Anyone wish they purchased a 2LT instead of a 2SS?

[Hoddi]

I'm sorry, but my first reaction to this.....


In all seriousness though.....
I ordered mine last April. Took delivery in July.
At that time you could not test drive so I rented an SS in June.
On the way to pick it up I was second guessing myself.
Do I really need an SS???
Once I got on the freeway in that rental I laughed to myself and
said oh I need this!

But hey, the V6 does have a lot of HP.

[PonyMan]

If the car was my "daily driver", 2LT/RS all the way!!

[rad]

You probably had a thick steak for dinner, too, last night.

[rad]

I guess I'm asking the wrong audience but thanks anyway. I appreciate your responses.

[CatiaJockey]

Let me flip this around just a bit.... I bought the 2LT never having driven any of them. Since then I've driven a 2SS and I would not trade my 2LT for it. I love the 2LT. Money was not part of my decision process, I bought what fit my needs and the 2LT exceeds all my wildest dreams.

[Amn_Bly]

I originally wanted a 2LT, but the SS /the power came into question. Then it hit me I AM A COLLEGE STUDENT, 300 horses and 30 MPG's is the way to go. So price/ gas price is my big reason for my camaro, besides it will be my Daily drive.

[RedJewelrsss32]

Originally Posted by rad

I know it's a "weird" question to you if you never considered a 2LT but I'm asking the folks who seriously considered it and then caved. Do you regret it at all?

No regrets,I have driven the V6 and was impressed though. Just wanted a true hot rod not a daily commuter

[rad]

Originally Posted by CatiaJockey

Money was not part of my decision process, I bought what fit my needs and the 2LT exceeds all my wildest dreams.

there's not enough of these discussions here.

[DkknightX]

Originally Posted by rad

there's not enough of these discussions here.

rad, I think it comes down to more than just showmanship with the 2SS. I think more members on C5 aren't willing to admit, or even considered what owning a 2SS meant other than a deeper/louder exhaust note and muscle car bragging rights. To be honest, if that was your intention all along for the SS, that is pretty shallow. Looks like a huge ego fight going on here without any constructive advice as to WHY rad would need an SS. Why would ANYBODY really need an SS unless it is a life changing experience, which it isn't. Let's be honest with ourselves.

I think what members need to be asking you, rad, is WHY are you on the fence about the V8 and V6, and what are you expecting from your Camaro? As a daily driver, you had better plan to shell out big bucks for gas. Depending on travel distance,frequency and how hard you drive the SS, you could easily shell out the better part of $100.00 a week.

I make no apologies for my decision to get a 2SS. This decision was made ultimately before 2000 when I could actually afford a Camaro but couldn't afford a V8. In this part in my life, I can afford to have a 2SS strictly as a weekend vehicle. My logic is that I wanted to purchase the best available, take care of the vehicle for possible posterity, have fun modding it over the years and still have a killer looking car on the road for many, many years to come. It is an early mid-life crisis vehicle, as it is project I look forward to working on gradually. These guys want to blow out the engine and waste thousands of dollars on tires at the track in a single day, that is their prerogative. I personally find it wasteful and they probably have bottomless wallets to support their hobbies in this regard. It just isn't for me.

If you have the income to support gas consumption, the facts that you cannot get a full-sized or even a spare tire for an SS, paying for over-rated, expensive Pirelli P-Zeros roughly every 10K miles (many members here got less out of them and they cannot be rotated), expensive Brembo brakes, and anything else exclusive to the SS model, I think you are going to be in well over your head. If my car needed any of those accessories, I could afford to wait until I had the money because my Cobalt SS/SC is my daily driver.

I think you need to decide what category your Camaro will be in: Practicality or Sheer Performance. Keep in mind what each category brings as performance is going to cost you much more to upkeep than practicality. The rest is up to you. Good luck and this decision shouldn't be nearly as complicated as it sounds.

[Brokinarrow]

Originally Posted by Bert

and you traded it in for a Scion?

to each his own I guess, but that may be a little hard to follow for a lot of folks on this board

/sigh, yes. Financial reasons that are not in my control unfortunately. I could have kept the Camaro, but I would have JUST been scraping by with bills and payments and everything. So if something unexpected came up, I would have been SOL. Instead of waiting for that to happen I took the initiative and got something less expensive, and I now have a comfortable amount of 'wiggle room' with my budget.

[DkknightX]

Originally Posted by Brokinarrow

/sigh, yes. Financial reasons that are not in my control unfortunately. I could have kept the Camaro, but I would have JUST been scraping by with bills and payments and everything. So if something unexpected came up, I would have been SOL. Instead of waiting for that to happen I took the initiative and got something less expensive, and I now have a comfortable amount of 'wiggle room' with my budget.

Smart man.

[rad]

Originally Posted by DkknightX

My logic is that I wanted to purchase the best available

Thanks for your detailed response, DK. I want to purchase the "best" too but for me that means a little bit of everything. I want the best of all worlds and the 2LT has a lot going for it. I don't mind the costs of maintenance as much as the extra gas as I deem it excessive and wasteful, knowing I can could conserve with the 2LT.

That said, I love that the 2SS has the vette engine.

Maybe I should just cancel my order until I'm damn sure what I want.

[2010 SSRS]

Is this is serious question, LOL

[SWHCPA]

Rad,

First, I turn 55 in about 8 weeks. I've had a number of cars in my life - still have my 1st in the garage ('67 Mustang). I've had the opportunity to travel for work quite extensively over the past 17-18 yrs and have hit just about anything in a rental fleet - including the Hertz Shelby Mustang. Here are the deciding points for me on the Camaro...

I test drove the SS out of the first batch of IOM's delivered to the D/FW dealers. The salesman was a great guy and I had the opportunity to test both the performance and ride on both side streets and the freeway. Trust me, everything rides smooth on the freeway; but, a lot of your driving is on side streets.

I looked at the options on the 2LT/RS and 2SS/RS. They pretty much matched up. Then I looked at pulling up to the pump. Mine is a daily driver - 7 days a week, weather be damned. The v6 just wins here based on $'s. I also considered the routine maintenance aspect. I had come out of a Crossfire about 2 yrs earlier and was pretty tired of $100 oil changes with 8 qts of Mobil 1 and a Mercedes oil filter. Having had the Crossfire, I am well past the sticker shock of tire prices and brakes...that just comes with the territory.

Bottom line for me - the 2LT had plenty of power, all the styling, all the options, better gas mileage and a bit lower maintenance cost.

If you simply have to have the exhaust rumble, get an aftermarket system installed. If you have to have the mail slot, get the SS or just buy an SS fascia and have it painted and installed. If you want a cool car that is a blast to drive and people will constantly stare at, the 2LT is plenty of car for 99% of any situation.

Good luck with your decision, you won't regret either model.