Digestible Collectible: 2001 Chevrolet Camaro SS
Welcome, friends, to the latest episode of “Chris grows a mullet, switches to Busch Light, and plays Skynyrd on repeat.” Hashtag ‘Murica.
Like I mentioned Monday, I’ve not yet had the pleasure of enjoying any sort of pony car. I can try and come up with excuses, but there aren’t any. This has to change. So, I opened up eBay and found my second dark blue pony of the week.
I hold no allegiance in the Chevy versus Ford battle, so vendors of Calvin peeing on the other brand’s logo can stop emailing me.
Were I to seriously consider acquiring such a car, I’d have to decide what to do with it. Part of me would like to get back into autocross, something which I’d abandoned once kids and minivan entered my life. This 2001 Chevrolet Camaro SS looks very close to stock, but wears lowering springs from autocross legend Sam Strano’s shop. The springs, Firebird WS6 wheels, and an uprated Hurst shifter are pretty much the only changes on a car that can nearly be piece-by-piece replaced by any number of aftermarket catalogs. The prior owners showed remarkable restraint.
I’ve been told that F-Bodies are difficult to live with on a daily basis, with the extra-long doors a major factor. The typical loose-plastics rattle will likely annoy over time as well, but I have a feeling that some LS1 goodness will help me to ignore all of those other annoyances.
Some enthusiasts say they were born with gasoline in their veins. Chris Tonn, on the other hand, had rust flakes in his eyes nearly since birth. Living in salty Ohio and being hopelessly addicted to vintage British and Japanese steel will do that to you. His work has appeared in eBay Motors, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars, Reader's Digest, AutoGuide, Family Handyman, and Jalopnik. He is a member of the Midwest Automotive Media Association, and he's currently looking for the safety glasses he just set down somewhere.
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I'd go Impala SS or Crown Victoria LX Sport/Marquis LSE before any of these used pony cars.
I still want a Firebird... Whether it's a 70-73, 79-81, late 80s GTA, or 93-97 Formula/Trans Am, I love Firebirds.
I will say, when this Gen 3 came out in 1993...it looked different, if not better, than the previous Gen. I like the pre-facelifted models 93-97 looks, better than the 98-02 with the flush lamps, that look like an afterthought. Either way, there was no love lost when production ended. For some reason, the F-body just seemed cheap, compared to a Mustang.
These cars have the catalytic converter hump in the floor where the passenger's left leg goes.