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Old 09-30-2009, 05:37 AM   #1
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Camaro SS2 or Chally SRT8, who decided between the two?

Hey folks,

I am new to the forum as this is my first post. I wanted to get some feedback in regard to the Camaro 2SS vs the Challenger SRT8 not from a "Mopar vs Chevy" perspective but more so from a "I have to decide between the two" perspective. I am in the market after having driven my 99 Dodge Intrepid for 11 years and 150k miles and have narrowed down what I am looking at to the two vehicles I mention here. I have driven the Challenger and so far only sat in the Camaro which I hope to drive some time this week. I'd wanted to see if I could get some feedback from any folks that were looking at both cars and then some insight as to why they decided to go the direction they went.

I must admit that my father is a diehard MOPAR man from the 60's and 70's so it is useless for me to get unbiased input from him, me buying a Chevy would be like cheating on my wife to him but I am the one who has to drive and live with the decision. He has always preached to me that GM has a quality issue after him being involved with cars since he was 14 and a full time mechanic for 45 years who has owned junk yards, built engines back in the 70's that ran at Daytona, and for the last 20 years having been responsible for the police vehicles in the township he is the head mechanic for. So he is a Hemi guy and has Orange flowing through his veins, not the best place for me to go for advice between a Dodge and a Chevy :-)

My situation is this, I am 6' 4" tall pretty balance between leg length and torso. My intention is to use this vehicle as a daily driver to own for more than a decade and hopefully 200-250k miles, I have four kids with the oldest being 7 (we already have the obligatory mini-van in the household) and my car is BARELY used to cart anyone but myself around. I am leaning towards the manual transmission in both cars for the "fun" factor and the fact that it would keep my wife out of the car (I'll deny I ever said that in front of her )

The one thing that I feel the Camaro has a leg up with is the pricing with a 7-10k lower sticker price for pretty much the fully loaded SS2 vs the SRT8, beyond that I take them both to be very solid cars, comparable in stock performance (I have no intention of going to the track of drag strip) so price and quality (what has the better chance of lasting 250k miles and over a decade) are of my greatest concerns. As an aside, I do drive in bumper to bumper traffic a couple of times a week so I am iffy about the manual (has been a while since I drove a manual).

Thanks in advance for any insight.

Robert

Last edited by robertway; 09-30-2009 at 05:49 AM.
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Old 09-30-2009, 05:49 AM   #2
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Welcome to the forum. I chose the Camaro and my father chose the chally. They are both very beautiful cars. The back seat is non existant in the camaro (i am also tall and need the seat all the way back) and its only slightly better in the chally. That being said they are both solid cars in looks and performance. I dont think you can go wrong with either one. And as you said the price diff would sure add a bunch of "customization". Good luck to ya
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Old 09-30-2009, 05:58 AM   #3
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Welcome to the forum. I chose the Camaro and my father chose the chally. They are both very beautiful cars. The back seat is non existant in the camaro (i am also tall and need the seat all the way back) and its only slightly better in the chally. That being said they are both solid cars in looks and performance. I dont think you can go wrong with either one. And as you said the price diff would sure add a bunch of "customization". Good luck to ya
The challenger definitely looks awesome, and has a tendency to "start earthquakes" according to Hamster from Top Gear. Personally, I'm a big fan of the camaro's looks over the challenger, but the only thing I can tell for sure, is that the seats in the Camaro are much much more comfortable then the Chally's. The leather seating feels very secure, yet super soft so you can take it on long drives and not feel stiff/sore after a period of time.

I'm 6'5" and have no trouble fitting into a Camaro, although with a sunroof the headroom is non-existant (can't wear a hat). Without the sunroof, headroom isn't a problem at all.

All in all, it comes down to personal preferrence. If you want to save the 7k or so and spend it on the kids or personalization, that's perfectly ok. If you want a car that's bound to be a rare sight because no one's buying them, the chally is the one you want. Chevy's goal is to have 100k camaros sold by Sep 2010 and they're well on their way. Challengers are being outsold like crazy. I'm not sure if it's the dealers markups or what, but challengers are selling something like 1000 a month while the camaros are selling like 8000 a month (don't quote me on numbers).


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Old 09-30-2009, 06:20 AM   #4
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I discussed an SRT8 with Mopar dealers, I test drove a 2010 Mustang GT, and I bought a Camaro 1SS. The mopar was way overpriced, the Mustang was way underpowered, and the Camaro was the absoloute best "Bang for the buck.". The Challenger has a gas guzzlers tax which really makes me angry. $1,500.00 for no additional value. I live in Taxachusetts and our governor Deval Patrick has never met a tax that he doesn't like. So figuring a $25.00 per $1,000.00 annual excise tax and a 6.25% sales tax, the additional gas guzzler tax was over the top. I have no regrets with my chooice, I love my SS. I also considered a 2007 Vette with 4,900 miles on it for the same price as my SS. I got the 1SS instead of the 2SS because of my 1998 Z28 with "leather". I hope the folks that got what they think is leather never find that it is mostly vinyl with leather appointments. I added the A6 automatic, the Boston Accoustics Stereo and the polished wheels.
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Old 09-30-2009, 06:52 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by robertway View Post
Hey folks,

I am new to the forum as this is my first post. I wanted to get some feedback in regard to the Camaro 2SS vs the Challenger SRT8 not from a "Mopar vs Chevy" perspective but more so from a "I have to decide between the two" perspective. I am in the market after having driven my 99 Dodge Intrepid for 11 years and 150k miles and have narrowed down what I am looking at to the two vehicles I mention here. I have driven the Challenger and so far only sat in the Camaro which I hope to drive some time this week. I'd wanted to see if I could get some feedback from any folks that were looking at both cars and then some insight as to why they decided to go the direction they went.
Robert
Both are very nice Cars, but the Challenger SRT8 and Camaro SS are very different:

1. The Challenger SRT8 will be much more comfortable as a daily driver (much more headroom, legroom, shoulder room, outward visibility, room for passengers).
2. The Camaro SS will feel more nimble and sporty.
3. If going Automatic, the SRT8 with Auto is a great package. The Mercedes auto-stick is good quality (as far as automatics go), and you get 425 HP vs. 400 HP and the L99 quirkiness in the Camaro. The SRT8 torque is addictive.
4. The Camaro is less $$ for similar capabilities. Like you said, the difference given similarly optioned cars is about $7-$8k.

You can't go wrong either way, but if you can haggle an SRT8 down to very low $40's, go for it. You will be very happy. If paying more than that, grab yourself a Camaro below $40K and be happy.
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Old 09-30-2009, 07:08 AM   #6
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They are both great looking cars. most of the head to head reviews I've seen the Camaro is 1, Mustang 2, Challenger 3. The biggest thing for me between the two though is Price. For the life of me I can't understand why the Challenger is almost $10k more. Especially when you compare the interiors. The Challenger is interior is by far the cheapest looking and has the fewest options.

The price would be the difference for me. Gotta go Camaro
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Old 09-30-2009, 08:03 AM   #7
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I'm tall as well and have plenty of front leg room in my Camaro. I sat in a Chally SRT8, and couldn't quite get the driver's seat where I wanted it. On the other hand, no one can sit behind me in the Camaro, so it pretty much eliminates my family from all riding in the car at the same time (Wife, 2 small kids). I guess I'm one of those that would lean a little towards the Challenger if I had to use the car often as a family hauler. Otherwise, the Camaro is a much better bang for the buck car.
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Old 09-30-2009, 08:17 AM   #8
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i was definitely a chally vs camaro guy....

i think the design/looks between the two cars are incomparable. the challenger looks absolutely amazing, on the outside. so does the camaro.

interior- chally's interior was an absolute lack of effort. its the avenger/stealth/charger interior.

performance-the ss runs a smidge faster than the srt8, and with much less body roll, hence i believe that the handling is also much better in the camaro.

price-this is the easiest comparison. average about 10-12 thousand dollars less! however my ss was 33.4k base, 35895 after options/upgrades/40016 out the door with ttl/fees/warranty/tinting

it seems like an EASY choice, if you look at the comparable facts...

now the reason i was having a tough time is because when i was looking at the challenger, the camaro wasnt out yet. i had to wait, but all you have to do is wait a couple months for build/shipment.

get the camaro my friend.
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Old 09-30-2009, 08:25 AM   #9
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Back in April when there was no word on when my SS was going to be built, and I had already had my order in for six months and there were SRT-8 w/ incentives available on lots I thought long and hard about getting one. But in the end I'm glad I waited for my Camaro. Don't get me wrong the Challenger is one sick looking ride with numbers to back it up, but I absolutely love my Camaro.
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Old 09-30-2009, 11:22 AM   #10
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I absolutely love the retro look of the Challenger, the power is there, the speed is there, and the history is there but... The price is too high for what you get when compared to Camaro. I've always been a GM or Chevy fan but have always appreciated other auto's. In the end it came down to bang for buck 1st, and I'm a GM fan 2nd, Camaro it is .
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Old 09-30-2009, 12:20 PM   #11
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I perssonally , couldn't get over how flat and borning the challengers were from a side view. I had been shopping for an SRT8 for awhile and was waiting on the upcoming "spring special" Plum Crazy Purple one, but the looks and performance of the Camaro won me over. Dodge should have given the Challenger some character , tucked the sides or added coves or aything to make the sides less bill board like. As for the transmissions, the manuals are pretty even, while I would perfer the auto stick in the challenger over the buttons in the GM auto.
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Old 09-30-2009, 12:28 PM   #12
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I perssonally , couldn't get over how flat and borning the challengers were from a side view. I had been shopping for an SRT8 for awhile and was waiting on the upcoming "spring special" Plum Crazy Purple one, but the looks and performance of the Camaro won me over. Dodge should have given the Challenger some character , tucked the sides or added coves or aything to make the sides less bill board like. As for the transmissions, the manuals are pretty even, while I would perfer the auto stick in the challenger over the buttons in the GM auto.
i would have to disagree with you on the need to change the chally body. IMHO it is a spittin image of the 70. there are times when my dad drives his 2010 srt8 and he thinks he is in his old 70. also i have made the mistake of seeing an 08,09,10 on the road and for a brief second think its a 70. To each his own. for me dodge nailed the retro look perfectly, where as chevy gave the modern retro look. its all in what drives ya....
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Old 09-30-2009, 12:31 PM   #13
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Does your dad have any money he's going to leave you? If so, you might want to stick with the challenger. Challenger has more room and rides like a touring car ,but that's where it stops for me. I too love mopars ,and I have a couple now. But, It seems dumb to pay $9,000 more for a car that is inferior to the camaro.
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Old 09-30-2009, 12:32 PM   #14
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I agree to each their own...I just think it needs mre character from the sides, it's a big car, especially beside the classic challenger, much taller too. Can't beat the added perfomance and ride, over the classic one, though.
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