thing is it isn't that much bigger then a 2nd gen. its just the high belt line that mess it up.

 

And the 3rd gen was a SIGNIFICANTLY downsized (aka 800 lbs and a foot off the length IIRC) 2nd gen...

Get my drift? The size doesn't even bother me at this point as much as the damn dash...

 

same here. that and the trunk opening is too small.....

 

I can deal with the trunk, because this wouldn't be a DD...and even if it was, I have a truck. But this has nowhere NEAR the use of a hatchback...I mean, we brought home a damn DISHWASHER in my '89 RS back in the early '90s

I remember talking with Scott WAY back in the day, and at that point the thought process was we could have t-tops, or a hatch, but not both because of structural integrity. In the end, we didn't even get ONE...oh well...

 

The trunk opening will be a deal breaker for a very select few potential buyers. It isn't like you can't haul groceries in it. No, it won't swallow a card table and folding chairs, but that's kind of the expected "nature of the beast" with these cars.

The problem I have is, at what point do all these "little" inconveniences add up to lost sales?

-Mailslot trunk opening?
-Poor visibility?
-Polarizing interior?
-Weight & comparable competitor performance equation?

I don't buy the fact that the car "will be gone" by 2011 (We're just a year and a half away for that!). The 5th Gen will be gone when the Alpha Camaro is ready.

I'm happy the 5th Gen is an early success, and I recognize that GM did their best with what they were working with (Zeta). Unlike Josh, I recognize that Chevrolet needs a Camaro in its showrooms. Hopefully the next car addresses all these "inconveniences".

 

This is nothing new...

 

I would bet I could get golf clubs in that trunk rather easily. Put one end in first, slide it over toward the quarter panel, and drop the other end in... the trunk isn't really small, just the opening is a bit small, but I think it looks overblown in pictures...

FWIW, I had a 2004 GTO... and while I didnt need to pack in a million things into the trunk, I didnt even have a problem with THAT trunk... which was way worse. I could still get 5 filled grocery bags (the large old-school paper kind) in the GTO's trunk without issue... and that's with a small duffel bag with network cables, and a few tools I and other job-related stuff I keep in my car at all times.

I never said they didn't care. I said that saying the trunk opening being the kiss of death to the car is ridiclulous... and it is! Z28Wilson said in a later post... there are a select few who will pass on the car because of the trunk opening. This is probably very true. However, I'd wager a guess that even more people shopping this car segment won't even open the trunk prior to purchasing the car.




What car in the segment doesn't have small back seats and low headroom? I am 6'3" tall. when I drove the car, I had no issue with headroom. I did not sit in the back seat, so I can not comment on that... again, though, I doubt this is any out-of-character for this market segment.

I agree with the blindspots... and I've already stated that... I found that to be the worst thing about the car when I drove it. As for the big wheels, c'mon, if they were smaller, people would bitch about that.


If you are saying sales will drop off after the initial newness goes away... well... ya, they will. This has happened with basically every production car ever built.

 

Amazing. The car is a hit, most people, but not all people, seem to like it, and people on this site are already predicting its demise two months into its life cycle. 7 month sales hit? Based on what data??

I haven't purchased one yet, but it's on my short list for a planned purchase next year. I'm sure I'm not the only one with economic reasons for not plopping down a deposit. As the economy improves, orders will likely increase, partially compensating for the inevitable "newness factor" sales decrease.

Predicting this car will have a 180 day supply by this time next year is a foolish attempt to impose your own views on the car buying public, or thinking that your views are representative of the car buying public. We loved the 4th gen, but most people didn't. That's why GM had to broaden this car's appeal.

As an editor, Josh should recognize the effect that his bias is having on his ability to justify this car's success. Most people don't care about the car's weight. Most people don't car about the trunk opening. Sporty cars are purchased based on style and performance. The car runs hard, looks good and handles well. Just because it isn't to your taste doesn't mean it will fail.

 

I would HIGHLY doubt that anyone shopping a pony car (especially a V6 car) is going to do the research to see how much re-shoeing an 18" or 19" wheel is going to cost them, 40,000+ miles down the road.

I mean really, has tire replacement cost ever figured into your buying decision? I think some are starting to nitpick just a touch. Let's stick to worthwhile areas of improvement - weight, visability and the like.

 

Darth, given the poor access to the trunk on your '70, I think you should sell it to me...


This whole issue is much ado about nothing. First and foremost, it's not going to change, so all anyone can do is move on. Secondly, it's clear that design won out over engineering on the trunk issue this time around, time will tell if it is as much an issue as it's being made out to be.

Two cars that come to mind w/ similar "problems" as this, the 1963 Corvette and the 1970 Camaro. The now famous "split window" coupe in '63 was done for purely aesthetic reasons. Zora Arkus Duntov hated it, and did manage to have it removed the following year, but how desireable are they today? The split window was a pain in the *ss for visibility, but you cant beat the look. W/ regards to the 1970 Camaro, there was a car that had not only a small trunk opening, but a small trunk as well. Throw in the scary lack of visibility out the rear w/ the early fastback models, and you have the exact argument we have today, that car went on to great sales success.

The lesson is, even if something is an annoyance in one area, the overall "gotta have it" aspect generally wins out over time. We'll see if the Camaros style can overcome the aforementioned issues. Only time will tell.

 

I'll take that bet.

 

I was going to go see about trying with the CFO's car, but a quick search shows I dont even have to...

Not one, but two set of golf clubs with complete ease.

What do I win? I think I bet a million dollars or something.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBmrX...layer_embedded


Frankly, by the video, it went even easier than I thought it would.

Again... this is a non-issue.... blown way way WAY out of proportion.

 

FWIW, just got back from having the recall performed on my G8 GT and while I was waiting walked through the Chevy showroom. They had a loaded Camaro SS (MSRP $38,xxx) with goofy looking aftermarket wheels and and dealer add-on sticker showing a "FIRM" price of $47,xxx. Sitting next to it was a new 2009 Jetstream blue Corvette, MSRP $51,xxx. I'm just sayin'...

 

wait a year and buy that car for 25k?

 

I have admitted the car got bigger. I even admitted its weight is a little heavy for my liking. The difference is that I have accepted that the car HAD to turn out this way. I made 2 posts about it being "big". (Which mind you I gotta say that formula79's made me lol way more).

I also find it humorous that Josh can't say one good thing about the car to save his life, yet doesn't like the "hater" badge. The trunk thing is a stupid thing to complain about.

Here is a quick off the top of my head list of some of things people put up with in the cars that the 5th keeps getting compared to

3rd gen:
-Giant, sagging, heavy doors with hinges welded on that can't be fixed easily
-leaky T-tops
-every squeak and rattle known to a car's interior
-Huge "trunk" opening, yet no real space for anything other than over the rear seats
-Exhaust? We need an exhaust on this car? Where we gonna put that?
-Anything that drives the rear wheels (even the 9-bolt sucked)
-crappy engine bay to work in

4th gen
-same giant doors, just not heavy this go round
-leaky T-tops
-Same trunk issue
-A step above every squeak and rattle known to a car's interior
-same crappy exhaust set-up
-20 year-old rear suspension design
-managed to make the engine bay even worse than the 3rd
-crappy seats
-same crappy rear-end

So far the 5th has:

200-300 too many lbs.
bad rear visibility
small trunk opening


Think to all the stuff that was tolerated, and even if the 5th isn't for you it is a vast improvement over the past cars.