Camaro wont sell....

Hiya...

I've seen the pics of the concept Camaro. A lot of people think it is ugly.
Other then the nose of the car, I like it :-) When I was in high school,
(I'm 39 now), I was a Chevy fan. My favorite cars are 1960's-1970's Chevy
muscle cars like the 69 SS Chevelle :-) My first car when I was 17 was a
1976 Chevy Monza with a V8 and a 4 speed. I had a few mods like an aluminum
intake and a nice Holey 4bbl that was perfectly chosen for the small V8, a
set of headers and a special exhaust system for V8 H-Bodies. I also had a
nice set of American Racing rims with the dreaded but affordable BF Goodrich
raised white letter TA's. Not a world beater, but for me, I absolutely loved
it. I had the car for years but the typical H-Body flaws caught up with it.
The doors were about to fall off the hinges and due to the design of the
uni-body being made for a four cylinder, the frame sagged and the engine
settled so low the cross member began rubbing a hole in the oil pan. The car
had gone 11 years and could go no more. I couldn't afford a brand new car
at the time as I was in college, so I purchased a used 1976 Olds Cutlass. It
was in good shape and I paid little for it. It did it's job, but I never
would have chosen to buy it... It was there and it was affordable. I drove
it until late in 1989 when I could afford a brand new car. I had no idea of
what I wanted, but I was sill in my 20's and I wanted a sporty car. A
friend of mine suggested a Mustang. I was always a GM/Chevy guy, so I
wasn't receptive to the idea. I went to test drive one for fun though. The
first time I drove the LX 5.0 I absolutely LOVED IT. It was peppy,
comfortable and I really liked how the LX looked. It wasn't over the top.
For the first time since my 1976 V8 Monza, I was excited about a car. Best
of all was the Price. Fully loaded, it was 14k. I also drove the 1990
Camaro. Although it could handle better, I didn't like it as much as the
Pony. Not to mention, the top of the line Camaro cost considerably more
money then the 5.0 LX. I thought.. Wow... A better car for less money....
And... I purchased one. I had it until 2001 when I traded it in, still
running perfectly for a new 2001 GT. I'd have never guessed that I'd still
have a Mustang at 39 y/o, but I cant bring myself not to have one :-)

At any rate... I was a Chevy fan, knew from nothing about Mustangs, but I
wound up buying one over a Chevy Camaro because it was a great car for an
even greater price. I don't think the Chevy marketing people really kept in
mind who the major market was for pony cars and what the pony car market was
all about. A good solid, practical, not over the top sporty car that is
good value and... AFFORDABLE.

I bet if they bring the Camaro back, the base model V8 will be priced so
only a hand full of people who would want it could also afford it. The
people from age 65 to 35 who are established and want to relive old glory.
If they want to sell Camaros they need to think about how to make a car that
would be liked and bought by people who are just getting ready to begin
their glory days. I don't think the younger crowd prefers decorated 4
cylinders with oversized spoilers and laughable exhausts, but what choice do
they have ???

Michael