[ITSNO4RE]

Hey guys,

Thanks for having me. This is my first post on this forum and I do not currently own a Camaro nor have I ever. I'm partial to Mopar and when my wife told me she wanted a sports car I was ready for that 392 Chally but then she finished her sentenced... she wants a convertible so mopar is out of the question.. After looking through cars she likes, the Camaro came out on top (even over the vette that we cant afford anyways, lol). I've always thought the trans am was hot af but the camaros of that time seemed lacking. today, no trans am but im loving the new camaro looks. Since I never owned one and don't know anyone that does I need a real, unbiased Pro/Con list of that year trim (1SS). real world stock rwhp/TQ #s, mpg, reliability, quirks, etc.

Thank you much in advance and looking forward to contribute and learn from the group.

[Wyzz Kydd]

I think you may want to provide a bit more about the car you are considering. 1SS is helpful, but whether it's an auto or manual matters. Also, 1LE, or not? If it's an Auto I can tell you that the 2016-2018 V8's with the A8 can have serious issues with shudder that can sometimes not be cleared up. I had a 2016 1SS A8 and that's why I got rid of it. Other than that I liked a lot of things about the car. With my 2018 1SS 1LE M6 I have pretty much no complaints other than I wish there were more choices for high quality all season tires.

[ITSNO4RE]

Hey Wyzz,

no idea.. didn't see any listed with the 1le option... yes, it will be an auto as the wife doesn't drive stick. im buying used so I am asking questions on here b4 I actually go and look at them so I know what to look for...ie that tranny shudder. the car needs to be reliable on top of being fun. I tend to mod the sh!t out of every car I get so I usually go for bottom trim with the best engine and start ripping everything out.

[BluinSC]

I'm now owning my second Gen 6 SS perhaps I can offer some insight. Both were 1ss Camaros. Take a look at the convertible section of the forum for convertable thoughts. Both of mine are 16s

Pros:

Looks- this is obviously subjective but I honestly think this car looks much better than the competitors. Especially in black.
Speed- The car is a missile. Short of a Hellcat or Gt350 this can compete with just about anything.
Interior- again subjective but I love the interior layout and how functional everything is. The GF does not. More on that later.
Sound- having heard all three this is the best sounding car. The engine is reliable (for me at least) and has torque for days. I'd suggest trying to find one with the quad exhaust (NPP)
Handling- It is the true canyon carver of the 3. the car sticks to the road. One push of the TC button and the car will do drifts for days. It has a dual personality. Which I love.

Cons-

Interior- the car is pretty small and the backseat is basically useless. Should be fine if you have small kids, teenagers? Maybe not. Of course you can let the top down and have head room for days. Lol

Options- The 1ss does not have some modern appointments like dual mode climate control. This is a big minus for the GF as she's always cold. Also the base sound system is 6 speakers and is marginal at best. The lack of the blind spot monitoring from the 2ss is also a hindrance to some. I'm 5 '9 and don't have any problems however. Once again though top down solves this. LOL. The cloth seats I'm fine with but I do want leather eventually.

Storage- Storage space in general is lacking. Managing multiple devices and dashcam and radar detector is a hassle. Hard to get big items in the trunk. The convertible has even less trunk space.

Horsepower and torque depending entirely on what transmission you get. The manual I believe is around 410-420 at wheels, the Auto is more like 380-390. Miles per gallon is dependent on transmission. I drove 500 miles a week with the first car and constantly got 32 miles per gallon or better in the Auto. This is the reason I got an Auto the second time, even though I'm doing more city driving now)The manual will be less than that, but you can still get over EPA estimate with a light foot (manual rated at 25 highway, Auto is 27).

Reliability for some is also dependent on transmission. There are numerous topics about the shudder in the A8 auto. There are also problems reported with the convertible top and torque converter issues. For 17 there was also a power steering recall that was just issued for 17 Model year cars. My late 16 car (built in 3/16) had problems with it. This is subjective, but other than the power steering issue with my first car both cars I've had have been reliable. I haven't needed to go to a shop for multiple days for anything. My first was totaled after 48k but I had no doubt it would've made it to 100k and beyond.

Quirks are numerous. Tires are summer tires and pretty good in the dry. Not good in the rain. If this will be a daily driver I'd suggest getting an all season tire (I'm partial to the DWS 06 Continental myself). You do get a track warranty if you were to break something at the strip or road course. idk what else to name. I would test drive to make sure you can drive it safely and to see if you can handle the trunk space. Its a very fun car to drive/own

[ITSNO4RE]

Bluin,

Thanks for your feedback.

I can guarantee my wife will not be tracking the car, lol. She is a pretty spirited driver (85-100 HWY) and she is tiny so hopefully the blindspots are reduced.. I have a ram 1500 so on really bad days we use that but she will be DDing it so I appreciate the AST plug and she currently has the DWS on her daily now. before she met me she only drove 4 cylinder cars... now she loves when I get new go fast parts (although she doesn't know what I spend, lol). any options that youd say are a must?

[BluinSC]

Since you're going to be modding the car I'd say none. The NPP quad exhaust is awesome but it's more expensive to mod a car with it than without it ( dual exhaust) if you want to keep the NPP function. Also most exhaust companies do not make exhaust parts that fit to the convertible due to the bracing under the car for the convertible top. I think only Borla does. Also the A8 has AFM valves that change the car from V8 to V4 mode to save fuel (it takes only premium only). Most companies have xpipes that require these AFM values to be tuned out. Do your research if you want to keep that function.

Another quirk- The 17+ models cost more to tune than the 16 models.

[ITSNO4RE]

ofcourse they do… just like my '17 Ram... I had to get a new unlocked cpu or send my oem cpu in to get unlocked (I chose the latter) before I could even get a tune in. with that, who are the local tune gods for you guys?

[Deputy Dog]

Originally Posted by ITSNO4RE

Hey guys,

Thanks for having me. This is my first post on this forum and I do not currently own a Camaro nor have I ever. I'm partial to Mopar and when my wife told me she wanted a sports car I was ready for that 392 Chally but then she finished her sentenced... she wants a convertible so mopar is out of the question.. After looking through cars she likes, the Camaro came out on top (even over the vette that we cant afford anyways, lol). I've always thought the trans am was hot af but the camaros of that time seemed lacking. today, no trans am but im loving the new camaro looks. Since I never owned one and don't know anyone that does I need a real, unbiased Pro/Con list of that year trim (1SS). real world stock rwhp/TQ #s, mpg, reliability, quirks, etc.

Thank you much in advance and looking forward to contribute and learn from the group.

Never had a convertible, but my experience of the SS Manual, now almost 27k miles has been rock solid in performance and reliability. Love this car for its coolness and fun factor.

[SteveV]

Originally Posted by Wyzz Kydd

I think you may want to provide a bit more about the car you are considering. 1SS is helpful, but whether it's an auto or manual matters. Also, 1LE, or not? If it's an Auto I can tell you that the 2016-2018 V8's with the A8 can have serious issues with shudder that can sometimes not be cleared up. I had a 2016 1SS A8 and that's why I got rid of it. Other than that I liked a lot of things about the car. With my 2018 1SS 1LE M6 I have pretty much no complaints other than I wish there were more choices for high quality all season tires.

He said his wife wants a convertible. They don't offer the 1LE as a convertible.

[SteveV]

ITSNO4RE,

As my avatar says, I have an 18 ZL1 with a manual.

Honestly, the ONLY downsides to this car are the smaller trunk (I say smaller because my 2013 2SS 1LE did have a larger trunk) and how often I scrape the air dam on curbs and speed bumps because it is so low to the ground. Otherwise, I absolutely love this car.

While I don't have an auto, I have read horror stories about the A8 used from 2016 to 2019 in the SS cars. All ZL1s with Autos get the A10 which is an order of magnitude better trans than the A8.

If you are asking for opinions... Teach your wife to drive stick (I taught mine), then get a used 2SS M6. You won't have to worry about people wanting to borrow it, since most people don't know how to drive stick anymore. And the tranny is rock solid.

Why 2SS vs 1SS? Well, you are in Jersey... You'll want the heated seats and heated steering wheel that come with the 2SS trim vs the 1SS.

If you have to go auto, I would suggest waiting a year or two and getting a 2020 2SS. They are putting the A10 in the SS model starting in 2020.

Of course, I am sort of biased towards the ZL1. The power is intoxicating, even stock.

If you can find a good deal on a used 2017 or 2018 ZL1 convertible, it is the way to go since they have the A10.

Good luck!

[SteveV]

By the way, I did an Autotrader.com search of used ZL1 convertibles within a 200 mile radius of Newark... There are 4... The cheapest is a yellow manual in CT.

The ONLY automatic is a certified 2018 in Terryville, CT.

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...ckType=listing

[Trochoidal]

Originally Posted by ITSNO4RE

Hey guys,

Thanks for having me. This is my first post on this forum and I do not currently own a Camaro nor have I ever. I'm partial to Mopar and when my wife told me she wanted a sports car I was ready for that 392 Chally but then she finished her sentenced... she wants a convertible so mopar is out of the question.. After looking through cars she likes, the Camaro came out on top (even over the vette that we cant afford anyways, lol). I've always thought the trans am was hot af but the camaros of that time seemed lacking. today, no trans am but im loving the new camaro looks. Since I never owned one and don't know anyone that does I need a real, unbiased Pro/Con list of that year trim (1SS). real world stock rwhp/TQ #s, mpg, reliability, quirks, etc.

Thank you much in advance and looking forward to contribute and learn from the group.

First, the Trans Am (WS6) was a GM dream car when it was released and even if I see what today I still want one. (Back on topic)

BluinSC has great information and covered a lot. I’ll add a few more things that may or may not be relevant. 1SS is cloth interior (no heated/vented seats) vs 2SS leather heated/vented sweats). 2SS gets HUD where 1SS gets HUD in 1LE, but that’s also a stick car. Also, MRC (magnetic ride control) is another option to consider.

Also, there are several businesses here that offer remote tuning if you don’t have a local tuner. Maybe they will chime in and offer some more input.

This forum is full of informative posts from many who have tuned themselves or remote tuned. (I get the impression you’re tech savvy)

I’ll also add this link for some reading on the A10.

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/chev...t-test-review/