[TheBat-Dad]

Looking for an unbiased answer from a totally biased crowd.

Situation:
I own two cars, one is a '17 V6 1LE, which I absolutely love. Second is a '15 Volvo V60, which kicks ass in winter but is a snooze to drive in the summer, still can be riot to drive though with 300+ hp. The Camaro currently does not have winter tires so it's been parked since November.

I am recently divorced, so I only need 1 car, and I am keeping both as my ex doesn't like either of them.

So, I have thoughts to consolidate my cars into one do-it-all vehicle. I track the Camaro frequently in the summer, and do a lot of back roads driving (for those interested, eastern Ontario has fabulous roads). In the winter, I go drifting after it snows, which is incredibly fun. I also make frequent trips to ski hills. Some things to keep in mind. My budget for this is $45-60k CDN, willing to spend more if it makes sense.


Here is how my thought pattern goes:

• If I'm going to the effort of selling the Camaro, I want something faster. Can't step down, and a lateral move doesn't make me excited either.
• There are marginally faster cars which would probably work for everything, such as the Focus RS or Civic Type R, but they both sound like shit and the audio experience is extremely important
• So I'm looking at cars like the TTRS, which sounds great, impressive track performance, and is a true 4 season car. Other options are an M3, ATS-V, M2, that kind of thing.
• BUT, with the amount I would need to spend on a TTRS, I could spend $10-$15k less on a SS 1LE and mop the floor with that car and pretty much anything else in the price range (not to mention get a track-backed warranty)
• So I end up back here wanting to trade my Camaro for a Camaro, and just buying the best set of winter tires I can and learning to drive RWD in the snow

Other notes:

• Manual is important, but in the case of the TTRS it isn't an option, so that's a knock against it
• Would prefer a 2+2 for the marginal utility, and lower insurance. Not mandatory
• Needs to be able to fit a snowboard somehow

Am I crazy? Talk me out of it, or not!

[WhyUMad1LE]

I would get what I currently have, an SS 1LE and an old 4Runner. The Camaro is a great car but not meant for snow. Plus they look ridiculous with skinny tires!

You may want to look at a 997 Turbo 6MT as well.

[FlashBang23]

Bought my SS 1LE as a daily driver here in Michigan and took it off "daily duty" only because mileage was getting too high too fast. If I were you Id either go SS 1LE for a coupe or look at a certified ATS V sedan if you want more practicality. The used market seems to have dropped a bit on those and is making them pretty appealing IMO. You'll be fine with snow tires on the camaro as long as you don't try to go plowing through 12 inches of snow, dont let anyone tell you otherwise lol. As buckeye above said maintenance in the winter is just a pain and has to almost become a lifestyle if you do it right lol. I personally ceramic coated my car and would brave the cold to use quarter washes 1-2 times a week to clean the car. It cleaned up well each time, just took time effort and money.

[kropscamaro16]

are you going to track it? if not just get a used 1ss or 2ss but up to you

[cmeJATT]

here's my thought

- Focus RS / Type R / WRX -= kid car .. i dont see them as a mature person car. (again this is my opinion ) i use to own a WRX as "fun" it was .. came with a lot of issues plus interior was so cheap. made 320ish max power after full bolt ons

TTRS = good , but not fan of the interior .. never driven one, but dont see myself in one.

personal favorite (top 3) = Camaro SS / 1Le = track ready, instant power, v8 sound, etc...

m2/m3/m4 = may have common German car problems, but love the car, luxury, fast, but expensive repairs

C7 GS = my personal favorite. fast/ looks killer / v8 / my only grudge is no back seats lol.. but i would take C7 GS over SS 1LE lol


2nd favorite is ZL1 = just plain perfect lol.. maybe bit expensive to get into and high insurance rates, but other than that it perfect. i would love a ZL1,

[Laststandard]

Originally Posted by WhyUMad1LE

I would get what I currently have, an SS 1LE and an old 4Runner. The Camaro is a great car but not meant for snow. Plus they look ridiculous with skinny tires!

Same here, although Xterra instead of 4Runner. Best of both worlds, SS 1LE for on-road and track shenanigans, Xterra for off-road and bad weather driving.

[enzia35]

The real question is how you still have money after the divorce!

[TRZ06]

I had to make a similar choice when my M3 lease was up.

I really wanted the Audi TTRS, as I had a 2013 before and LOVED it. It is a GREAT do it all car and fast as F***. In stock form it does understeer, but with a spring and sway bar swap, you can dial all of that out. Mine also had a stage 1 APR tune.

Since I live in California though, I didn't need a 4 season car and the SS 1LE was quite a bit cheaper (about 40% after factoring in discounts on the SS 1LE and the lack of discounts from Audi).

The SS 1LE is a diamond in the rough and a very special car, IF you do not need it for snow or heavy rain duty. As great as the TTRS is, the SS 1LE will easily out handle it, but how many cars in that price range can pull 1.15G's in stock form and be composed as hell while doing it. That is the beauty of the SS 1LE

Having said that, if I lived in a 4 season area and wanted only a single car, the Audi TTRS would be my choice. It is light weight, tossable, quick off the line, can handle snow and while not as fast around the corners and without the ultimate grip levels of a SS 1LE, the Audi TTRS is still very fun to toss around corners (just dial out that understeer and add a stage 1 tune)

[wjones14]

The cheapest solution is to sell the Volvo and get a second set of rims with winter tires for the V6 1LE. You love the car and it's a manual, so problem solved.

If you have your heart set on a new do-it-all car, it's hard to beat the Focus RS. I know you said you don't like the exhaust sound, but the factory exhaust sounds good to me - definitely much better than the Civic Type R. And what about an aftermarket exhaust?

My son-in-law recently bought a pre-owned 2015 Lexus GS350 F-Sport with the Marc Levinson stereo - totally blows away the Bose in the Camaro. He paid almost $35K USD for a 23,000 mile car that cost $60K when new. Lexus is also rated very high for reliability. Overall the car is pretty awesome and AWD, but downside, automatic only...

Whatever car you get, you need dedicated winter and summer tires when you're a car enthusiast.

[LT4Greg]

Sounds like you pretty much have made up your mind Bat-dad! I say go with what you are wanting because if you don’t you will regret your decision not to get a SS 1LE that you can enjoy driving everyday. Life is too short not to get something that makes you happy! I say by all means go for the SS 1LE and don’t look back!!

[DaveC113]

I'm happy with mine so far.

For winter I'm running 265/40/19 Michelin Pilot Alpin and the car is fun to drive in the snow, handling and braking are good. Ice and snow mode helps with feathering the throttle... Only issue is getting enough traction to accelerate when the snow is softer. On packed snow it's not bad but soft snow/slush can be iffy, and if you stop going up some hills in the snow there's no way you'll get going again without getting out and putting dirt under the car for traction. Even with TC and a e-diff there's not a ton of available traction on some surfaces. I do think it's possible to fit some sort of low-profile tire chain-type device, and a 50 lb bad of sand in the trunk might be good too, for ballast and for traction if you get stuck.

[I`m Batman]

Are you THE Bat Dad?

[TheBat-Dad]

Thanks for the feedback so far. The perfect mix of biased people giving unbiased responses.



Some other notes, I don't actually need to daily this car, as I can walk to work (about 5 minutes, a wonderful way to live). And in the winter it would mostly be for ski trips and groceries. This is one of the reasons why I keep coming back to the Camaro. Pretty much >90% of the mileage I put on it will be for 'fun' purposes, so it might as well be the best at that purpose.



BuckeyeROC, I hadn't thought too much about a ZL1, because I'd probably end up killing myself, and it's a tad out of the budget range. But if I ended up test driving one I probably wouldn't be able to say no.



kropscamaro16, Last season I did close to 4 events a month, so yes I do/will track it.


cmeJATT, I wouldn't exactly call a Camaro a grown up car, but if I cared about that I wouldn't have bought on in the first place.



enzia35, thankfully it's uncontested and we are still friends. No lawyers!


TRZ06, I probably should atleast test drive the TTRS, it is an impressive all around package


wjones14, Cost isn't too much of an issue as thankfully I have a good job, although I like to feel like I got a deal. Other problem with the focus is I just hate ford interiors, and I'm not even a guy that usually cares about interiors. But when I sat in one a few years ago I was like, 'wtf why would I pay $40k for this.'


DaveC113, appreciate this. I am really wondering what it will be like in the winter. Drifting in the Volvo is an absolute riot, and I imagine that I won't be able to do that anymore. But at the same time, it needs to snow ~5+inches for it to work properly, which really only happens a handful of times per year.

[TheBat-Dad]

Originally Posted by I`m Batman

Are you THE Bat Dad?

Haha I always wonder if this will come up when I use this name. I am not, I've been using this name for over ~10 years as a video game name. I got it from Southpark, my favourite episode. Thankfully I don't have kids, which makes the divorce x10000000 easier!