11/02 TPW Check in station!!!

[MightyT]

Originally Posted by miztahcamaro88

congrats!

Thanks bro ... This is crazy! ...

My brain is now on happy overload! ...

Tell me it wn't stop!!

[SlingShot]

Originally Posted by MightyT

Well ... Turn those frowns upside down!! It's VIN day for me!!!

Congrats !!!!! It's about time ....

[SlingShot]

Originally Posted by SlingShot

As of this posting, it is STILL sitting in the same rail yard as this morning ....

Still the same rail yard ..... Arrg !!!

[Jakefeb3]

the way im estimating, it looks like my train is running @ around 40 mph... That seems pretty slow

[SlingShot]

Originally Posted by Jakefeb3

the way im estimating, it looks like my train is running @ around 40 mph... That seems pretty slow

If they would keep moving it wouldn't be so bad..... My car has been in the same yard for 24 Hrs.

[RipGear]

Originally Posted by robertway

Now that I have a VIN number and the link to the window sticker is working I just realized that what I was looking at was going to be in my garage in a relatively short amount of time. No more hanging around the forum looking at pictures of other car, I'm going to be able to walk out into my garage, strap myself in, and go have some fun, just like everyone who has taken delivery before me and will after me. Why is this a big deal you may ask and while some may not care I'm going to tell you anyway. Why, because I can and because my TPW 11/2 brethren are like an extended family, kinda, in a platonic kinda way, sorta, you get the point....

About four months ago I started looking into new cars, I currently have a 1999 Dodge Intrepid ES with 150k miles on it and it has served me well with zero problems for 11 years. Before that I drove a used 80 something Mercury Cougar, then another used 80 something Cougar, then a thrifty little Ford Escort, then finally my sisters old beat up Dodge Daytona that had a hole in the passenger floorboard that water shot up through when it rained (believe me it was a pisser when someone was in the passenger seat and I aimed for the big puddles).

The not so funny thing was my girlfriend refused to drive in the car so we always had to take her little Pontiac Sunfire and at 6'4" I didn't exactly fit in that too well. So I figured I would do the "responsible" thing and buy a new car, I had just gotten a solid job, was still at home with the folks, and was just getting ready to ask the girlfriend to tolerate me for the rest of her life as my wife so I figured it was in my best interest to have a car my wife would actually drive in with me. The result was the responsible four door sedan purchased when I was 26. No sports car, topless Jeep, or Mustang (dare I say) but the car that got me full approval from the future in-laws to drive their baby around in.

Fast forward 11 years. My then girlfriend is my now wife of almost 10 years and along the way we have been fortunate enough to be blessed with four beautiful children (7, 5, 2, and 10 weeks old) and she has been further blessed with three new cars as well (granted mini-vans, but still new), and me, the responsible 4 door sedan. Purchased with the intention of being able to "drive the family around", my folks, the in-laws, siblings etc... Well out of the 150k miles, 149,900 have had only my ass strapped into the car, go figure.

So I started car shopping a few months back like I mentioned and starting looking at the Ford Taurus, nice 4 door sedan, but I said "this time I'm gonna go after the SHO", then I realized what was the use, I already have a 4 door sedan I want something different. Next I was pretty set on the Ford Flex, sweet ride as I drove it a couple times and fits the whole family, then I thought, we already have a new mini-van and at most I take two of the kids out in my car so 99% of the time only one of those seven seats would have someone in it, scratch the Flex off the list. Then I started looking at the Dodge Challenger SRT8, a total 180 from everything else I was looking at, my wife of course rolled her eyes and claimed I was having an early "mid-life crisis", I drove it a few times and immediately knew I wanted a muscle car but I could not justify the price tag on the SRT8.

Then I came across the Camaro, initially I saw it in pictures and was not that impressed but it had the price point and the performance specs I was looking for, much more bang for the buck than the Challenger in my mind so I decided to visit a dealer near my place of work and was sold. Pictures do not do these cars justice, their stance and presence can only be fully appreciated in person, once I saw and sat in one I was sold. The only problem was having to deal with "the parents". My father is a die-hard MOPAR man, the man has Hemi orange in his veins and having been a mechanic all his life as well as building HEMI race engines for both drag as well as running at Daytona back in the 70's he was an anti-GM man for as long as I can remember, I think the Elderado's of the 80's did it to him and the fact that GM got away with running Ford rear ends in NASCAR for a long time an nobody called them on it, anyway, I digress. On the other hand was my father-in-law, he was pushing the Buick Lacrosse on me as well as the Taurus, I used him more of a gauge to figure out what car I DIDN'T want to get, if he approved of it, I knew it was the wrong one. So I mentioned the Camaro to him and he immediately soured his mood and shot me the "do you think that is the responsible thing to do with four kids" and I answered straight away "No", and confirmed I was making the right choice.

I figured I have my ass strapped into a car 200 miles a day for work so it is gonna be what I want to drive, not what someone else thinks I should be driving. Even my wife is excited (even though it is a manual and she'll have to eventually learn to drive one if she wants to drive it), she wasn't too thrilled about the Challenger but she loves the Camaro, she even mentioned we'll have to "make-out" in it, can you say fifth kid (sorry for shooting off on that tangent).

So what is the point here, for me, you only live once, we are each blessed with a finite amount of time on this earth, we only have so many opportunities to make decisions for ourselves so make the most of them and don't feel guilty about treating yourself to something if you are fortunate enough to have the means to do so. And while it may only be a car, it is a car I can strap my father-in-law in the passenger seat and make him wish he'd worn his Depends when I pin his back to the seat when I drop in into 2nd and punch it around the on-ramp.

So is it irresponsible to buy a 426hp six speed manual muscle car with four small kids and a wife who can't drive stick, you're dam right it is, but that is why I am keeping the Intrepid as well

Congratulations to everyone here on getting the Camaro, I look forward to getting all the stories as folks take delivery and hopefully offer up the journey they took to get to this point as brief or as babbling (like this one) as they may be.

Robert

That story is as good as any I've read. Mine is much less dramatic - no kids and a wife that is in to cars. The Camaro is going to be her primary car. She also bought the Vette for me my last semester of college. I'm returning the favor.

[nobes]

Originally Posted by mitchel

they built :my car on the 4th it shows its on hold any other tpw 11/2 on hold out their?

I'm on hold also.

Edit: Camaro tracking showed "On Hold" before i posted this message. I submitted it and then went back to the tab for camaro tracking and now its says "availbale to ship; by railroad" No car info yet.
Note, the first time it went to available to ship on the 6th it was "by truck"


Order# NQBPM6
Vin: 2G1FG1EVXA9164033
Status: Available to Ship
Shipped by Railroad Notes: None
Last Update(s)
November 10, 2009 - Current
November 9, 2009 - On Hold
November 6, 2009 - Available to Ship

[srwiltshire]

Great story Robert!

I'm still sitting in the Toronto Railyard!

[Dangeruss]

Mine shows available to ship. Hopefully it gets moving today.

[kjd15]

I haven't gotten any email updates from camarotracking for a couple days, so I checked the site this morning, and sure enough, I have a rail #.

As of 8:39 am, my car departed Liverpool, Ontario!!

[kjd15]

Btw, through-out the whole process, I have spoken to my salesman once. I emailed him a few times (not about the tracking stuff) and he only answered me once. I had to follow up with a phone call (he was the one who said he preferred emailing).

Guess he's not as enthusiastic about this process than some of your other salespeople.

[robertway]

OK, I am on the rails as of 10:40am apparently, called the CSX number, on train car ETTX907551... now I just need to fly my 2 year old up there to sit behind the train engineer constantly asking "are we there yet?".. I bet it will get here faster...

[CLEAN]

Originally Posted by srwiltshire

Great story Robert!

I'm still sitting in the Toronto Railyard!

Me too, 2 days and counting

EDIT: Flint Michigan as of 12 minutes ago!!

[kjd15]

Originally Posted by robertway

OK, I am on the rails as of 10:40am apparently, called the CSX number, on train car ETTX907551... now I just need to fly my 2 year old up there to sit behind the train engineer constantly asking "are we there yet?".. I bet it will get here faster...

I called the rail again and it has now arrived at the Toronto yard. I hope it doesn't sit there long. Wonder how often they update?