Hello SoCal; Back in a 4th Gen
 

TLDR, got a 2000 Z28 six speed. If you don't mind a bit of a story, my first car in high school was a 98 V6 five speed; not a fast car, but pretty cool at the time.

https://s14.postimg.org/r9vt1vqm9/1998_Chevy_Camaro.jpg

I sold it to buy some stupid fanboy-mobile around 2003 . Went through a few other cars, and wound up back on the Chevy side of things with a 2004 Z06 in 2016 .

https://s14.postimg.org/6czkx7kvl/IMG_0168.jpg

Which lasted a few months, before someone totaled it. It took two years for me to replace with another "fun" car (drove my wife's old 2004 Prius in the meantime, big motivation...)

https://s14.postimg.org/46aogjq41/IMG_0578_2.jpg

https://s14.postimg.org/5lc959jhd/IMG_4990_2.jpg

https://s14.postimg.org/jh559x02p/IMG_4928.jpg

https://s14.postimg.org/8hjxyb1xt/IMG_0248.JPG.jpg

I didn't feel like spending as much as I did for the Corvette, and the Camaro is most of the thrills for 20 - 25% of the cost; maybe more fun in different ways. For sure has a better gearchange and clutch (I have a stock Hurst, way better engagement/feel vs. the Z06 transaxle and foot-long clutch travel.) It also sounds much better (thanks to the Borla cat-back in the Camaro that sounds awesome, especially vs. the quiet Titanium stock exhaust in the Z06.) ~130k miles with a very nice interior, everything seems to work.

Figured I might as well join up because I know eventually I'll get the itch to start doing stuff or have issues; aside from the exhaust and a K&N filter, I have a strut bar and (possibly) lowering springs, although I'm not sure that's true until I take some measurements and check for myself. Also, I occasionally have hard starting issues (5+ seconds cranking) which it sounds like could be due to a fuel pump check valve, leak somewhere, or possibly a crank position sensor? Sometimes it fires right up though (from warm or cold) so I'm going to try running some FI system cleaner through it before anything else as a best-practice. For now just enjoying it, definitely pulls well.

(I'm also 90% sure the dealer I bought from must have replaced the stock wheels with the chrome '98s; maybe had something expensive enough they wanted to sell separate, or else something awful enough they found the closest wheels to "stock" they could to replace. I'm happy with it. Makes me nostalgic for the green car and I dislike the '00 stock wheels.)

Grats,too bad about the Vette but that's a nice Camaro. Love my 4th gen SS M6 car.

(5+ seconds cranking) which it sounds like could be due to a fuel pump check valve,

Welcome nice car ,had that happen with my 95 lt1 back in the day lasted over a year ,i used to at first keep cranking it over ,an found it was hard on my starter i found if i just turn the key 3 to 4 times too allow the gas to get there . then it would start right up try it an enjoy ,that car can be made to be just as nice as any vette.+ you can put people in the back ,wich i have only done one time myself,i like to keep my seat flat

My Datsun had a check valve go bad in the pump; I spliced in another one, right next to the fuel pump. I wonder if fitting a separate check valve elsewhere in the fuel system (close to the tank) is a valid solution on these cars?