to a more controllable machine compared to the Mustang GT.

I used to own a 2018 Mustang GT PP1 w/ MagneRide, and now own a '21 ZL1. They are leagues apart, of course, and a $20k price difference to show for it.

Edited to say: Technically, this is due to different suspension geometries, better steering rack, and much better damper tuning. Camaros don't tram line nearly as bad as Mustangs, even w/ the same tires. This is due to the better suspension geometry.

[WhiteMale]

My 15 GT/PP had wheel hop so bad, known problem in these cars, I put at least 1K of Steeda parts under the rear before I thought it was acceptable, plus a heavier rear sway bar. Thing spun me out a few times before all of that. Chassis isn't or wasn't what it could have been. No idea what they've done in that regard since then though.

[JamesNoBrakes]

Originally Posted by yankee

Hi,

Unfortunately, 6th Gen might be the last and as much as this saddens me, I might be forced to accept this change starting next year. I love my Camaro but being a 2.0 1LT, I always wanted a 2SS/ZL1.

Financially this is impossible for me until 2024, and I might have to consider a Mustang.

Camaro’s handling is awesome, I’ve tested it on lots of corners at various speeds, and it didn’t feel like I was about to hit something or die.

I have never driven a Mustang but there are always “crowd” jokes and YT is full of videos with Mustangs hitting trees, falling off the road, slipping badly etc.

Is this just very subjective hate? Are they very similar handling-wise in real world?

Thanks!

It's not subjective hate, Ford has lagged behind. Right from the beginning, they were putting skinny 255 tires on the rear of a V8 mustang. That right there tells you they are not really serious. They cost-cut it to bring the price down and undersell, realizing that most people don't care about handling as much as they care about cost and straight-line. So Ford didn't invest in the chassis, chassis tuning and suspension nearly as much. It was also the first mass-production IRS for them, so nailing it out of the gate would have been huge, but probably unlikely. To try and one-up Chevrolet, they did the GT350/R models. These did finally bring some fairly decent chassis tuning and "total package" driving together, but then Chevy did their one-up with the 1LE package for the normal SS, undercutting these by a significant amount, not to mention ZL1s that were even faster. It basically took a LONG time for Ford to come out with 1LE type packages for the basic mustang and the GT500 is a recent development, compared to how many years the ZL1 has been out there. PP2 still didn't match 1LE and only with the later stuff like the Mach 1 did they put it all together, except the price is still pretty steep.

They can make good cars, but they typically don't put as much resources into sports cars as Chevrolet does, not with the Corvette, Camaro, AT4/CT5 V Blackwings, etc. Ford's thing is more the Raptor, etc. Consequently, they simply choose not to compete with Chevrolet at times or have a competitive model, in terms of performance. In terms of cost, ergonomics (visibility) and other factors, they are ahead, so they get more non-hardcore-enthusiasts buying the cars, vs. the Camaros at the V6 and I-4 levels are a lot of compromise for not a lot of performance due to the engine limits (1LEs excluded). It's those pricepoints that make all the money though (volume sales).

[Gen6cyl]

The live axel boss 302 and Laguna seca version were considered good track cars. The gen 6 v6 and 4 cyl engines and transmissions are the same in the 1 Le except for cooling.

[n8figz]

My hope is the Dark Horse ends up being a spiritual successor to the 1LE (If the Camaro actually does get scrapped after '24). Looks like the DH will have everything the 1LE has, even the 11" wide rears.

[Grimlock212]

I suspect the Dark Horse will be a great car, but I also expect it to be VERY expensive. I’m guessing one with all the cool options (similar to a 2SS 1LE) will be well over $70K…maybe even $75K. The Mach-1 has proven that customers will overpay, and with no direct competitors, they can push the price up. You can see how they’ve recently MAJORLY increased the MSRP of some of their more popular products.

I originally planned to wait on buying a car until S650 prices were out, but after spending a ton of time in the S550 configuator, I knew that a Mustang would never beat the 1LE in bang for the buck, so I bought the Camaro.

Hopefully I’m wrong and the S650 is awesome and cheap, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

[arpad_m]

Originally Posted by Grimlock212

I suspect the Dark Horse will be a great car, but I also expect it to be VERY expensive. I’m guessing one with all the cool options (similar to a 2SS 1LE) will be well over $70K…maybe even $75K. The Mach-1 has proven that customers will overpay, and with no direct competitors, they can push the price up. You can see how they’ve recently MAJORLY increased the MSRP of some of their more popular products.

I originally planned to wait on buying a car until S650 prices were out, but after spending a ton of time in the S550 configuator, I knew that a Mustang would never beat the 1LE in bang for the buck, so I bought the Camaro.

Hopefully I’m wrong and the S650 is awesome and cheap, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

I don't see why they'd want to make it cheap when it's their top trim with no direct competitor from either Dodge or GM.

[dyingbreed]

Originally Posted by Grimlock212

I originally planned to wait on buying a car until S650 prices were out, but after spending a ton of time in the S550 configuator, I knew that a Mustang would never beat the 1LE in bang for the buck, so I bought the Camaro.

I agree with that prediction. No competitor, they can do what they want. The basic ones will cost about the same I predict. Anything 1LE-like will be big money. Enjoy!

[Camaro fanboy]

i owned an s550 for one year. SECOND BIGGEST POS CAR I EVER OWNED.
forget it. after owning a camaro you wont like it at all. i hated mine very quickly.
i mean ford cant even make these junk cars hold a straight line on the motorway. tramlining will drive u crazy and wear your mind out.
the harsh crap suspension and bouncy ride will wear you down. plus you sit way too high in those pos things. it feels as though you're sitting on the damn thing.
our cars are the real deal in everyway possible. the gen5 camaro is a way better car than the s550..

[Gunkk]

Originally Posted by yankee

Are they very similar handling-wise in real world?

No, the S550 is a wet noodle. Why do you think they didn't make GT350/500 convertibles? Jack up a 5.0 vert and open the door. You'll see why. The suspension geometry can't be improved meaningfully because the steel body is too flexible.