The new Camaro is supposed to be really nice. I would never touch another Camaro even with a 10 foot pole. I've had nothing but crappy luck in Camaros.
Thinking of getting a Corvette, but it still scares me cuz what people have told me about American cars, and from my experience with the Camaros in general.
I drive a Lexus ES300 and an Acura 3.5 TL, and they're both excellent cars. The Lexus has close to 400,000 miles and still drives awesome. The Camaro at only 50,000 miles started giving me a headache... T'was a money pit for me.
I guess you can't compare quality to cheaply made American cars. The interior is cheaply made and nothing but rattles when driving.
"4th Sep 2009, 12:16.
I guess you can't compare quality to cheaply made American cars. The interior is cheaply made and nothing but rattles when driving."
Nobody is forcing you to buy one, so don't buy one. If you like driving a sedan because it is comfy and has plenty of cupholders, then a muscle car isn't your kind of car, anyway.
The difference between diamonds and cubic zirconium are reflected in there price. And people chose what is right for them. In the 70s people didn't want to pay an arm and a leg for transportation. So manufacturers gave them what they wanted. At that time the foreign car market was limited because Americans wouldn't pay more for more durable engineering standards. And that's the reason why some people think American cars are not as well made as foreign cars. That was the 70s, this is a new age. And if you still believe that foreign cars are better than American cars, you are acting on outdated advice in my humble opinion.
You are not going to. find any rattles in the 600 hp Corvette, and really should not with an 1800 month car payment. In comparison I found Lexus not good in the handling dept, and we had Acuras that rattled the dash. The NSX drove well, nice balance but underpowered at 300 hp, and any dents get out the wallet as its aluminum body repair cost a fortune. I had someone kick the drivers door in.
There is zero comparison driving a TL or Lexus to the Vette, other than the sound systems, that's it.
Last year a co-worker drove her new Lexus to work and took us to lunch in it. I'm not sure what model it was, but it was basically a Camry inside and out. The interior had every bit as much "cheap plastic" (as import fans call it if it's in a domestic) as my Ford. The dash had a bad rattle and a warning light was on on the dash. We were told it had already been in the shop TWICE in the THREE WEEKS she had owned it. The engine was making a noticeable "ticking" sound. I've never encountered that many issues with a Ford or GM car in three YEARS, let alone three WEEKS. Our latest GM products are now 9 and 7 years old and neither have ever had any problems except a blown light bulb. Neither has a hint of a squeak or rattle and both look, ride and drive like new.
"And if you still believe that foreign cars are better than American cars, you are acting on outdated advice in my humble opinion."
I don't think Japanese cars have EVER been better than American cars. We had a Honda and a Mazda in the 80's. Both were actually built in Japan. Both were absolute garbage. None of our domestics could come close to the shoddy, cheap construction either of these overated tin cans had. Our two Japanese "mistakes" cost us more than every domestic we've ever owned COMBINED, and neither even made it to 100,000 miles.
"It IS a myth. Some time back my wife and I were traveling to a gathering in separate cars. I went through a speed trap in my customized, very flamboyant muscle car and didn't raise an eyebrow. My wife came through a few minutes later in her very dull and boring compact sedan and got stopped. I rather think it was because she was speeding and I WASN'T. Police don't stop people who are not breaking the law regardless of WHAT they are driving... PERIOD"
I think it depends on the cop myself. My Cousin and I were in his Mustang doing 80 playing around with a nice looking girl in a base model Eclipse. We went by the cop as she was catching back up to us, after we blew by her, and she was doing close to 90 and the cop pulled us over. She was going much faster than we were, at that point, but we had the 5.0 Mustang and therefore got pulled over. He even had to pass her to get to us. Both cars were bright red too. Of course it could have had something to do with how nice looking she was too. :)
19:34
Aren't you the person who extols the unbelievable goodness of your Mazda 6 based, Mexican built Ford Fusion?
I would say a Mustang may likely get pulled over more much more often. My son got pulled over constantly when he had his in high school and college. And not for speeding, but out late. Many times just searching his car on the shoulders (Florida). It may have been his age or profiling a young guy in a Mustang GT convertible in Florida. When he later upgraded to a Viper, the police liked it and were nice. And again in Florida.
I have had police compliment my C5 Vette, especially in club events. I do not drive like an idiot... maybe solo secluded selected bursts when it's very secluded with discretion. That's it. Police seeing you doing street exhibition or drag racing, what do you think? It's common sense and even more being cool with your car when talking with authority.
I am a transplanted Englishman who now resides in Vancouver Canada, having also lived in Japan for 9 years. I have driven many different cars ranging from Toyotas, Mercedes Benz, Jaguar, Chrysler and am currently driving a Camaro.
My thoughts on modern cars are that with the advancements in technology, there are very few differences in the reliability of any new cars over the first 5 years of their life.
Further that despite the general opinion in North America that German and Japanese cars are more luxurious, reliable and technically efficient I believe that the US produces the best looking affordable cars in the world.
Why would anyone pay for a Porsche over a Camaro - how could you justify the price differential? Do you really turn your head at a BMW or a Benz? Was there ever a head turning Japanese designed sports car?
I was invited to the launch of the Porsche Panamera last week in Vancouver and I assure you that the only head turning car was my Camaro. The event was full of Porsche clients, and I know and I report with glee that secretly they wished they had saved the $70,000 extra they spent on their Turbo and taken their mistress to the Seychelles with the spare change. Long live the American muscle car, the greatest of all American art forms.
"Why would anyone pay for a Porsche over a Camaro - how could you justify the price differential? Do you really turn your head at a BMW or a Benz? Was there ever a head turning Japanese designed sports car?
I was invited to the launch of the Porsche Panamera last week in Vancouver and I assure you that the only head turning car was my Camaro. The event was full of Porsche clients, and I know and I report with glee that secretly they wished they had saved the $70,000 extra they spent on their Turbo and taken their mistress to the Seychelles with the spare change. Long live the American muscle car, the greatest of all American art forms."
Clearly you are only interested in the "head turning" ability of your cars. Porsche owners are concerned with performance and driving experience that you won't ever get in a Camaro. It is a different league, and although the Camaro is nice, it is not meant to be competition for a Porsche. There are more important things than "hey look at me" when it comes to performance cars. It amazes me how many people put that "look at me" factor before all else when they buy a car. Are we really that vain?
"It IS a myth. Some time back my wife and I were traveling to a gathering in separate cars. I went through a speed trap in my customized, very flamboyant muscle car and didn't raise an eyebrow. My wife came through a few minutes later in her very dull and boring compact sedan and got stopped. I rather think it was because she was speeding and I WASN'T. Police don't stop people who are not breaking the law regardless of WHAT they are driving... PERIOD"
This IS NOT an myth! When I owned my 1989 Firebird Formula, I got to the point where I refused to drive it after dark. If police were sitting on the side of the road, they would invariably be on my back bumper all the way to my house. I got followed all the way from downtown Charlotte, NC to my hotel 30 miles away. I got followed from Roslyn, NY all the way to Queens, NY. I have been pulled over numerous times for "courtesy checks". I got a ticket in New Jersey when I was in heavy traffic going the same speed as everyone else in my lane. I got a ticket in Charleston, SC when I was entering town going the same exact speed as the rest of traffic. All my friends that drove the car ended up getting tickets for the first time in their lives. ETC ETC ETC - until I got so disgusted, I parked it until it I sold it! Got a Nissan Pathfinder and have never had a ticket or been harassed since. You might think that this is a myth but it surely isn't! No one loves muscle cars more than I do - I used to always own sports cars starting with a 1972 Mach I Mustang - but $2,000.00/year insurance just isn't worth it to me!
"This IS NOT an myth!"
Yes it is a myth. It is one of those silly urban myths that was probably started by someone who got a ticket in a red car. Radar is color blind. All current law enforcement agencies rely on radar for speed checks. A radar gun could care less if your car is screaming yellow or granny gray. Also, please give police professionals a LITTLE credit for intelligence. There are two in my family and they fall off their chairs laughing about the "color myth".
If you are now over 50, your insurance is likely half that. If you antique your car, even lower over 25 years old. I own cars I had in high school, insurance is not even an issue. Its great to own classics.
The radar is colorblind, but the cops are not, and not all cops are smart nor doctors, or everybody else. Some are stupid and some not. I had many sports car and it is not a myth to say that cops will give a second attention to sports cars than a 4 doors family car, and they maybe right because most peoples who wants to go fast are buying sports cars. No brainer! And don't tell me that cops doesn't know that, and they have the opportunity to give a ticket or not. Cops will be less forgivable when you own a sports car. I had 4 doors and sometimes they lowered the speeds being caught by their radar on my tickets, but with a sports car, FORGET IT!