The Camaro Club (UK)

Hi all,

Hope all is going well.

So, I don't yet own a Camaro of any description, but I am seriously thinking of getting one at some point in the not to distant future.

I drove a '95 3.8 V6 (I think) about a year ago and I loved it, and that's what got me wanting so bad. I have seen many for sale on eBay, Autotrader and Piston Heads and whilst they all look very nice, I have no clue what to be aware of when buying.

I saw a Camaro 2 yesterday for £3,500 which looked like it was perfect and prompted me to join a forum to find out from the owners themselves what it's like to live with one.

It seems for about £3,000 you can get a nice unmolested Camaro 3 or at a push a 2nd gen which I would be very happy with either.

Can anyone offer any advice, literally anything? Are the parts hard to get a hold of? Are there any US car shows in the West Midlands I can go to?

Many thanks in advance.

Dale

Hi Dale,

Hello and welcome... Hopefully we can persuade you to join the Camaro owners clan.. These are great, simple fun head turning cars.. hugely tuneable, and very addictive !!!

£3k should get you an OK'ish 3rd gen car. Obviously it's gonna be between 20 and 30 years old, and at the lower end of the budget of condition. The body condition is probably more important than the mechanics in a way, obviously any major issues are gonna cost money, but these are tough old beasts and serious faults are usually only through neglect rather than mileage or wear.
The V6 cars are cheaper to buy, and do go well, but most want the V8 rumble so go for the 5 or 5.7 litre examples.
I don't think you'll get a 2nd gen car that won't need a lot of work for that money.

Lots of yank car shows around over the summer months, hopefully other's in the midlands area will chip in with some suggestions.

Ownership really is quite easy, as parts are relatively easy to get hold of, with most service items available through specialist suppliers and garages dotted about the UK. Anything more involved is available fast direct from the US from places like RockAuto who advertise here. Insurance is relatively cheap, especially if you go limited mileage, home mechanics on most cars is quite easy too, as these are easy cars to work on if you're the kind of person that doesn't mind getting oily hands.. !!!!

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“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”

Hello. I,m new to Camaros myself so can,t offer you advice on specific models as such but...
I,m not new to American cars so this might swing you.
They,re just cars like all the rest. They are basic in comparison to modern machinery and parts are easy come by. Most good mechanics can fix most things.
If you tried a 95 and liked it then are you still considering a 4th gen?
Is the car going to be a daily driver or just a toy?

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"Main Force Patrol we,re out of the game "

Hi all. Thanks for the replies. I have a diesel Saab for everyday, if I had a Camaro it would be for cruising and posing a bit ha ha. Something for me to drive to get away for a few hours.

The V6 I drove seemed like a nice entry point as the 90's models seem the be the cheapest.

I will look at getting to the US car show in Wawrickshire at the end of June, I also hear that there's a cruise in Shropshire the first Sunday of each month.

Stu, I got my numbers wrong, it was a 3rd gen I saw for £3500, the 2nd gens are a little out of the price range as they really are retro!

I would be looking at a 3rd at a push for £3000 but most likely a 4th. I think I prefer the 4th looks wise.

I am going to brush up on the models and see what are popular and maybe a little bit special.

Some great replies so far and that's the main thing - it's just a car lol. A lot of the parts are interchangeable when you get into the mechanical parts... i can't remember exactly which part but when looking at NPD's parts catalog it stated something as being so generic is suited Camaro's / Firebirds etc from '67 to '02. I could be a bit off on the year, maybe it was '92 but you get the idea. The most prominent thing i've found is bolts... luckily down the road is a fastener supplier who carries all UNF & UNC sizes, so i can just take a sample bolt and they'll give me a replacement there and then. That of course is only an issue if you're doing a rebuild. I actually find it faster to get some stuff from the U.S believe it or not... some UK suppliers state 1-2 weeks delivery but somewhere like NPD will have the part to you in 4 days. The shipping will cost a bit more, so plan ahead and try and get 1 shipment if you plan on doing any work to it. If it's already a runner and you plan to keep it running you won't need to do anything more than on a regular car. Fuel and oil out and in and enjoy If you plan on doing some work to it then there are UK suppliers about (Rocky on here specialises in 3rd gens so can supply parts when he's breaking something down) and worst case an order to the states and a few days waiting and you're back in business There are also swap meets around the country which are a good source for any tick list of parts to get. hope that helps!

Cheers,

Ray

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I had a 4th Gen 3.4V6, Jap import, there's loads of them, mine was mint, bought and sold it for under £2000. just over 20mpg and modern/reliable/comfortable enough for daily use, but if its a toy, GET A V8!

It really is just like buying any other modern car, check its been well looked after, a good service history is worth having, you know its not been neglected. One last thing, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!

If you see one you like, post it up here, maybe someone local can go look at it before you travel to see it yourself, or maybe even meet you there?

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Steven
Webmaster
83 Chevy G-20 A-Team Van 305/700R4

So you won't need to worry about getting a speeding ticket, ever

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How to post pics: When writing a message, scroll down and use the "attach file" option. Where possible, a photo sharing service can be used such as Flickr, Imgur etc. The image location (usually ending in .jpg) can be copy and pasted between the ][ brackets that appear when you click the 'Img' button (you can find this button at the top of the message box).

How to post youtube vids: Click on the 'youtubeHD' button at the top of the message box and in the middle of the ][ brackets that just appeared, copy and paste everything from the youtube web address that appears after the = sign i.e if this is the url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2cNqaPSHv0 just copy "K2cNqaPSHv0").

Oops, MPG!

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Steven
Webmaster
83 Chevy G-20 A-Team Van 305/700R4

Thanks you guys, my wife said she would contribute to my first Camaro for my 30th (although that is not until Dec 2014!)

Here are a couple I have seen on the web, not that I am in a position to buy just yet, but it would be good to hear what you guys think

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Chevrolet-Cam ... 3cd1f02db0

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1999-Chevrole ... 3ccd21315d

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/92-J-GMC-CHEV ... 460fb273c0 <--- I LOVE this one!!

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p <---- Is this one waaay overpriced??