Chevrolet Camaro
If you have seen "The Fast and the Furious" or any of the Transformer movies, the Chevrolet Camaro —characteristically featured in neon orange or yellow—will be a familiar sight. However, there is more to know about the Camaro than that it's the fantasy car of thousands of American teenagers. This article will seek to answer the 10 most common questions about the Camaro including information on its maker, its history, its speed capacity, and its cost.
Who makes Camaro?
The Camaro is made by Chevrolet, one of the three divisions of America's largest car manufacturer, General Motors. Of GM's four main automobile brands, Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac, Chevrolet is the most widely recognized and widely sold. The Chevrolet nicknamed "Chevy" is America's true everyman car brand, and the Camaro one of its most famous makes.
To this day the Camaro continues to be manufactured in the United States, specifically at the GM Lansing Grand River assembly plant. This single Michigan plant is responsible for the manufacture of all Camaros available on the national and international market.When did Camaro come out?
The Camaro was first released in 1966 during the golden age of American car manufacture. Since it was introduced to compete with the Ford Mustang, the Camaro has been through six generations. The first generation spanned from 1967–1969 and included what is arguably the most distinctive Camaro ever made, the 1969 Camaro ZL1. The second generation lasted from 1970–1981, third from 1982–1992, and fourth from 1993–2002. After a near-decade hiatus, Chevrolet came out with a fifth-generation in 2010. Currently, the Camaro is on its sixth generation and has been since 2016. The Camaro 2022 is Chevrolet's newest Camaro, released on Sept 20, 2021.
Which Camaro is the fastest?
The fastest Camaro of the 1960s is the aforementioned 1969 Camaro ZL1. This speedy classic boasts an acceleration speed of zero to sixty in 5.3 seconds and a top speed of 125 mph (201.13kph). In comparison, the most recent Camaro, the Camaro 2022, equipped with the 650-hp supercharged V8 engine option, can accelerate from zero to sixty in under 4 seconds flat. The same contemporary make can zip round a quarter-mile in 11.7 seconds and reaches a top speed of 198mph (318.65kph). In either the classic or contemporary Camaro, you certainly won't be the slowpoke on the Autobahn. Not only does the 2022 Camaro offer impressive acceleration, but its break power is also exceptional. The Camaro can be relied on to halt from 70mph in as little as 150 feet.
Let's Talk about Cost!
The cost of a Camaro depends on whether you opt to purchase a classic car or the newest model; it also depends on if you are looking to invest in the highest possible performance capacity or looking to take it a modicum slower. The classic Camaro of the ‘60s could be purchased for little more $2,000 USD in its own day. Now you would be lucky to find one of those same vehicles listed at $400,000 USD.
To buy new, the 2022 Chevrolet Camaro coup starts at $33,600 USD. The convertible version is a little pricier starting at $49,000 USD. The standard version of the vehicle comes with a 2L V8 engine. If you are less concerned about speed, you can choose the V6 engine option and shave $10,000 CAN off the price tag. There is also an above standard performance option featuring a supercharged V8 engine called the "1LE V8 engine package". The 1LE package starts at $65,000 CAN. Other costs may accrue on the basis of one's choice of interior and exterior detailing.
What About the Cost of Maintenance?
According to RepairPal, the Chevrolet Camaro requires an average of $585 USD worth of repairs each year. This is equivalent to approximately $750 USD each year. To put this in perspective, the average American-owned vehicle requires $651 USD per year to maintain. The Camaro is a real winner in terms of repair costs, especially when compared to similar style vehicles. For example, the most recent Ford Mustang models require an average of $709 USD (~$907 CAN) worth in annual maintenance. Keeping a classic car is unsurprisingly more expensive. However, due to the longstanding popularity of the Chevy Camaro, parts are not difficult to come by.
Are Chevy Camaros Reliable
RepairPal gives the Camaro a reliability rating of 3.5 out of 5 which puts it a full point above the average American-owned vehicle. Averaged across the life of the car, the Camaro is likely to require .2 unscheduled trips to the mechanic per year. Put differently, you can expect to take it to the repair shop (For work aside from a regular tune-up) once every five years. From a frequency perspective, the maintenance requirements of the Camaro is impressively low. However, when the Camaro does develop problems, these problems tend to be more urgent and extensive than are for other mid-sized cars. Overall, the most common complaint from Camaro owners is that the car won't start due to a malfunction in the anti-theft system. Other common problems are power window breakdown and water tank leakage.
Is Camaro a sports car?
The term "sports car" began to be used in car magazines beginning in the 1920s during the post-war automotive manufacturing boom. What distinguishes sports cars from other vehicles is that they are designed for driving as sport, as opposed to mere utility. Your sports car is a car made for cruising, even racing—not for driving your kids to school (or grandma to bingo). As such, sports car design emphasizes dynamic performance, the most important features of which being speed and agility.
Since the Camaro was originally designed in the 1960s to handle racing and appeal to the burgeoning drag sport crowd, it may indeed fall under the "sports car" designation. It is, however, a little bigger than your typical European sports cars such as Porsche, Ferrari, or Mercedes. It may be more accurate to describe the Camaro as a "sporty midsized car" with a "high-speed capacity" and "sporty handling".
Does Camaro come in AWD?
Like most sports-style vehicles, the Camaro is built for rear-wheel-drive. Neither the classic nor the 6th generation have all-wheel drive options. All-wheel drive is a great option for those looking to drive off-road or pull heavy loads from behind. This is because all-wheel drive improves traction and launch power. However, the additional weight sent to the front wheels in AWD reduces the speed potential of a vehicle and impedes steering precision. The Camaro is built for high speeds on tight turning roadways; if you are looking for a vehicle to handle tough terrain, the Camaro is not your make.
Do Camaros Have Back Seats?
The Camaro has two seats in the back although it does not have a second set of doors. Owners frequently complain that the back seats are cramped and not suitable for adult passengers. The Camaro does, however, have two complete LACT connectors so child safety seats can be installed. Along with limited back seat space, the trunk is a mere 9.1 cubic feet (7.3 in the convertible model). The Camaro's trunk volume is high for a sports car, but low compared to other mid-sized cars. Just as the Camaro is not built for camping, it is not built as a family vehicle. Albeit, it can accommodate up to two children in the back.
Are Camaros Automatic?
The Camaro is available in both standard and automatic, the automatic option having been added in the third generation (circa 1982). The sixth-generation standard option is the classic six-speed manual transmission. There is also an 8-speed option to go with the 1LE V8 engine package. The automatic transmission version of the Camaro features 10 speeds.
Is Camaro a muscle car?
There is much debate over what precisely makes a muscle car. We, at CarCover.com, hold that the most important features are as follows:
- a muscle car is American made,
- it is a mid-sized vehicle with only two doors
- it contains a powerful V8 engine
The Camaro checks all of these boxes so long as one selects the standard option which includes a V8 engine. If you forgo the V8 engine, opting for the cheaper V6 engine instead, your Camaro does not technically count as a muscle car. It would be more of a pony car with a sporty look—but we wouldn't hold that against you!
Conclusion
The Camaro is a true teenage dreamboat of a vehicle. It has a legendary production history, it is all-American made, and it is built for dynamic performance. Not to mention the Camaro's high visibility on screen, in car shows, and in magazines. However, it is not suitable for all buyers. The Camaro is a good choice for single drivers who live in a city that does not experience extreme winter weather. If you are looking for a work vehicle that can perform in all seasons, the Camaro is not for you. Nor is it an optimal choice as a family vehicle, given its limited back seat and trunk space.
