I've owned 2 Vipers, the last one an '06 and they are special cars with massive power/wieght ratio and handling ability. Unfortunatley, they are far from daily drivers and draw way too much attention. So, I've always been a fan of the Camaro and it seems GM has done thier homework on this on (2ss manual in mind for me). There are only 3 questions I have especially for any of you who have driven a Viper or Corvette, How does it handle comparativeley (I know it won't be as tight, but is it like the 4th gen or much better?). Do you have issues with lowlife parasites gawking and commenting on the vehicle? Are the interior plastic components noisy when driving?

 

I previously owned 2 corvettes (2001 C5 & 2006 C6) and currently have a 2001 911 AWD.

I drove a 1SS and 2LT over the weekend and was pleasantly surprised by both.

1SS Compare to the corvettes,

Agaisst the 2006 vette - The first thing you notice is how comfortable it is versus the vette and the porsche, at least in the front seats. At 6' 225, there was little spaqce behind the driver seat. Best to call the camaro a 3 seater. The camaro had plenty of power and the extra weigh made it feel more planted to the road. She handled poor road conditions much better then the cars lower to the ground. It didn't have the raw "almost crap yourself" power band of the C6, but she was more then happy to get up and go (with a great exhast note) when I down shifted and punched the happy pedal.

Against the 2001 - It matched up really well againt the 2001 vette which was my favorite car to drive to date. Both show a great mix of power to weigh and comfort. I guess this I why I really want one!!

Versus the 911 - The extra size and weight is slightly noticeable in the curves. But she stay stayed planted with very limited body roll. A ton more comfortable then the 911. I can really see myself in a a long haul in the camaro, where as, i'd rather you tattoo my eyeball then drive more the 60 min in the porsche

Over all, I'm convinced and will move back the Chevy.. My big dillema is do I go 2LT or 1SS. The 304 hp was more then enough to put a smil on my face, but with one regret. The exhasut note sounds very "tinny". Im hoping a magnaflow cat back system would solve that issue!!!

Hope that helped

 

Excellent, I'd buy you a beer if I could pass it through the screen. I am used to neck snapping acceleration from the Viper, so I don;t think I could settle for anything but the ss manual. I agree that long rides in a vette or Viper get real old fast. I would drive this thing to work 50 miles each way in the summer and look forward to comfort. I had a 2001 vette as well. Very nice car and surprisingly quick for the stock motor (not a zo6). If this Camaro comes close to that acceleration I will be happy. Thanks again.

 

i think you should...for the money you cant beat it..not only that if you dump around 6 grand in parts you can take a viper no problem well atleast a stock viper..

 

I think you will be more help to me than I can be to you. Vipers and Corvettes... Wow! There are a lot of cars out there that I would love to have in my garage and experience the pleasure of owning but my bank account says NO!
I have purchased 9 NEW cars so far and I can say that this camaro has me more excited than any of the others, but again, I havent had the pleasure of owning a Viper or Corvette. (yet) lol

 

You know, I had a 2002 C5 Vette 6 speed with lots of mods to about 450 HP and 12.2 in the quarter at 118 (I beat an 06 Viper on a road course in Italy...experienced driver) and, mistake of mistakes, I traded it for a 2008 Mustang Bullitt which was absolutely the slowest of any of my so-called muscle cars (had to work hard to beat many 4 bangers). Anyway, I traded the Mustang with 7,800 miles on it for a 1SS RS 6A. I drove a couple of 6 speed Camaros and it seemed pretty unsmooth. In first, the torque and HP made it practically a split second before you had to shift which is good, but I wasn't impressed. Had I not tried the 6A, I might not have traded at all.

The 6A has only 400 hp compared to 425 in the manual, but another forum has compiled a list of fastest time cars and in the pure stock area, 7 of the top 10 were automatics. I love mine...power is instantaneous and it feels faster than my C5 Vette. If I were you, I would try the 6 speed manual and the 6 speed auto back to back. You might be pleasantly surprised at how powerful the 6A feels. Whatever you buy, make it a Chevy!!!!

 

:-)..