What Do You Love? What Do You Hate?

**Naaman** · 06-30-2011, 07:19 AM

I've been driving my car for a little over a year now and I've grown to love and hate certain things about it. Just curious what kind of ups and downs other people have with their cars.

What I love:

It really moves. It's the fastest car I've owned and when I want to go, it just goes.

I love the seating position. I like to sit low-slung and "cradled" in the seat (with knees higher than butt, and my trunk leaned back).

I love watching my passengers whip back in their seats when I stomp the gas.

I love my tires: they bite the ground and don't let go for anything (unless it's wet... LOL).

I love hearing the Magnaflows in a tunnel at part or full throttle.

What I hate:

I hate all the noises my car makes with just day to day driving. Squeaks, rattles etc. I've fixed a lot of them... but some of the internal mechanical noises get on my nerves.

I hate the inconsistency of the feel of the car. Some days it feels super smooth and peppy, other days it feels like it's old and tired. Some days it feels rock solid, other days it feels sloppy.

I hate the C4 rims that the previous owner installed. They're "nice" wheels, but they're ugly. Some C5 thin spokes in gun-metal would be sweet.

Little by little I'm trying to fix all these things I hate. I just wish I knew more about my car so that I could address some of them sooner.

**allbaugh_04** · 06-30-2011, 07:44 AM

The only thing I hate is sloppiness over bumps. The roads here are not smooth at all in some spots. So the car is all over the road it feels like.

I do plan on upgrading the shocks though.

Also the body work just isn't the best. Big gaps in panels etc., but not really a huge deal imo.

**Knight** · 06-30-2011, 07:45 AM

I love - the sound, the power, the attention, the look. Little kids stare at it, people my age drool over it, and older people respect it. Just about everything about it.

I hate - breaking things (although I should be done with that now, I hope....

), the cost of parts, and the fact that it will never be quick enough for me - but then again, no car is.

**konigandy6** · 06-30-2011, 09:17 AM

The squeaks and rattles are pretty bad... and you'll spend years hunting all of them down. You kinda just have to drown it out with your exhaust note.

The suspension over bumps is pretty wicked too... it feels like it's baning so hard when you hit any size pothole or bump. My car hungers for long smooth roads.

**allbaugh_04** · 06-30-2011, 10:44 AM

I wonder if Bilstein HDs can fix that completely.

**slimss** · 06-30-2011, 11:26 AM

LOVE the power but hate the seating position. I used to have a big block chevelle that was so much easier to throw around corners. The 02 ss i have just seems like its gonna get away from me if i try and nail it. Also the seat is too high so the sun visor is always in the way. Also at times the car seems to have more power then it did the day before. The center exhaust seems to stink up the inside of the car. And last but not least i wish chevy would have made the interior more distinct. Its too plain.

**Smittro** · 06-30-2011, 11:32 AM

Things I liked.. The T-tops

Hated: The total cheapness of it inside and out.. Does'nt/did'nt even stack up to my 19 year old Z34..

I get more looks and compliments on the Hummer in the past month than I ever did with the 01 Camaro..
Got tired of every ricer on the planet trying to race me when my kid was in the car. Now I don't even see them.. Well I see their roof..

**slimss** · 06-30-2011, 11:48 AM

Originally Posted by Smittro

Things I liked.. The T-tops

Hated: The total cheapness of it inside and out.. Does'nt/did'nt even stack up to my 19 year old Z34..

I get more looks and compliments on the Hummer in the past month than I ever did with the 01 Camaro..
Got tired of every ricer on the planet trying to race me when my kid was in the car. Now I don't even see them.. Well I see their roof..

you must be driving that hummer in the wrong part of town,
agreed about all the dam ricers wanting to race while your kid is in the car with you. Dam i hate that!

**Naaman** · 06-30-2011, 01:34 PM

ELL OH ELL !

All of the above is too true.

Originally Posted by allbaugh_04

I wonder if Bilstein HDs can fix that completely.

.

I have HD Bilstiens. Not sure what stockers feel like, but bumps are NOT my friend even with what I've got.

Originally Posted by slimss

Also at times the car seems to have more power then it did the day before.

Yeah... what gives with that?

**allbaugh_04** · 06-30-2011, 02:49 PM

Well that's not what I want to hear

I wonder what shocks ride better without feeling sloppy on turns.

**Firebirdjones** · 06-30-2011, 03:31 PM

I like the seating position and I like how the dash is laid out. Very easy to get at everything.

I like the way it handles and drives.

I like the power that it provides while still being economical on gas.

-------------------------------
I hate the T-tops.

I hate the composite plastic headlights, should have been made of glass.

I hate the whimpy 7.5 inch rear.

I hate the clutch hydraulic system.

I hate how far back the engine sits.

I hate torque arm rear suspension.

**Naaman** · 06-30-2011, 06:25 PM

Originally Posted by allbaugh_04

Well that's not what I want to hear

I wonder what shocks ride better without feeling sloppy on turns.

Nah, she's nice and neat around turns. Decreasing radius inclined or declined on-ramps are a joy to negotiate in 2nd gear with strong throttle application.

Of course, if you're looking for the compromise (or not, as the case may be) between handling and ride quality... yeah... I don't know. Sometimes I do wish my suspension were softer. But I just tell myself that it's the price I pay for performance.

Originally Posted by Firebirdjones

I like the seating position and I like how the dash is laid out. Very easy to get at everything.

I like the way it handles and drives.

I like the power that it provides while still being economical on gas.

-------------------------------
I hate the T-tops.

I hate the composite plastic headlights, should have been made of glass.

I hate the whimpy 7.5 inch rear.

I hate the clutch hydraulic system.

I hate how far back the engine sits.

I hate torque arm rear suspension.

Ugh... how could I forget the rear end. I'm always scared to really push it for fear that I'll break it on my stock-ish horsepower.

I guess the engine is mounted farther back to help with weight distribution...? For access purposes, though... it is discouraging for a beginning wrench turner such as myself...

**bouigha123** · 07-01-2011, 08:36 PM

I love driveing my car but hate seeing miles add up

**Smittro** · 07-02-2011, 12:33 AM

Originally Posted by slimss

you must be driving that hummer in the wrong part of town,
agreed about all the dam ricers wanting to race while your kid is in the car with you. Dam i hate that!

Don't get me wrong I did love my car.

However, my time is finite, nearly everytime I got some extra time for projects, I ended up needing to fix a "stock" problem on the Camaro.
It was starting to cut heavily into my (TT) project to the point I've missed months. I may not get a full day off for months...
But I can't turn work down being lucky to have it in this econ.. SO getting the time I do get has to be split between Family,
houses, shops, and cars.. Losing the Camaro was an all around wise choice for me/us..
The project car will be plenty fast, it was faster than the Camaro when it (z34) was stock with bolt ons, so keeping it to finish it makes sense to me..
It's a far more rare of a car and their values are holding. Especially low mileage un-modded or modded..
Quite frankly it's a far more solid ride and, handles better with multi link 4 wheel independant rear under it..
It also has a much nicer interior, than a 4th gen Camaro, judging from the past 2 I've owned..

Today, I am seriously leaning back to getting into a 3rd gen as my next project..
Dime a dozen here, just have to find a good chassis/roller that is'nt heavily rotted out from PA winters..

Buddy has an 84 Z28 with no engine and lets it just sit. The unibody is perfect but the rest is junk.
I really want to start over on a 3rd Camaro and built it exactly like I want it.. My next task will be getting him to sell it to me..

**35th-ANV-SS** · 07-02-2011, 12:44 AM

Love:
T-tops
Shifting gears
The looks and compliments I get when I take her out
The fact that it's been paid off since 2007
The exhaust sound
The sound of the bypass valve on the Procharger
The fact that not much, if anything, can beat me now

Hate:
The price of anything aftermarket
How difficult it is to work on just about anything
The restrictive hydraulic fluid system for the clutch
The fact that the stock rim is only 9" wide

I really don't have any rattles or squeaks anymore. I think my SFC's and other suspension components took care of most of those. It was a battle with getting the exhaust clearance over the axle and the tunnel mount torque arm, but I think I got it finally. Either that, or the car is so loud now I just don't hear it anymore

**allbaugh_04** · 07-02-2011, 05:12 AM

Have your wheels widened to 11"

**LS1Mac** · 07-02-2011, 05:14 AM

The things I love about my 2002 SS :

- The smooth design of the car. It's a shape that you wouldn't get board with like the way most cars are made today .

-The power of course.

- The low milage it has on it. I just hit 48,000 miles yesterday coming from work .I bought her new back in 2002

.

- The main thing is that it's all mine !! This baby been paid for since 2006 ...lol I love it !!

The things I hate :

- My headlights are faded badly and I've tried every cleaner out there and nothing seems to work for me. I guess I have to buy a new pair.

- The occasional leak I get every now in then water seems to get in my car . Always under the rear passenger seat . Sometimes but not all the time after a real heavy rain.

**35th-ANV-SS** · 07-02-2011, 04:31 PM

Originally Posted by allbaugh_04

Have your wheels widened to 11"

Then the wheel spacing would not be correct. I would then have to put a spacer on the wheel and run really long wheel studs. Not exactly an option with 500rwhp. I'd probably snap the wheel studs at some point.

I have to get aftermarket wheels if I want to go wider. For now, I'm hooking great so we'll see.

**Spikito** · 07-02-2011, 05:19 PM

Originally Posted by konigandy6

The squeaks and rattles are pretty bad... and you'll spend years hunting all of them down. You kinda just have to drown it out with your exhaust note.
The suspension over bumps is pretty wicked too... it feels like it's baning so hard when you hit any size pothole or bump. My car hungers for long smooth roads.

win

**98TransAmWs-6** · 07-02-2011, 05:50 PM

I don't really get any of this hate towards stuff with our cars. I don't hate anything about mine. Sure there is stuff I slightly dislike but it is all fixable. Like my seats are ripped and my exhaust rattles but that will be fixed soon. My car doesn't squeak except over bumps but it still has the original shocks and that will be fixed with the new suspension stuff that is going on.