The 42 year old teenage fantasy is finally a reality...

You get to this age and you start believing that some dreams are just fantasies that will never come true. Some are nothing but impossible pipe dreams, others are far to impractical or expensive. Early in life I believed that owning a muscle car was all the above.

Since I was 16 I fantasized about owning a 1967 Camaro or 1969 Camaro SS. I liked a lot of the 70’s muscle cars but the Camaro in my opinion was always the coolest of the bunch.

I remember reading back in 2007 that Chevy was planning to redesign and introduce the Camaro in 2010. I loved how awesome the concept car looked when they incorporated part of the body design from the old Camaro’s. At that time, I thought maybe, just maybe it might be possible to get one of the new ones with a 6 cylinder at a reasonable price since I couldn't afford a fully restored 67 or 69. 

In 2010 I went to the Chevy dealer in Astoria Oregon as soon as they got their first Camaro. In the photo below, I took a picture standing in front of this new red 2010 Camaro SS knowing at the time I wasn’t going to be able to afford it or even one with a 6 cylinder. 

2010 in Astoria, OR with the 2010 Camaro SS

2018 in Mesa, AZ with my 2010 Camaro SS

I had to sell my truck and camper but today I’m happy to report that boyhood dream finally came true 42 years later, I’m the proud owner of this Inferno Orange 2010 Chevy Camaro SS (2) and I can’t get the smile off my face. 

It ranks right up there as one happiest days of my life and I fine myself staring out my living room window repeatedly, still not believing what I’m seeing in my driveway.

 

I’ve known for some time I’d never be able to get the 67 or 69 because into today’s market one that is of excellent quality starts at $50K and up. I paid less for this 5^th generation Camaro and I believe, for the price I paid for it, I’m far better off with this car and its modern technology than one of the old ones. My SS sold for $34,000 in 2010,. This new 2018 fully loaded SS pictured below sells for about $44.000.
 
The one I bought might as well be new it only had 14,129 original miles on it, yes you read that right this is no typo, 14,129 original miles and the car is perfect in every detail. When I say perfect I mean perfect, it doesn’t have a scratch on it and the interior is just as beautiful. It looks like it came right off the showroom floor.

Sure the 6.2L power plant and the 6-speed automatic transmission immediately throw you back in the seat with some serious G’s when you stomp on it. But the car’s sound alone, with its seriously throaty V8 rumble and growl right at start up and idle are awesome music to the ears, it really bellows once the motor gets a load on it.

I know the new Camaro's have some imperfections and some car racing purists wouldn’t want it because it’s all muscle and not the greatest handling car, but I love it. Seeing over the front of the car is a little difficult and it has a bad blind spot, the drivers seat sets low and it’s a little hard to get in and out of. But… once strapped in you forget everything and just dig the awesome old school profile it projects on the road and the raw giddy up speed that’s at the ready when you want to use it.

I spend a great deal of time on the internet evaluating, researching and comparing the Camaro to the Challenger RT and the Mustang GT. I’ll be honest the Dodge Challenger RT was a very close second, but I knew there wasn’t really any doubt about what I’d buy. I love this car and I’m glad that I waited another 8 years, so I could afford to buy the SS.

 

It took me a while to come up with a female name for her, but I finally decided on "Whinnie". Whinnie is an awesome redheaded Babe and I can’t get enough of her. My Whinnie is sexy front to rear.