Hod Rod T.V. was praising it as the "Hottest thing from Detroit in years!"..And I'm begining to see them Modded everywhere. It's getting hard to spot a stock one around here lately. And the main theme of the car comunity right now is mixing the "Old with the New"...the timing is ripe for a car or cars like the Mustang...
The body kits are really mean looking with new paint and wheel and tires combo's are really making these things look great!
Man, it's going to be a long couple of years...

 

This just means GM needs to make damned sure that the new Camaro is a posterchild for aftermarket parts. The Mustang came out when, last August, September maybe? And by the time SEMA rolled around there were already a half a dozen good looking body kits in prototype form and it was easily the hottest new car at the show.

When the Camaro does finally come out, it should have just as strong, if not stronger, impact at SEMA. One thing I don't see much of is customized late-model F-Bodies. They just aren't out there. They look good stock, which is a good arguement, but at the same time, the only parts I really see available for them are a handful of tacky body kits and custom headlights and taillights. Not much out there.

What drew me to the Mustang was the fact that it was a good looking car with decent performance and a LOT of potential. In 2007 or 2008 when we do get something worthwhile from GM, I want to feel that again. I want it to make me put a for sale sign in my 05 Mustang.

I wanna be a Chevy guy that owns a Chevy again, not a Chevy guy in a nice Ford (that he really enjoys.)

Kris

 

Repeat over and over again

Chevy has been very involved with the Cobalt SS and the Cobalt in general , even at the 2.2 base level with turbocharging . Hopefully that is a continuing trend when the Camaro gets here . Give the car to the tuners before its even released

Chevy is gonna have to try double hard to steal current mustang fans . From kids , to older folks in conversations Ive been in , the mustang just seems to be faultless in the public eye . A stigma the Camaro has just never quite achieved . The 4th gen went a LOOOOOONG way in getting younger gearheads hooked on f-bodies though

Personally I believe the new Camaro is gonna trump the current mustang pretty good in every aspect . The only real thing Im worried about is , am I gonna beable to afford it . Because Im not to confident it will be priced under $30K for a well equipped Mustang GT equivelent , as a completely loaded every option 2002 Z28 could reach a $29K sticker .

 

Not to sound mean but we don't really know anything yet... We only know that its comming back and that supposedly it looks really good and thats it. Therefore your argument should be that you hope it will trump the Mustang and that it will be close in price.

Sorry...

 

Well, they'd better start talking to some enthusiasts then. Ford did this extensively, even going as far as publicly doing research on boards like this one (well, Mustang boards). They were able to come up with a car that both the older buyers and younger buyers like. GM's traditional approach of just dumping a car on us and saying "here it is, take it or leave it" is just not going to fly.

Here's a tip: Don't put the engine under the windshield.

 

Kris, you nailed it completely.

I don't think most of the hardheaded Camaro people actually get it. All you hear from them is "more power", "Mustang beating performance", etc..., and to tell the truth, I'm really glad these people don't run GM because they'd have it in the toilet in no time. These people forget the LAST Camaro had more power & Mustang beating performance, and it's been dead for 4 model years and counting!

Mustang was and is a FUN car. The fact it doesn't handle like a Corvette makes it exciting to drive. The fact that even though it's already quick you can still choose a million and one parts to improve performance or two million to give it a unique look or feel is something that gives you a sense of true ownership and pride in the car.

Sure Camaro is quick and handles out the box, but people like to personalize cars like these. That's the biggest thing I missed when I switched from my Mustangs to Camaros. And will likely be one of the things that would entice me (even more) to go back to Mustang when it's time to trade in or sell my B4C.

The next Camaro MUST be an aftermarket friendly car. GM has to make the next Camaro every bit as personalization friendly as the efforts they are putting towards the HHR. The paint was barely dry on the 1st 2005 Stangs when I 1st started seeing aftermarket exhausts on V6s, Ford Racing wheels, custom hoods, even alumunum billet grilles.

Sorry for the rant.

 

No need to be sorry because it's the truth. So many people here want sooooo much power and forget that the people who are going to buy this car in the masses and keep it alive, don't care if it's 300hp or 500hp. (And if fact would probably prefer 300!)

 

And, as much as many here hate the Retro look, it is selling a lot more than an airplane wing on wheels. As said, It must have enough "character" to be an extension of peoples' personality through the aftermarket. And the 1st Gens were dripping with character...

 

It sure did. As much as alot of the guys on this board want to believe only 40 year olds drive 4th gens, I invite any of you to stand in front of the college campus in West Chester Pa on a Friday night, and tell me how many young guys are driving 4th gens up and down the road. I see sooooooooooo many guys in primarly Integras, Mustangs, Bikes, and 4th gen F-Bodies drive down the street there all the way into the wee hours of the morning, and my friend has a place right near the campus, so I can hear them from his house as well.

I know alot of young guys in 4th gens meet up around here as well, and there are no shortage of people there. 4th gens are getting cheaper and cheaper, and the younger gearheads are buying them up. The 4th gen was a great car to help spread the performance image of GM to the younger crowds.

 

I am glad at least one person involve with the new Camaro, Red, believes the Camaro must have more power and handle better than the Mustang. There is absolutely no reason we cannot have a Camaro that does everything that is needed to sell to the public, and support a great aftermarket for customization, and still whoop *** on the Mustang straight out of the box.

 

Let's choose our words very carefully here. Sure, the 4th gen outperformed the 2002 and under Mustang. It didn't fail because of that, it failed because it offered little beyond that to compete with Mustang.

I have every confidence that the Camaro team's goal will be to outperform Mustang.... model for model.... in every way possible. The difference this time, is the understanding that this performance must be wrapped into a car that many tens of thousands of people per year will find appealing.

 

Well now the 4th gens are cheaper so there are more young people in them.

But the majority of college kids are not going to be able to afford a new "Z28" Camaro let alone pay the insurance on one. Yes there are a few spoiled little rich kids, and a few that work their *** off to pay for that car - but this is not the "majority."

You have to be appealing to all and the majority of potential new car buyers are going to be 25+ /NOT/ in college.

 

Yeah but the younger crowd buys used. Used dont help GM

 

Not 2002 and under, 2004 and under. As much as these guys hate to admit it, the 05+ seems to be right in the ballpark with the ls1's.

 

Reminds me of my college years with the third gens. Granted, it wasn't that long ago ('98-'02), but when I was an undergrad I was just one of many with a third gen...clean, dirty or in between. I remember walking through just my parking lot at UMass Amherst, seeing a ratty '86 Z28, a mint '88-'89 Formula, a ratty '89 RS and more just in my own lot for most years I was there. I used to circle around campus on nice days with the t-top off, skipping class (hence my role now as a banker instead of an engineer!). Its sad to think of how many of those cars are long trashed and long gone. Those cars were everywhere.

Even mine (perfect '89 RS) is gone It got run into a tree by the girl that bought it from me in '02...6 months after she bought it Despite the stupid 2.8, I still wish I had kept that car. Memories cannot be replaced by the $4k I got for it...