The new Camaro, is it really that much in demand?

[AMCRambler]

I keep reading that dealers are having a hard time keeping them in stock because they are getting bought right off the delivery trucks. I'm not so sure this is true though as I was just recently traveling and I rented a car from Budget at the Raleigh Durham airport location and they had 4 just sitting out front available to be rented. If the car is that hot, how the heck are rental companies getting their hands on them? And why were these four just sitting there on the lot? Seems a little at odds with the whole image for that car. I mean, the new Challengers are pretty hot cars and I didn't see any sitting around waiting to be rented.

On a side note, I saw one of the newer Shelby GT Hertz Mustangs cruising around my neck of the woods. I looked into renting one of these for a day but the closest location that had one was Boston. I wonder if they sold them off already.

 

[darom]

Last week-end I was at the local Chevy dealership and wanted to test drive a V6 Camaro. They didn't even have one sitting in the show room! The dealer rep asked me to come over in a few days. That's in Bakersfield, CA. I haven't seen any Camaros at the local car rental places either.

 

[waffleironhead]

A /= B

 

[AMCRambler]

Well I figure if Budget can get 4 of them and park them at a pretty small hub like Raleigh, they can't be that hard to get.

I'll have to take a look at the lot for our local Chevy dealer and see how many they've got sitting around. I ran into an old buddy of mine who is a Camaro nut and he already has an SS. Of course he probably had his name on a buyers list somewhere for like a year before they shipped, lol.

 

[dirtboy]

Originally posted by: darom
Last week-end I was at the local Chevy dealership and wanted to test drive a V6 Camaro. They didn't even have one sitting in the show room! The dealer rep asked me to come over in a few days. That's in Bakersfield, CA. I haven't seen any Camaros at the local car rental places either.

That's what happens when 3 Way gets closed down!

 

[PClark99]

Probably depends alot on location and on how much crazy ADM is added.

The Chevy dealership on Rt 35 in Middletown, NJ has about 6-7 of them sitting out front.

 

[KentState]

Originally posted by: AMCRambler
Well I figure if Budget can get 4 of them and park them at a pretty small hub like Raleigh, they can't be that hard to get.

I'll have to take a look at the lot for our local Chevy dealer and see how many they've got sitting around. I ran into an old buddy of mine who is a Camaro nut and he already has an SS. Of course he probably had his name on a buyers list somewhere for like a year before they shipped, lol.

You do realize that rental car companies get special provisions? I wouldn't be surprised if they were allotted some to get more of them out on the road. Just like how Ford put out a special edition with Hertz to advertise the car.

 

[Bignate603]

The chevy dealership near me put one out front on their lawn whenever they get one. Usually the next time I drive by a day or two later its gone. I guess in my area its a desired car. I've seen a handful driving around, more than the number of challengers I see.

 

[brblx]

i know the budget at the nashville airport has a hell of a lot more than four of them kicking around.

the reason they're not being rented is because of the premium you have to pay. same with the hertz gt500's, which have now been replaced by base model C6 'vettes.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I've seen a few on the road but I have zero idea if the local dealers have any in stock. I'm not in the market so I don't really give a shit.

 

[magomago]

my friend called to test drive one...he just wanted to test it but he pitched himself as a seller. when he called to see if they had any to test drive, every dealer just hung the phone up on him

 

[caspur]

Yes, the first allotment of Camaro SS's went to the avis budget group. They also have the base V6 ones that came in a later shipment. If you have buddies that work there, they'll let you drive them around. Especially at smaller airports, the side access and cargo roads are basically like race tracks.

The Shelby GT350Hs are non-supercharged, only intake and exhaust (So they are not the Michigan-built GT500s, but rather the Shelby modded Mustang GTs). Made a lot of noise. Most of the Hertz ones were auctioned off in 2008. We were assigned the convertibles that winter to rack up mileage to get them ready for auction. Of course, being idiots, we all drove with the top down for three weeks while it was below freezing out. Good times.

The base C6 vettes are just normal cars you can find at a lot of the southeast fleets. There are a few ZHZ ones with the magnetic ride control...which supposedly drive better. The boss assigned himself one, so it must be good. I'm still looking for the plain jane C6 convertible, since we are allowed to drive those, but the ZHZ are for the higher ups.

The best cars that I used to love driving when we still had car guys running fleet purchasing, were the Audi S4s. Surprisingly we got S4s, but we never got that many A4's, which didn't make a whole lot of sense. Remember the Cadillac XLR as a rental? Probably not, because the employees hogged it. Also, (this may shock Jules) the Lotus Exige (and Elise) are now for rent. I believe it is Italy only at this point, but I'm sure if we cry enough, they'll send a few over here.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: KentState

Originally posted by: AMCRambler
Well I figure if Budget can get 4 of them and park them at a pretty small hub like Raleigh, they can't be that hard to get.

I'll have to take a look at the lot for our local Chevy dealer and see how many they've got sitting around. I ran into an old buddy of mine who is a Camaro nut and he already has an SS. Of course he probably had his name on a buyers list somewhere for like a year before they shipped, lol.

You do realize that rental car companies get special provisions? I wouldn't be surprised if they were allotted some to get more of them out on the road. Just like how Ford put out a special edition with Hertz to advertise the car.

yeah plus buying in fleets is much more lucrative to the dealer as it's a single sale...

 

[Bignate603]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: KentState

Originally posted by: AMCRambler
Well I figure if Budget can get 4 of them and park them at a pretty small hub like Raleigh, they can't be that hard to get.

I'll have to take a look at the lot for our local Chevy dealer and see how many they've got sitting around. I ran into an old buddy of mine who is a Camaro nut and he already has an SS. Of course he probably had his name on a buyers list somewhere for like a year before they shipped, lol.

You do realize that rental car companies get special provisions? I wouldn't be surprised if they were allotted some to get more of them out on the road. Just like how Ford put out a special edition with Hertz to advertise the car.

yeah plus buying in fleets is much more lucrative to the dealer as it's a single sale...

I thought the larger fleet customers dealt directly with the auto companies. The car rental companies are buying 1000's of cars every year, I always figured they were trying to leverage the best deal by buying in volume directly from the source. I could be wrong though...

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Bignate603

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: KentState

Originally posted by: AMCRambler
Well I figure if Budget can get 4 of them and park them at a pretty small hub like Raleigh, they can't be that hard to get.

I'll have to take a look at the lot for our local Chevy dealer and see how many they've got sitting around. I ran into an old buddy of mine who is a Camaro nut and he already has an SS. Of course he probably had his name on a buyers list somewhere for like a year before they shipped, lol.

You do realize that rental car companies get special provisions? I wouldn't be surprised if they were allotted some to get more of them out on the road. Just like how Ford put out a special edition with Hertz to advertise the car.

yeah plus buying in fleets is much more lucrative to the dealer as it's a single sale...

I thought the larger fleet customers dealt directly with the auto companies. The car rental companies are buying 1000's of cars every year, I always figured they were trying to leverage the best deal by buying in volume directly from the source. I could be wrong though...

I never quantified the size of the fleet. Some will be local lots, some direct...for anyone doing the deal (the dealer), the benefit is a bunch of cars gone under one transaction with more than likely a lot less post sale issues.

 

[BUTCH1]

I saw a nice red SS at a stoplight last week being driven by a guy who had to be 80. Next to him was his woman, with a huge puff of white hair. I felt like tapping on his window and telling him that was WAY too much car for him and that he should be driving my Malibu..

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: BUTCH1
I saw a nice red SS at a stoplight last week being driven by a guy who had to be 80. Next to him was his woman, with a huge puff of white hair. I felt like tapping on his window and telling him that was WAY too much car for him and that he should be driving my Malibu..

he may have to then let you know that he knows for a fact that your g/f was not a virgin when you met her.

Throughout time the best of the best falls into the hands of the older set.

Fun has no age limit. When someone brings up to me 'but you are 38'. I know right there that they are living a life that is dictated to them. They are little puppets with a shaft of control driven right through their ass.

 

[brblx]

Originally posted by: caspur
Yes, the first allotment of Camaro SS's went to the avis budget group. They also have the base V6 ones that came in a later shipment. If you have buddies that work there, they'll let you drive them around. Especially at smaller airports, the side access and cargo roads are basically like race tracks.

The Shelby GT350Hs are non-supercharged, only intake and exhaust (So they are not the Michigan-built GT500s, but rather the Shelby modded Mustang GTs). Made a lot of noise. Most of the Hertz ones were auctioned off in 2008. We were assigned the convertibles that winter to rack up mileage to get them ready for auction. Of course, being idiots, we all drove with the top down for three weeks while it was below freezing out. Good times.

The base C6 vettes are just normal cars you can find at a lot of the southeast fleets. There are a few ZHZ ones with the magnetic ride control...which supposedly drive better. The boss assigned himself one, so it must be good. I'm still looking for the plain jane C6 convertible, since we are allowed to drive those, but the ZHZ are for the higher ups.

The best cars that I used to love driving when we still had car guys running fleet purchasing, were the Audi S4s. Surprisingly we got S4s, but we never got that many A4's, which didn't make a whole lot of sense. Remember the Cadillac XLR as a rental? Probably not, because the employees hogged it. Also, (this may shock Jules) the Lotus Exige (and Elise) are now for rent. I believe it is Italy only at this point, but I'm sure if we cry enough, they'll send a few over here.

so do you work for hertz?

i started there a little over a month ago as a mechanic. it's...not great, but it's at least a guaranteed paycheck, which beats starving to death at the dealer. didn't know the mustangs were 'special' ('crappy') shelbys. afaik all our 'vettes have the ZHZ markings, i thought they were bottom dollar base models. certainly powerful enough but i thought the ride seemed rather harsh and with more creaks and rattles than an $8k kia. can't see paying a premium for that, it's like going for a ride on a smokin' fast donkey cart.

 

[BUTCH1]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: BUTCH1
I saw a nice red SS at a stoplight last week being driven by a guy who had to be 80. Next to him was his woman, with a huge puff of white hair. I felt like tapping on his window and telling him that was WAY too much car for him and that he should be driving my Malibu..

he may have to then let you know that he knows for a fact that your g/f was not a virgin when you met her.

Throughout time the best of the best falls into the hands of the older set.

Fun has no age limit. When someone brings up to me 'but you are 38'. I know right there that they are living a life that is dictated to them. They are little puppets with a shaft of control driven right through their ass.

LOL, I knew my wife wasn't a virgin when I met her but I don't think he's the one who nuked her. If you had seen the guy though you can tell he had would never use the power that car can generate, oh well...

 

[caspur]

brblx...yup. As a car enthusiast though, this really isn't a good job to work in. You get far too much exposure to the automotive market, but not in the glorified way that the automotive press does. Its sorta like a gynecologists view of the porn industry.

I work in operations, so I don't really have any fleet restrictions. I can pretty much take everything home. Its kinda cool for the first few months. Neighbors always come over to see the latest cars and try out the various features. It does get a bit boring after awhile, so you end up taking Camry and Accords because to get from point A to point B, it doesn't really matter what I drive.

 

[StageLeft]

When they first hit lots a stealership locally I went to told me they'd sell the V6 for about $1500 over MSRP.

In a recession? haha I guess if people buy them, though, whatevs. I wouldn't at that premium.

You get far too much exposure to the automotive market, but not in the glorified way that the automotive press does. Its sorta like a gynecologists view of the porn industry.

Superb.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Yes, the new Camaro is in very high demand right now, just as the 2005 Mustang was when it was first released. In 6-months to a year though it will probably trail off to more sustainable levels. There's sort of a "pent-up" demand for the Camaro as it was out of production for a while and some of the purchases that would have happened during the years in which it was out of production ended up being deferred, which resulted in a flood of orders when it became available.

While I think that the new Camaro will remain a very popular car (it's a great muscle car), I don't see the current sales levels being sustainable.

ZV

 

[Gillbot]

Many from my car club unloaded their earlier model Camaros to grab one of these, so yeah I think they are somewhat in demand. Personally, I'd wait for the 2nd MY at least, so they can fix most of the bugs.

 

[LTC8K6]

~31,000 thru August.

 

[JackBurton]

I was really looking forward to the new Camaro but after driving a V6 version this weekend, I give it two thumbs down (at least the V6 version). I think the body style looks nice, but the interior is awful. I didn't like it at all. And the V6 is actually embarrassing when you step on it. It had good power for a V6, but the thing sounded pathetic. Without the low rumbling of a V8, I wouldn't even call it a sports car. It's an econo car with a sports car shell. Just pitiful.

Seriously, if you can't afford the V8, why even buy a car like this?