Poor performance? If you feel like that, then you would also have to feel the same way about the 2010 mustang and challenger then. What exactly are you comparing it to? Not anything Italian at three times the price I hope?
oldboyjohn,
Jul 17, 3:47am
Why would you change something that was exceptional to begin with? You can never have too many Mustangs! I have a 67 and a 2008 Shelby, I would have to say I do prefer the looks of the 07 to the later model ones. They were designed to look retro, and succeed quite well with the exception of the rear side window. However, put some colour matched Rousch louvres over the widow which makes them look more like the original fastback, and they look the part. While they don't have the performance of the later models, it is certainly adequate!
lookoutas,
Jul 17, 7:06am
You shouldn't worry about the 1/4 windows, they're like that to simulate the early Shelby's. Jeez - I've got 4.6 manual, and there's no lack of performance there! Can't really see the sense in wanting more.
Don't worry about jazzagray, he always thinks his favourite is the best.
When Ford designed the Mustang, they chose a name that would inspire all types of people to like it. Some say it was named after a P51 fighter for men, but they also knew that women would like the fact that it was named after a wild horse. And they did. The first person to buy one was a woman, even though an airline pilot was given the kudos of buying # one on the release date. Something may have changed since, but it was the only car ever to feature on the front page of a womens magazine. So Ford hit the nail on the head with both the name and shark like frontal styling.
The 05 retro was a backflip to the original concept, and it worked again. GM had to copy - so now tg/zz. I used to be driving along with the cruise control in auto "Slow down" and when she saw a retro Mustang. The comment was always "That's nice" If she sees a Camaro the comment is "Fugly." A Challanger gets a "Nice," And the other day while I was watching Indycars, she came in during a yellow flag and said "That's bloody ugly."
Now that's not my opinion, but if you wanta lose an argument, I can give you her mobile number.
martinistar,
Jul 17, 7:15am
Your opinions would have some credence, if you offered a better alternative at a similar price.
Your supposed to be cruising around Hawaii on Holiday, yet you say it didn't have enough performance, LOL, Sounds like you had to much sunshine.
lookoutas,
Jul 17, 7:30am
It's funny that his opinion is exactly the same as a bloke who was telling me at a party that he wouldn't get a convertible as he'd rented a Camaro convertible in the states and he thought is was horrible. It shook, and had terrible wind noise with the top up. I just took it with a grain of salt, as someone had told him that I had an 06 Mustang convertible on the boat, and I assumed there was a fair amount of green coming out.
I can tell you one thing - if anyone got into my car on a dark night, and didn't notice the top, they would never know it was a convertible. I have read road tests that give the same glowing opinion.
I don't know what a Camaro convertible is like, but it's interesting to hear of a 100% negative.
robotnik,
Jul 17, 7:51am
The Mustang is cool, because in what other car, apart some old SAABs, can you imagine you're in a fighter plane?! Note the speedo on the 2015 Mustangs says "ground speed", LOL.
And I bet with some hacking you could make the engine noise synthesizer on the Ecoboost model sound like a Packard Merlin!
3tomany,
Jul 17, 8:15am
so you never imported and sold a convertible? just asking. So being a Camaro expert you are saying don't buy a six it is crap, don't buy a convertible it is crap but stick a roof on it is perfect? sorry but i thought a turd could be rolled in glitter but you cant polish one LOL
lookoutas,
Jul 17, 8:15am
Not pickin on ya tg - I respect your opinion, and I've got mine.
I just don't try'n shove it down anyone elses throat. Unless provoked - which is why I ignored this for so long.
lookoutas,
Jul 17, 8:39am
Perhaps I should elaborate.
What I am concerned about is your heading. A number of years ago, I did a business/personal development type of workshop with some consultants. In fact, I (and others) did a number of workshops with them, as when the directors of the Co I worked for asked what we thought of the first session, I asked for more. Maybe it was coz they did a lot of seemingly stupid things like putting us in boxes of Who, How, When and Why. Which in effect determined how we would relate to those in other boxes. And it was dead right - as far as I was concerned. What it taught me was that as a How, I cannot relate to a Who. I hit it off with a Why and can work with a When, even though I can't understand that a When doesn't require an explanation. But a When can relate to a Who, so if I want/need to deal with a Who, I have to morph into a When.
What I can't do is "think" something is a conclusion - I have to know. Hence thinking is not a positive action.
Does that explain it?
3tomany,
Jul 17, 8:59am
I think I am a when
rob_man,
Jul 17, 9:14am
I'm a Why Not.
tgray,
Jul 17, 9:26am
Not trying to shove anything down anyone's throat. Just expressing an opinion and would like to think it's an informed one, considering out of the 7 Camaros I imported, one was a convertible, one was a manual and 5 were hard top auto's. To all the mustang lovers - remember, the 6 cylinder 2010 Camaro had 300bhp. You might want to google what the V8 2010 mustang had. And yes, I have driven many a mustang. didn't like their fixed rear axle setup. took them until 2015 to arrive In the 21st century.
westwyn,
Jul 17, 10:53am
I put 4,700 miles on a two-month-old 2015 Camaro SS LS3 6.2 convertible in the States last month- yes, a rental- and was bitterly disappointed in it, from the performance, to the lack of exhaust note, to the scuttle shake, to the bits that fell off it, and continued to fall off right up to when we deposited it back at LAX. Don't get me wrong- it was enjoyable to drive- any near-new V8 top-spec convertible would be on a 4700 mile road trip, with great seats and driver comforts (like the HUD display, the very best I've seen). But the A/C was pitiful by today's standards, the back seat near enough to useless, and the boot space aperture would NOT fit a standard sized suitcase through it. We actually had to re-pack our luggage and leave most of it behind in LA for the two weeks, living out of a carry-on soft bag each instead.
Lots of new Mustangs on the road, especially rentals, and although they DID grow on me, I still think the preceding shape is nicer and a little more aggressive.
And no, in America, Mustangs are NOT timeless at all. Hi-po models yes- well, most anyway- but there are plenty in salvage yards too where they've served their time and are simply no longer relevant. The end was the Mustang II in 1974, from there it was a downhill slippery slope until certain post-1994 (?) models, and even then, most of those Nineties 'Stangs have dated really badly.
I think we place too much kudos on a badge here in NZ, when in the home country it's far less appealing ince the model has aged a bit. And yes, as I said, there are, of course, exceptions.
tgray,
Jul 18, 3:16am
Interesting. Please tell me of a rental company that hires out V8 manual Camaro's. I would love to know. 0-60MPH in a little over 4.5 seconds is nothing to be disappointed in.
tgray,
Jul 18, 9:34am
An 8 week old Camaro had things consistently falling off it? Sorry, mate, but I know these cars very well and simply don't believe this.
extrayda,
Jul 18, 9:42am
Maybe it was tyre rubber falling off ;-)
vtecintegra,
Jul 18, 11:17am
Hertz does the Camaron SS as well as Corvettes and Mustang GTs - not in manual because a/ Americans think manual transmissions are some type of communist plot and b/ American cars all suck with manuals.
tgray,
Jul 18, 8:06pm
Yes, very few companies hire out V8 versions and I wasn't aware any manual ones were offered ( A previous poster mentions he rented an LS3 Camaro). The LS3 were the 426 hp ones and used in the manuals and the L99 were the 400hp versions in the auto's.
westwyn,
Jul 20, 5:23am
Hello tgray- been away for the weekend- then I stand corrected, the Camaro was an automatic (rented from Avis) not a manual- the owner's manual handbook stated it was an LS3 426hp in auto OR manual format, so I just went with that. Still didn't perform like a 400hp car though.
The baffling in the convertible well (inside the boot) fell away after the first 1000 miles, leaving an irritating squeak- probably as the roof frame rubbed on parts it shouldn't- that was the worst bits. Rubber seals worked loose around the left rear quarterlight window- excess wind noise as a result. Right front black plastic spotlight surround worked loose and had to be regularly re-clipped in.
Oil consumption- I didn't mention this in the first post- but it chewed through 1 and a half litres of oil in under 4,000 miles- is that normal for these?
Extrayda- no rubber sorry- being a rental this had the option to fully disable the traction control removed. of course, not that we tried! ;-)
The other issue both my co-driver and I complained of, perhaps harshly so, was the convertible roof took FOREVER to raise- I've driven a LOT of convertibles in my lines of work and I don't think I've ever struck one as slow as the Camaro. Plus, in an ingenious bit of design, the switch you have to hold on to close the roof, leaves your fingers in a natural position of placement neatly able to be struck by the roof as it comes to the close.
I don't know- I'm just being as subjective as I can be- I have no Ford vs GM loyalty whatsoever (I've a soft spot for Mopar though) so it wasn't the fact it was a Camaro, and NOT a new Mustang.
Compared to the brand-new Ford Mustang Shelby Hertz GT-H I rented back in 2006 (or was it 2005?) with "only" around 300hp and a full hour-long "tutorial" and sign-off by the Hertz staff before I was allowed to drive away in it, this Camaro was just. disappointing. Sorry!
tgray,
Jul 20, 7:51am
Ok, all your points are noted. The only experience I have had with a convertible, is with the 2012 Camaro. The one I had did not squeak or rattle and nothing 'fell off'. The fact you drove 4700 miles, gives you more experience in one than I ever had. (mine had 500 miles on it). Yes, the boot is tiny, so I would dare to suggest you hired the wrong car to travel around with suitcases etc. A car like this is not designed for taking the family cross country. Yes, the exhaust note is terrible disappointing. I literally had a truck driver at the traffic lights, turn his engine off, lean out the window and I heard him say to his passenger "@---% that's quiet", before turning the engine back on and driving off. Performance? there was obviously something wrong with the one you hired. All the reviews in major motoring publications rave about the performance. Just over 4.5 secs to 60MPH. Not stunning, but pretty good compared to it's rivals and considering the weight of the car. The fact it was using oil confirms you had a lemon. The one I had opened and closed in around 20 seconds. Yes, your finger has to be continually pressed on the button and it has to be in park to operate it. You mention scuttle shake etc. With it's limited slip diff, it handles just fine. I am sorry you didn't have the experience you paid for. I don't think your car represents the driving experience of this model as a whole. Again, I have had 7 of them and they have all exceeded my expectations. (been driving LHD USA cars since 1991). Footnote: what stuns me is the non secured petrol cap. Anyone can come along and release it and pour sugar or whatever they want in your petrol tank. I have a 2014 Corvette Stingray right now and it's the same. Not even a lock on the petrol cover. Even my 1993 Camaro had one!
westwyn,
Jul 20, 8:04am
Thanks tgray. We actually booked a new Mustang for the trip, confirmed and pre-paid for. When we turned up at Avis an hour late (flight delayed from Oklahoma City) the Avis people told us all the Mustangs were out, but in the "same group" they had a nice new Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet.
Err.
Cue a one and half hour argument with the staff and management about what constituted a Mustang convertible, what "or similar" meant, and exactly why two grown men planning a five-state road trip into Colorado and Idaho would not, categorically NOT, be seen dead (or recently alive) in a VW Beetle Cabrio.
The Camaro turned up at the eleventh hour- literally a return as we waited- and with nothing more than a quick wash they chucked us in to that instead, after ANOTHER argument about paying a further "upgrade" fee to the "extra premium" SS V8.
I've always been a loyal Hertz customer, and after this trip, I shall revert to being one!
westwyn,
Jul 20, 8:07am
And I think American motoring magazines can be economical with the truth. We got passed by a Hellcat in Utah near Green River while cruising at 90mph on the 80mph freeway. Went past like we were standing still. and sounded like an angry basket of eco-vandalism in the process! Now THAT'S performance!
tgray,
Jul 20, 8:10am
I must admit, I would probably rent the 2015 new shape Mustang over the Camaro right now. Only because I have never driven one and they have just been released. Hope you had a great trip anyway! Just please don't 'write off" the Camaro just yet. A new model is coming out next year with an all new platform and all the issues you raised will hopefully be addressed. If the dollar had not tanked in recent months, I would have been the first to bring one in to NZ, but not so keen at current exchange rates.
tgray,
Jan 19, 5:21pm
Well, you are talking 707 BHP (more than an Aventador) and about twice the price of your SS Camaro.
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