Mustang sized or even 1mm larger is big to me.

And BTW Scott, I can't tell you my disappointment....that you, of all people, would question my passion for this car.

 

 

Who said I was talking about you???? Hey...you drove the whole way to B/G twice so we could kabitz......

That said, don't jump to conclusions about size.

Don't believe everything you read.

 

Whooooee, you can cut the passion with a knife . The irony is that in a few months, we'll have a whole lot of answers, and in a few years, we won't have anything at all to talk about on this forum. They'll have to rename it!

Passion runs deep, but we all want a great Camaro, and although we have different ideas about what it should be, I believe it is safe to say that we will get the best Camaro thats ever been built sitting in Chevy showrooms in the near (near being a relative term) future. And for that I am thankful.

Hijack alert: check out the name of this thread

And a big happy 1000 post to me, It's been great reading all the great info and insight from you guys!

 

You have my sympathy. I had a couple dual-sport motorcycles in my past. I gave up riding them on the street and sold them, after it dawned on me that I could be the best, most defensive driver in the world... and sooner or later some nitwit on their cell phone would turn left in front of me. You really don't have a ghost of a chance (no pun intended) in such a collision. Good luck... you'll be needing it.

Sure low weight is important. But so is HP/TQ. The 05 GTO for example, certainly no lightweight... but you better believe it's a performance car. So is the Charger SRT8.

Maybe not first, but it's important to women buyers and it's important to the parents of any value-oriented car aimed at a younger owner.

Meh. I simply don't give a dam* about gas prices. Gas is dirt cheap when seen in historical context, compared for example, to the rise in cost over the last decades of a gallon of milk. We have it good here in the USA. Gas is actually close to its true price (unlike in Europe where it's slathered in gratuitous taxes). How do you know, really, that gas prices are going to go up much in coming years? The only reason they are up now is due to uncertainty about terrorism in the mideast. I'm an optimist. I believe we are going to root out and destroy terrorism as a feared political force - the same way we imploded Soviet communism. When we do, gas prices will be boring again.

Hmm. Time to go polish your sport bikes. And lay off the hate-orade

 

A couple of thoughts....

Safety is first and foremost. Perhaps some buyers don't consider it, but you can bet the farm WE care about it. (can you say 'lawsuit?'...can you say "ambulance chaser?" can you say "tort reform??"....I thought you could!)
Further, if it's unsafe...and doesn't get the hallowed 5 stars, forget selling it..and forget insuring it.

A tidbit......

Anyone care to guess what the top selling year of Camaro was?

(no fair peeking........)























It was 1979....in the middle of double digit inflation and interest rates and historically high energy prices. This segment of the market has historically never tracked along with the rest of the market. Further, you can be pretty much assured that the fuel economy of whatever is built will be outstanding for the performance available.

I drove a new Z06 on several road trips......at 'cruising' speeds, (ain't gonna tell you how fast I was going.....) I averaged over 27mpg......even on a 'green' engine........not bad for a 500+ hp performance car........and those of you who own LS1 powered 4th gens.....you know the gas mileage is quite surprising...........

 

Ok bud, misunderstanding on my part.

But for the record........










Mustang sized or larger is too large.....

 

As I said before, thinking GM is bringing out a "pig" or a "large" car as a Mustang competitor is ludicrious.

If you don't trust me on this, that's OK.

But at least you now have the word directly from the horse. No "lost in translation", no bad info from people who don't know as much as they pretend to know, and about as clear as can be.

Sounds like this "Panic Rumor" should be closed now.

I'm sure someone will come up with something else just as ridiculous soon.

Can't wait.

 

Wow you are in some kind of different world.
Maybe you as a buyer don't care about safety, but if GM wants to sell lots of these cars, safety will have to be a big concern.

I used to be in motocross, did years of competitive racing. Trust me my friend, being light and maneuverable on a public road aint gonna make you more safe.
First off a motor cycle will flip over if you try to make a realllly sharp turn (lets say to get out of the way of a moving vehicle doing a left.)
And even if you do make that turn to dodge the vehicle, you will probably get hit by some other car in another lane.
A car will not wipe out or flip over if you make a sharp turn or screw up on a turn.
Secondly being light weight doesn't help you at all on a public road.
Since your light weight, when you get hit, you are going to take the inertia from the heavier vehicle which is hitting you. Since you have lighter vehicle you can stop faster, but since you have 2 tires instead of 4, you put less friction to the pavement, which reduces the quick stop time a bit. Also being on a bike, your body gets hit by the incoming vehicle, while in a car, there is a metal barrier between you and the outside. Also motor bikes don't have seatbelts, which means you go flying off your bike, whether you are wiping out, or getting hit by a vehicle.
Also you forgot to point out the fact that motor bikes have two wheels, while cars have 4. Since you have biking experience, you will know that another 2 wheels makes a big difference
On a motor bike you can slide off if you are riding on ice, or wet roads. A car can also slide, but its not like a car will wipe out, it may slide and hit something, but at least the driver doesn't get thrown off the vehicle at a high speed.
Riding over a pot hole on a motor bike is a much bigger deal then riding over a pot hole in a car.
Same with riding over a patch of sandy road on a sharp turn (skid, wipeout).
Seriously, I have been on motor bikes, and extreme bikes since I was a kid. I would know how safe motor bikes are.
I ride motor bikes and bikes in my spare time, I love them, they are a big part of my life.
BUT THAT STILL DOESN't MEAN I'M DUMB ENOUGH TO LET MYSELF THINK THEY ARE SAFE!
They ABSOLUTELY aren't as safe as cars. Its ridiculously stupid to say so.
Sure you can drive safely, be a defensive driver, whatever, but when your on a 350 pound bike, and you collide with a 3500 pound car, who wins?

The truth is that being lighter does help performance, I agree on that with you, but comparing safety with motor bikes and cars is just stupid.

 

A couple comments on size and weight:

1) Weight:
Some people want to keep saying "the new cars are pigs compared to 3rd Gens" etc etc etc... well, we now have frontal airbags, side air bags, curtain airbags, ABS, bigger wheels and tires, better safety structures, and a host of other things that weren't around 20 years ago, and quite frankly... I'm very happy they are around today... unfortuantely they add some weight. It's reality. It's for the best. Get over it.

2) Size:
I've continually said this size issue gets blown out of proportion (no pun intended) on this board... make the car a size that fits the styling, and all is good. Only someone who really wants to complain about something is going to notice or care if a car is 2 or 3 inches longer than some "maximum acceptable length" number that someone pulls out of thin air!!! .

That said, I think the size needs to accomodate the styling. I think the new Mustang looks HUGE... but that is because it is so strongly styled after the old Mustangs that were so much smaller.... it makes the new car look gigantic and odd... this does not mean that the size is wrong... it just means the size is wrong for the styling... IMO.

 

Would you get the same effect in a larger scale '69 Camaro?

 

Can't say for sure without seeing it, but, yes, I would imagine so... and, not to turn this into another retro thing, but, that is yet another reason to not go retro, in my book anyway.

 

Either that or..................................




go smaller.......................

 

I suppose that logic stands true...

I just see it from the other side of the fence... (size vs. styling theme that is)

 

So what you're saying is...size really does matter??

I agree w/ the styling point though, look how much more compact the C6 rear looks compared to the C5's, and they're only an inch narrower, looks about half a foot though to the naked eye. Good styling.