johnsocal

Currently I have been contemplating either selling my Camaro and buying either a Subaru WRX, Mazda RX8 or an Infinti G35 coupe or FX35. While a base WRX or RX8 are price around $26,000 and well optioned one is going to sell closer to $30,000 and the 2 Infinitis I have looked at are closer to $35,000. At one time I was considering a Mini but its just to darn small to be practical.

To be honest none of these cars do it for me like my current bright Red 1994 Z28 thats fully loaded with T-tops and tons of aftermaket goodies. The only problem is that my Camaro has 96,000 miles on it and it seems like more things are starting to break more frequently.

The other option that Im starting to consider more is to keep my Camaro for the weekend and special events and buy a 3rd car for my daily driver.My wife drives our 2003 v6 AWD Saturn Vue for the kids and stuff and the Camaro is way too much car for her to drive if im gone with the kids for the afternoon in the Saturn Vue . The 3rd car Im considering is a ION Quad-Coupe with a 140 HP ecotec for daily commutes and the only thing I would probably do to it is put some nice 17 inch aftermarket rims to make it look better. I like the the fact that Saturns dont dent like my Camaro and they will look good for year which is a nice feature if you are like me and keep your cars for a long time. A loaded Quad-coupe with sunroof, leather ,and etc sells for around $18,500.00 and my local dealers are even giving an additional $500 rebate over and above 0% financing for 5 years which make it a pretty good deal which makes the monthly payment @ $300.00.

Whats your opinions my fellow Camaro enthusiasts and what do you plan to do with your Camaro?

Should we all just wait to 2007 and cross our fingers and pray that a new Camaro is coming out!!

CamaroRSguy

Personnally, nothing out there right now is, in my opinion, worth trading in my car for. Sure they're nice cars, but so is mine and I love mine. Most of those are slower than my Z, but when the WRX STI comes out, we'll see. Just my .02.

redzed

The last time I was out in La-La Land, a red Z28 was still a pretty impressive ride. If you're having normal issues associated with age - water pump failures, alternator, etc. - I wouldn't sweat the maintainance. Assuming your car has always lived in California, you sure don't have to worry about rust.

Personally, if I was looking for a "commuter car," I wouldn't touch a Ion coupe with a 10-foot pole. Here's a car with the same motor as a Cavalier - not too speedy. Even the supercharged "Red Line" model isn't going to be very hot.

If you aren't annoyed by shifting in traffic, the Dodge SRT-4 is now the ultimate cheap performance car. At less than $20k, an no available options other than side airbags, it beats the Ion on features - including 17" rims. Better yet, who can argue with 0-60 in less than 6-seconds and 150 mph top speed. All considered, the fit and finish is also superior to the Saturn. Knowing Chrysler's like I do, the advanced head gasket design should be absolutely bulletproof, even with the turbo. If you want reliable, cheap and fast, look no further.

If you're tempted by a slushbox, forget the Subaru WRX and Mazda RX-8. With these cars, an automatic literally kills the performance. That leaves the Infiniti G35, but unfortunately, I have yet to see a base $28-29k model.

luis nunez

keep you Camaro, and wait until the next NAIAS, there is a rumor that GM will show the next Camaro, I think it is really going to happen.. if not G35

Ken S

I plan on keeping mine for while... maybe if I find a used '02 z06 with low miles in the future, I may considering selling it and picking that up..

it would be nice to convert it to a racecar and run on the roadcourses after it retires from street driving...

basically, this car has more intrinsic value than what I can ever get selling it.. Unless another mid $20k car perfomance car sweeps me off my feet, I'm keeping it as long as I can..

guionM

If all you're looking for is something to use as a backup car, simply buy used and keep the Camaro, unless you are hellbent on trading the Z28 in for a new car.

You have a sports car, and your wife has a brand new Vue, so it seems you want to trade your Camaro simply because you are either bored with it, or you too also want something new, and you are looking for someone to nudge you into going in either direction. I say this because you say your wife can't handle the Z28, yet the G35, WRX, and RX8 aren't all that much slower, so I'd bet that really isn't the issue, is it?

If you want to keep the Camaro, keep it and buy a good used car for a 3rd vehicle. If you really want to trade the Camaro in for something else, G35 is a really good car, though I'd hold off for awhile, and grab a GTO (roomier & you'll be less likely to miss that Z28 performance and that V8 gurgle on downshifts).

johnsocal

Is still love my Camaro (even after owning it for 9 years) and even out here in Southen California I still get lots of Props from the kids who think my ride is Dope . Even today I took a cruise along PCH with the cool Spring ocean breeze blowin with the t-tops off and the tunes rock'n and when I got about 5 minutes away from home some kids in a Civic hatchback stopped next to me at a stoplight to compliment me on my ride and laughed how my Camaro would easily smoke their honda.

Even though there are alot of nice cars out there none of them have the SOUL as my Camaro and I dont want to run-it into the ground when theres nothing out there that I like and that I can really afford without being car poor.

As mentioned I have looked at used LS1 Vettes priced around $25,000 but even thats to impractical with only 2 seats since I need back seat once in a while. My camaro is too-over bearing for my wife to drive (as she puts it) and Im personally afraid she rub my alloy wheels against curbs and etc. While my wife likes to be a passenger in my Camaro she's afraid to drive it because its so big and fast.

My wife is totally cool with me having the Camaro and she never puts pressure on me to sell since she knows what a car-nut I am and she wants me to be happy. While some guy on this forum sold his Camaro to buy a Navigator because he was 32 and im personally 31 and have no intentions of not having a cool ride even if its only on the weekends if need be.

The only problem that when I take the Saturn Vue out with the kids to relieve my wife and give her time of peace and quiet on a saturday morning she is stuck at the house because she cant drive my car and the older the kids get the more likley one of us is going to be truck'n them around to somewhere.

Even if a new V8 RWD Camaro comes out in the fall of 2006 as a 2007 model in a best case scenerio that is still over 3 years and most likely cost close to $35,000

Note: Im very afraid of the reliablility of a Turbo Neon, While have admit that sucker is fast and cheap I have serious doubts if that car would hold its self together after 3 years if that check out @ http://www.srtforums.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=16

Pandamonkey

I say keep your Camaro and get yourself that daily driver you are thinking about.
I have my Camaro for nice summer days and a diesel VW for all others.
- One car looks great, goes fast and gets really crappy fuel economy.
- The other looks like a turd, slower than a slug and gets out of this world fuel economy.

Perfect.

johnsocal

I dont know how the licensing fees for new cars where you guys live but because my leftists California Governor (Gray Davis) has spent our state into near bankruptcy and it now looks like automotive liscensing fee for all cars (new and used) will at least double and some are saying it might even triple the current prices by the end of this year. What this huge increase in fees (hidden taxation) will cause the cost of owning a car to go up considerably and the more expensive a car the more its going to cost you. The current California Licensing Fee (CLF)is 0.65% and its planned to be raised to 2.0% in July (see: www.caltax.org/GovernorsBudgetTaxFee2003-047.pdf)

The other cars that I have looked into but havent mentioned are the following:

03 Audi TT
03 Audi A4
05 Dodge Magnum with HEMI (when it comes out)
05 Mustand GT (when it comes out)
04 Pontiac GTO

If you didnt notice most of these cars are going to be over $30,000 and in most cases over $35,000 which put the monthly payment near or over $600 a month and this doesnt even consider if licensing fees will triple by the end of the year and increased insurance costs.

jrp4uc

As mentioned above, the Dodge SRT-4 is a bargain at $20,000. The WRX can be had for invoice pricing (about $23k) which shouldn't be a hard accomplishment at a dealership unless you want the pricey BBS wheel option. A bit more quality plus AWD for the price difference with the SRT-4.

Obviously a G35 is apples to oranges. It was the MT COTY so I'm sure it's a worthy choice. If you're moving to the $30k mark though, you also have the Mistu Evo and WRX STi, both outstanding values and cars that will not make you miss your Camaro at a stoplight. You'll also find yourself more of a fan of the twisty roads than before.

You mentioned the Mini, which seems like an interesting car, but coupled with its size and a lack of negotiating on price ($25k buys cars than can do more than this) it makes you wonder how long it'll be an intriguing purchase before the cuteness wears off.

Not a lot of domestic choices there. I'll include the ever-popular Mustang, though I'm sure it'd be worth waiting for next year. The Chrysler Crossfire might be a interesting ride as well, but I wouldn't doubt it'll be marked up from what may already be considered an overpriced sticker. Don't forget the S/C GM series: Impala SS, Monte SS, Grand Prix GTP and upcoming Ion RedLine. GTO will be a hit if price-gouging isn't a factor.

All that said, I am happy with my WRX and feel it delivers a very sporty ride while still being a practical car. I'd love to have the STi, but can't bring myself to accpet that I'd get the extra $200 car payment out of it each month. If you're planning on big mods though, it'd be the one to start with.

Darth Xed

If you are not 100% sure you want to sell it, you should keep it, IMO.

TaylnStorm

Keep the Camaro. There's nothing like driving a V8.

jg95z28

FWIW, my brother, who is also a former Camarofile, recently picked up a WRX and loves it.

Don't get a Mustang... if you do, we'll have to kick the crap out of you.

johnsocal

I still have a hard time convincing myself to drive a Japanese car since I prefer to buy American if I have a choice. Even though the Camaro was made in Canada at least it was still built in North America.



What are the rest of you guys doing with your Camaros?

Are you going to keep them forever or wait it out hoping a new Camaro will come out in 2007?

Ken S

what about Japanese cars built in America? Or American cars built overseas, like the new GTO in Australia? The lines start blurring..