Chevrolet Camaro 1967-2002 - SS? Is it worth the extra $?

alright guys, im sure the differences between a Z28 and a SS has been posted and or talked about several times (so please dont flame the crap out of this thread), but what are the major differences between the two, and also, are the differences between the too actually worth the extra money it cost between a Z28 and a SS?






Reason i brought thread back: sorry to bring this thread back, but quick question. SS hood and spoiler on a Z28. gay, or doesnt matter as long as u dont put badges on? i couldnt figure out how to add a pole so i had to do it this way. thanks

mostly cosmetics, but on the used marked the price difference is worth it purely from the future resale value. Base Z28s don't hold their value very well at all, unfortunately.

spoiler, hood, 17" wheels, 275 wide tires, different exhaust, more desirable vehicle. Thats about it.

X2 on the answer above

yeah, well the reason im asking is cause im in the market for a SS and i was wondering if it would be worth paying the extra money or not for the SS, cause thats a huge reason that i want a SS cause i love the looks of them. how hard is it to swap the spoiler and hood?

Boooooooooooo SS, Hhhhoooorrrraaayyy Z28!!!

You will never regret moving up to the SS. Never.

I've had both. The looks of the SS get the nod over the Z28. If other peoples' opinions matter to you, then the SS has the greater "cool" factor. Nine Ball is right about the resale value as well, though I've never lost money on the initial investment of any of my Z28's (even the stock ones).

Other than that, they aren't any better. They certainly aren't any faster. They also cost more. Good luck!

If I had to buy new - then the Z28 as it's basically the same car as the SS but with a different hood, spoiler, wheels, and exhaust. The cost difference between the Z28 and the SS is roughly 5000-6000 bucks (when new) - take that money and upgrade the Z28 and it will become a very potent SS killer hands down.

If I had to buy used - then it is the SS since in the later years especially 00-02 there were more of these produced then the Z28 - relatively easy to find, and pricing is very good.

Boooooooooooo SS, Hhhhoooorrrraaayyy Z28!!!

Your Z28 is slow!!!!!!!!!! now quiet your mouth lol

yeah, well the reason im asking is cause im in the market for a SS and i was wondering if it would be worth paying the extra money or not for the SS, cause thats a huge reason that i want a SS cause i love the looks of them. how hard is it to swap the spoiler and hood?


well thats a decision that you have to make.I personally bought my SS because I have always liked the looks of the SS compared to the Z28 and it was worth it to me.The hood is an easy swap and so is the spoiler once you get all the trim pieces off to get to the nuts on it.

well thats a decision that you have to make.I personally bought my SS because I have always liked the looks of the SS compared to the Z28 and it was worth it to me.The hood is an easy swap and so is the spoiler once you get all the trim pieces off to get to the nuts on it.
ive always been a huge fan of the SS look, not so much of the z28. one problem that i have, i think its a mental issue,lol, that if i bought a Z28 and tried making it a SS it wouldnt be the same thing to me, im one of those people who have to have things a certain way and i want the real deal, no clones or look a likes.

if your gonna mod the crap out of your car then just buy the z28 and save some money. now if your talking about a early ss's with the lt1, then i say that its well worth the money over a z28.

SS is worthless if its modded... Z28 also is worthless if its modded BUT it doesn't hold value anyway. Z28=ballsout... SS=keep it stock to retain value.

SS is worthless if its modded... Z28 also is worthless if its modded BUT it doesn't hold value anyway. Z28=ballsout... SS=keep it stock to retain value.
but what if plan keeping it for like 10 years? its not gonna be worth shit anyways. would it be more money to make a Z28 into a SS then buying a SS over a Z28? (98-02)

Car for car in a year, 10 or 20 the SS will be worth more. The question is would you pay $500 for a Bolex when you could buy a Rolex for $600? Sort of.

i dunno, i recently bought my Z28. i was looking for an SS, but when i found my car with less than 10k miles, every granatelli part available, in perfect shape for $16K i had to jump on it.

now that its NOT an SS, im cool with doing stuff like a cowl hood, SS spoiler, and maybe forced induction. It will always have Z/28 badges on the sides.

i dunno if its just me or what, but i dont really think of SS's as big collectors or anything, dont get me wrong i love SS's but i just dont think of them that way.

Not too many people in the '70s thought any old chev would be collectible either. Only time will tell. Remember, almost all of the most collectible of them all, the ZL1s, were returned to GM and forced down a few dealer's throats where they sat for months on end. Dealers who took these cars also got hard to get inventory.

If you believe you have a knack (or even a strong hunch) for predicting future car trends then pick your car, take good care of it and see what happens. After all, somebody is going to be right!!

Right or wrong you will still enjoy your car. How can you lose?

Hell yea!!!

Just don't buy a Z/28 and then make it look like an SS, please. :judge:

Just don't buy a Z/28 and then make it look like an SS, please. :judge:

Why? Does it threaten you?

I say it depends on the inevitable future of the car. If you plan on keeping it for a long time, i.e. >10 years, get an SS for resale value, but if you're just getting it for a while, or you're not sure if you'll keep it, etc. Then get a Z. It's a lot cheaper to make a Z look like an SS than to buy an SS, so if it's just the looks you're going for, that's the cheapest way. But don't put SS badges on it, if you care that much, just buy the SS.

i dunno if its just me or what, but i dont really think of SS's as big collectors or anything, dont get me wrong i love SS's but i just dont think of them that way.

Amen to that... If you guys really want a collector item to sale it again down the road, get a GMMG/Dale E./Dick H. cars. Limited build numbers=hold value to these cars.

I've had both. The looks of the SS get the nod over the Z28. If other peoples' opinions matter to you, then the SS has the greater "cool" factor. Nine Ball is right about the resale value as well, though I've never lost money on the initial investment of any of my Z28's (even the stock ones).

Other than that, they aren't any better. They certainly aren't any faster. They also cost more. Good luck!

My sentiments exactly. The BIG Z does not cost as much & the SS ain't any faster therefore it ain't any better than the BIG Z. Case closed ! But hey, that's just my opinion & I'm biased . You must choose between luxury and integrity. The SS has luxury at a premium price where as the BIG Z has all the integrity of the premium priced vehicle but at a lower price. Now, what does your common sense tell you ? Do you want to impress people with looks & then get beat by a lowly BIG Z or walk softly & carry a BIG stick ? Think about it ! :buttkick: :nutkick:

Why can't you impress people with looks and beat the lowly "BIG Z" too?

Look at it this way - nobody EVER bought an SS and later wished they had bought a Z28. As for the future price of the catfish....some are already going up.

Why? Does it threaten you?

I say it depends on the inevitable future of the car. If you plan on keeping it for a long time, i.e. >10 years, get an SS for resale value, but if you're just getting it for a while, or you're not sure if you'll keep it, etc. Then get a Z. It's a lot cheaper to make a Z look like an SS than to buy an SS, so if it's just the looks you're going for, that's the cheapest way. But don't put SS badges on it, if you care that much, just buy the SS.

Well, somebody was gonna say it so I bet 'em to it, lol.

I mostly agree with your response. I just don't understand the SS hood on a Z/28 thing. To me it kind of cheapens both cars. Go with an Ultra-Z or cowl hood if you want something different.

I would just go with a SS but for reason is I own a SS and love it so its really up to you and the money you want to spend on buying the car. :chug:

When I had my Z28, a good friend almost purchased an 02 LE SS Camaro. I was drooling over the look of an SS. If I ever go back to a Camaro, Its most definatly going to be an SS, just for the Cool Factor that I think it has over the Z28. In the Firebird world, I think its cooler to have a Formula than a Trans Am though.

That does it. I'm taking the gloves off. The SS has a certain 'je ne sais quoi'. That's all there is to it. Either you feel it or you don't. If you're OK with the Z28 then go for it, you'll never know the difference. <--- pardon the harsh words, but it had to be said!

ive always liked camaro's. i had a 93 z28, but when it comes down to it, the z28 just looks to plain to me, but the SS now....has the hood and the spoiler which IMO makes the rearend look bad ass, and im a big fan of rearends if u know what i mean.lol, anyways, do all SS's come with a different suspension, and what else?

not all SSs came iwth suspension, only the 1LE option and SLP optioned SS cars did (if i understood correctly).

no matter what you say or do, people will still try to make SS clones. thats the way its been since day of camaro SS, and thats how itll be on the new one as well, im sure.

if the real SS goes up in value or becomes a collector car then a clone will yield no benefits. these days we can check VINs to see if its real, versus back in the day it was much tougher to verify.

we also need to look at build numbers. they built way more camaro SS cars each year from 98-02 then they did in 67-69. the calue is typically related to a cars rarity, demand and showability. there were some UGLY cars from the muscle car era that are worth nothing now just because they were ugly as hell.

back on topic...SS probably wont be a collector without a special option code so i would say that a normal SS isnt worth the extra $ over a Z28 unless you want a hood and spoiler.

dont all u have to do is check the door sticker for "WU8"?


im not a huge fan of making a car a clone, it just bothers me.

i went from a 2002 z to a 2002 ss and dont regret it....ss just is a...ss... what else needs saying but did cost my z had 54k went for 16500 lots of mods while thw ss with 7k i got for 24000

I had a decked out Z28 that I loved. 418whp, drag car. I wanted a road-race car, auto-x car, etc, and also needed to save money to go back to school, so I sold it to a member on the boards here.

Now that school is almost taken care of, I found a steal, a 99 SS. So, I've owned a Z28 and a SS. I have to say that the power was identical, so if you're just after a balls-out fast car and don't care about anything else, the SS is not worth the extra money.

If you want the gorgeous look of the hood/wing, and the stigma of owning the SS, then yes, its worth it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some people think saving $3000, or whatever amount it is, is beauty, and I don't blame them, and would have to agree!

But basically, I love the SS, and if I had the extra cash when I originally bought the '02Z28, I would've gotten the SS then.

its not staying stock thats for sure, and im going to be starting school in the fall so i want to get something that im going o be happy with for a long time so i dont want to buy another car anytime soon

Just don't buy a Z/28 and then make it look like an SS, please. :judge:


seriousley.

Evidence? Look at the HO Z28 in the Cars for Sale section. It that 25k mile car were an SS it would bring in excess of $20k in about 5 minutes. As a Z28 it ain't selling! What a shame.

Neither Cars will retain value for the next 10 years. The 4th gen cars are currently still falling in their "Depreciation Cycle", Their values are still dropping.

Now its obvious an SS, will always be worth a bit more, but both will come down.

Its not like these cars consist of brand new technology and will no longer continue to be worth less and less, untill you can pick up a cherry Z28 for $3500cash.

Take 3rd gens for example. There is the same issue. Base model third gens, Z28 third gens, and the "IROC-Z"

How ever in the 3rd gen, the iroc got better suspension, more powerful base motors, and a special appearance package, back in the mid '90's when LT1s were still new, these cars sold for ...$7000, and were barely out dated technology, Then the LS1 Came out, and pushed the 3rd gens down, they hit the bottom of their appreciation cycle (which their currently in, and starting to appreciate), You can pick up a mint car that may have cost $15 000 new, for $2000. The LS1 is not brand new technology, the engine is 10 years old, and has already been replaced with more high tech, and more powerful engines, which all decrease value a bit.

The current holding factor to a 4th gens value, is that if you want the newest camaro, these are still the cars, once the new camaro comes, its just a kick in the ass, and the value drop will get a bit steeper.

Like third gens, only cars that were made in small amounts are rare, Like the 1LE's, R7U's, Certain Year G92's, 90' Irocs (only a 4month production run), all of the prices will drop, but the SS wont sit quite as low on an equal condition basis, and will rise a bit quicker when they start to appreciate again.

very true, im not that concerned about the car loosing its value very much though, if i was concerned about that alone i would go buy a viper gts or something. but i know what ever i buy isnt going to stay stock so all that worrying about value goes right out the window.

CatfiSSh that are rare and desirable have gone up in the last few years. The HOSS and very low mileage SS's are a prime example. I've turned down offers for my '02, 1LE SS that were higher than the mkt. value.

Start with an SS.

yeah ive noticed that, theres a lot of SS's that i guess people had as garage queen's with less then 20k miles on them, and they want like $20+K for them. Crazy!

I would get what you want. If you see a Z/28 with the paint or other options you like, then get it. If you want the SS and find one you can afford, then you should jump on it too. Being that it's your money and be your car, do with it what you want.

If you like the SS hood, I don't see anything wrong with adding it or the spoiler to a Z/28. I wouldn't go throwing false badging on it, though. That's really crossing the line and not even an exterior mod that adds anything to the looks anyways.

I have a V6 and added an SS-style hood and aftermarket SS-inspired rear spoiler (it actually has a higher lip than a true SS). I even went and picked up some later-style SS 10-spokes. Nowhere do I say it's an SS. And, if people ask, I quickly tell them it's a six-banger. I knew I would be keeping the car, and wanted to make it something that stood out and I would never tire of. Besides, many of the pieces I added were cheaper than factory replacements after clipping a deer on the way home.

In short, get what you want and do with it what you want.

I would have bought an SS if I had the money, but not many clean, non-beat-to-shit LS1 SS's go for under $7,000 :lol:

sheldonz28 well spoken for a 16 year old... i think you have a future in economics

yes it is

I say that this. What do you want???? A z28 or a SS?? Can you buy a SS??? If in any of the question you answer "SS". Buy a SS. I found mine a 01 with 49000 for 10K yes 10K. Had it painted taraaaa ha a brand new SS. I never have regreted to buy it.You will spent quite a few months looking for it but you will find it. Depends; how much do you want it?

i want a SS. well....actually i want a firehawk but those are a little out of my price range.lol



How the HELL did u find that for $10k?

sorry to bring this thread back, but quick question. SS hood and spoiler on a Z28. gay, or doesnt matter as long as u dont put badges on? i couldnt figure out how to add a pole so i had to do it this way. thanks

With a spoiler, hood and wheels the plain Jane Z 28 would look as good as an SS. Nothing wrong with that.

If you have the extra money, get an SS. If not get a Z28 and put the hood and spoiler on later

yeah ive noticed that, theres a lot of SS's that i guess people had as garage queen's with less then 20k miles on them, and they want like $20+K for them. Crazy!

Judging by your join date, you may not have been around when SLP had their own forums. Tons of garage queens posting. Guys that had owned their cars for one or two years and still had less than 1000 miles on them. Posts like "I just finished washing the floor pan" and "look at my polished I-pipe" were pretty common there.

Judging by your join date, you may not have been around when SLP had their own forums. Tons of garage queens posting. Guys that had owned their cars for one or two years and still had less than 1000 miles on them. Posts like "I just finished washing the floor pan" and "look at my polished I-pipe" were pretty common there.
well, I guess what ever makes people happy, IMO i think thats a complete waste of a car, if your gonna make a queen out of something do it with a classic, i know that some of you are thinking that one day these could be classics but lets face it, thats a long time from now, i understand wanting to do it with something like a blackhawk when there was only like 50 made, or the 2002 30th ann. SS, Berger, etc. but not with a normal SS.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A NORMAL SS! They are all SSpecial!! :gtfo:

Print this post...10 years from now they will be worth.....God knows what! :twisted:

lol people who say they will never be collectable are so full of shit...

back in the late 60's they produced 100,000+ Camaros and today even a 69 Camaro in decent condition with the smaller engine is easily worth more than it was sold for back in the day.

now your talking a 98-02 SS (top of the line) Camaro with the biggest engine we could get at the time. in 2038-2042 you can quote me that I bet a decent SS will be worth $30,000+ EASY :judge: after all the inflation and all that good stuff....

we will also be paying $8.00+ a gallon then too hahahaha :judge:

PS - in 10 years they won't be worth all that much, it will take like 20 I think.... people total SS's daily... they are becoming harder and harder to find, esp in decent condition

in one word YES YES YES YES YES

Who knows. They may never be worth a plug nickel on the open mkt. But there will always be a few of us who apprciate them. 10 years?.....maybe. Who could have guessed the '99 HOSS would be bringing the kind of money they are demanding now.

get a Z28, they are more stealthy

MMMHMMM.... loving the replies... hahah i think the ss is more like a collector thing... its only cosmetics really between the z28 and ss... if you can live with a z28 replica or even build a z28 to how u want it... ide so go for it... if u just want an ss to "have an ss" then get an ss... i bought my z28 with the intentions of getting a ss hood and spoiler... but decided to go different... the package for the ss was a couple thousand... now and days u can get the hood and spoiler for probably half of what the package was....

in my opinion ide much rather get the z28... if a z28 is 20,000(figuratively speaking)... and a ss is 25,000(figuratively speaking)... thats like saving 5,000.... u can turn around and do all sorts of shit to that z28 to make it an ss killer... now is that cosmetic stuff worth a couple thousand to u? thats what it boils down too

I bought my 2002 SS #31 because of the look and being a collectable.[It probably won't be worth as much as a lot of garage queens down the road!] My problem being, i friggin luv driving it, 50k and climbing :burn:

I didnt buy my SS to collect, I bought it to daily drive. I didnt buy a z28 because I dont like the look of them remotely close to as much as I like the look of the SS, and I am not comfortable with replacing parts to make my car look like something its not. When was the last time you saw an SS with an aftermarket z28 hood and spoiler?

SS = So Sexy

Collectibility is always a crap shoot but the prettier it
is, the more limited the production, the better the odds.
Don't expect "cloning" one to bring the value up from
a "base model", it'll only make collector types pissed.
Don't bother trying to understand, it's not all about
rationality.

Me, I bought on looks. Just had to have it. I knew I
could get the same performance by modding myself
but there was something about the whole package.
I'm not in it as an investment.

When you're buying, "no difference, same performance"
(give or take). When you're selling, "collectible, limited
production, check out the hood scoop". Dig it?

I bought my SS as appose to an Z28 because I wanted a SS, not a Z28. I know a Z28 has the same performance numbers, for the most part. And I started seeing that the price of Z28 are just as high as a SS, almost.

Just get a Nice Z28, and leave the SS's for those who really want them, no questions...

I bought my SS because of the appearance. SS's stand out from far away, where you can't tell a Z from a V6.

Yeah, you pay more money, but by the time you pay for the parts, why not buy a real SS?

I think cloning is for posers, and shouldn't be discussed on a forum like this, as it cheapens it as well.

I think cloning is for posers, and shouldn't be discussed on a forum like this, as it cheapens it as well.


+1 :gtfo:

yea its gay to put SS stuff on a Z28. Will turn off alot of potential buyers as it says "poser" and "car noob". Its like white kids dressin gangsta.