GM brings back the Camaro muscle car

[Jay481985]

I think the problem with GM was making cars that no one wanted. Well

atleast the new ford mustang, and the new charger, and the camaro is a

step in the right direction with car styles deriving from a time when

people actually wanted to buy american instead of "Do I have to buy

American?"

BTW Toyota this year became the most selling car company surpassing GM.

[Tom Adams]

I owned a 1968 Camaro RS 327 from 1970 until 1982 when some low-life-scab-as*-gutter-sl*t stole it from my parents house (how ironic - I'm living just outside of 'Nawlins so I keep the car at my parents' house in sleepy, quiet, small town Pass Christian, MS so nothing would happen to it. Shyeah - right. [:@] [:@] [:@] ).

Personally, I kinda like the looks of the car with the exception of the front end. Everytime I see that front I hear the following from 'Finding Nemo':

"Heeeeeeere's Brucie" and "Fish are friends, not food."

And is it just me or does that car seem to be sitting quite high off the road?

Tom

[Fish]

Rah, Rah!

It will just be

another poorly built, noisy, squeaky, plastic piece of GM garbage that

is constantly spewing out of Detroit. I would take a brand new

Honda Civic Si over it any day! It will cost less, use less fuel,

hold its value better, and with a few mods, outrun and outhandle it if

it ever does come out.

I owned a '94 F-Body for a few years so I know what I am talking about. GM Crap.

I'm not gonna dispute the statement as a whole although I'd never own a

Honda,I don't care if they last forever.If somebody thinks they look

cool so be it.As to holding its value the muscle car era

Camaros/Chargers/Cudas etc... are worth 5-25 times what they cost new,I

seen a classic Civic for $700 1/4 of its new price.I don't think this

car will be a run of the mill 80/90s Camaro.

[sfogg]

"I owned a '94 F-Body for a few years so I know what I am talking about. GM Crap."

The generation after that was many times better. My wife had a '90 (or '92) and a '98 and there was no comparison in quality between them.

Shawn

[JJkizak]

The new GTO styling didn't do a thing for me. Total dud.

JJK

[Q-Man]

I agree, the GTO is nothing to look at. I asked my kid if he was sure that's what he wanted, but the young guys like that style of car. I wanted to get him a 02 Trans Am that had 3000 miles on it. The Trans Am handled like crap compared to the GTO. It came down to performance or style. In the old days we used to say "All show and no Go".

A friend of mine is a crew chief for a racing team and they switched to the GTO. He says that it's built like a tank compared to American cars, it's built in Australia. He is giving us lots of ideas for after market performance parts. The thing is that you don't need any more power until you put a wider tire on it to make it hook up better. It comes with 245's it needs 275's or 295's like the Vette.

[formica]

I think the rear quarter panels and esp. the

roofline nails the 'look' of the first generation Camaros. The grill

needs a little more work though looks sort of a like a mix between the

Firebird and Camaro grills of the originals.

I agree, the grill is the biggest detail that seems off. Actually

the first thing that comes to mind for me is they (bumper and grill,

not headlights) have that GM family look... like a massive version of

the Cadillac XLR Roadster grill.

I guess it's a question of balance of the "modern" twist given to the

retro design. They want to avoid it becoming just a reproduction

vehicle... but it should be tweaked a little more.

I test drove a lot of cars this last year before

deciding to get my wife the Vette and my son the GTO. My wife says I'm

having one of those mid life crisis things.

Wish someone around me would have one of those midlife crisis... []

ROb

[jdm56]

I love the look of the Camaro show car. I'm just surprised they are already talking about bringing it back so soon after stopping production in '02.

I remember my brother-in-law bought a new 307 Camaro (gold w/ black vinyl roof) in '69 or '70. What a fun car that was![au]

[oldtimer]

Rah, Rah!

It will just be another poorly built, noisy, squeaky, plastic piece of GM garbage that is constantly spewing out of Detroit. I would take a brand new Honda Civic Si over it any day! It will cost less, use less fuel, hold its value better, and with a few mods, outrun and outhandle it if it ever does come out.

I owned a '94 F-Body for a few years so I know what I am talking about. GM Crap.

Any civic I have driven would out handle nothing. Much like any US made car I have had the "pleasure of driving." For reliability and low cost of ownership, the civic is hard to beat. I will say that I do own a hemi. It is a 4 cylinder double overhead cam Alfa Romeo.

[Q-Man]

Rob,

I was going to get my wife the GTO so I could have something to play with when I don't need my truck.

I never planned on getting her a Vette. Then a guy I know told me that he ordered a new 2006 Corvette and was going to sell his. He had a 2001 with 13,000 miles on it. He said that he wanted to sell it that day. I asked him what he wanted for it then I called a dealer friend to see what it was worth. I couldn't believe it, but he sold me the car for $8,000.00 under the trade in value which is $13,000.00 under retail.

It was one of those times when you had to be in the right place at the right time and have the money to pay for it right then. This never happened to me before. I drove it home the next day and asked my wife if see would drive it for one year. My agreement with her is that if she doesn't want it after a year that I will sell it, and make $10,000.00 , then get her what she want's.

Her first reactions after driving the car are funny. She said things like. I don't have to slow down to go around corners anymore. It stays flat while going around corners. Does everyone who drives a Vette have to wave at you on the roar? The car is really comfortable to drive, and the computer does everything for you.

The car may be a keeper. I hope so, because after driving it myself I never want to be without one.

[CECAA850]

It looks like a Chrysler Crossfire!

[dtel's daughter]

Just wondering but I thought I had read somewhere that due to the financial woes and the price tag that would be on the Camaro that they would not be bringing it back because the car would not make money for the company which seems to be sinking fast?

[Daddy Dee]

Yeh, I think that's entirely possible. I've thought that may be the reason it is so far out on the production horizon.... to give them a chance to gauge the public's receptivity to the concept and whether it would be profitable. I don't know how the car makers can do that.

For example, the design is certainly received warmly on this forum. How many folks among the "yeh, looks great crowd" would actually purchase. I wouldn't. But I do like the car.

[Thumpelstiltskin]

Yeh, I think that's entirely possible. I've thought that may be the reason it is so far out on the production horizon.... to give them a chance to gauge the public's receptivity to the concept and whether it would be profitable. I don't know how the car makers can do that.

For example, the design is certainly received warmly on this forum. How many folks among the "yeh, looks great crowd" would actually purchase. I wouldn't. But I do like the car.

It looks like history is repeating itself, since the Camaro was originally built to compete with the Mustang that sold well in 1965 and 66. Now that the "retro look" Mustangs are selling well, Chevy and the others want a piece of that market.

Ya' know, 2009 sounds like a long time from now, but Chevrolet has already introduced some 2007 models. Still, I think they should hurry and build the new Camaro asap. They'll sell like crazy. They'll sell like candy flavored crack.

Rick.