I have been a fan of the Camaro since my days in High School (74-77).

Watching Hawaii 50 was my first Camaro5 sighting. WOW.

I've had some good and even some great cars: Alfa, BMW, Jaguar, Jeep, Lexus, Miata, and Mercedes. My 09 Lexus ES 350 is mechanically and technologically flawless. The body style is uninspiring.

So, last week I drove the 2011 Camaro and loved it.

I think the 6 cylendar, 2LT with Heads Up display - RS package would be great. I'm going back and forther between the coupe and convertible.

With all the talk about visiblity problems, I'm wondering if waiting for the 2012 with the redesigned handling, minor body changes, major interior upgrades including steering wheel AND THE BACK-UP CAMERA are worth waiting for.

ALSO - what about the stripes? Do they hold up well or will they start looking beaten up after a cuople of years. I welcome any and all opinions.

FINALLY - why no GPS (I mean a touch screen) as an option - can On Star really do this job adequately?

Thanks,

Frank in Orange County, California

 

Welcome to CamaroZ28.Com! You came to the right place, we are glad to have you here.

Cannot believe that you saw your first 5th gen Camaro (a more accurate way to describe it) on Hawaii 50! You might have missed some cool stuff with the Camaro Concept being released, etc, but you are still getting in at a good time!

Can't go wrong with either one. The 2LT/RS/Convertible would be an awesome daily driver in your area. What color are you thinking of getting?

Don't expect major design changes with the 2012, not any that will change the visibility. But the backup camera will help but will not replace common sense. All of the talk about visibility problems are misnomers. You simply adjust your mirrors accurately and you are good to go. Every car has a learning curve. The Camaro's might be a bit steeper because of the design but I have found it is not nearly as bad as first impression.
[autostream]http://autostream.com/camaroz28/?page_type=firebirdplayerthumbnail&framepage=988&t ransactionid=1305554320-638515170&posted_by=JasonD_www.camaroz28.com&youtu be_video_id=XIZPv07lEzU[/autostream]


Depends on who installs them and how well they prepe them. You also will need to take care of them afterward, just standard maintenance when you wash your car. Don't power wash them, don't wax/polish near the edges, etc.

Some say OnStar works better, others don't like it. I just got a Garmin and use it in all of my vehicles.

 

Welcome to the board. I agree fully with Jason's comments and will add that backup camera, for me, is very convenient when backing into a parking space against a wall or fence. However you can easily install an aftermarket camera in any vehicle so I would be thinking about buying a 2011 rather than waiting.

 

Wait for the 2012's to come out, and buy a 2011 at discounted price because they'll want to get them off their lot. Just food for thought

 

Jason - thank you for this valuable advice and video clip.

I'm still leaning toward getting the 2012 - but I'm not good at waiting.

Any idea where the 2012 backup camera images will be seen? I heard it will be in the interior / rear view mirror. Where to after market back-up cameras display the image?

Thank you SO much. I watched Hawaii Five 0 last night and was cheering for the car.

Frank in Orange County, CA

 

No problem!

I hear that!

It is expected to be in the rearview mirror. Aftermarket companies seem to have a little LCD screen. I'd rather do it the old fashioned way than to have that.

Definitely check out the 2010-2011-2012 Camaro forums here, post there and people can give you more definitive info!

 

Welcome to the site.