Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
Last one I drove was terrible. Ist gen Sale $22K. 300HP 6-er and a 6 speed. Trans (Chinese?) was junk - unshiftable 1-2 or 2-3, engine smooth, ride good, visibility non existent.
Terrible car. Looks good from the outside. Though but the retro thing is all played out by 2018.
Mustang not much better back then.
get a used BMW Z M roadster. A real sports car.
The BMW? That is more of a luxury cruiser for the twice divorced 50 year old, not a real sportscar
OK, having a bit of fun there, never mind me.
However, you did just tell someone to go look at a 10-12 year old BMW compared to a new car. That BMW is going to have repair bills akin to a car payment on top of the car payment. That is a tough sell... a just-off lease 2-series is a better alternative and in the same pricepoint. That said, the M Coupe is really an unsung gem and last of the straight six M cars.
The 5th Gen was weak in non-SS variant and while the V8 was a decent performer... it wasn't stellar if looking at a general sportscar. It was stuck in that retro muscle a bit much and anything not an SS or above was a rental at best.
The 6th Gen Camaro is a lot better. In fact, the V6 finally made sense, the boosted fours were not out yet when I test-drove it. Actually, I would recommend the V6 over the V8 because you actually get to use the power on normal roads. The V8 makes sense more on the track. The handling was great considering the size (more in a bit). I liked it and that is coming from someone who drives Zs and MR2s. However, it can hide its proportions and the viability never really lets you know where you are in a turn. So it was a car that could handle being tossed in but would not be inspiring confidence. My surprise was how well it could stop. The car felt a good 500 lighter when you hit the middle pedal hard.
Now here is the trick... if you were going to tell me to go buy the Camaro with the 2.0 or the 2-series 2.0 (ie the 230i), I would probably go with the Camaro. The 2-series is the slightly nicer car overall, but the Camaro is both lighter and more powerful. However, the trick is that the BMW feels much smaller and more nimble... the Camaro seems to driver larger than it is while the BMW is the opposite. Still, low 20s for the Camaro will win every since time over the BMW price premium for me.
Heck, that was one perk of the Genesis Coupe (dealers were desperate to sell)... and I could see some I4 Camaros going for near $20K. Is it the "best"? No. Is it the "best" at the discounted pricepoint, maybe? Still can't see the apex to hit the apex.
