just food for thought here....

TITLE: how long do we hold onto a 4th gen.? replace with upgraded Camaro or add an addition?

was thinking of all the muscle cars I had in my iron-horse stable

'70 olds cutty (the best pickup acceleration ever! whiplash on touching the gas pedal at idle)
'79 monte carlo
'94 camaro
'93 camaro

i have developed a john carpenter's "christine" obsession with a 4th gen., although mine is healthier than Arnie Cunningham's

i mean do we love 4th gen's exclusively?
or are we bound by other factors by not elevating to a 5th gen?

the earlier 4th gen. has those early 70's stingray headlights found in the film corvette summer and also resemble an IROc headlights

while the later 4th gen's headlites are bubble-like

i mean what's the goal here?

hold onto a 4th gen and then drop in a special crate motor with love?

or is the goal to own every generation camaro ever made in a futuristic dream garage

who is dreaming of replacing their 4th gen with a 5th gen. but is bound by other factors?

if you could replace your 4th gen. with another gen. what would it be? would u go back in camaro time or spring forward?

what about a 4th gen. is it that u like?

or is it affordable for you right now?

what's your dream camaro?

do u dream of a 2007 ford mustang which looks more "modern-looking"?

or do you quickly wake up in a cold sweat & are glad it was just a dream? lol

is it worth it to drop a crate motor on a 4th gen. and then restart back to zero miles until the end of time?

or does the 4th gen. owner in that above example, have to worry about other things breaking down (not engine-related) on a daily or monthly basis like in the year 2020? (i.e., hoses have to be replaced, new battery windshield wipers, cd face plate, etc., ad nauseum)

is it more economical to upgrade to a recent model hot rod?

or is it more cost efficient to drop in a crate motor in a 4th gen.?

 

the one I have life, I think but take my 95 z28 for 6 years was great ran the lt1 ,owed me nothing when I replaced the engine ,the 3800 well to me that or the 3.4l .not much in the way of real upgrades other then cat back Exhaust ,unless you do a pricey build to them there great for the long trip ,the 5th gens there is a lot more can be done to them now ,if you want to upgrade to another 4thgen yes just find a good z28 or ss ,the crate engine thing can be costly ,my ultimate car is the a stock ss 02 le1,the other is 2012 ss ,wich pretty soon will be under $20.000 ,though the 4thgen ,the 5th gems are to big then don't even look like sports car anymore to me ,though the rs ss is pretty cool,the new v6 for 2016 puts out the same hp as the ls1 2002 le1 does 335hp from a v6 still don't want one the 2002 le1 is my ultimate car red with the white stripes,the one in picture ,they hold there price though more then any 4 th gen for the most part,also the intimidator version some signed by Dale # 3 there all black ,would need new paint black is so hard to keep clean

 

that's a good looking thumbnail photo. yes, i agree the 5th gen is bulky and heavy metal, not a whole lot like a sports car. the 4th gen. is light weight and even described officially in original Ads, like a fighter plane: sleek and ergonomically designed to fly through the air like an F 14 A Tomcat fighter plane.

 

they say the 2017 is going to be 3300 lbs I think 455hp the ss le1 ,thing about some of the 5th gens like the 4th gens they will just need few uprades to let out a lot more HP an track ready well they should be for the price .also was said for 2017 the v6 will be le1 one option to with the 335hp ,an prices will be lower then ever .don't know how they could say that at the Chicago Auto show

 

Do you like the car? And is it paid for ? Then what would rather do ? Make car payments with higher premiums because its new? Or spend the money upgrading and customizing your Camaro the way you like.It all up to you..

 

love it ,I would rather have cash an keep putting money in the one I have then get a newer one unless its a 2002 ,its cheaper still I think for guys that do there own work even better the best car on the road is the desent used one your driving now , payments are for the birds an cost more ,if one wants to build credit join union,my friend has a 2016 challenger ,its like $700.00 a month ,but he has a restaurant to ,so he can afford it I guess ,I just would not have to rob peter to pay paul to have a 5th gen ,wich some guys do all the time ,then 2 years into the mortgage ,they lose control then repo ,I had enough of those when I was younger ,so cash talks BS walks,so many people live far past there meens ,then it hits like ressesion or something all my cars are paid for ,though I need to drive the 95 a bit more to say I got whats in it worth while to me ,$200.00 a month to own desent sports car is fine ,but when cash is used then detucted over time one owns the car

 

Building credit is a see saw....the whole credit and banking system needs to be revamped. I don't like to build credit at 650 then a month later it's down to 450; its predatory. I would save up like $11,000 to $15,000 and get a 5th gen. by paying all cash in the form of a certified check. my current Camaro is all paid for; but the real issue is whether to spend $5,500 to drop a new engine when (and this is the important part,) when other important and pricey parts of a car can go the wayside: like the transmission, an easy $1,500 outlay right there. A 1993 Camaro with a crate motor recently installed will give you zero miles but then it is STILL 23 years old versus a 2007 5th Generation with 67,000 miles which would only be 9 years old. 23 vs. 9 years of age...hmmm. it just seems like the dude with a heart transplant recently installed is Still old enough to get the diseases common to old age: arthritis, bad teeth, weakening joints, etc. That's the analogy, I'd make. It just Does not seem worth it no matter what the sentimental value is or how much you like your aging 4th Gen. Camaro and take care of it, it does not seem feasible to expect it to be the main squeeze in your arsenal of driving every day to work or to travel on vacation with her. Such a car @ that stage of the game & at that age needs lots of money to maintain or keep running-- and can't be driven every day for long distances too long....it's just too old. I decided to trade mine in about 4 yrs for an upgrade just for those above mentioned reasons. The 4th Gen. with a new motor dropped in should be driven a lot, but not relied on as the main car to drive to and from work each day, it should be put in a garage after like 25 years and admired and used sparingly. An upgrade just seems to have a lower amount of maintenance, especially with things like passing California's every 2 year smog program etc. every day it would seem to me a new auto part would break down when a car is a quarter of a century old (25 yrs)....the windshield wipers, spark plugs, other wires, torn hoses: rubber and heat don't mix well, tune ups, gauges, etc., the list goes on and on, the hazard button breaking, both the ignition and door keys getting too old. An upgrade of a car relied on to be driven every day for at least 2-3 hours each day, needs A Younger Car, not a new motor unless that new motor is dropped in so the car can be 1 of many others driven for leisure purposes.

 

you can buy a whole car for $5500,i seen 2002 craigs list 41.000 miles $4400,00 ,an few z28 cars with 60.000 for around 5k hear on east coast this past fall,my car is my every day driver though my comute is short an I am lucky enough to have 2 of them ,an I winter car of course ,we get from 7 to 9 months around hear was 10 months record this year ,when buying just need to check it real well ,the 99 has more rust then my 95 that has been garage kept for the life ,some people take beter care of thse cars then others ,that goes with any car ,the 4th gens while loved bye many wont have much value for some time to come an will be the le1 an some others that may have some value one day 30th cars 35th cars mabey no base car will will ever go up in value,in our life time the only ones may go up are the ,track ready ones pretty much the copo Camaro an a few slp cars that had some extras mabey,the best used car on the road is the one your driving now ,if they start to nickel an dime a person then time to move on,opps to long a sentence for the guys who don't like to read ,one liners where are you

 

I would advise against putting 5k in a 4th gen unless you are building something custom or the car has huge sentimental value to you. If it was your first car or your dad's car, something like that. I know a local guy who is restoring an 88 Iroc. He is stripping and dipping it which is the start of a 40k restoration. The guy is well off and it was his car in high school. He loves that car and says anything wrong with it he did so he is fixing it.

If you just like the early 4th gen then just search and be patient. You can find a garage kept never beaten always maintained car at some point, sounds morbid but estates are good for this. Now if there is something rare about it you will pay but if it just another LT1 Z28 they won't bring big money in this market. Market is about supply and demand, with early 4th gens, heck with non-LS1 4th gens it is a buyers market. Even the rare LT4's have dropped in price.

The 2016's are pretty sweet, I saw one drag racer got a 1SS down to 12.1 seconds in the 1/4 miles bone stock loaner with just driving tricks in one session (GM list it as 12.4). I also watch a head to head with a 85k BMW M4 one a road course and the 1SS consistency out handled it to the point even the BMW fan boy admitted it was a better car. Not equal, better for 35k less. I would have one but my kids all want to go to College.

 

I don't think it's too wordy. You have a frenzied yet normal-healthy Passion
for Camaro's LoL.... thanks so much for your input

I copied and pasted all this for my own instruction / knowledge

I can type 60 words per min., so it's not much work for me.

I'm a writer of fiction now in this stage of my life.