Third Opinion

Please follow this buyer's guide before considering purchasing a Camaro:

1. Be sure your insurance company is forgiving.
2. Be sure you feel the need for speed, and can't afford a Porsche.
3. Be sure you enjoy "little chats" with highway patrol officers.

I drove the Camaro Z28 SS for a total of one hour, and most of that time was spent evading--er, observing--a friendly state trooper. Northbound I-25 was relatively free of heavy traffic, and the red Camaro found itself all by its lonesome, cruising at 75 mph over a curving ridge. My timing was impeccable as usual. I arrive at this ridge just as a white Ford Taurus with roof-mounted strobe lights materializes from the other side of the hill, radar aimed squarely at the defenseless, radar detector-less motorists making their way to Denver.

Checking the rear view mirror, those strobes start flashing as the police car starts a U-turn across the median. Ahead, the green sign says, "Exit 3/4 Mile." A last glimpse behind, and the white car is making its way slowly through the deeper median foliage.

I clear the ridge, and decide to gun it. Yes, this car is powerful. After the police start to chase, you can really use the speed. I make the exit in under thirty seconds, swearing all the way, and then decide that it is time to park the car and take in the scenic view of the interstate that runs below Castle Rock. A state trooper speeds by, and I decide to end my sight-seeing excursion, getting back on the road.

Two miles up, I drive under an overpass, and a strangely familiar trooper enters the highway. He tags along right behind me for six tedious miles, then moves on. My cruise control is now set at 65 mph.

Having made this drive at 75 mph hundreds of times in a beat-up old 5-Series, I was surprised to observe for the first time a trooper going off-road just to meet me. Then again, most of those jaunts were not made in a car that screams "Look at me!!! I'm breaking the law!!!" No, most cars don't have this kind of personality. Hood scoop of a Ferrari 550 Maranello, color of hellfire, and the glaring squint of Clint Eastwood, the Camaro Z28 SS is bound to attract attention. If attention and speed is what you're after, the Camaro will serve you well. Just remember to tell the cops we said "Hi."

by Greg Anderson