My company is going to change my vehicle situation, instead of providing me with a vehicle I am going to get a monthly vehicle allowance. I figure I might take the opportunity to switch from boring sensible company vehicle to cool exciting 5th Gen camaro. My questions are as follows:

1. How do I go about ordering the specific car I want with all the specific options I want (color, nav, etc)? Am I going to pay more for this vs buying one sitting on a lot somewhere? Is there a go to dealer in the country that I am going to get a good deal from? I am in Chicagoland area but I have heard that people fly and drive for a good deal sometimes. I would prefer to avoid the normal process and do it all online. Here is what I want, you dont have to sell me on anything, what is the best price you can offer type of deal?

2. Do you guys drive your 5th Gens year round? My 1994 would scare me but I am thinking the 5th Gens are heavier and might work?

3. How much do I need to be concerned with road salt if I drive year round? I am assuming that new cars are better protected? Would I want to get a dealer (or aftermarket) undercoat? If I have a 5 year loan and drive it year round can I expect it to be in good shape year 6 if I take good care of it?

4. How many miles can I expect out of a 2014 SS? I care dearly for my vehicles and spare no maintenance expense plus I dont really drive hard. If I finished off the car loan with 100,000 miles, could I reasonably expect another 100,000 loan free miles?

5. V6 vs V8, is one more reliable? Being that this will be mostly a work vehicle and I need to pay for the gas I am considering the V6 but worried I might be disappointed with the performance. My only frame of reference for performance cars is my 1994 LT1 which goes plenty fast for me. I know I should test drive but if I do that I will be stuck with the V8

Thanks in advance for any advice with this tough life decision

 

Hey Firstcamaro94. I work for a dealership in Tulsa, OK and figured I could help you out with your questions.

1) If there are specific options and features you are looking for we most likely have one on the lot or can get one for you without having to custom order it. You wouldn't have to pay any additional amount for one. We have people from all over that will either fly to us and drive home or a lot of times we just ship the vehicle to their location.

2) The 5th gen can be driven year round without much of an issue. With it being a rwd car you are going to have your typical issues in ice and snow but a lot of that is mitigated by the traction control system and some all season/winter tires.

3) The cars in general are built better in terms of paint quality control and are made with higher quality. You wont have any durability issues from driving the car year round.

4) Most of the vehicles now really are built to last if you keep up with your scheduled maintenance. If you really take care of your vehicles there is no reason to believe that it wont last well into the 200k mile range.

5) As far as reliability either is going to be a solid option. The L99 or LS3 (depending on if you get an auto or manual SS) motors have been around for a while so the kinks have been worked out already. The V6 motor is still a great motor for what it is. Obviously you aren't going to get the same kind of power as you would in the SS, but 318hp out of a V6 is still very respectable. If you feel like you would be okay with a vehicle that is a little slower than your LT1 then go with the V6. If you want something with a little more to it then go with the V8. One thing to keep in mind is the M6 SS is going to have the LS3 and give you more horsepower than the automatic version which comes with the L99.

If you have any additional questions please feel free to PM me or respond to this thread. I can locate whatever you're looking for and get you taken care of.

 

If you plan to drive it in the winter get a set of wheels with dedicated winter tires. Don't waste your time try driving in the snow with all season tires. They may be all season, but when it comes to snow, they only keep traction in very light dusts. Anything heavy and you'll slide every where. FYI, I drive my 93 all year round with PA winters with a dedicated set of winter tires on the rear. First snowfall we got this year I swear I was the only one not sliding or spinning tires.