"LJ909" (lj909)
03/19/2016 at 19:08 • Filed to: Camaro
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"LJ909" (lj909)
03/19/2016 at 19:08 • Filed to: Camaro | 1
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So today begins my what’s going to surely be months long search for my next car. I’m looking to replace my Sonic. I’ll be posting a lot to Oppo over the next few months because you guys are really helpful with stuff like this.
My choices are really all over the place now and I’d thought by starting my search with the last gen Camaro. I’m going to test drive a few SS today. A big maybe with base V6 LT and RS trims. Don’t really like how base the base looks. Aside from visibility issues, is there anything right lot wrong I should know about them?
they-will-know-my-velocity
> LJ909
03/19/2016 at 19:12 |
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Personally I was surprised how little vision you have in the Camaro. That huge C pillar really gets in the way of what becomes a rather large blind spot. And if I lived in a city with one I would want park assist and maybe a backup camera since the rear deck is high relative to your seating position.
Other than that, I look foward to the answer of “Which Camaro is Best Camaro?”
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LJ909
> they-will-know-my-velocity
03/19/2016 at 19:15 |
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Yea I've set in them before and it really is like sitting in one of those old school bath tubs. Hopefully it has the blind spot mirrors I've gotten accustomed too in the Sonic ( which is another car with a bad blind spot because of the hatches c pillar design). I'm assuming the SS is the way to go, but you can't really write off the base pony cars anymore so we shall see.
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they-will-know-my-velocity
> LJ909
03/19/2016 at 19:21 |
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I’ve heard the V6 sounds nice. But the LT1 is a hell of a motor from what I’ve heard.
Cherry_man1
> LJ909
03/19/2016 at 19:28 |
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I mean depends on what your looking for out of the car
slipperysallylikespenguins
> LJ909
03/19/2016 at 20:16 |
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If you are coming from a Sonic, the V6 power should make you plenty happy. It makes more hp than most of the v8s of the 90s/ early 2000s, people are just spoiled these days.
Under_Score
> LJ909
03/19/2016 at 20:18 |
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Two words: backup camera. That’ll solve the backing up issue, at least.
You’re the second user I know of who sold (or wants to sell) a Chevy Sonic for something sportier.
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LJ909
> slipperysallylikespenguins
03/19/2016 at 20:23 |
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Exactly my thinking.
DoYouEvenShift
> LJ909
03/19/2016 at 20:26 |
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Visibility is only an issue if your new to driving, dont know how to use mirrors, have no perception of distance or come from driving something like a minivan. Ive spent a lot of time driving one as have millions of other people, and had no issue.
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LJ909
> Under_Score
03/19/2016 at 20:27 |
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Yea like I said to the other guy, I would hope it has the same blind spot mirrors as the Sonic has. It would help. But I know who your talking about. The guy ( I forgot his username) that traded his Sonic for the EcoBoost Mustang right? He helped me with my purchase of the Sonic and aftermarket mods.
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DoYouEvenShift
> LJ909
03/19/2016 at 20:39 |
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As far as everything else is concerned. The V6 is nice, but will leave you wanting, its a bit peaky, so when combined with a manual its a little better. The 6lxx 6 speed auto used in both V6 and V8 are great, durable, shift nice and my only complaint is the “paddle shifters”. Theyre pretty slow, so use it once and forget about them. The new 8 speeds shift very fast though.
Manaul V8 is the way to go! If you find one with dual mode exhaust itll sound awesome. My only issue with the base SS is the suspension and wheel/tire combo is a bit soft and not very enthusiast oriented. But if you find a 1LE, its like a night and day difference in the way it drives, sticks and handles. I very highly recommend 1LE if you go V8.
Oh, also make sure you get the RS package regardles of V8 or V6 to get the HID/Halo headlamps.
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LJ909
> DoYouEvenShift
03/19/2016 at 20:46 |
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I've driven 2 so far and your right about the soft suspension in the base SS. I can't seem to find the perfect trim of a 1LE manual SS RS if there's such a thing.
Shankems
> LJ909
03/19/2016 at 20:51 |
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V6 is not the answer.
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DoYouEvenShift
> LJ909
03/19/2016 at 20:53 |
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There is! Ive seen a few in several dealers actually. Thank god 1LE only came in manual so it makes it easier to find. Also the majority of them are RS as well. Keep and eye out, theyre out there. White is my fav color.
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DoYouEvenShift
> slipperysallylikespenguins
03/19/2016 at 20:56 |
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The HP is there, but the kick you in the ass, get the fuck out of my way torque regardles of what gear your in is not. And thats just as important.
TrickJos
> LJ909
03/19/2016 at 22:06 |
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V8 with a manual. You will love it. I highly recommend a Corsa sport cat back exhaust system too. Let me know if you have any specific questions. Here’s a picture of mine :)
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LJ909
> TrickJos
03/19/2016 at 22:10 |
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Thanks for the heads up is it livable as a dd?
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TrickJos
> LJ909
03/19/2016 at 22:36 |
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I don’t use mine as a DD but I think it would be. My wife and I drove mine from Dayton, Ohio to Philadelphia, through New York City and ended up in Rhode Island on our honeymoon. From that experience I can say that it is a spectacular road trip car. It’s very comfortable and I averaged 26 mpg on that trip. The visibility isn’t bad once you get your mirrors set right and get a good sense for the size of the car. Find one with a rear camera, life would be hell without that, the earlier cars didn’t all have them. Maneuvering in tight spaces can be a challenge because you just can’t see things near the car. I’ve learned how to work around that but I could see how it would be a pain in the ass if you live in an urban environment.
Also, in case you didn’t know already, 2012 and up models have some interior upgrades as well as some suspension tweaks I believe.
Another heads up for you. The LS3 takes 8.5 quarts of oil at every oil change. So that’s going to cost more than you’re used to most likely.
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LJ909
> TrickJos
03/19/2016 at 22:51 |
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Thanks for the info. 26 is pretty good for a V8. I'm just trying to sell the idea to my girl of something sporty that can hold me her and our son. He's not small anymore so I don't really need to worry about cargo capacity that much.
jdrgoat - Ponticrack?
> LJ909
03/20/2016 at 01:03 |
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What, in particular, did you want to know? I worked at a dealership when they were new and like keeping up on that stuff.
Definitely got 2012 or newer, especially if you’re going V8 (which you will want to do). They revised the suspension geometry when the ZL1 came out, and the interior (dash) got nicer and a backup camera became available (I love them integrated in the rear view mirror). The steering wheel, gauges, and shift knob also became more real world usable.
The HUD came out in 2011 on the 2LT and 2SS on them, also.
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LJ909
> jdrgoat - Ponticrack?
03/20/2016 at 01:24 |
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So you’re suggesting only 2012 or newer right?
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jdrgoat - Ponticrack?
> LJ909
03/20/2016 at 12:14 |
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If it were me, yes. It’s always frustrating to me that Synergy Green Metallic was only available with a V8 in 2011, and then everything was upgraded for 2012. I wish I could have everything.
Oh, let’s see, I think that the Hurst shifter became optional in 2011 so you should watch out for that too unless you plan on upgrading soon anyways.
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LJ909
> jdrgoat - Ponticrack?
03/20/2016 at 12:29 |
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My girl had just mentioned why don't I try finding one of those green ones. But it seems with the Camaro I can't find exactly what I want.
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jdrgoat - Ponticrack?
> LJ909
03/20/2016 at 15:36 |
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The green looks so awesome, and you hardly ever see them.
And then, to make it harder, the Recaros became available even later, 2013 I think. Might as well just keep searching until a 1LE with Recaros shows up in a color you like!