Overview & Reviews

For most of the past four decades, the Chevrolet Camaro has been the poster car of young (and not so young) speed freaks and boulevardiers alike. You know, the type of folks who value the rumble and thrust of a small-block V8 and sleek styling as much as would-be Hollywood starlets value a photo op.

Starting out in the late 1960s as an answer to Ford's Mustang, the original Chevrolet Camaro could be had in coupe or convertible form and with six-cylinder or V8 power. Forty years and five generations later, the concept really hasn't changed, as the current Chevrolet Camaro also can be had in coupe or convertible form with six-cylinder or V8 power. It even looks similar and carries the classic Camaro qualities of tire-spinning performance and a reasonable base price. But this is a thoroughly modern car that makes for a decent everyday driver, despite some significant practical drawbacks.

Current Chevrolet Camaro
The Chevrolet Camaro is available as a two-door coupe or convertible and in five trim levels: base LS, midgrade LT, high-performance SS and hyper-performance ZL1 and Z/28. The LS comes standard with niceties like alloy wheels and air-conditioning, to which the LT adds power seats and a touchscreen with smartphone integration. The V8-powered SS includes a limited-slip differential and a sport-tuned suspension. The ZL1 boasts a variety of performance parts like Brembo brakes and adaptive suspension dampers, plus standard leather upholstery and Boston Acoustics audio. The hard-core, coupe-only Z/28, on the other hand, has a race-ready suspension and modifications for reduced weight.

The Camaro LS and LT pack a 3.6-liter V6 that produces 323 horsepower and 278 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed manual transmission is standard with the V6, and a six-speed automatic is available. The Camaro SS is equipped with a powerful 6.2-liter V8 matched to either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. The manual-gearbox SS cranks out 426 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque, with the automatic version tuned to "just" 400 hp and 410 lb-ft. Offering the same transmission choices, the Camaro ZL1 gets a supercharged version of the 6.2-liter V8 good for 580 hp and 556 lb-ft of torque. The Z/28, which is 300 pounds lighter than the ZL1, employs a 505-hp 7.0-liter V8 and comes only with the six-speed manual.

On the road, any of these Camaros will provide brisk performance, a reasonably compliant ride (though the Z/28 is significantly firmer) and respectable handling, while the V8-powered versions should satisfy the most ardent acceleration addicts. The ZL1 and especially the Z/28 are astoundingly capable on a racetrack with their special suspensions. However, in day-to-day driving, the poor outward visibility, mediocre cabin trim, cramped backseat and tiny, oddly shaped trunk opening could be deal-breakers. As such, we'd advise potential buyers to also consider the Camaro's equally classic competitors, the Dodge Challenger and Ford Mustang.

Used Chevrolet Camaro Models
After a seven-year hiatus, the Camaro returned for 2010. In that first year, the Camaro was offered as a coupe only, and the V6 engine produced 304 hp. The next year saw the convertible's introduction and a bump up to 312 horses for the V6. It reached its current output for 2012, which also saw the introduction of the ZL1 and a number of noteworthy changes to the cabin. Camaros produced prior to this suffered from an oddly shaped steering wheel and gauges that were hard to read. For 2014 the Camaro introduced revised styling (including one-piece taillights that replaced the original double-rectangle design) and the debut of the Z/28.

Running from 1993-2002, the previous Camaro generation continued the age-old tradition of performance and style above all else. Initially just a coupe body style was offered in base and Z28 trims, the former coming with a 3.4-liter V6 (160 hp) and the latter with an LT1 5.7-liter V8 (275 hp). Transmission choices included a five-speed manual (V6), a six-speed manual (V8) and a four-speed automatic.

The following year saw the return of the ragtop, while 1995 brought a 3.8-liter, 200-hp V6 for the base Camaro. For 1996 the Z28 had 285 hp and the SS trim was reincarnated, complete with a 305-hp version of the 5.7-liter V8. A midcycle refresh took place for 1998 with a new front-end look and powerful new LS1 5.7 V8s for the Z28 (305 hp) and SS (320 hp). Apart from minor trim differences and a bump in power for the Z28 in 2001 to 310 hp, the Camaro soldiered through 2002 mostly unchanged. That last year also marked the Camaro's 35th birthday, which was celebrated with a 35th-anniversary SS.

Although fast, stylish and affordable, this Chevy Camaro was lacking in terms of refinement, particularly in regards to the interior. The clunky steering wheel design was about as sporty as a taxicab's and there was an abundance of low-grade plastic trim. Furthermore, the seats were rather plain and short on lumbar and lateral support. On the upside were the large gauges, decent cargo capacity and buttoned-down handling (though midcorner bumps could upset the solid rear axle suspended out back).

Consumer feedback is mostly favorable toward Camaros from this era. Praises center on the strong performance (even with the V6) for the money, relatively good fuel economy, mechanical reliability, cargo capacity, handling and styling. Chief complaints concern cheap interior construction, a smallish interior considering the body size and occasionally leaky T-tops.

For more information on these and even older Chevrolet Camaros, go to our Chevrolet Camaro history page.

User Reviews:

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  98SSman - 1998 Chevrolet Camaro
  By SSman - October 6 - 2:00 am

  The vehicle is very enjoyable to especially when you have the T-top model like my self.If they go back to making the camaro I hope Chevy works more on the interior and try to get an engine sold off the lot that runs on regular gas

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  Dont buy a 95 Camaro - 1995 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Former Camaro Owner - October 4 - 2:00 am

  My boyfriend had owned a 95 Camaro for 3 years,when he bought it had arround 50,000 miles on it arround the last year are so it started having problems with the water pump and all of a sudden we took it in for steam coming out of engine the guy we took it to was very knowledgeable and he said some how the mantle block cracked and to fix one of them it would cost arround 4,000 bucks and now us being not at home anymore and paying bills with hardly any money we were S.O.L and it just kept getting worse the last 2 days we had the camaro it would over heat in 2 mintues of turning it on and thank god the place we traded it in they didnt even turn the car on. The milliage at the end was at 98,000

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  Z28 - 2001 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Deams - September 24 - 2:00 am

  This vehicle is a sports car designed to go fast. With this you lose some fuel economy (although 18-20 mpg is not bad for a V8) and some interior luxury but the trade off is worth it. It hugs the road very nicely. It is very fast and it sounds good with an aftermarket exhaust system (I recommend Borla but to each his/her own) since Chevy did a poor job on these stock systems.

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  First Camaro - 2017 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Tony Davenport - September 19 - 3:53 am

  I traded a 2006 G35 6mt coupe for my 2017 Camaro. It performs well considering the skepticism on the 4cyl turbo vs the V6 and V8. I had $4k in mods on my old car and the new one still out performs it. Ive found the turbo upgrades for later that will get the car to 390hp over 400 ftlbs of torque; the kit runs $2700. Im looking forward to owning this car. On board wifi, 3 ecu modes for driving, the display and all Im loving it!

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  *Big Bang* for the Buck - 1998 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Sick LS1 - September 7 - 2:00 am

  If you want a car that will be faster than most porsches, run with many supercars, brake in the same distance as a race prepped porsche gt3 (famous for brakes), but are on a budget, this is the car. Do some some basic mods to unleash this cars true potential. And by the way, a Z28 has the same engine as a Corvette (exact same), and Z28s will dyno at least as much hp as a C5, if not more. The engine was seirously underrated, so dont beleive the stats. Throw on some mods, and youll be showing up vipers, corvettes, porsches, other german supercars, and possibly even a ferrari 360, or lambo gallardo. Handling could be better though.

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  New Camaro drop top back seats breakkneck situatio - 2017 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Driver - August 25 - 8:09 pm

  I will not let anyone ride in the rear seats due to the lack of headrests. What is GM thinking?

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  Gas Milage On Actual Usage - 2001 Chevrolet Camaro
  By SPCCTX - August 23 - 2:00 am

  Yes, Ive noticed that in town stop and go driving kills the mpg, but once on the highway its much better. I have the V-6. The only thing Ive noticed is that tiny rust marks like tiny pin hole drops are all over the paint. Im not sure what happened there since I bought the car used back in Nov. 03.

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  2015 Chevy Camaro SS Auto transmission - 2015 Chevrolet Camaro
  By George Milner - July 17 - 2:01 am

  L 99 6.2 L engines with A F M (active fuel management) have noisy valvetrain components. I love the car but hate the ticking valve(s). I didnt notice it during the test drive out in the open, but noticed it after a few days of owning it especially pulling into the garage or while idling next to a wall (drive thru window etc. ). I probably would not have bought it if I noticed it before purchase. I took it to my local Chevy dealer service dept.(I purchased it out of town at another Chevy dealer) to have it checked out and was told "the vehicle makes similar valvetrain noise" as other vehicles with the same engine. It only has 900 miles on it as of this review, so I havent really driven it hard to give an assessment of acceleration and all out performance yet. The owners manual says no full throttle launches and do not exceed 4000 rpms until 1500 mile break-in . It handles and corners well and gets decent gas mileage. Update after 1 year of ownership and just over 5000 miles on it...Absolutely lovin it. The valvetrain components are much quieter and smoother now that its broken-in and seems to have a bit more power too, its a pleasure to drive. Ive gotten many compliments on the looks and sound of car. Overall Im pleased with the purchase now. After 7 months of ownership and 3200 miles on the car the engine is less noisy but I can still hear some ticking, but overall I am satisfied with the car and its a lot of fun to drive.

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  love of a legend - 2002 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Aw311 - June 11 - 2:00 am

  Great performance of a 60s muscle cars like the 427 camaros of old, with double the fuel economy, three times the amount of handling and features. Best of all the Ls1 V8 aluminum block with alot of performance availability, what a push rod legend. These cars can really lay down the low end power. Ad a good exhaust and air intake and 400 hp is not too far off for under half the price of expensive imports or the vette. Great driving on back roads and drag strip launches on high way on ramps what a blast to drive..

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  Black beaSSt - 1998 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Black-beaSSt - June 4 - 2:00 am

  I only had the car for 30 days, but the performance is awesome! Handling is much better than stock Z-28. SSs have variable springs, so initial suspension hits are absorbed nicely. The jaring kidney shots are not there unless your driving in Metro Detroit. Worth the extra bucks. For 25k will absolutely destroy mustangs from base GT (19k) to Cobra (32k)!