Here are the cars I am considering:
Camaro
There are 3, but only 2 that I am interested in, the SS and the ZL1. The SS gets a 6.2 liter V8 making 400 horsepower and 14 mpg city, 24 mpg highway. The Z28 or ZL1, whichever they end up calling the damn thing, has a 6.2 liter supercharged V8 and makes 556 horsepower. I can't find the mpg and I don't see the price listed yet, but its no doubt going to be damned expensive. The Camaro has consistently won all the performance contests thrown at the three modern muscle cars, with better acceleration, handling, and braking than the Ford or Dodge.
Mustang
There are 3 Mustangs I am interested in, the GT, the Boss 302 and the Shelby GT500. The GT comes with a 5.0 liter engine and makes 412 horsepower while getting 18 mpg in the city and 26 on the highway. The Boss 302 is a pain in the ass to look up on the internet when all you want is basic data so I gave up. Suffice to say it makes more horsepower than the standard GT and gets a little less gas mileage. The Shelby GT500 comes with a 5.4 liter supercharged V8 engine making 540 horsepower. It gets around 14 mpg in the city and 23 or 24 on the highway. It is a kick-ass car. The Mustang tends to come in 2nd in all the head-to-head performance tests thrown at the 3 choices.
Challenger
The Challenger comes in 3 different versions. I am only considering 2 of them. The RT comes with a 5.7 liter Hemi engine and makes 370 horsepower and gets about 16 mpg in the city and 25 on the highway. The SRT8, pictured above, comes with a 6.4 liter V8 engine making 470 horsepower, gets 14 mpg in the city and 23 on the highway. The Challenger always comes in third in the performance challenges, but consistently scores the highest long-term customer satisfaction rating by owners of the three choices. In other words, its the lowest on the totem pole performance-wise, but highest in terms of owner satisfaction. Liking the car I buy counts for a lot with me.
So anyway, I'll tell you my thoughts and then you tell me yours.
I never liked the look of this new Camaro. I'd honestly rather have a real 1969 Camaro outfitted with the engine and suspension of the modern one than this plastic nightmare. But the women all tell me they think this car is awesome and can't see a man like me driving anything else. I honestly wasn't expecting that. I keep thinking I'll get used to this new bodystyle, but only rarely do a I see one with a paint scheme that makes the car look decent to me. Most of them look like the car has a big, fat ass jacked up in the back and lacks a bumper up front. It's just funky.
I like the Mustang. Everyone I know who has one likes theirs, too. I also like that I can take a standard GT to a Ford dealer and have them install a 150 horsepower supercharger if I want and it'll still be under warranty, and no one will know its there. Bonus! But certain females I know tell me they think the Mustang is a girl car. I don't know why.
I never paid much attention to the Challenger in the past, but the more I read about it the more I like it. I see them more and more all over the place. The fact that everyone who owns one has an extremely high level of satisfaction with the car even years after buying it rates pretty high with me. That's important to me, liking a car you pay a shitload of money for and plan to keep for a long time. You know what I mean? And they say its really comfortable to drive, not like riding on a rail and feeling every pothole and groove in the pavement.
So what do you think? Am I wrong about the Camaro being butt ugly? Would I strike you as a big flaming pink homo in a Mustang? Is the Challenger a red flag signifying redneck loser with an 8-track player and Lynyrd Skynyrd tapes playing 24/7? I had joked that if I bought a Camaro I was going to grow back my '80s mullet. A certain female didn't think that was funny AT ALL.
Keep in mind, I haven't test driven any of these cars yet. It may be that once I get behind the wheel of each of them I'll have a totally different opinion. But just from what I have seen of them and what I have read I like the Mustang and then the Challenger and then the Camaro last of all, not that I hate any of the three or anything. What about you?
Pick one
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