2- 2002 camaro ss converts new on mso

[Chris396]

They sound expensive to me. Shouldn't they be around $30-32? The price will drop like a stone when you pull off the lot.

[Chevy454]

The last I heard, there were LOTS of the '02 Anniv. cars still on the lots. In fact, I think(?) it was Super Chevy that had a 1/3 page ad devoted to this very topic, stating how many cars were still sitting and which dealers to contact. I want to say the number was in the thousands...

[hvychev]

Guys we have to remember thats why they are no longer making Camaros. Sales were horriable. The Chevy dealer I worked for from 1997-99 sold hardly any Camaros. I remember we ordered a brand new 1998 Z28 convert triple black with factory chrome wheels and it sat for two years till it was shipped to the auction where it was finally sold. When I did the dealer locate to find my fathers 2001 SS that we bought in Oct 2001 the car had been sitting on the dealers lot for 14 months before we rescued it.

[hvychev]

One more thing I wanted to add. Camaro sales were ath their peak in 1979 with 282,571 units sold to a pathetic 29,001 units in 2001! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif[/img]

[JoeG]

Hi Frank,
Are sales off because they need some fresh styling???
I wonder if GM did, what ford did with their 56 style Thunderbird with a modern twist, use the '68 or 69 camaro base style and give it a modern twist, if that would give GM a new platform to branch out with fresh ideas for style???--Just a thought.--- Do you know what will go into the Camaro slot???- I know I'm just full of questions today [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif[/img]--JoeG

[MosportGreen66]

If only! I wish Jon Moss would stop built 650HP 1998 Camaro Coupes and get busy on a Retro-1969 Z28! I agree, that would be cool!

[hvychev]

Joe you are right on. IMO the tired style of the 4th gen Camaro hurt sales. They had the same style from 1993-2002 and many buyers became tired of it. GM has the tendency to keep body styles around for to long. Car companies like Damiler Chrysler are on the cutting edge on constant style change. The Ford Mustang continues to put up the numbers like the 79 Camaro did which suprises me because they lack in performance. The 2005 Mustang coming out will be a hit.

[JoeC]

I don't think the new Thunderbird sales are doing very well either.

[JoeG]

JoeC,
The up-dated styling of the T-bird just catches my eye ,but never inquired, if there was a performance package, or was it just set up for leisurely touring for mid-life crissis guys like myself---maybe if Chevy presented performance options, to make it affordable at different performance levels,[ to the Masses-]---Really hate to see the camaro shelved First Oldsmobile, Camaro.next????-- [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]---JoeG -as someone mentioned earlier a 69 retro Z28 Road suspension/ performance package, might convert some new generation ricers to the original "Heartbeat of America"---Chevrolet---JoeG [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/flag.gif[/img]---- [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif[/img]

Price of retro T-bird?-----Any performance or road handling packages?

[Chevy454]

[ QUOTE ]
Joe you are right on. IMO the tired style of the 4th gen Camaro hurt sales. They had the same style from 1993-2002 and many buyers became tired of it. GM has the tendency to keep body styles around for to long. Car companies like Damiler Chrysler are on the cutting edge on constant style change. The Ford Mustang continues to put up the numbers like the 79 Camaro did which suprises me because they lack in performance. The 2005 Mustang coming out will be a hit.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ironically, the current Mustang basically debuted in '94, a mere year later than the 4th Gen. Camaros, but they both got the same front/rear "updates" over the years. And to top it off, the Mustang rides on the same Fox body underpinnings as the cars that rolled off the line in '79 did...yet they kicked the Camaro's tail in sales. Older underpinnings, less performance, same price...yet the Mustang lives.

Why? Let's compare...

The Z/28 and the SS would run off and hide from the Mustang (and could hang with the Cobras) until the '03 Cobras came out. The cars were priced almost identical, giving the the Camaro the bang-per-buck vote, and they both debuted new body styles at roughly the same time. The lack of chassis update on the Mustang gives the edge to the Camaro which also owns the Mustang in the curves, and even helps when going straight.

So, what REALLY brought down the axe? Marketing? Lack of interest by GM executives? I think the new T-bird is proof that nostalgia alone won't sell cars, as the boys at F@rd would take a kick to the groin to move their new retro toys. I foresee the same thing happening with the SSR.

GM just shot themselves in the foot. By dropping the F-body platform totally, they forced the people that were after cheap thrills to buy Fords, and some of those people will probably NEVER be back in a GM. The GTO and the new SS truck they are debuting aren't gonna fill the voids like they are hoping, because they have 2 strikes against them already: they're both too darn slow and too darn expensive. Why build a "performance truck" that is more expensive, yet SLOWER than something already on the market?! Same thing with the GTO, as Ford has finally figured out performance is "ok" and stepped up with the new Cobra, the Mach 1, etc. For the $35K+ that the GTO will cost, you could step into a new Cobra that will have 390hp and run 2 seconds quicker in the 1/4!! In fact, I read a GM press release pushing back the previous performance numbers on the new GTO to high 14s?!...I'm guessing so they don't disappoint the buyers, or so they don't copy F@rd's fiasco with the Cobra intake.

Ok, "smelly opinion" time. So, exactly WHY DID GM CAN THE F-BODY? I say it's the bottom line...all of the automakers make more $$$ off of the SUVs/trucks than they do any other model. Dropping a car line just forces more people to buy trucks, which makes GM more $$$.

And unfortunately, car guys don't run GM...accountants do.