i bought a 1992 camarof or my first car in april. im 6'4 and i fit in it. (no one in the back though). only probelm is mine sits really low. but i think its supposed to be like that... maybe not.. idk. but the stock v6's are crap. toke it out dropped a 355 in it and has been a fun car. just have to get used to it. hugs the turns real well! my advice. get a iroc, z28 or somethin with t-tops. i wish i did.

 

Thats what I did is I went out and got an IROC with the 350 right off the bat with the t-tops. It really helps because I have a friend who is 6'5" and anytime he rides with me we have to take out the t-tops or he is hunched over or smacking his head on the glass. Just grab a roc because they have the better suspension systems equipped and they come with the big engines already so if you ever sell it you can proudly say "numbers matching"!

 

Ah yes, there's a certain ratio of pride/embarrassment when you say you drive a camaro iroc-z.

When you get one of these cars (any old car really). EXPECT to spend money. not saying you will, but expect to, and i mean maintenance wise. If you go pick up a $2000 camaro, chances are its gonna have some problems.

Normally you don't get "clean" ones till you get in the 4000+ range.

 

Not always true, i picked up an 86 sports coupe for $250 and all i had to do was change a vacum line and put a new fuel pump in along with gas and she fired right up and purred.

 

Most people who drive these cars don't consider them $250 Beaters.

 

i dont consider mine a beater, i picked it up as a parts car actually for my 90 but this one was in better shape so i ran with this one. just because its cheap doesnt mean its not clean or a good car.

 

He said "usually". Usually, when you get this cars cheap, they require a little effort to get them back to their former glory.
I got my GTA for $1500 which is really cheap. All I have to do us switch out the seats, change out the steering column, and fix one broken ground effect...and it will be "clean" again.

 

My wife frequents a Saturn forum and one of the members had mentioned about older cars being so much different than the newer ones. The way he put it was that they are real cars with souls. When I read that I couldn't help but think of third gen F-bodies.

 

Hey man, I see your from Mass as well! I bought my first third gen a year ago at age 19 with no motor or trans for $600. Spent a couple months putting the pieces together and drove the snot out of that car. Blew the $50 305 I had put in it and sold it after I swapped in an L05 truck 350. I now own an 86 IROC my daily driver being a Mazda 3. I never had a problem adjusting to the Camaro but the best advice I can give is to just let off the gas if you are unsure about taking a curve at higher speeds, or driving in the rain. Avoid sudden braking close to bumps as the will angle the nose to scrape more, and just enjoy it! I love cranking hair bands in my IROC haha.

 

They are very fun cars but these cars have a smack you back down to earth if you drive like a jackass or when trying to show off meaning keep doing it without knowing how to control it and you will end up in a ditch or rear merged with a pole. It is fun to have fun with em but just know these cars are very rear end happy.

Besides that the only thing I experienced since my Camaro was my first car is having the feeling of sometimes hitting your fenders/front end from the big nose. After some practice you get used to it. I have a 2 car garage but only has a 1 car door. I park my camaro on the side to make room for my fathers 89 Caprice Classic and when taking it out/in it seems like you are gonna scrape the side of the opening with the front end but in reality you have plenty of space.

Just don't drive like a jackass I say, and you will see they are very fun cars.

 

Lucky. Cops here are an absolute joke to anybody under +-25. I have on buddy who was riding with a friend in his stock sedan civic with C/F hood and a quietish fartcannon... Cop pulled him over for no reason, searched both people in the car, and started yelling at them asking if they could afford a 350$ ticket everytime they take the car out. When they finally shut up my friend asked them what for... They just said have a good day and walked away Cops here are so bad they had to send in extra RCMP to patrol in town and watch the existing RCMP and "Peace Officers" because there has been to much complaints about how corrupt and out of control the "Peace Officer" traffic cops are to people. Its even worse now because now the peace officers are not allowed in town due to complaints so they patrol all the really quiet 80kph country roads where it is the norm to drive 10-20kph over because the roads empty, wide, and straight.

Cops here seem to like older cars more though. Ive had a cop flash his siren then drive away just as a warning when my dad was driving in it and speeding a little, and I've yet to be pulled over for a B.S reason. They seem a lot more relaxed when its not some "fast" looking import.

Back to the topic - These cars really are not bad to drive. It seems to me like you dont have to spin the steering wheel as much as most cars to get it to turn, which I guess could possibly be a bad thing if you panick and overcorrect in a slide, but it depends on the driver. I love the quick steering of it and wouldnt give it up for anything. Keep really good tires on in winter if your DD'ing it and watch the throttle in low-traction situations and other than that its all good. I love these cars. the tourqey V8, 5 speed, no airbags, no computers/ABS, simplistic interior, good visibility, and RWD makes it feel like your a living extension of the car, like theirs nothing between you and the road. Its not like any other car Iv'e ever driven thats for sure.

 

As for the whole "your a teen in a camaro your going to get pulled over a lot" thing, its crap. I've been driving camaros for over a year and haven't been pulled over (a cop harassed me about my 4th gens not having a passenger side reflective piece for the mirror. And for my backpack being a person. Cops in my state aren't the brightest bunch. But this was in my schools parking lot so I don't count it as being pulled over.) Hell the other day I was driving to work, and I have to take a right onto a major rode by my house to get there. The intersection is having road work done on it, so a lot of people have been avoiding it. Being the dumb teen I am, I drifted the corner and gunned it, and on the other side of the road waiting at the light was one of our state troopers. He stuck his hand out the window and gave me the thumbs up. XD always fun to know there are those chill cops too. But yeah. Get to know your car, learn your limits, and have fun. Enjoy the feel of american muscle under your hood and the fact that you aren't one of the sellout rice burners. Its an awesome feeling.

 

had my Camaro for 7 years, first car i have owned, only car i get chills driving til this day, all i can say is when you sit in the seat of one it feels like you just entered the c*ckpit of a fighter jet, i wouldnt recommend it as a winter driver because of no ABS, no Traction control, but thats the fun of it, i remember driving on an empty highway in the rain and started spinning circles in the highway at 60mph, these things hug the ground with their aggressive stance and wide wheel base, so no, it wont take you very long to get used to it, and no if anything i have found this car way easier to drive then others, in fact in 1986 the Camaro was voted best handling car in the United States

 

Eh, Guess i just look like trouble. Wish i had your luck though.

 

Well, my DD is a 2005 PT Cruiser. The Difference is night and day. I remember driving my $900 1982 Sport Coupe home from West Monroe (About 100 Miles). The Steering Column was SHOT. I had to hold onto the wheel with both hands to control the car. 4 Months later I now have a GOOD SOLID Suspension. It's still different than the Cruiser. Side View mirrors aren't much good, but i don't regret the decision.

 

my KARR handles better in the snow then my coworkers honda and he was suprised he thought it would be the other way around

 

I'm 5'11 and just barely make it in my car with about an inch between my head and the ttops. If it was a hardtop I'd have to lean the seat back a lot.

As for driving, when I first got mine I was scared of how low it was. You'll get used to quickly and get a feel for how slow and how angled you have to take things. I never really have a clue where the front end is at, so you just have to guess at that.

I went from driving a 1989 chevy truck to this and it wasn't a hard switch at all.

 

I agree. These gals were not made for snow. It snowed maybe 4 inches on Thursday, was cold as hell Friday, kinda warmed up Friday, and was toasty Sunday. I got in to drive to school, had one hell of a hard time. Door froze shut so I had to climb in the trunk to get her warmed up to dethaw the door, then she got stuck in some slush cuz she had no traction. I left my front door 40min before school starts (I live 5min away) I was 5 min late to class.

 

i know the feeling of doing the dukes of hazzard to get in the KARR. but do you have snow tires and sand bags in the trunk ? I have driven in slush with regaular tires with 10 years of dry rot and had no problems

 

Nope. Can't afford extra tires or sandbags. I work at an icecream parlor and its winter in colorado. Boss isn't giving me any hours. When I find a new job I plan on buying those nicer ammenities.

 

you can get a couple bags of playground sand @ home depot for 5 bucks

 

Around here local fire departments will give you some sandbags for free lol

 

Not trying to argue with anyone here but my advice is if you have a Camaro or Firebird or any F-body just let it sit in the winter sure you CAN get around but you are always just on the edge of out of control with these things that you can feel confident and at anytime they can take off out from under you. Sure people did it in the 60s and 70s but ask them how much they like front wheel drive of 4 wheel drive now. These cars were not meant for busting snow drifts or driving on ice or anything but a perfectly dry surface (I know I'm gonna take a lot of flack for this) these cars are summer cars. It's kind of like trying to ice skate with roller blades sure it could be done but they were not designed for that and will never perform as well as regular ice skates. To the younger crowd out there please buy a winter beater you could probably find one for $250 if you looked hard enough which would be about the cost of winter tires and rims. And to Kitt1983 I'm sorry but I'm not buying it the only way a honda is gonna handle remotely close to a F-body is if that honda has been lowered and has the goofy looking ground effects that are only about 6 inches off the ground and in that case I would put it in the same category as a 3rd gen as far as shouldn't be driven in the winter.

 

Dude, you must have never lived in Massachusetts or any Northern state. People today have been babied by FWD and 4WD. they can’t drive for crap if their life depended on it.

In my neighborhood when I grew up everyone had a rear wheel drive car and most still do.

My father would say, son you should learn to drive in the snow on a rear drive car and that’s how I was taught.


now lets break the cost down of owning a beater in the great state of Taxachusetts


$250 cost to buy

Massachusetts drivers who are under 25 and have a clean record is from $800- $1500 and that is partial coverage. There are many people on this board that are not rich snobs who can not store our cars away for the winter. we park ours in a driveway or on the street so we cant just swap plates because our cars will get towed (abandoned vehicle laws/ parts cars laws) or get damaged by an act of god and then your screwed)

$500+ for maintenance (anything up here at $800 or less that is either a rotbox or lemon/ money pit that’s needs some type of work done two it )

$150 bucks for gas and other

$ 2400 ends up being your cost
for a car that you only drive for 3 months of the year

 

I agree with everything said above (I live in the same great state.)

And to hardon85.....no car is NOT designed for winter or snow. It's a car. It's designed to be driven whether the conditions are good or bad. Now these cars are not as good as others, but you can't say they weren't designed FOR this weather. I need to drive my camaro in the snow and stuff because I can't afford anything else.

 

Well for your information I live in the northern most state (Minnesota). And that is why I give the advice I give, I have been there. Yes you can do it, I did it for years but if it's as practical as you make it sound, why do so many people on this board have daily drivers? You can tilt costs however you want to (and you are on the extreme high end, it does not cost me $2400 a year for having my daily driver and my Camaro combined) but how much does a car accident cost? As far as insurance costs go they do have a thing called multi-car discount, my Camaro costs me $360 a year for full coverage actually for 3 cars it costs me $1200 a year. To my knowledge if you are under 18 you can not have a car titled in your name and as everybody knows you can not insure a car you do not own, when I bought my 4th gen when I was 18 it was cheaper to keep my car and my 4th gen (due to me not being listed as the primary driver on my 4th gen). I also don't understand "People today have been babied by FWD and 4WD. they can’t drive for crap if their life depended on it." How do you figure this? Is driving a RWD car in the winter all it takes to be a good driver? I know I will not change your mind and I understand that there are circumstances where you have to drive them at some point and when you do just be careful. Also I didn't realize that having a garage or a place to store your car made you a "rich snob". Maybe I don't understand because by your stereotype I would be a rich snob and so would many members on this board.

And to chevydrvr you really think these cars were designed for the winter? Is that why the nose of the car is a foot off of the ground? Is that why they put wide tires on these from the factory? I guess to me that doesn't seem like there first priority with these cars was going through snow or slippery conditions, I have never been to Massachusetts but here in Minnesota it is not uncommon for us to have drifts 3 feet high after a snow storm or even after a windy day when there is snow on the ground. And I know you say you can not afford anything else but can you afford a car accident? Good luck and be careful guys.

 

got my 87 for 300. close to perfict car. changed the motor to a 355 fun car now

 

Over here in Oregon we might get about 5 inches of snow for about a week once every 3 years. So just having a daily driver so my third gen doesn't get broken into, crashed into while parked and anything else is worth it. Cheap hondas are for DD, not third gens really. I just store my car in my parents garage because all of their cars are crappy.

 

I wasn't saying that they were designed FOR snow. I was saying that they weren't designed for places with no snow. No car really is. And I have thought about all these factors, don't worry about that. I can always use my mom's Santa Fe if it's too bad or I just won't go anywhere. So don't think i was saying that these cars were designed FOR winter. They just weren't designed with winter in mind. Better?

 

Yes that is better, as I stated I know I'm not gonna change some people's minds but the original question of this post was "are they hard to drive compared to other cars?" and in the winter they definitely are, I just don't want to get it confused that they are just as good as any other car in the snow.

Ok good for you, but I would consider you lucky so far. Yeah I have done it too, I did it for 3 years, is it something I recommend or enjoyed? Absolutely not. Try stopping at a busy stoplight when you are at a slight incline when it is slippery out, I would like to hear how your training, ***** and superior skills would work then.

 

these cars are a bit harder to drive i actually hit somebody tryng to park at college last month ...bur if you can drive theseu can just about drive anything...
and price wise not bd at all you can get a camaro with fresh paint fresh everything from 4000-9000
but if your just looking4 a DD like me go with the 305 rs YOU wont be THAT fast but you will have TORQUE LIKE A V8 AND GET OVER--20-MPG
I GOT MY RS CONVERTIBLE 5 SPEED FOR 1500 NO FADED PAINT AT ALL
and my v6 for 780$ and it ran like a champ i re-sold for 1600$

BUT IF YOU WANT PERFORMANCE GET A IROC
AND DO URSELF a favor and get a 5 spd cause u dont wanna be stuck cause ur car wont turn over

 

You obviously live in a bubble
Research bad drivers and see how Boston comes up that list

It does not matter whether it is FWD, RWD, or 4WD. if a person drives like Mr. Magoo.

I am 25 and live in a good neighborhood; I have a clean record I pay about $1000 for full coverage up here in mass.

Back to your stereotype, a lot of people on this board can’t afford a beater,
We are in a recession last time I checked

You seem arrogant and insecure because you just had to respond to very post that disagreed with you in this thread so you can have your own way

Driving a Trans Am in the winter is like driving 75 Mercury Monarch in the winter they are both RWD

oh by the way I have been driving my 1983 Trans Am all year round for 3 years

my T/A gets 25-30 mpg and its a V8

 

ALSO MY CAMARO wasnt my DD UNTIL I HIT A TELEPHONE POLL

then i chose to make it a rugged looking rag top and put work on whats under the
looks

and these cars SLIDE under any condition thats not hot dry tarmac

 

Ok who peed in your cheerios this morning? I have no idea how the people in Boston drive I have never been there and don't plan on going there in the foreseeable future so it really doesn't matter to me. If you pay that much for insurance you probably don't really have a clean record or you need to shop around for better rates that's ridiculous.

I am not sure what you meant by your statement about stereotyping, if you meant that I am stereotypical how do you figure that? You stated that people who have a garage or place to store their car are rich snobs. You also stated that I seem arrogant and insecure because I replied to people who disagreed with me (so what does that make you?) Last time I checked this is a message board where people are free to express their opinions and reply to someone who disagrees with them, are you supposed to be the only one who can reply? You also stated that I must live in a bubble, whatever that means. You also stated that I must have never lived in a northern state, which I still don't get how you figured that but you are dead wrong there. If I were stereotypical a statement I might make is "you are unintelligent because you misspell lots of words and can not form sentences very well" I have made no statements about you so if you think I am stereotypical I don't understand how.

Maybe driving a Trans am in the winter is like driving a 1975 Mercury Monarch, I couldn't tell you since I have never driven a Mercury Monarch but MY BEST GUESS would be that the Monarch would handle better since it is heavier but I have no way of knowing that, do you?

I am aware that you probably have been driving your Trans am all year round at least I would hope so or you would be really hypocritical. As I have stated several times IT CAN BE DONE BUT IS IT PRACTICAL? Maybe Boston's winters aren't as bad as Minnesota's winters, but here you don't see many f-bodies at all because of our winters.

I have no doubt that your V8 gets between 25 and 30 MPG mine does too, what does that have to do with anything?

By the way how does Mr. Magoo drive? I don't even know who that is and I have no idea how he drives, so I'm lost on that one.

If you want to respond do it in a private message this is a good thread with a lot of good information and there is no point in getting it locked because we are arguing like a couple of 2 year olds.

 

http://www.examiner.com/progressive-...rs-the-country

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8GTHXTEvIc

Minnesota is considered a Midwestern state and Massachusetts is a northern/ northeastern state.

Boston winters are just as bad as Minnesota

 

The 1985 firebird was my first car. I'll tell you right now, if you learn to drive in these cars, youll be able to drive just about anything else around teh same size. I even took my drivers license test in this car when I was 16. You kinda have to get used to the car. It sits really low. Im 5'7 and I feel as if the car is just about perfect for my height. Even now though, I dont really know where the nose is when parking, I just have to be extra careful. Also I have a non GFX bird, and have never had a problem with scraping anything except the time I drove off the curb at a local drive in place.

 

I believe all vehicles are similarly prone to "sliding" in wet weather, The Thirdgen is average weight, the only thing that makes it more prone to anything hazardous in harsh weather are the wider tires (hydroplaning) and the low end torque that "could" make it easier to losing the rear.

When you're off the throttle and driving cautious a well maintained Thirdgen should be just as predictable as just about any car out there.

These are all just my opinions of course. (I would much rather drive a ford f150 or blazer in anything other than dry perfect days, Not because losing it, but safety. These cars sit low and i cant shake the feeling of them being dangerous in any accidents involving other vehicles, seeing as 99% of the cars out there sit higher and most of them aren't adhering to 1980's safety standards...)

 

Exactly why I will never get rid of my car, it's terrifying at times, it throws you around in turns, and I can feel my kidneys moving when I hit bumps (Mine's lowered 2 inches, with heavy springs, and KYB shocks) and I love every minute of it.
Unless it's winter time, and they're totally useless in snow.

 

i actually got pulled over five years ago when i was in high school and had my trans am the first time, i had just left the pond where me and my girlfirend at the time were swimming, they decided that my exhaust was too loud, i ahave a single flowmaster super 40 series under it, well i step out and they search me and the guy couldn't help but laugh, he said you really love your car huh? i said yeah why? well i actually have the bird from the hood of my car tattooed on my back lol, my first car was an 85 trans am LB9 WS package, that car was alot of fun and i can't wait to get it back together for more

 

Their not hard to drive in snow. Period. You will have a harder time getting it out of a snow filled area if you didn't shovel and salt the area.I drove my 92 for a winter and had no troubles. By 5am the main roads were cleared up. So all you had to worry about was the small roads. Just putvsome weight in the trunk and drive like a grandpa. Don't like it go buy a fwd.

 

very well said


lol exaclty

 

What?

 

love thou camaro and never let it go for it will be a sad day when it rolls away with you not at the wheel lol pretty sure thats what he ment or live in the now one or the two haha

 

I had a 1989 V6 5 speed Firebird with the Trans Am ground effects, I had to get a running 30 foot start to get out of my driveway..
I use a 1986 Plymouth full size car now (Like a Gran Fury) And I pull away from 4x4's.

 

Lots of off topic in this topic.

The OP now has a 25th anniversary RS. I'm not quite sure if any of the useful or less useful conversation here has attributed to that.

I personally tend to support hardon85's opinion on quite a few issues.

These cars are driveable under all weather conditions.
That however doesn't mean there aren't other cars that are more easy on the driver under adverse conditions.

Personally I used my camaro all of last year, including a winter where communities no longer managed to keep the roads clear. That means driving the car across the autobahn (yes, I do live in germany) while the asphalt is covered in 4" of snow.

4" isn't much, but it suffizes to strand BMW's, Mercedes', Audi's (with AWD) in the snow, or stuck in the crash barriers. Only this year Germany forced a law to allow only vehicles with appropriate tires to drive during this time of year (a lot of Germans are notoriously silly when it comes to safety. If there is no law stating that they have to think for themselves they assume insurance will take care of anything that might happen).

I didn't have any problems driving, keeping the car on the road or experience any technical issues that would indicate the car isn't suited for the weather.

I was however worried sick about someone rear-ending me every time I had to stop in front of a traffic light. This year a law was made prescribing dedicated winter tyres (even though they f#cked up the law by describing the M&S Logo only, whcih can also be found on semi-slicks, and by not mentioning a minimum thread depth) which means that with the tyres I currently have, I would get a fine for driving. That made me decide to register the car fro the spring, summer and autumn season only.

The camaro is perfectly driveable. It has torque at lower RPM's then most other cars I'm used to, and it has more weight up front. Weight bias is definately on the front axle of the car making it a bit unpredictable as soon as you reach the limits of tyre grip, which however also fully depends on teh tyres used.

My main advise, get a set of good tyres, and take them as wide as possibly go on the rims you use.
On the 15" stock rims I now use the 215/65's that came with the car. I will upgrade to 235/60 Kumho tyres soon however.

Concerning drive height, my car appears to have been lowered (only found out when comparing it to a stock GTA), and I have difficulties getting to my parking lot because I have to clear a bump (which I do with 0.75" of clearance). I'm going to replace the current, possibly 20 year old springs with a set of WS6 springs and will most likely have no more clearance issues, and can fit a stock airdam without losing it every time I park the car.

Parkhouses are a no-go however due to the steep incline most parkhouse entries have. That isn't too much of an issue since none of the parkhouses here have parkinglots wide enough for US cars, and as a non-celebrity you can get towed for using 2 parkinglots with 1 vehicle.

I definately enjoy driving pre-1990 cars over newer vehicles because I appreciate the lack of electronic assists (and the clean look of a non-airbag steeringwheel).