I been tempted to sell my mini and get a new camaro ss ever since I saw them, but I'm still attached to my mini. My biggest mistake I made was driving the new camaro. I know they are completely different cars, the mini is better on the turns and the camaro is better on the straights. I was actually surprised by the handling of the camaro after driving it and the power and sound was so nice. I'm still trying to decide if I wanna stick with the mini or get the v8

 

I was going to say if your going to buy American muscle get a challenger..... then I saw that it only comes in a V6. What is that crap about!

 

The Dodge Challenger comes with a 5.7 liter Hemi V8 too.

 

There is still nothing like a V8 powered pony car. Nothing. Personally, I would check out the Camaro convertible 2SS with the RS package.


However, being a bit practical, check out gas mileage and insurance rates for you too.


Don't become one of the people on the TV commercial who exclaim "Should Have Had A V8 *hits forehead*".

 

is this comparing apple ot orange?

 

I just went thru the same thing. Last fall I test drove a 2SS 6-speed manual. Real nice. Around Christmas, I test drove a Mini on a whim. I ended up buying a Cooper S. It seemed a little more pratical and fit in the garage better.

They're coming out with the ZL1 Camaro for 2012. Supercharged and around 550 HP (LSA motor from the Cadillac CTS-V). I've heard it will be around $48k to start.

I don't know if we can link to other forums, but here some info on the ZL1.
About a 1/4 of the way down is a video for the exhaust. It sounds sweet.
Pop and burble w/o hitting a sport button.
http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=128629

 

I'm at the age where I want some luxury with my muscle. Something for cross-country road trips. We are seriously considering one of these:



Cadillac CTS-V Black Diamond edition wagon.

Won't be trading the MINIs.

 

In my garage is my 04 Cadillac CTS-V with 26000 miles. I have always wanted one, and a couple of years ago I found the perfect one. I picked up my 08 MC last November and I have to say, with gas prices doing what they are doing, I'm thrilled to have the Mini for day to day and treating myself to a blast in the V. That Camaro will return the same type of mileage as my LS6 does in my V and when you go through several tanks of fuel in a week, that charm fades a little. Keep the Mini and buy the Camaro too. Don't replace the Mini with the Camaro, I think you will be sorry some time in the future, when the gas settles around $4.00 to slightly higher.

 

Look at lightly used late model Corvettes.

 

Last time I checked there were two V8 options on the Challenger, 5.7 and 6.4

 

Yeah I guess I missed that. But do not get a convertible. It is a muscle car, when you get a convertible one it basically makes you look like a giant poser. Who uses a convertable car to its potential?

 

The most valuable muscle cars there are, are the convertibles.

Check out the value of a 1971 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda Convertible .

 

IMO, the new Boss 302 > any of the other new Pony cars, including the GT500 and the ZL1. Plenty fast in a straight line and faster than an M3 around a road course for $40k (MSRP, of course)? Yes, please!

The CTS-V wagon is awesome, too, if you're looking for something a little more practical/luxurious. If it's going to be a 4000lb+ land barge, it should at least offer some practicality, IMO. (I'm looking at you Camaro, Challenger, and GT500)

 

If all you do is go in a staight line they are great. Put them on diet and you will eventually have something. I drove the new Camaro at it was better than I expected but the suspension still needed development time. Give it a few more years and a few hundred pounds. I am love big V-8 power but it is nbot what it use to be. Race prepped Mustang Shelby with a big loping cam at Thunderhil Raceway was said to have over 700HP. I was lapping him in the MINI. Sure I was not going around him on the straights but he was so slow through the corners it was a joke. If he tried to get it a but more juice it was just sideways and slow. It sounded great but was slow! When they showed him the Blue and yellow he had to let me by. Before the 20 minute session was over I lapped him running times of run over 2 minutes. It all depends what you like to do. Highmileage, great computer and a sleeper track car. What else could you ask for. If you want to run the 1/4 mile there are better choices. Through in a few corner and the MINI will hang with most cars out there. They may be fast in the straights bit in the corners they will be holding me up. The only thing I saw faster in the corners was a orgianl Mini.
Dam are they fast in the corners. He was faster than me but the additional power of the JCW bad up the difference. If I made a slightest of mistakes on my line the Mini was past me. Way to much fun. If it is straight line high speed cruising you want I will pull out the Maserati. Thereis motor that loves to pull at the top end. The faster you go the harder it pulls. Like an electric motor. American V-8s seem to fall on the shelf with power when you get to the higher RPM's. There was a 2 door Challanger at the track that day too. Can you say big pig that will not turn. It did look good on the skid pad burning up a G note worth of tires going no nowhere fast.

 

A lot has changed on the last few years when it comes to Pony Cars, though. Even the '11 V6 Mustang posted a time several seconds faster than the JCW in Car and Driver's Lightning Lap competition, and the '11 GT is another 4 seconds faster than the V6.

'06 GT- 3:20
'10 JCW- 3:17
'10 GT- 3:13
'11 V6- 3:12
'11 GT- 3:08



That list shows clearly the progress of the Mustang recently, and how it's becoming more and more difficult to argue that they are for straight-line duty only.

 

Mustang is the best of the lot for Pony cars for sure right now. I think the Camaro will catch up fast with some chassis and handling work.

 

Hopefully both the Camaro and Challenger can move to platforms not based on 4000lb+ 4-door sedans in their next generations, too. Personally, I like the look of the Challenger, it's just 20% bigger than it should be.

 

I'm not quite sure I understand your poser comment. We have a convertible in the family and it gets driven 80% of the time top down. Of course it's a 3rd car, so we really only drive it when the weather is nice!

I have to say, I really like the Mustang convertible, and if Dodge ever introduces a Challenger convertible, it will be on top of the list for a replacement vehicle (not to my Mini).

 

I shal explain. I do not know how old you are, but I am going to assume you are in your mid 30s or even older. I could be terribly wrong but that's just a guess. I am barley 21. That is a decent generation gap. I do not know how you think but I can tell you how a lot of car enthusiasts my age think.

First I will use examples, I am sure it would bother you when you see a nice BMW and it has giant chrome 22 inch rims on it. Or you see another mini that is competently filthy and you can tell the owner doesn't care one bit to wash it. Last how would you feel to see, well a new V6 Auto Camaro with giant subs in it playing terrible music and the whole thing rattling? You wouldn't its insulting the the Camaro name. Now I'm a driver, certain cars are supposed to be driven. Like the Mini its a drivers car. It is met to be driven.

Now I do not have anything against convertibles,(well besides safety concerns) they can be vary nice cars. However certain cars should not be convertibles, even when they are very valuable or look good. Those are the cars that are supposed to be driven.

To explain the poser comment. There is a difference between Driving and steering. Anyone can steer, but not everyone can drive. By owning a muscle car you are insinuating you can and do drive that car how it is supposed to be driven, fast and hard. When you add a convertible to that you are basically saying "I don't own this nice V8 6 speed muscle car so I can drive it to its potential , I own it because it looks good, and is expensive."

Now there are exceptions to everything, and you vary well could be one, or you could be that old guy just looking fror a nice car to cruse around in. But don't pick a Car that is supposed to be driven.

(DISCLAIMER: I am young, ignorant, judgmental, and can be kinda an ahole)

Oh and one more example, A 4 door dodge charger!!! seriously what are they thinking!!!!

Oh and a lifted truck that has never touched a single muddy dirt road, or a dirt road at all.

 

I get your point but people buy convertibles for a lot of different reasons, and blanket statements about what it "means" for someone to have a performance convertible are foolish.

I'm sure there are a handful of hard drivin' cabrio owners on here who would disagree with you, too.

 

Yep, and once they prove me wrong i welcome them with open...(cant think of anything clever and mini like)

 

Wow, I'm twice your elder! I drive quite aggressively, even in my middle age. The funny thing is that My convertible isn't even a muscle car, but with some mods, it's quite fun on twisty roads.

Anyway, I just don't think that being seen in a convertible muscle car makes one a poser. That would kinda be like someone in a muscle car thinking everyone in a Mini is a little less than manly....

 

Haha, yeah sorry that was a bad choice of words. "That would kinda be like someone in a muscle car thinking everyone in a Mini is a little less than manly" lol, no... they wouldn't.... would they?

 

LOL, yeah.... I'll be 52 in 2 months and I just a 65 in a 45 and loved every second of it!

 

Mini people make me happy1