I've got a GTO. Will I be happy with a Camaro?

[FlaSS]

I have a 2004 GTO and it has been a great car. Plenty of zoom, great interior and no major problems since new. But it has 102,000 miles and it is time for a change. Actually I am going to let my son have the car as long as he keeps it clean and I get first refusal when he wants to sell.

I like the Camaro but just can't pull the trigger. I am sure the SS is plenty fast and I can get the sunroof and bluetooth that I always wanted on the goat. I like the lines and look. My biggest concern is the interior. I think the GTO interior is as nice as they come, for the money. Will I be satisfied with the 2SS?

Any GTO fans out there with experience with both cars?

[Number 3]

I drove one of the 6.0L CTF GTOs. It was an awesome car.

Camaro is that and wayyyyyy more. If you like your GTO, you will absolutely be be in love with the Camaro.

[bamaproshop]

I think you will be than happy with a Camaro

[BackinBlackSS/RS]

I have had a 04 and 06 GTO. I now have my 2SS. While the gto's had some nice attributes, my SS is so HOT looking compared to those. I love my SS, I have been waiting a very long time to get a car like this. I will never trade it in.

[VR Code R6P]

You will probably be dissapointed with the interior of the Camaro after your GTO, I'm sad to say.

I had a 2005 GTO, and I like the gauges in the it much better. The Camaro's gauges are actually hard to read, and the width of the needles are excessive. I do not like the font either, the GTO had great looking font. I do like the gauge pack by the shifter, even if I think the markings are ridiculous to get a accurate "reading" that is numerically meaningful.

The back seat room was a big dissapointment for me, much smaller area/legroom than the GTO.

The Boston sound system in my Camaro is much better than the Blaupunkt in the GTO.

The fronts seats of the Camaro seem fine to me, but I have not driven over 40 minutes in them either. I'm not sure the leather is as nice as in the GTO. My GTO had the Red/Black interior and I think it just looked richer than the Camaro, especially the door panels. I really like having heated seats in the Camaro, since I could not get factory heated seats in the GTO.

The sun visors in the the Camaro are inadequate IMO.

I like the exhaust note inside the car, and it has gotten a little more deep as I have driven it. It might be slightly louder under acceleration than the GTO. On the highway, the engine is just barely noticeable, like the GTO.

I like the Camaro shifter better, since it does not seem to "bounce/move" as much as the GTO's did. The clutch is harder to drive well than on the GTO. It seems to engage pretty quickly with a "camming over" feel past a certain point when coming up, versus a more linear feel. It took a little getting used to.

It handles great, but not as good as the Firehawk I had before the GTO!

The negative aspects of the car are acceptable to me, because of the gains made in the "looks" department. Rarely would I get any comment about the GTO, and I get nice comments everytime I'm out with the Camaro. She is a real looker!!

Just my 2 cents. HTH.

[fielderLS3]

I've had the chance to drive both a 2005 GTO and a 2010 Camaro on the same roads (same dealer). Given a choice, I would take the Camaro without a second thought. The GTO was a blast to drive, but compared to the Camaro, it felt old and almost truck-like (numb steering, seemingly long and imprecise shifter throws, etc...). To me, the Camaro felt tighter and much sportier. And as for styling, there is no contest.

I'll admit that the interior plastics on the Camaro are a bit, well, cheap, and it was harder to see out of than the GTO, but the drive and exterior styling more than make up for it. Unless the interior is your primary concern, if you liked the GTO, you should like the Camaro.

[SGOS252382]

I owned two GTOs (05 and 06 GTO) and now a Camaro SS.

The GTO's interior and overall comfort level is a little better than the Camaros. The GTO seats are the most comfortable seats around. The GTO also has a better ride quaility (softer -ride).
As mentioned, the GTO has little more back seat room.

And the number 1 thing the GTO has going for it is it limited numbers. You will never see GTOs at ever stop light and every parking lot around the country. But the GTO isn't anything special to look at and has never been a popular car with the general public.

The Camaro on the other hand is drop dead good looking and gets noticed by everyone. The Camaro's performance (in a straight line and around a road course) is better than the GTOs (depite all the GTO's guys saying it isn't).
The Camaro has better brakes, suspension, drive train, and tire/wheel combinations.
You can run 315 series tires without fender modifications. The GTO requires fender rolling just to fit most 275 series tires.

I didn't think twice about getting rid of my GTOs. Even with the limited number of GTO's produced, you can still find them dirt cheap. A GTO would be a good car from someone with limited money wanting a fast, comfortable LS2 powered vehicle.

[BRKLYN]

Rear seat room Is what you'll miss. wwwkissimmeechevy.com see Nelson

[Maa107]

yes

[FlaSS]

Thanks to all. Some thoughts:

Don't need a back seat, the kids are grown and the wife drives a Mercedes if we need the room..

I agree about the great looks and the updated power and handling. I drive an automatic and want one with the new car. Too many yeas of dealing with a clutch in rush hour.

I do get comments about the GTO but only from those that know the car.

I guess it all gets down to the interior.

BTW I posted a similar question on a GTO forum and no one suggested I get the Camaro. Where's the love?

[Revo1]

Originally Posted by FlaSS

Thanks to all. Some thoughts:

Don't need a back seat, the kids are grown and the wife drives a Mercedes if we need the room..

I agree about the great looks and the updated power and handling. I drive an automatic and want one with the new car. Too many yeas of dealing with a clutch in rush hour.

I do get comments about the GTO but only from those that know the car.

I guess it all gets down to the interior.

BTW I posted a similar question on a GTO forum and no one suggested I get the Camaro. Where's the love?

Personally, I think the interior is perfect. Tastefully retro, without being sappy or stupid. Everything is easily reached and simple enough to operate without looking, and the materials have a good quality feel.

The seats are GREAT. Drove a 1LT from Fresno to Monterey, to Carmel, and back all in one shot, and still wanted to keep driving around when we got home. Made 5 hours of road time feel like 5 minutes.

Also, the cabin is quiet. My better half drives an IS-250, and the level of road/wind noise in the Camaro is on par with the Lexus. (Plus, getting out of my 02, the 2010 felt silent as the grave)

Also, the cupholders are pretty decent. I've had way too many spills in my previous 4th gens not to check out the cupholders, and they're satisfactory. My only beef is that they're right there by the shifter (yet again ) but what are you gonna do? That's probably my only beef with the interior at all- the placement of the cupholders. Wish they were alongside the shifter, like Corvette.

[2010 SSRS]

Camaro will make you happy

[Beandip2811]

Owned an 04 GTO and now a 2010 2SS/RS. The seats in the GTO I think are some of the best around period. I do agree with the about the gauges that the GTO just looked a little more finished than the Camaro during the day. However when you step out at night in the Camaro the car's interior comes to life in a BIG way. Not to mention that when you drive this car you feel like a rock star with all the attention it gets. Now maybe thats not for you but it just makes it a blast to drive V6 OR v8! As far as the seat bottoms go in the Camaro it feels like they use memory foam or something because it is a very comfortable seat cushion, just not as much bolster support as the GTO, but softer. And quite frankly you will notice that much of the controls are not so far off of the GTO. The GTO was a great sleeper, great power and handling but not much for anyone to get excited about otherwise unless you are a gear head like me. The Camaro is just so much more. Heated leather, bluetooth, XM, boston acustics, 20" wheels,(always thought the the gto wheels were way too small for the car), sunroof if you want one, and killer looks. You will not be disapointed, and if you are the resale on the Camaro will fair better in the short term so you could always unload it if you were not happy.

[SGOS252382]

Originally Posted by FlaSS

Thanks to all. Some thoughts:

Don't need a back seat, the kids are grown and the wife drives a Mercedes if we need the room..

I agree about the great looks and the updated power and handling. I drive an automatic and want one with the new car. Too many yeas of dealing with a clutch in rush hour.

I do get comments about the GTO but only from those that know the car.

I guess it all gets down to the interior.

BTW I posted a similar question on a GTO forum and no one suggested I get the Camaro. Where's the love?

That's because most of the GTO owners that like Camaros are now over here in this forum. There's too many former GTO owners in this forum to count. And its easy to understand why the hard core GTO owners don't want to admit the Camaro is a better car or advise you to get one. If you were in a Mustang forum they'd tell you to get a Mustang. If you were in a Challenger forum they'd tell you to get a Challenger.

What's funny is I have a good friend with an 05 GTO and he's thinking about getting a new Mustang GT. I'm kind of glad he's not getting a Camaro. Its give me something to beat up on at the track.