Wrong to who? Are you going to try and say that a few polls that get maybe 20 answers on this website is enough info to justify you declaring all this as fact?

I mean, seriously, you act like judge and jury over the Camaro Realm or something when it comes to this...

There are a lot of people who are Camaro SS fans... look at your web URL wright now... camaross.com.

There are a lot of SS owner clubs, and it actually has a big fan base.

I find it so odd that I argue on the side of SS with you guys, because I, too, think Z28 is more important... but too much BS gets spewed about SS 'ruining' Z28.

Z284ever trys to make points, but I hate it when you come in and wave your magic wand and declare everything SS is bad. period. C'Mon, gimme a break.

Since you blame SS for 'devaluing' Z28, what would have worked for you? Adding all the SS's equipment to the Z28 and just bumping all Z28's up $4000 in sticker price? Give it away for free?

How about changing the then Z28 to SS, and make the SS into the Z28? That wouldn't have confused everyone totally, right??

Maybe they just shouldn't have ever offered the SS package? Well, they sure sold a lot of them... consistantly... hard to say that too.

So, look in your magic Z28 Crystal Ball, and tell me how the whole situation should have been handled.

 

So the addition of Z06 ruined the then established LS1 Corvette... therefore devaluing it to nothing but a footnote?

The CTS-V now makes the CTS obsolete?

The Mustang Cobra makes the Mustang GT a waste of time and effort?

 

The LS1 Vette, CTS and Mustang GT are still desirable cars.

How many GT's would have sold if it had base V6 wheels, instead of a choice of good looking 17 inchers....and just generally was easily confused with a base V6.

The GT...which IMHO...doesn't have anywhere near the reputation and lineage of the Z/28....was taken more seriously by Ford than Chevy did with the exponentially more important Z/28.

The point is that there are different strokes for different folks.

IF YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE MORE THAN ONE MODEL IN A LINE-UP, YOU HAVE THE OBLIGATION TO YOUR CUSTOMERS TO GET THEM ALL RIGHT. IF NOT, DON"T BE SURPRISED WHEN YOUR CUSTOMERS DON"T FEEL OBLIGATED TO BUY.

 

This stuff I can totally agree with, but it was, by this logic, the BASE CAR that 'devalued' the Z28, not SS .

 

Well said Darth!


-Mike

 

You know DXed, I will never understand why if you agree with us about the Z28 do you argue with us about it also?? I sound like that because I take the Camaro and its history seriously and as something great, which is what it is.

How would have I done it?? I probably wouldn't have brought SLP into it in the 1st place and just done some things to make the Z28 better inside GM or made the base car look more like a base car and work to give the models more differences. But, if SLP had to be included, the SS would still be nowhere to be found and the Z28 would have got all the upgrades that the SS got as an SLP option for the Z28 for those who wanted extra performance and looks. I would have also put a chrome SLP emblem or 2 on the car and maybe 1 of their winshield banners. Z28 stripes might have been worked into it also or offered as an option with the SLP stuff. It would still say Z28 on it and there would be no compromise of designations or Camaro enthusiasts even having to discuss this. I would have stayed true to the name and the car. It should have been handled like that, similar to Yenko (as in aftermarket appearance upgrade differences) and other Camaro upgrades over the years also, not taking a name from way back that meant something completely different and slapping it on a Z28 making it something it never was by calling it an SS and disregarding the Z28 as the top model it was for so many years and what it meant. The Z28 is NOT a mid-model and it is not and never was the SS's b*tch. It had its own characteristics and advantages and held its own, even when it was a 302 compared to a 396. It should be the top M*stang competitor, not the GT competitor. When you really think about the cars' history, Z28 deserves it all.

 

I really respect your passion for the Z28. However, I can't see how you can use the above statement to defend your point when cars like Yenko, Dana, etc. were built from the SS not the Z-28.

 

Well, I sort of see it as, the Z/28 was supressed from being any more than the base car with a V8.

It was never allowed to be a "real" Z/28 from my personal point of view.

 

When I look at a 4th Gen Z28, I see that it was really held back aesthetically to justify a $3500 hood, spoiler and wheel package.

Why did it have to look so plain?

If it looked good, that "SS" package wouldn't have nearly as much value, would it? The way they made the "SS" look like a value was to devalue the Z/28 in the consumer's eyes.

The 4th Gen Z/28 was the least inspiring Z in the entire lines history. And you guys wonder why no one bought them...

 

It's comments like these that really force me to ignore you IZ28.

Yeah, no one payed any attention "because it was a 4th Gen..." Your hatred of the 4th Gen Camaro is well documented on this board, to the point that the things the 4th Gen did RIGHT are downplayed or turned around in some illogical way to seem "worse" than the 3rd Gen way of doing it.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I DON'T CARE which car is "on top". To me, Z28 has meant a Corvette-ballpark level of performance at that magical made-for-the-masses price. Now tell me how the 4th Gen Z28 did not accomplish this, existance of "SS" or not....

 

INTENSS....look at what you started buddy.

I'm just curious. If there were no SS, and your 35th anniversary Camaro were identical to the one you have....except, it was called the 35th annniversary Z/28....would you have bought it?

 

It SHOULD have been called the 35th Anniversary Z28. It is the designation that was with the car for all those years, every Gen, and deserved that recognition. I'm starting to agree with Z284's assumption that they tried their best to make the Z28 look like nothing for the "SS."

Yes Z28W, I don't like 4th Gens. But lets face it, they are not and were never as popular as the previous Gens were in their time and even are now. You do know what the sales looked like right?? You did read the articles and reviews that did nothing but complain about them right?? LS1's have power no doubt, but all I ever hear is people making fun of them otherwise away from the boards. Power can always be increased, but the other things can't be fixed. I know dudes that bought used LS1's just because of the power and IMO a person should never have to buy a car for just that and should like everything or almost everything about their car. Some sold them a few months later as I expected. Power isn't always everything. And as to your Corvette performance at a low price comment, the Z28 should never be reduced to a 5.0 M*stang LX. If you think different, then there is not much more for me to discuss with you about this.

 

Z284ever - Wow, I didn't think I'd get this much of a response.

If there were no SS model, I would have definitely bought the 35th anniversary Z/28. I love the way the car looks and performs, AND it's a Camaro. I've wanted a 4th gen SS ever since I saw a 96 SS for the first time when my dad was shopping for his 96 WS6.

IZ28 - Im sorry if you find my post/reasoning ridiculous, but the truth must hurt huh?

As Darth eluded to, polls on this forum do not dictate what the market as a whole feels. This is a niche forum full of enthusiasts who would like every new car to have 400hp, V8, RWD and cost under $25k. That is not logical nor cost effective for companies. In the real world, names such as SS have overtaken Z28 in recognition. It's not my fault that Chevy decided to water down the Z28 or upgrade the SS to new heights with the 4th gen. That doesn't make my post ridiculous.

Who says enthusiasts don't pay attention to my car (4th gen)? Im sure it gets as much, if not more, attention at shows than a 3rd gen Z28. You seem to poke fun at 4th gens, but what greatness does a 3rd gen possess over a 4th gen? Im interested in your reasoning.

One last thing. And here is where I may differ from more than a few people on here. The SS model was the top Camaro model. Priced and packaged to be that way. It wasn't the niche vehicle the Z/28 was. It was the optioned out TOP model. When you go up the option and price ladder, there sat the SS. The 4th gen SS is exactly that...with the looks and price to match. I don't see the problem here. Be happy your Z28 cost alot less than the SS model. Chevy was not obligated to make it any faster, and they still aren't.

-Rich

 

Truth?! LOL, OK there dude. You don't know truth but are instead hypnotised by Chevy's SS BS. I suppose you are talking about the 1st Gen. The Z28 the was cooler car, had better looks, became a legend, and was more expensive. It had better handling, braking, and the 302's high RPM pull was likened to a 426 HEMI because it made more HP than the 396, but not TQ. I am not going through things I've said over and over again in lots of other posts for you. Especially with the whole Z28 thing, you don't get it so I'm not spending my time on nothing. If you are happy with your car like you say, great. But it sounds like you really don't care which is top as long as it has the looks you want.

 

Enjoy your car Rich.

It sure isn't your fault, but it certainly is someones'.