okay. im only 17 years old, i have a 1967 camaro ss. it has a 355, and im makin a good chunk of power. i absolutly love the car but i only drive it 3 days a week. i get 8 miles per gallon and im scared to have it parked anywhere. i only drive it when im goin for a cruise and i want something i can drive daily.

im thinkin about getting a 1998 camaro z28. i can pretty much go car for car as far as price goes. I wouldn't have to worry about having it parked somewhere. and my gas mileage would be more than twice as good.

i want a 98 or 99 z28, or ss for a lil more money. and a 6 spd.

the only thing im going to miss is having people look at my car and say wow. my car is a real head turner, and new camaro's dont do that as much... until u step on it :P.

what i would do once i got the camaro is, lt headers,loudmouth exhaust, program the computer, and buy a functional ss hood. then probabaly do a cam if it wouldn't hurt the engine.

what would my gas mileage look like with all that?

and what would you guys do in my situation. go check out my car. at car domain.

any input is appreciated.

 

Hi,

Just been where you are now. I had a '71 Corvette Convertible, and sold it to get a 2000 SS M6 Conv.. People might think I'm crazy for doing it, but the SS has lots more power, is more comfortable, practical for everyday driving, is safer (airbags, etc.) and ICE COLD AIR when you want it. As for looks, I think one is just as cool as the other, but just in a different way.

Just one guys input,

Jason U

 

thats just the thing, its so much more practical. u can park it and not worry about it. and i mean, there is a lil bit of rust starting to come through and i know that im going to need a paintjob in 2 years.

i think i really want to do it. as long as doing all those mods i want to do wont' hurt it.

 

......thats a clean 67............ I would say stay with the first gen.........and drop in a Ls1.....

 

Clean looking SS.. Well I have a question for you, why not keep the 67 and still get a 98 or 99 ?? Trust me if you have a little rust showing, then you will have more rust soon. What I did/would do, is non op that 67 SS (if you have that option) and buy the newer F-body, and restore that SS.. Don't feel too bad getting 8 mpg, my 68 C10 gets 6 mpg in town and 8 mpg on the freeway guzzling Premium, also my 350 is pushing 368 HP @ 5500 rpms and 408 Ft Lbs Of Torque @ 4000 rpms... One thing I will add is the fact that there are a lot more newer f-bodys on the road then there are for Really Nice First Gen F-bodys...

Charlie

 

damn nice car man, i say stick with the 67 and then buy a cheapo car for daily driving or if the 67 is paid for then go for the ss but dont get rid of the 67. once i have the 00 SS paid for im going to try and find a nice 1st gen to go all out on.

 

or can be like me and have both I got a 67 Nova SS and if i even get 8 miles to a gallon i am UBER LUCKY. I am also pushing 550+. My next car will be a 69 Camaro SS or a 67 Tri powered GTo Vert. Anyway, STICK WITH THE 67!!!!! Cuz 9.9 out of 10 the minute it goes u are gonna cry ur heart out and wish u had it back. I know it be that way if my nova went.. My first car my dad and i ever built.

P.s i am 18.

 

Hey, I was sort of in your boat not to long ago. Your '67 is a lot cooler than my '77, but atleast my '77 had power everything (windows, locks, steering etc.) and got halfway decent milage. (13/17)

If I were you, I would keep the '67 and just get a cheaper car to drive daily. The '67 is rare, and if you sell it, you may never get your hands on another one in the same condition at a price you want to pay.

You could easily opt for a small honda or other economy car which will net you 30+mpg and your insurance would be dirt cheap. When you want speed and looks, hop in the Camaro, when youre going to school or work, get in the civic.

If you must have another F-Body and dont have a big budget, LT1's arent that much slower than LS1's and can be found for about half the price. You'd get the milage you want and after the mod's youre planning youd easily be runnning 12's no sweat.

Thats the route I took... I wanted a LS1 badly but ended up witha cheaper LT1 and dont regret it.

I'd also imagined youd have to go through your parents first so see what they say about you owning 2 cars.

Just a suggestion.

 

Keep the 67 for sure. I would rather have a 67-69 rather than my ls1 anyday. You got a collector car that will hold it's value and is way cooler. No worries about smog laws and sensors and computer controls screwing up. Keep it and get a beater car for better mileage.

 

i have a beater car right now, but i mean who wants to drive a beater when u got a camaro sittin in the garage. i think i made up my mind, its going to be a 99 camaro ss, t-tops, black w\ black leather. and a 6 spd.

i just want something more practical, sure my car is cool and everyone says wow when they see it, but like id rather have something i can drive and i love to drive.. i mean people with old cars know there not as simple and step on the gas and go, u got ****ty brakes, and **** likes to brake.

i dont know. this is a big decision, and my dad is cool with me having 2 cars. my camaro stole his garage spot

i dont know, i think a new black ss is just as cool but in a different way, and i mean ill be runnin high 12's with it no problem. and ill still get wicked driveability..

iuno, thats just my opinion.
i know im gunna regret selling it, but i regret not driving it also. i can see me wanting this car in 10 or 15 years. but right now i want a driver.

 

If your dad is cool with 2 cars, why not get the cheaper lt-1 like bigsteve7 said and keep the '67?? Then you have the best of both worlds. That would be a tough combination to beat.

Jason U

 

i already looked into that. a while ago, i looked at ls1 and lt1. it would cost rouhgly $3000 CDN for an lt1 and $4000 for an ls1. headers alone for them are custom made and are $800 USD. then i would still have to get it installed, thats another $2000-3000. so itd be about 7000 total for an engine swap.

then i thought about the edelbrock pro flo efi kit. the gas mileage would put me up to 17 mpg. but then i still can't park it anywhere. so iuno. this is a big decision.

haha, its so funny the situation im in and im only 17 years old. i just graduated and i have a 67 camaro. go working 30-40 hours a week for 3 years :P. but well all my friends were sittin on their ***, now i have a camaro.

woo.
suckers.

 

If your 67 was cherry I'd say keep it. Since you have rust, get rid of it unless you can repair it yourself or afford to get it fixed. There is always more hidden rust if you are seeing a little. I just got rid of my 70 SS because it would have cost more than it was worth to restore it, then I still wouldn't be able to compete w/the LS1 and keep decent milage for daily driving. The LS1 M6 conversion would have cost more than I could swing also. Its easier to get loans for newer cars than to get loans to restore an old car.

I now have a 2000 SS M6. I don't really miss the 70 especially when I think if all the little things that needed fixing. Ya, the 2000 doesn't turn heads like my 70 did, but its more enjoyable to drive. Plus I don't have to do the beater for a daily driver thing anymore. I get to drive a decent car ALL the time.

 

I dont think anyone meant put the LT1 into your 67, what I was saying was purchase a LT1 instead ofa LS1. LT1 cars cost about half what a LS1 does and get similar milage. I get about 18 in the city and close to 30 on the highway with mine. If you alreayd have a beater, sell it and put the money towards the LT1.

What they lose in speed is made up for in the cheaper aftermarket and initial puchase cost. Say you buy a LT1 for $6000 USD, you can add long tubes, full exhaust, intake, and a cam all for less than $2000 and make ~320 hp at the rear wheels. (assuming you can do the labor) Want more? Heads for LT1 cars go for $250 in the for sale section of the board all the time. Buy a set, port them and youve gotten even more power for a small amount of money.

This is opposed to spending probably more than $10k on a LS1, then spending even more $$$ on equivalent mods to net ~360 rwhp, maybe more?

Drive that daily and keep your 67 for the weekends. If you really want a LS1 car though I dont think anything I type will change your mind. I just think you shoudl really keep you 1st gen. The value on it will do nothing but go up in the upcoming years and its just a good collectors piece. I assume youre on somewhat of a budget which is why i suggested the LT1.

Also a suggestion, my dad has put his Chevelle and Belair on a special collectors car insurance which limits his miles, but comes in at a rate which is about 1/3rd what he was paying before. If you only drive your 1st gen 3 times a week, I would suggest you look into somethign like that. I can get you the information of the company hes insured on if you need it.

 

Right on bigsteve7! I am glad you brought that up about the insurance for collector cars. We have that on our '60 Corvette and it is only like $350.00 per year for $35,000 of coverage. The mileage allowance is only 1500 per year, but we don't even come close to that anyway. Shocker in my opinion, I'd keep the '67 and get an LT-1 driver of you can.