for those that have owned their cars for awhile

[TooCool5]

Purchased my Camaro Aug. 09 and it has been a pure joy to drive.
At first it was like being a Rock Star, everywhere you went people
yelled out or pointed at you or wanted to talk on every trip you made.

Now its only once or twice a week people want to stop and talk about
what a nice car it is.

[ny27la]

If you're hesitant, then this car is not right for you! You like it just get it!

[jd10013]

thanks for the input, and keep it coming. I wouldn't call myself an import "snob". maybe a little. It's more that when I was young and starting to drive (back in the late 80's, early 90's) i went through my share of mustangs, escorts and other assorted domestic cars. and they all seem to have had one thing in common......................constantly needing fixed. when I switched to Asian, never had problems again. It's kind of funny, the only reason I even bought a Japanese car was because Nissan motor credit was the only lending institution that was willing to give me a loan. I was at that time all set to buy a year or two old ford contour but they couldn't find a bank willing to loan me the money, and ford motor credit wouldn't either. then all through the 90's and 2000's all you hear about is how inferior domestic cars are, how much trouble the big three are having, and finally, Bankruptcy for GM and Chrysler. all the while, Toyota and Honda are breaking sales records every month, and becoming a permanent fixture at the top of every reliability survey and initial quality, cost to own ranking. because of that, I never even seriously considered a domestic vehicle.
But, seem like now they've regained their footing and are producing some quality vehicles. it's actually quite a testament to how far they've come that someone like me is about ready to buy one.

anyhow, I know about keeping a black car clean. but that's no problem. I'm very, very, very anal about the appearance of my cars. nothing but hand washing/waxing, and on a very regular basis with top of the line products. about the only thing I don't do is the clay bars. I'm one of those people that doesn't wash and wax just to keep the car looking nice, I do because I enjoy it.

I did have a couple other questions though. How's the paint on the camaro? that's one thing I've always hated with the Nissan's I've owned. cheap thin paint that chips easy. also, how does the car handle the weight? IIRC, that pig weighs 3000lbs. I've read mixed reviews on how the car handles it. some people say it really effects the handling, others boast about how well the car handles and never mention it. most professional reviews mention it but only in the context of making it heavier and a little slower than its competition.

one other thing, the one I'm buying has the silver stripe package. what's the quality like on those? I'm sure it a decal and not painted, and the car will be out in the elements.........no garage. how will it look after a few years of direct sunlight, rain, and so forth? if it's going to crack, fade or peel in a few years I'm sure the dealership can find me a car without it, or remove what on the car I'm looking at.

[Dans2SSCamaro]

I agree with you on one thing, no car is perfect but this is one car I absolutely can't wait to drive. I actually look for excuses to get her out when the weather is nice. I've driven American all my life and have had no problems whatsoever other than general wear. This is the first canadian built vehicle I've ever bought and it's awesome.

[monstertodd]

I've had my car since November of 2009, and have just over 13,000 on it.

So far, the only issues I have with the car are self induced. What I mean by that, is that once the mod bug starts to hit, it's a slippery slope that you just can't stop going down.

I remember one of the first mods I did was the DRL mod for RS equipped cars. This was before there were fancy plug and play harness'. It involved taking the wiring harness apart and soldering in zener diodes. Messy, but it worked. Anyway, long story short, It's leading me to want to replace my entire harness and return the car to it's original state so that I can use a plug and play harness.

I've had one small warrant item repaired. The plastic cap that covers the windshield wiper arm attachment bolt disintegrated, so I took it to the dealer and they replaced.

Other than that, like I said, any problems I've had with it have been complications due to the modding. Just waiting to see what happens next. lol.

[Tarl]

Up until I traded mine in on 02-13-12 this had been the BEST car I've ever owned, best performing and best looking. I had 19743 miles on it and never had any problems whatsoever. I loved the V6 which was plenty powerful and got pretty good gas mileage.

This was also hands down the BEST road trip car I've ever driven. Over 9000 of those miles were roadtrips and I could easily do over 800 miles in one (1) day with no issues.

Also I did all my own oil changes and it was easy with the oil filter up top.

I was very happy with it...but a deal I couldn't refuse came up and I upgraded.

You will love it!

[Steve Dallas]

I've had mine for 41,000 miles and it's only been in the shop for a corroded fuse box, that caused my car to miss a cylinder because of no fuel. Because of the warranty, I had a rental and was able to use On-Star to take it to the shop when that happened. Had this been with any of my previous cars, and I think it would have been a much bigger hassle.

I do have an issue now with the drivers side heated seat...but haven't had time to take it in. It's not really a priority, and this is my DD.

[scythezo6]

46K+ miles
2 burnt out tail lights - Lights were about $7 and I replaced them myself.
Exhaust rattled - fixed free under warranty.
That's about it!
Love every minute of owning the car.

[Parag]

Most people under estimate how impractical these cars are. Just an fyi. They are toys

[SkullDuggery]

[anyhow, I know about keeping a black car clean. but that's no problem. I'm very, very, very anal about the appearance of my cars. nothing but hand washing/waxing, and on a very regular basis with top of the line products. about the only thing I don't do is the clay bars. I'm one of those people that doesn't wash and wax just to keep the car looking nice, I do because I enjoy it.


one other thing, the one I'm buying has the silver stripe package. what's the quality like on those? I'm sure it a decal and not painted, and the car will be out in the elements.........no garage. how will it look after a few years of direct sunlight, rain, and so forth? if it's going to crack, fade or peel in a few years I'm sure the dealership can find me a car without it, or remove what on the car I'm looking at.[/QUOTE]

I also enjoy washing/waxing my car. It's not the keeping clean part that's hard. It's the dang tiny swirl and scratch marks that are very visable in the sun on black paint. In the shade they are invisible and the car looks amazing. I bought it brand new and it already had swirl marks on it from the dealer washing it before I ever saw it. Didn't realize how bad till a couple days after I got it. I will have to invest in a porter cable polisher because when it comes to my Camaro I also am very anal.
As far as the paint chipping. The Camaro is very prone to paint chips. I've been lucky on my front bumper and only have a couplk tiny marks but the gill area on the rear quarters are like a magnet for rocks that get thrown from your front tires. I got the GM OEM splash guards and installed them when I only hade a couple chips in the gill area but even with the guards I'm still getting chips there.I can imagine it would be a lot worse if I didn't have the splash guards. I should've clear bra-ed that area. Just something to think about.
Can't comment on the stripes other than they are vinyl decals. And I want some lol.

[buzzy56]

You sound like you are still in doubt.Go to the dealer and drive one a couple
of times. I purchased my 2010 in October 2009.Have 6500 spirited miles on it and have not returned to the dealer for one thing.Only reason the mileage is low is that I live in Michigan and the winters are brutal .So far she has seen two sprinkles and nothing but sunshine.Had fun modding it and just simply love this car.Only felt this way about a car a couple of other times in my life.Once with my 56 Chevy and my 70 Mach 1 mustang and my 56 Chevy 2 door handyman wagon.Loved them all but this camaro is just plain fun to get out on the road and drive.Try it you will like it.Get it covered one way or another though.Hot sun,and snow will do your stripes wrong.Best get the factory removed and paint them on.Get a heavy duty car cover and use it if you cant garage it.It will bring a smile to your face each and every time you look at it,drive it and wash and maintain her or him.

[One-Bad-ZL1]

Drive and SS you won't go back. You only live once and contrary to all they say, you can't take it with you, so you might as well blow what you earn.

I've dreamed of owning this car, it's a poor mans Corvette and the close the wife will let me get to one.

Stop over analyzing it and get the car of your dreams AND DRIVE IT HARD. GM build them well and they can take it.

[mikeyroche]

No faults, things I don't like are the wheels.. For a car of its size, power, weight... It should have had wider wheels. I love the Car, but thinking about what I could have got with the ZL1 instead of making all these costly mods and end up paying more for less gets me irritated. Don't get me wrong. AWESOME Car, just wish they would have done a few things differently. So for me, really the only big thing was the wheels. Honestly its a great car, and it is beautiful... comes at a great price too

[BlemsBumble]

Driven the car for 31 months and with the exception of oil leaks (no longer an issue) the vehicle's been flawless. No paint problems with mine.